“Yes.”
“Then you would be correct.”
He thought Aelfdane was going to unleash on him, but Becca leaned over from where she stood beside him at the table and rested her hand on his arm. The older fae spun on her and opened his mouth to start shouting, but he seemed to think twice about unleashing on the council and bit back his words.
“Fighting amongst ourselves isn’t going to solve our dilemma,” Elvin said.
Elvin’s black skin, hair, and eyes shone in the glow of the torches lining the walls. Though his words were meant to pacify, his eyes were as cold as one of the ice realms when they met Cole’s. He wasn’t a hothead like Aelfdane, but he also wasn’t happy to see Cole sitting in his father’s seat.
Cole smiled at him. Elvin’s eyes narrowed, but he settled at the table with the others. Brokk settled into the chair beside him.
“I will undergo the trials as soon as possible,” Cole stated.
“You really think you’ll be king?” Durin demanded.
“Yes.”
“Absolutely not!” Aelfdane declared. “That will never happen.”
“My father was king.”
“I don’t care. No half-breed will sit on the dark fae throne.”
“When I survive the trials, that throne will be mine,” Cole said.
“You’llneversurvive them.”
Cole shrugged as he leaned back and folded his hands on his belly. “I bet you considered it impossible for someone to kill a dragon with their bare hands, but I did, and I staked its head outside. Iwillsurvive them.”
The men all exchanged glances while Becca licked her lips as she eyed him.
“Are you saying you killed that dragon?” Elvin asked.
“Who else do you think did it?” Cole replied.
“You could have found a dead dragon and cut off its head,” Alston said.
“When was the last time you saw a dead dragon lying around?” Brokk inquired. “Oh, right, never,” he continued when none of them replied.
“That dragon killed my father, and I killed it,” Cole said. “I don’t care if you believe me or not; your beliefs won’t make any difference when I’m ruling over you.”
All the council members exchanged a look. Most of them wisely remained silent.
“A single man can’t kill a dragon,” Finn stated. “That’s impossible.”
“No, it’s not,” Cole said. “But I’m not going to argue with you about it. I want to start the trials as soon as possible. The Lord of the Shadow Realms has promised to unleash his dragons on the Gloaming if I do not take the throne.”
That quieted them for only a second before they exploded into conversation. He let them argue with each other while he watched. Brokk rolled his eyes before shifting his attention back to the bickering council.
Chapter Twelve
Lexi remainedhidden in the shadows, but if she poked her head out a little, she could see most of the table. The dark fae council all looked like they were walking on thin ice, while Cole looked like he’d set up a chair and was casually catching fish on that ice.
She didn’t know how he could remain so calm when she was on the verge of chewing off her fingernails to keep from screaming. She had no powers, and being half human, she wasn’t as strong as any purebred immortal, but she wanted to go out there and protect him from them… somehow.
Instead, she remained standing in the shadows, spying as she used to when she was a little girl and her dad was in one of his meetings. She was always so scared he’d catch her, but he never did.
During those times, she’d never understood half of what she overheard. She understood all of it now, and most of these fae didn’t want Cole in charge. The woman was the only one who didn’t speak as she eyed Cole in a way that made Lexi feel as murderous as Godzilla on a rampage.
