Chapter One
Cole leftbloody footprints behind as he stalked up the palace steps toward the open doorway. He stopped walking when an approaching shadow grew larger and spread out from the doorway a second before Brokk skidded to a stop in the entrance. His aqua blue eyes widened when he spotted Cole.
“Cole? Holy shit! Whathappenedto you?”
Then his gaze went past Cole; his eyes roamed over the pathway leading to the gate and fence surrounding the dark fae palace. Cole knew his brother was searching for their father, but he wouldn’t find him.
When Brokk’s eyes returned to him, sadness filled them as they ran over the blood covering Cole’s naked body. The stench of blood filled Cole’s nostrils, and though it was the normal, coppery scent, it smelled putrid to him.
He wore the blood of theirfathermixed with that of a dragon’s.
“What happened?” Brokk croaked out the words. “Where’s… where’s Father?”
Then his gaze went past Cole again, and his jaw dropped. Cole didn’t have to look to know his brother had finally spotted the body of their ex-helot, Sindri, and the dragon head Cole staked to the fence.
“Is that adragonhead? And Sindri?” Brokk’s eyes shot back to Cole. “What thefuckhappened?”
“The Lord ordered a dragon to kill Father.”
Brokk blinked at him, and his attention returned to the bloody remains on the fence. “Why?”
“Because he didn’t think he would do enough to hunt Orin and Varo. He thinksIwill do more. He intends for me to rule after I survive the trials.”
Cole did not sayifhe survived the trials. He didn’t care that numerous dark fae had tried and failed to make it through the trials. He. Would. Not. Fail. He would become the king of the dark fae and destroy the Lord of the Shadow Realms if it was the last thing he did.
Brokk didn’t speak as he stared unblinkingly at the fence. Tears brimmed in his eyes, but he didn’t shed them.
Cole knew Brokk’s tears would come with time; so would his, but right now, the horror of what happened to their father was still too fresh in his mind. And though there was grief, there was also a white-hot fury that burned away the sorrow and left ashes in its wake.
“Where did the dragon head come from?” Brokk asked.
“I destroyed the dragon that killed Father. I took its head to warn away all those who will try to stand in my way of claiming the throne.”
If his brother’s eyes got any bigger, they would pop out of his head. “You killed a dragon byyourself?”
“Yes.”
“Howdid you manage that?”
Cole could only think of one answer for how he succeeded in destroying the powerful creature. “Rage.”
“And you killed Sindri because…?”
“He was happy to see me wearing Father’s blood.”
“Killing him makes sense then.”
As Cole finished climbing the stairs, Brokk stepped back to let him enter the palace.
“Where are you going?” Brokk demanded when Cole brushed past him.
“To see Lexi.”
“Who?” And then Brokk’s mind started working again as he blurted, “Del’sdaughter?”
“Yes.”
“You’re going to see hernow?”
