He still didn’t trust the crone with Lexi; henever would, but she wasfinallymaking headway with hismate, and that was what mattered. As long as she didn’t harm Lexiand remained on their side, he could ignore his dislike of her.
Brokk was a different story. His dislike ofthe woman who barely paid him, Del, or Sahira any attention wasobvious. And it was growing stronger every day.
Now, as they strode down the hall, Brokkwalked at his side with his shoulders back and determination etchedonto his features. Neither of them was looking forward to this, butthe council members had insisted on having a meeting.
Cole was not in the mood to play politics,but he couldn’t deny them this. The Gloaming was still recoveringfrom the destruction the rebellion created.
Too many dark fae didn’t have homes. Theyremained ensconced in the houses that once belonged to the king’ssoldiers who didn’t survive the Lord’s war.
For now, those homeless dark fae were contentwith their new residences, but that wouldn’t last. They weren’tused to living on top of each other, with the remaining king’ssoldiers, and being inside the bailey where they had less room toroam freely. They were used to freedom, farming, and working theland.
They were building new houses on the charredland they’d already cleared. Cole hoped it would only be anothermonth before most of those living in the bailey were in their newhomes.
But he was sure some of the council wasn’thappy with the way things were going. They’d also made it clearthey believed he should be here more often, but training Lexi hadto be a priority.
They could never know that, but she could bethe key to taking down the Lord, and he had to make sure she stayedsafe. He already felt like he spent too much time away from her,but there weren’t enough hours in the day for everything he had todo.
It was a good thing he’d learned to surviveon very little sleep while fighting in the war because he was onlygetting a few hours a night now.
They turned a corner as a ripple of annoyanceran through the palace. Before he endured the trials, Cole neverfelt anything from the palace, but he’d experienced the sensationof being connected to it more than a few times since then.
It wasn’t daily, but he’d come to accept hehad a strange bond with this mysterious place now. He’d alwaysknown it had a mind of its own, but he’d learned that it felt andexperienced things too.
He suspected the palace’s irritation was dueto Becca’s arrival for the meeting. His suspicions were confirmedwhen a door slammed down the hall and Becca squeaked. Cole smiled,and Brokk chuckled.
Before Lexi arrived here, the palace neverdid anything to Becca, but the building had protected Lexi from herbefore. Now, it was letting Becca know it didn’t like her presencein its halls.
Just thinking of his ex, who wasn’t really anex but more a passing fling, irritated Cole. The shadows inside himstirred, and the ones in the hall shifted toward him.
Cole suppressed the shadows inside him, butthe ones in the hall continued to twist as he and Brokk turnedanother corner. Brokk glanced at him but didn’t speak. Cole wasaware his brother, Lexi, and the others were concerned about him.It wasn’t necessary.
He could andwouldcontrol this.
He would not become the Shadow Reaver thecrones had whispered about, and he most definitely wouldnotallow anything to happen to Lexi. Prophecies rarely ever came true,most immortals knew this, but enough had come true over the yearsthat some foolish immortals put faith in them.
As they walked, Cole replayed the prophecy inhis mind…When the last light blooms, the Shadow Reaver shallrise. When the last light falls, the Shadow Reaver will destroy usall.
If the ridiculous prophecy was true, thenLexi most certainly was the part when the last light blooms. Shewas the last arach, and she was definitely light. There was nodenying that.
And he’d certainly become more like theshadows as they moved through and around him, but Lexi would neverfall, and he wasn’t going to destroy them all.
However, he couldn’t deny that the shadowsinside and around him were growing stronger. Their power, and thepromise of the destruction they could wreak, whispered to himdaily.
He’d dreamed of the death they could unleashbefore. It haunted him, but he refused to believe it could everbecome a reality. The shadows were malevolent and violent, and hefelt their malignant presence inside him every day.
He suspected he would have to battle theirpresence for the rest of his life, but he wouldnotgive into the darkness growing inside him. Even if something happened toLexi, he would never destroy innocent people like that dreamindicated.
He’d killed countless immortals over theyears, but he was not a ruthless, vicious killer. He did what wasnecessary to survive and protect those he loved; he did not destroyinnocents or enjoy watching others fall.
That was the Lord. That wasnothim.
His nightmare had been wrong, the prophecywas false, and he would make sure neither of them ever came tofruition.
Lexi had pushed the nightmare away by curlingup against his side while it was happening. Every night he sleptwith her, she continued to keep it, and his dreams about the war,at bay. She was the light that chased his nightmares and theshadows away.
When they arrived at the main hall, where thecouncil usually gathered, Cole stopped in the doorway to take inwhat remained of the dark fae who held power in this realm. Beccawas rubbing her nose as she settled into the chair beside Elvin.Alston and Finn sat on the other side of the table.
After he killed Aelfdane and Durin, Coleappointed Brokk to the Council. His chair at the head of the tableremained empty, as did the one directly to the right of it. Hisbrother now sat in that other empty chair.
