Page 21 of Where We Belong

“Oh, he trusts me more than you’d think. Those wards of his, he has layers upon layers of them. He’s paranoid. And he’s not as clever as he likes to believe.”

I flip a page. I want to vomit at how easy males are.

“Come on, Kiki.” Lili giggles and her lashes flutter. His attention is glued to her. Wherever she wants him to look, he does. I can’t help but recall some past interactions with females and wonder if the same has been done to me. Surely not.

“Even though he’s paranoid, he’s still brilliant.” She continues. Her voice a little more assertive now, like she believes what she’s saying. “There’s no way those spells are basic enchantments.”

Kian licks his bottom lip. “Vale’s spells are layered. He has a perimeter ward that triggers an alert if anyone sets foot within ten paces of his door. It automatically sends him a Pyreling. Then there’s a spell woven into the doorframe.”

Lili tilts her head, feigning ignorance. “What kind of spell? Can it be... undone?” she plays with the strings at the top of her corset. I roll my eyes; there’s no way a gesture so obvious will work on—

“No, but there’s a backdoor.”

Well, damn. Lili gasps. “Oh my goodness! How interesting. I don’t know why Vale doesn’t trust you more. You deserve so much more respect.”

Kian nods slowly, his eyes firmly fixed on her breasts. “He doesn’t think I’m capable of much. But hey, let him underestimate me.”

In Vale’s defence, it seems one low-cut top is enough to make Kian betray his entire kingdom.

“So... if someone wanted to get in through that backdoor, hypothetically, what would they need to do?” Lili traces circles on the back of his hand, and he hesitates, sense wrestling with lust. It’s clear which one wins because he starts whispering into her ear. I glance at her, catching the slight narrowing of her eyes.

Bingo. Onto phase three.

*

We regroup at Kaed’s an hour later to exchange information. The alchemist is dead. Leander had found the brewery at the edge of the city boarded up and abandoned, his body glamoured and stuffed into a cupboard. There was no sign of the Volker the King instructed to tail him either. Tobian had checked the duty rota and discovered that men from Theron’s quadrant had been assigned to monitor the area. A pattern is emerging. Theron and Vale. Vale and Theron. Just as I suspected. It had never clicked for me that Theron wanted power and status. He’s not the type. What he wanted was the best shot at covering his tracks. I think back to the retrieval of the Princess, and how odd I had found it that he asked to make arrangements in place of Kaed but ended up volunteering to lead the troops closest to the wards around the arena. He doesn’t crave the frontline. The glory. No. He wanted to sneak Kaed in and out of the wards. Wards that I’m certain had a hole in them. Courtesy of Vale. It is possible his quadrant has simply been following his orders, but we will not take any chances. Each of their names are added to our growing list of traitors.

For phase three, Tobian had arranged a meeting with Vale, Theron, Kian, and some council members in the war room to ironically discuss security measures. That will buy Lili and me enough time to break into Vale’s quarters through the servants’ passage, dismantle the wards, and look for anything that might point us towards his involvement. Hopefully, finding a map leading us straight to Kaed. Luckily, my reputation for fucking a servant or two will make my presence below the main halls unremarkable. I’ll provide cover while Lili gets to work. The idea of Vale and Theron being responsible for my friend’s imprisonment is, well, unfortunate for them should the theory be confirmed. Their deaths will be slow. Painful. Leander will make it so. I once saw him rip a male’s femur out with his bare hands and use it to scrape away his skin. Perhaps something similar will suffice. Those marks etched into Kaed’s arms and neck. I know what he has endured over the past year. I’ve seen enough of Leander’s victims to know methods of extracting information. And for an immortal, the strongest fae this universe has seen outside of the gods and perhaps the Princess, it would have taken depths of cruelty I refuse to imagine to leave such scars.

When we leave Kaed’s bungalow, Tobian strides toward the war room while Lili and I head to the palace kitchens. The air grows warmer as we approach, and the scent of pastry and warm fruit dances in the air. Aiden’s slow laugh, a rarity, echoes down the hallway. We had banked on the kitchens being clear; the King must have requested a meal. The last thing we need is for Aiden to remember seeing us here if Vale alerts anyone before we find anything. I shoot Lili a quick glance, and her eyes mirror my thoughts. Time to improvise.

The kitchens are a sprawling maze of floating pots and enchanted stoves. Wisps of flame heat heavy iron cauldrons. Chefs with singed robes chop and sprinkle. Lili and I brush past the dark, iron counters, and I’m reminded of the kitchen under the rule of the previous monarch. King Herod, The Tyrant King. Quiet and lifeless, grey and dull. King Aeron had brought life and fair wages to the palace. The cooks are full of energy and passionate, and now, working in the castle, in any capacity, is a privilege. Young males no longer need to be kidnapped from their homes to serve in the Volker. The scents here are delicious, but a more familiar smell rises above them all. Something so intoxicating it sends a thrill down my spine. The smell of summer nights and lilac. Aiden’s jaw flexes when he meets my eyes. He straightens, no doubt recalling some words of his etiquette training. Always appear a formidable leader, perhaps. His friend salutes.

“My Prince.” We bow. “At ease, Chef, lest your wonderful concoction burn.” I say, throwing him a wink.

The cook chuckles, turning to stir a large pot on the stove behind him. I might have mistaken him for an athlete if I didn’t know better. He stands nearly as tall as Aiden, though slightly leaner, and had been thirty-two when he Turned. His honey-brown hair flops across his forehead, and thick, expressive eyebrows frame sparkling, deep-blue eyes that glint with mischief. He’s been a friend of the Prince since they were in school, where they had formed a friendship with Eira. They were dangerously unassuming, but so carefree until Aiden’s life was ripped apart by his father’s treason and his mother’s death. There are times I feel sorry for him, but he has not grown into someone particularly kind or easy to root for. Stony-faced and suspicious most of the time, perhaps with good reason. Sure, he would be a technically good leader; driving things forward, doing the honourable thing most days, but is he a visionary? Does he inspire? He certainly struggles with compassion. Perhaps if the ritual, somehow, does not work, the Princess will be a better fit to lead us. I pray to Rai and Isira she lives. That she becomes willing to help us break free of this curse and that the ritual does not seek to claim her life, like so many believe it will. I have long since given up praying for Cinder Cliffs to release the information they have. Perhaps it would do more harm than good.

Cocking my head to the side, I smile at Eira, who is perched on a stool beside Aiden, drenched in beauty and elegance. Eira is soft. She is delicate, graceful. And oh so magnetic. I wiggle my fingers in a playful wave, provoking a soft giggle from her. Beautiful, full lips curling with amusement, and memories from the other night tease my mind. And my body.

“Hi, Nyk,” she says.

“Captain Nyk to you,” I tease. If we were alone, I’d lick her from top to bottom. Again.

Aiden’s head swivels between us. “Acting Captain,” he corrects sharply, locking eyes with me.

“That’s what I am to you, my Prince,” I smile, unable to tear my gaze from her burnt-umber eyes, they drink in the light. “But I am her Captain.”

Lili clears her throat, pausing Aiden’s exaggerated blinks as he looks between us.

“Sorry for the interruption, Your Majesty. We should be going.” Turning for the exit at the back of the kitchens, I nod politely to the Prince, now furiously itching the back of his neck, then stick my tongue out at Eira. She snorts behind her dainty hand. His stare lingers a second longer than necessary, the suspicion raging through his bones clear. He gives me the same look during meetings or whenever he walks in on me in the metal shop some nights, trying to convince Eira I can make her forget all about him.

“Must you tease him like that?” Lili snaps once we enter the servant’s passage. She narrows her eyes at me like I’ve said something truly vile.

“We needed a distraction. Trust me, he’s distracted. And I only like to tease Eira,” I say. “Aiden doesn’t own her. He is the maker of his own demise. Must she live a life alone because of something that happened when they were children?”

She hums thoughtfully as we take a turn, descending deeper into the passages.

“I don’t know. But if you were smart, you wouldn’t make an enemy of Aiden. You should go after one of the hundreds of fae throwing themselves at your feet and leave her alone.”