“Your fatheraccused the former king of conspiring against his people. Ofcreatinga religion for his own gain. Of spreading darkness across the Quarter.Your fatherspoke against the crown and against our very gods. I can guarantee you that his death was warranted. And now you have taken on a similar path—colluding with the Guild.”
“I havenoties to the Guild, Luc. You have to believe me.”
His eyes narrowed on me, studying me in wary assessment, but the disbelief was still present in his eyes. “Tell me then,butterfly. If you aren’t conspiring with the enemy, then what should I make of these?”
He flicked his finger across his desk and then a file opened on the screen in his office, flashing a series of photos . . . from the night of Brumalis. I stared as a picture of me dancing with Callum appeared. Then a photo of me—on the second floor, thankfully—surrounded by Axel and the two enforcers.
I looked at the photos, confused. “These are the photos that incriminate me?” I questioned. “They appear to be moments caught on security tapes from the festival.”
“They are,” Luc confirmed with a menacing tone. He tapped on another file, this one filling the screen as it showed Callumdipping me low on the dance floor, before pulling me up, our faces dangerously close to each other as we stared into each other’s eyes. “Why were you dancing with one of the Guild’s spies at the Festival of Brumalis?”
I gestured toward the video still playing above his desk. “I’m not. You can literally see there—I’m dancing with a member ofyourguard. The same with the photos—I’m standing surrounded by three members of the RSG.Your men,”I emphasized.“Not spies.”
“They aren’t my men.” His voice cut across the room. “That one”—he gestured to Callum Blackwood—“and that one”—a gesture toward Axel—“arenotmy men. The drones flagged their photos in the systems when they failed facial recognition. They are impersonating RSG, and I would like to know why.”
“What?” The word once again involuntarily fell from my lips as I thought back to that night.They were guards—they’d said so themselves. And yet . . . he did seem to know far more than he perhaps should have for a member of the Solis Guard.
Callum Blackwood.His name rang hollowly in my mind, and I thanked every star in the sky that Lucanus didn’t know me well enough to sense the inner turmoil running rampant in my mind at this moment.
It wasn’t possible.
Could it be?
No.
Yes?
One thing at a time, Rae.
“My sources report that you were seen with the two Aurelian spies on more than one occasion.”
I took a deep breath, attempting to no avail to steady my rapidly beating heart rate. “I mean no disrespect, Your Majesty,” I offered up the words. “But with the levels of security you and the RSG provide in our Quarter, is it even possible for two spies to enter our Quarter? Iwas under the impression that The Wall kept those with ill intent from entering.”
“It does.” Two words . . . that’s all he offered in return.
“Then how would two spies have even gotten into our Quarter?” I questioned, a hint of boldness rising within me as I spoke.
Luc’s eyes narrowed, and I cursed myself at that moment. Too far—I’d pushed too far.
“You seem to be evading my question, Raelyna.” He pushed off his desk, the force causing the heavy oak to screech across the floor as he stalked toward me, his wings flaring wider as they towered over his form.
Luc didn’t stop until he stood directly in front of me. He didn’t even have to lift a hand before I felt the presence of his affinity in a foreboding reminder of exactly who held the power in this situation.
“My reports indicate you were spotted dancing with one of the spies. Who? Was. It?”
Every fiber of my being screamed for me to hightail it out of his office and disappear. Yet, there was a smaller part of me that didn’t want to give him the name of the male I’d danced with—something deep in the soul that screamed at me to protect that piece of information with my very life. Something that said Callum held the answers I was searching for.
“I’m not sure what you want me to say, Luc. At Brumalis, I only danced with two males.You,and a member ofyourguard. I can’t give you any other information because Ihave none.”
His eyes narrowed on me, and for a flicker of a second, I thought he would actually believe me.
I should have known I was wrong.
“Disappointing,” he said, finally. “You have truly been a disappointment from the moment I became king, Raelyna.”
I hated him.
It was official.
