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“You welcomed the light fae army?” Eurig asked with clear surprise in his voice.
“Of course.” Dagen nodded. “We have put our differences aside for now. They are in the barracks getting ready. Norah, of course, has been put in a room beside yours, Bree.”
Bree needed to sit down. So much had changed in her short absence. Taveon was no longer the king. Norah and her army had been welcomed into the castle. And it seemed that Dagen…
“Who is in charge?” she asked.
He pressed his lips together. “Until we find a suitable king, I am.”
Of course he was. She shook her head. “So, then, that means you’re the one who put Taveon in the dungeons. How could you do that to him? After everything we’ve all been through?”
“I did it for good reason.” He dropped his voice low. “So that the court would not try to rip him to shreds.”
“If you know what he is, then you know that’s impossible. They cannot harm him.”
“They cannotkillhim, Bree. But they can most certainly torture him for endless nights.”
A shudder went through her, and she hated that he was right. Still, something about it all felt like a betrayal. Lord Dagen had always coveted power. Despite the connection she had with him, she’d always been aware of that fact. And now that power had been presented to him on a silver platter. Had he even tried to help Taveon? Or had he eagerly taken it?
Rafe would know.
“Where’s Rafe?” she asked, her breath catching. Because if Dagen had put him behind bars as well…
“Rafferty was given a choice. Leave the castle and join the warriors in the barracks. Or join Taveon in the dungeons.”
“Dagen,” she said, fisting her hands. “You cannot—”
“He chose the barracks. Knowing what is coming for this realm, he wanted to be free to fight. And I daresay he wanted to make sure you were safe. Some members of the court are…questioning your loyalty. You’re here because of Taveon. You were to fight as his champion. And you have supported him every step of the way. Some believe you will try to break him out of his prison.”
Her heart pounded harder with his every word. And damn him, the dark fae who doubted her loyalties were right. Because she did want to find a way to free him. She knew the dungeons well after spending so much time there when first arriving in Underworld. As long as no one paid much attention to her, it’d be fairly easy to break him out of that place.
“This isn’t right,” she argued. “Taveon is the king of this realm. He’d give up everything just to keep his people safe.”
“He isn’t king anymore.”
She shook her head and stepped back. “You’ve betrayed him. You’ve betrayed us all.”
Pain flickered in the depths of Lord Dagen’s eyes. He stiffened, turning away from her. “I don’t expect you to understand. This isn’t your home. You haven’t even been here for long. This world works differently than you know, Bree. Taveon must be held in the dungeons for now. It’s the only way to keep this court from destroying him. And, I daresay it’s the only way to keep him away from the demons who are coming for him.”
“So, then what now?” she whispered.
“Now,” Dagen said, “we ready ourselves for war.”
* * *
Bree went straight to Norah. She was sprawled across the king-sized bed with her mates surrounding her. Her hands were tangled in Kael’s dark locks, while her arms were wrapped around Liam’s chest. They all looked so happy and contended there. The opposite of Bree.
Norah sat up when Bree inched into the room. She pressed her lips together, somehow knowing the dark direction of Bree’s thoughts. “You’ve heard.”
“I’ve heard, and I’m not going to let it happen,” Bree said fiercely. “I’m going to break him out of that prison if it’s the last thing I do.”
Norah sighed and glanced at her mates. As if reading her mind, they all climbed from the bed and vanished into the hallway, leaving them alone to talk. Bree’s old friend grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her body. It was a lot colder here than it was in Otherworld, but Bree had gotten used to it by now.
“Come. Sit.” Norah pointed to two plush armchairs beside the blazing hearth.
Bree curled up on one of them, pulling her knees up to her chest. The heat of the fire rushed across her, but it did little to warm the chill in her heart. “You’re going to try to talk me out of this, aren’t you?”
Norah sighed as she settled into the other chair. “I feel like I should, even though I know you’re just going to ignore everything I say. We’re a lot alike, you and me.”
