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Chapter 41
Bree
The funeralof the King approached, and the Royals began to gather within the walls of the castle. They would continue to arrive even after the funeral until the Battle for the Crown. At the moment, it seemed the Court generally supported the traditional transfer of power. Prince Taveon would follow in his father’s footsteps as his only heir, and he would rule the realm for as long as he lived, which could very well end up beingforever.
No one else had stepped up, and no one had brought forth any information that could refute hiseligibility.
Bree had actually been invited to the funeral, which had surprised her. Prince Taveon had given her a position of reasonable prominence in the Great Hall, seated beside Rafe just behind the row of council members. She watched the procession, and the readings of King Midas’s great rule, but the more she heard about the deceased King, the more she realized just how terror-filled the entire realm had oncebeen.
When all of the proceedings had come to a close, Prince Taveon stepped up onto the platform with Lord Dagen and Lady Ethne by his side. The room fell into a strange hush, and it felt as though every single fae in the room was holding their breath. They knew what was coming, and excitement crackled through theair.
Bree couldn’t help but frown. They were way too happy about the impending violence. It was almost as though it was a game to them. Hell, maybe itwas.
“As you all know, now that the King has had his proper send-off to the gods above, the time has come for the next ruler to step forward. And, as expected, I will be making my claim to the crown through my champion that I have brought here before you. Bree Paine, a Light Faeshapeshifter.”
A murmur went through the crowd, and Bree swallowed nervously. This was the first time Taveon had announced the truth about who she was and why she was here, at least publicly. Many of the fae who had attended the funeral had no idea that she was the Prince’s champion. Untilnow.
The murmur began to grow louder as every head in the room turned Bree’s way. Rafe’s hand found her knee, and he gave it a quick squeeze ofsupport.
Was she supposed to do something? Everyone was looking at her now. Like they expected something. Grimacing, she lifted her hand and gave a little wave. Laughter echoed all around her, and the murmurs rose into frenzied whispers. Okay, so maybe that wasn’t what she was supposed todo.
Rafe leaned closer, his lips brushing against her ear. “Ignore them. They haven’t had any excitement in a long time, and you are the closest thing toit.”
If by excitement, he meantentertainment...
“That is enough,” Taveon said, frowning as he clapped his hands. “I can assure you that Bree’s skills far outmatch any shapeshifter of this realm. However, if any fae would like to challenge me for the throne, this challenger is required to present a champion within three days’ time. And, as all of you know, it cannot be merely anyone. You must have a valid claim to the throne. A bastard or another member of the royalfamily.”
Taveon grimaced at that last point, glancing at Ethne when he spoke the words. He obviously didn’t like the idea of a bastard battling it out with him, and Bree could understand why. Taveon was the only true-born son of King Midas. She knew it was different here in Underworld, but he still probably felt as though he’d spent his entire life preparing to sit on thatthrone.
She almost laughed at herself when she realized what she was thinking. After everything that had happened, she was actually siding with Prince Taveon in this ridiculous throne-claiming situation. Oh, how things hadchanged.
* * *
Bree was heading backto Rafe’s quarters with two guards trailing behind her when she heard the familiar throat clear of a particular Lord who she’d been ignoring the past few days. She had kind of hoped she could get through the funeral without seeing him, but here hewas.
“It has been a little while since we have had the chance to speak,” Lord Dagen said, leaning against the wall in front of her. “Prince Taveon has kept youclose.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, hoping he wouldn’t bring up the whole spying thing again. The two guards behind her could hear everything they said. “Well, there’s an assassin on the loose,so.”
Dagen raised an eyebrow. “An assassin. Where did you hearthat?”
Shit. She probably shouldn’t have said that. Taveon and Rafe were convinced that a skilled assassin was behind the attacks on Seath and House Marlin, but they must have kept their suspicions to themselves. And now she’d accidentally spilled it all to Lord Dagen when she’d been trying to do nothing of thesort.
So, she tried to act nonchalant about the whole thing. “Don’t you think that’s what’s going on? Seems that way to me, especially since that Fillan guy showed up at theball.”
Fillan was their number one suspect. But since she’d already told Dagen about running into that fae at the ball, it didn’t seem like that much of a secret. Maybe if she gave him something, he’d goaway.
“I can see how you might come to that conclusion.” Dagen stroked the light stubble on his chin, a move that was far more sensual than Bree would have expected. It caught her off guard a bit, and she couldn’t help but remember just how good he’d looked in his outfit at the ball. But then she shook her head, rolling her eyes at herself. What a ridiculous thing to be thinking about rightnow.
“You sound as though you don’t share the same conclusion,” she said as she tried to steer her mind back to the conversation athand.
“They are odd marks for an assassin like Fillan. He tends to take jobs that focus on less prominent fae. Targeting council members is a step further than what I would have expected from him. It draws far too much attention, and he likes to keep to theshadows.”
Bree shrugged. “Maybe someone is paying him alot.”
“Perhaps,” Dagen said, though he didn’t look particularly convinced. “I saw you joined the funeral. I have to admit, I was surprised. Your animosity toward the Prince seems to have lessened as oflate.”
“Yeah,” Bree said. “I guess you could saythat.”
