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Wariness settled over me. “And how must I go about proving this?”

“A power testing.”

“Against what?” I asked.

“Whom.” Greyson straightened and crossed his arms over his chest. “You against the king and any of the remaining contenders who wish to challenge all of you for the throne.”

I grimaced as my eyes strayed to Rue’s concerned expression. I didn’t need twilight elven gifts to guess that her apprehension most likely matched my own.

“How soon can we get this over with?” I asked.

“The sooner, the better,” Greyson replied. “We don’t want to give anyone time to cause further chaos before you can take the throne and eliminate all doubt.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. Something in my gut told me that claiming the throne wouldn’t be the end of my troubles, but merely the beginning. Besides, Stanton and the king were not the sort who would give up without a fight.

“I will send word once all is settled. I must consult with the council and the law before finalizing plans.”

“And how long will that take?” I asked.

“As long as it takes.”

I turned to check on Rue and found her gone. “Where did she go?”

“She left.” Contained anger flared in Greyson’s dark gaze. “Probably fed up with all of this.” He gestured toward the king’s apartments. “I question whether or not it is all worth fighting for a dozen times a day.” Greyson drew himself up straight, closed his eyes, and released a heavy, measured groan. “Go. Find Rue before someone else does. We can’t have her wandering about undefended.”

Not needing his permission but unwilling to provoke him further by pointing it out, I left, following my mate bond’s pull in Rue’s direction.

Rue

My head spun. Between the bone-melting kiss and the rapid-fire discussion with Greyson, I didn’t know where to begin dissecting it all.

One thing I knew: I wouldn’t be able to keep functioning like this. The tension, the chaos, the constant unknowns, and especially the never-ending parade of untrustworthy powerful people constantly pressing in on me with their unspoken demands, drained my endurance. I couldn’t keep perpetually dissecting every phrase, watching every gesture, alerting to every bit of nefarious magic. The onslaught would drive me into madness.

Panic welling up in my throat, I left the room with Greyson and Kent still arguing behind me. Blindly plunging into the corridor, I turned away from the king’s apartment. That was the last coherent choice I made.

Picking up my pace, I plunged deeper into the winding passageways and corridors of the mansion. Blindly avoiding raised voices and the sounds of chaos, I turned down a stairwell, which led to a narrower passage.

“My lady?” a voice called out when I exited into the dim light.

I darted away from the voice and around a corner. Out of breath, I pressed my back against the wall and listened for footfalls. None came. My thundering heartbeat throbbed in my ears as my breath grew shallow and frantic.

My magic pushed through the restraints. It flooded my body, flowing outward and opening up my already raw senses to even more sensations as my awareness of every being around me grew. My vision glowed with forms and the connections between them.

“No,” I whispered, pressing palms to my temples. “Not now.”

Sliding down the wall, I collapsed, drawing my knees to my chest. A pitiful defense considering the emotions ripping through my head and chest didn’t require physical vulnerability to cause pain. Overlapping words crowded in—arguments, conversations, someone at the other end of the corridor being reprimanded for leaving something out, one fae scolding another for not completing a task—I couldn’t block them out! Desires, fears, anger, anxiety—my mind gathered them like a flame attracting moths. Helpless, I burrowed deeper within myself, trying to shut them all out. “Stop.” A sob caught in my throat.

“Rue, I am here.” Someone picked me up, gathering me close. A familiar scent filled my nose.

“Kent?” My eyes opened, and I immediately flinched. He glowed intensely. Squeezing my eyes shut, I buried my face in my hands, but blocking my sight didn’t stop my internal senses from vibrating with the pulsing threads of magic around me. Neither did it decrease the sense of being torn asunder by the thrashing emotions of those around me.

“I am here.” His breath against my temple ruffled my hair. “You are safe.”

But I wasn’t. The storm in my head whirled higher and faster. “I—I—”

“Shhh…” He surrounded me, pulling me close so my head came to rest against his chest. After tucking my head beneath his chin, he stilled, holding me tight. “I have you. Breathe through it.”

The rumble of his voice in his chest vibrated beneath my ear, soothing my frayed nerves. Surrounded by physical reminders that he would support me, I obediently slowed my breathing and relaxed into the haven of his embrace. The bond thrummed happily between us.