“Cole,” Lexi whispered, her voice filled withworry.
She stepped toward him, but the Lord’s nextwords froze her.
“I love to see everyone so happy anddancing!” He boomed across the room. “I could watch this fordays.”
Lexi’s eyes widened, and Maverick released alow growl that caused Cole to snap, “Notaround her.”
The glimmer of silver in Maverick’s eyes whenthey met his nearly set Cole’s wolf free. His involuntary snarlcaused the witch to recoil from him, and he released her as heprepared to battle his uncle, a man he’dneverconsideredfighting.
But there was no way he was going to let alycan who was showing signs of breaking anywhere near Lexi.Maverick’s eyes narrowed as his alpha wolf responded to Cole’s.
Then, his uncle released Lexi as he regainedcontrol of his wolf. They didn’t stop dancing together, but theydidn’t touch while moving around the dance floor.
Most of the others in the room ravenouslywatched while they waited to see what would happen. As they waitedto see how far the Lord could push the newly crowned king of thedark fae before he snapped.
And once he snapped, the Lord would have nochoice but to put him in his place or destroy him. Cole suspectedthe Lord wasn’t done toying with him yet, so he doubted death wason the table, but he would torment him as much as possible beforedeath became the only option.
Cole didn’t reclaim the witch’s hand as hecontinued to move with her in a close circle to Lexi and Maverick.Over the witch’s head, he spotted Becca glaring at him as shedanced with a warlock.
His rebuke of her, in front of so manyothers, might be the thing that pushed her away for good. When hegave her a grim smile in return, she stuck her nose in the air andturned haughtily away.
If he discovered shewasthe onereporting everything back to the Lord, she wouldn’t survive to seetomorrow.
CHAPTER 52
When the song ended, the Lord called out,“Switch!”
Cole went to reclaim Lexi, but the Lord’svoice carried over the crowd. “King Colburn, let others have achance to know your fiancée. It’s only fair they also get the joyof her company since she’s spent so little time in the ShadowRealms.”
His shoulder blades popped and cracked as thechange started to come over him. The shadows snarled as they soughtto break free, and his claws lengthened.
“Cole, no,” Lexi whispered.
Her hand on his arm helped calm the wolf, butthe shadows still battered against his insides like a trapped birdseeking to flee its cage. He wouldn’t let them win, he wouldn’t setthem free, but for the first time, he was as eager for blood asthey were.
Cole scowled at the warlock, who steppedforward and held his hand out to Lexi. When the man saw Cole’sface, he backed away.
“Cole, please.”
The pleading tone in Lexi’s voice dampenedsome of his bloodlust, but not all of it, as his claws retractedand his joints and bones settled back into place.
“Cole,” Maverick cautioned. “If you lose it,he’s going to make an example of you. The Lord will use you to showeveryone here that he can beat down one of the most powerful men inall the realms. He’ll imprison you or kill you.Don’tlethim push you over the edge.”
“You’ve never found your mate. You don’t knowwhat it’s like to watch her withothers.”
“I have not been so fortunate, but nothingcan break your bond to her.Nothing.”
Cole’s gaze fell to the marks he’d left onLexi’s shoulder. The chains of her dress hid most of his bite, buta faint silver glow shone beneath the moonlight streaming into theroom. The silver wasn’t from her arach markings buthis.
No, no one could break their bond, but hestill didn’t want her being passed from man to man so the Lordcould fuck with him.
“He’s not going to stop tonight. Don’t yousee that? He’s going to push until I finally break,” Cole said.
Maverick stepped closer and rested his handon Cole’s shoulder. “Listen to me. You have to keep yourshittogether, or this night will end with our bloodsplattering these walls. He doesn’t want you dead. You would bedead already if that were the case.”
“No, he just wants to humiliate me and abuseher.”
He barely recognized the voice coming out ofhim. It was his but mottled and disjointed. It was more than hisvocal cords fighting the change. It was like when he was in thecrone realm and fighting against the shadows breaking free, butthey kept coming out as they deepened their hold on him and triedto take over.
