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“How come Hunter and I are not?”
“What is the pack hierarchy?” Finvarra asked.
Hunter growled.
“It’s relevant,” the unseelie king said.
“Technically, I’m number two in the pack. Now with Evie, I guess I become number three.” He grinned at me. I shifted on my feet at that. I’d figure out pack politics later.
“That is why. Those closest to the holder of the book are typically the first to be affected. Evie spent more time with both Nathanielandthe book. The book would have been working constantly on her mind, ensuring she forgot about it.”
“It succeeded,” I said.
Finvarra studied me. “If it had, you wouldn’t be here.”
“Hunter noticed.”
“I just got back from out of town,” Hunter said, reaching out to squeeze my shoulder. “The book hasn’t had a chance to work on me.”
Finvarra leaned against the wall. “If the book had taken you completely, you wouldn’t have believed this wolf. You would have gone to Nathaniel and told him Hunter was no longer loyal to him. Then you would have happily watched as Nathaniel put him to death.”
Nausea swept through me at the thought. Hunter wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Unnecessary,” he gritted out, narrowing his eyes at Finvarra.
Finvarra just raised an eyebrow. “It’s important for you to understand just how dangerous the book is. There’s a reason I would never hold it for more than a day or two before sending it away. Tell me what you remember of my ancestor,” he instructed.
Hunter growled, his wolf obviously disliking the order, but I elbowed him and took a deep breath.
“You said the king’s son killed him. He’d been away and was unaffected by the book.”
“Yes.”
Terror thundered through me. “I’m not killing Nathaniel. Ever.”
“Not even to save your realm from an Alpha wolf who’s insane with a lust for power?”
My face was numb. I stared at Finvarra, who stared straight back, his dark eyebrow still cocked.
“I’ll save him,” I vowed.
“And there it is,” he said with a faint smile.
“Therewhatis?” Hunter ground out.
“The difference between my ancestor’s queen and the Alpha’s mate. The queen didn’t love the king. There was nothing in her that urged her to fight for him. No instinct that told her he was losing himself. There are two ways to save someone from the book,” Finvarra said. “The first is to kill them.”
“Not an option,” I hissed.
He ignored me. “The second is to convince them to give you the book. Once it is out of their possession, their mind will clear. But be warned. The book has its own defenses, and it hasn’t tasted power like Nathaniel’s for centuries. It will fight to keep him.”
My fear grew claws, slashing into my mind. “It can’t have him.” I took a deep, shuddering breath. I would do whatever it took. Just as Nathaniel would for me. “You’ve been very helpful.” I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”
“I have no desire to deal with a rabid Alpha wolf.”
I studied him. The fae couldn’t lie, but something told me that wasn’t all it was.
“How come you didn’t ask for the book back when we returned the sword?”
A muscle ticked in Finvarra’s jaw. “Once out of my reach, the book did as it usually does. It can impact even my memory. I need to get back to my meetings,” Finvarra said.
