Murmurs of appreciation sound in response and I lift a hand to quiet them.
“The four crowns will reconvene tomorrow to begin the next phase of preparation. We won today, but this was only the first strike, and was likely only a small test force from the humans on a state bordering their own territory. They won’t strike in the same place twice, or with as few troops. Double our watches on our borders, especially along the Great Lakes. They could try to approach by water. We need enough warning to gather forces and alert the factions if they do.”
When silence greets me, I nod and announce, “Meeting adjourned.”
Yet no one moves to leave. Instead, all of their eyes swing back to Wren.
“Forgive the question, my king,” a voice cuts in from near the end of the table, cautious but loud enough to carry. “But who is the girl? And why was she allowed to remain during a private council meeting?”
My jaw tightens at being questioned over who I allow into my castle.
I stand slowly, the legs of my chair scrape against stone as I rise once more. My palms press against the edge of the table, and I lean in just enough that the room stills, every breath caught behind closed mouths as the council awaits my response.
“You see this woman?” My voice is low and sharp.“You don’t look at her.”
I let the command settle.
“You don’t speak to her.”
I shift my gaze one by one, taking in each face at the table until all eyes dart down, unable to hold mine.
“She is undermyprotection. Inmycourt. Any threat to her will be treated as a threat to me.”
A long, eerie silence grips the chamber, tension thick as I allow my shadows out to swirl menacingly around each member. Unlike them, my shadows are plentiful enough to take them all out at once.
I straighten, slow and deliberate, hands folding behind my back once more.
“Any further questions for your king?”
None come.
Not a single voice dares rise now.
Only the low hum of my pooling shadows and the sound of her quiet breath beside me are heard.
And gods help me, I like the way it feels.
She exists beside me like she belongs, and I hate how easily I let her.
Chapter 5
Wren
The scrape of chairs against stone signals the end of the meeting. No words are spoken as the council begins to file out one by one, until they all disappear into the castle’s dark corridors.
Neither Azyric or I have moved, and I have to fight the urge to fidget under the weight of the tense silence we’re wrapped in.
I sit rigidly in the chair he demanded for me, attempting to absorb everything that just transpired.
The authority in his voice.
The warning in his shadows.
The weight of his protection that wraps around me, providing a warmth to my body that my coat isn’t capable of. It swept through me in a cascade from the top of my head to my toes.
He didn't have to do that, yethe did.
I let out a soft sigh, because part of me wishes he hadn’t…it only confuses me further. There are already more unknowns in my life than certainties. I don’t need another to add to that list.
