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“We?” Taveon barked out with a laugh. “I thought you had become one of us, but it’s clear to me now that you’re anything but.”
Pain tore at Bree’s heart. His words dug deep like sharp steel dipped in poison. How could he say something like that? With her voice a whisper, she said, “I was just trying to help, Taveon. Those demons are going to come here. You don’t have a big enough army to fight them alone.”
“There are nodemonscoming to Underworld, Bree,” Taveon said, voice hard, eyes cold and distant. “Fillan is up to something, and it has nothing to do with a planned attack on this world. He’s trying to get the throne for himself, and you have fallen for his every trick.”
“Taveon,” Rafe murmured, running his fingers through his silver hair. “Maybe you’re being too harsh on her. Bree doesn’t know Fillan the way we do. It’s not her fault if he’s targeted her.”
Bree frowned. “Fillan isn’ttargetingme. He was trying to warn us of what’s to come. You can’t just ignore a threat like this when it could literally mean the end of this world, Otherworld, and the human realm.”
Taveon let out a harsh chuckle and folded his arms. “If he was truly trying to help us, then why did he go to you instead of me? I am the king and the commander of my army. If anyone should be warned of a potential threat, it’s me.”
“I think he’s wary because of who you are,” Bree said. “Besides, he probably realized you wouldn’t listen to a damn thing he’d say. I might be unimportant, but at least I’ve done something about this threat.”
Taveon took a step forward, eyes narrowed. Bree’s heart skipped a beat. “You will go to your friend and tell her you’ve made a terrible mistake. Get her to take her army back through the gate and never come here again.”
Bree blinked at him, grinding her teeth. She couldn’t believe how he was reacting. Yes, she’d made a mistake in not warning him about what she’d planned to do, but it seemed he would not have believed her anyway. “This is bigger than you, Taveon. It’s not just about Underworld.”
“Tell them to go.” His voice held no room for argument.
She folded her arms. “I’m not going to do that. You don’t believe the demons are coming, but I do. And I will not stand aside and let them reach the human realm.”
He shook his head. “I should have known. It’s all about the humans. It always has been. You want the dark fae to find another way to survive without the Tithe. And now you want to risk the safety of this realm just to save theirs. Do you know what my people will do when they discover that my father’s murderer has brought her army here? Do you have any idea what will happen? They will revolt. Against me, against you, and against Norah especially. If you’re right, and the demons do somehow reach this place, they’ll arrive to a realm of ashes.”
Bree swallowed hard. His words reached into her soul and squeezed tight. Everything he said made sense. But it still did not change what she believed. The only way to fight this threat was for the fae to join together. They needed to put aside their differences and face the enemy strong, swords and shields combined.
“Then, you need to be their king and make them understand,” she said, fists clenching.
Taveon shook his head and turned to Rafe. “I need to return to the court and make sure no one leaves the castle. If anyone else finds out this is happening…talk some sense into her, Rafe.”
And with that, Taveon leapt onto his horse and charged away, taking with him a shattering piece of Bree’s heart. It had taken so long for them to finally get past all of the obstacles standing in their way. The Battle for the Crown. The curse that had befallen the court. And now that they were finally free of all that, he saw her as his enemy. Someone trying to destroy his kingdom and his crown.
Her soul ached as she stared at his vanishing form.
“Bree,” Rafe said quietly, taking her elbow. “You really should have spoken to us about this before you brought the Otherworld fae here. Taveon’s upset, but nothing he said is a lie. This could all go horribly, horribly wrong.”
She shifted her gaze to Rafe’s face. His eyes were soft, but there was a hard clench to his jaw. He wasn’t happy with her either, but that didn’t mean he’d turn his back on her and run. “Does that mean you don’t believe in the threat?”
He sighed, tipped back his head, and gazed up at the dark sky. “I don’t know. Fillan is not one of us. He could have been lying to you.”
“And what if he wasn’t lying?”
He pursed his lips. “Then, I suppose we’re all in grave danger.”
“Which means we need more fighters by our side.”
“The dark fae and light fae are enemies.”
“Maybe they shouldn’t be anymore,” Bree countered. “Norah is a good soul. So is Taveon. They essentially want the same things. Why shouldn’t they be allies?”
He met my gaze. “It’s more complicated than that, Bree. And you know it.”
“That only means this will be difficult. Not impossible.”
“Bree,” Rafe growled out, closing his eyes. “You have to tell Norah to take her army and turn back. They cannot be here.”
“I can’t do that,” she whispered. “You have to make Taveon understand. You’re the only one he’ll listen to.”
“Not on this,” he said quietly. “This entire thing threatens his reign. He’ll have to explain why the demons plan to come here. And the dark fae will no longer accept him on that throne.”
She arched a brow. “And is Taveon the kind of king willing to risk the lives of his people just so he can continue to wear his crown? Because I didn’t think he was.”
Pain flickered across Rafe’s face. She hated that she’d had to put him in this position, but she was right about everything she’d said. Rafe really was the only person in this entire realm who Taveon would actually listen to. If anyone could get through to him on this, it was his oldest friend.
“Alright, Bree. I’ll see what I can do, but…” He lifted his gaze toward the gathered army. “You need to make sure they stay here. If they go near the court before Taveon has had a chance to prepare the dark fae, I fear war will come sooner to this land than you think. And then it won’t matter if demons come or not, just like Taveon said. Because we’ll all be dead.”
