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12
TAVEON
Taveon had not seen Bree coming. He should have expected she’d have something up her sleeve, of course. From the moment he’d met her, she had been nothing but trouble. The kind of trouble he loved.
The emotion bled out of him, travelling down the bond. He could even feel when she received it. She let her own emotion flow back, reflecting how he felt. They’d never spoken aloud about this. Any of it. The bond said enough.
“Dagen is a bastard,” she said after a tense moment passed. “He betrayed you, Taveon. He lusts for power, and it’s turned him into someone I did not think he was.”
“I know,” he said quietly, his heart strained. Lord Dagen’s betrayal had felt like a stab in the heart. Taveon had come to trust the fae, even after all their differences. In the end, he’d turned out to be everything Taveon had feared. Worse, in fact. “He acted as though he were giving me a choice, but he didn’t. He knows I’m nothing like the demons who threaten to invade this world. And yet…”
“So, you finally believe me, then.”
He sighed. “I do, Bree. I’m sorry I didn’t want to at first. It was…difficult. The last thing I want is for this world to be threatened because of who and what I am.”
“That’s not your fault,” she insisted.
But it was.
And there was nothing Taveon could do it to stop it, not so long as he was trapped inside this dungeon cell.
“How is Rafe?” he asked, hoping to change the subject. “And the council? What’s happening with them?”
“I’ll fill you in on all of that, but I need to ask you something important.” Through the bond, she let out a strange emotion. Tension and worry. Regret. But also determination. “Please don’t get angry at me for this.”
“All right…” he said slowly. “What is it, Bree?”
“Do you have any weaknesses?” she asked. “Is there something that can hurt you? Things that you’ve hidden so that no one would ever know?”
Taveon, admittedly, was taken aback by that. “Why would you ask such a thing?”
“The demons are coming. I need to know how to stop them.”
Ah. Of course. But his mind caught on the specifics of her words before he could answer. “You personally need to know how to stop them? Please don’t tell me you plan to face them on your own, Bree. You know you can’t do that. You need armies. Even then, it might not be enough.”
“Someone will have to take charge after I kill Lord Dagen.”
Taveon threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood. Alarm jolted his heart. “I think I must have misheard you, Bree. Because if you said what I think you said, then you’ve lost your damn mind.”
She bristled, the emotion travelling down the bond. Bree did not like it when anyone questioned her abilities. But how could she even think of doing something like that? It was suicide.
“It has to be done,” she said tightly.
“Bree,” he countered, closing his eyes. “Lord Dagen is a powerful figure. The dark fae have always trusted and respected him. He’s now rid the court of a demon king, and you think they’ll be pleased if you attempt a coup against him? Think about what you’re saying.”
But Taveon could feel Bree’s stubborn determination through the bond. She’d made up her mind, and there was nothing he could do to stop her. Not so long as he was stuck inside this damn cell.
“Does this mean you aren’t going to help me?” she asked.
He sighed. “Bree.”
“Is there a way to stop them?” Her voice grew insistent. “You can at least tell me that.”
Taveon paced the length of his cell, which wasn’t much. The cramped space was only big enough for a single bed and a bucket. There were bigger cells than this down in the dungeons, like the one where he’d once held Bree. But Dagen had made sure that Taveon had been dumped in the worst place possible.
Why had Taveon never seen the truth behind Lord Dagen’s eyes? He’d clearly been biding his time all along, just waiting for the right moment to steal the throne right from under Taveon’s nose. Deep down, he knew the only way to stop him was with a dagger to his throat, but he couldn’t bear the thought of Bree carrying that burden.
She’d been through enough. This world was not her own.
