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They’d been appeased by speaking their opinions, arguing, and then being given a fair plan with the option to bow out. It raised my spirits to see, and I hoped I could pass along some of the same diplomacy to my pack in the city.
“Luca, you will return to the city with me. Your scent is known to the gobbelins now, and they will track you if given half a chance. This may even draw them out,” Vento added, turning back to me.
“I can’t risk returning - the contract...” I trailed away, uncertain if the others knew what I had done. If they knew I was any danger to Khione, in the form of Kana, they might hunt me down themselves. Although, if Khione took charge of Kana’s actions, I was more worried about her killing me and having to live with the guilt. Kana didn’t deserve that, either.
“The alpha bond will hold,” Vento growled, and I felt the tug and twist of his will solidly in my chest. I wanted to believe him. Fuck, did I ever want to think that things would be that simple.
But Merden was not someone who could be underestimated, and blood magic was a huge mystery to all of us.
Besides, if you try to attack Khione, I’ll kill you myself before you can get to her, Vento warned in my mind as we turned to leave. That, I did believe.
And I was grateful for it.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
KASSIAN
I was fucking restless.
Not that I wasn’t happy for Kana getting heraimaback, but there were way too many unknowns for me to relax. The moons were nearly new again, and I was insanely anxious for the final Trial to begin.
At the same time, I was totally second-guessing every reason why I’d joined the Trials in the first place. My Undertow crew had all but disintegrated, everyone scattering in fear when Ren was captured and killed. I’d seen a few of them here in the palace, but most had fled to the countryside, and I had no idea if they were safe or not.
There was also no reliable news from my mother’s village, and reports rolling in every hour about gobbelin sightings across the countryside.
I knew the mist wasn’t all-knowing, and the future wasn’t always dictated by prophecies, but I sure as shit wished we had a little more solid ground to stand on.
“You gotta relax, Kingston, or you’ll burn yourself out,” Blaise said, striding toward me as I paced the length of the ballroom where we’d been treating the sick and injured. I wasn’t much use there, but it made me feel better to do what I could and be seen by the other commoners as someone who would always have their backs, no matter what privilege I might gain.
“How can I be her weapon when I’m fighting against her in the Trial?” I blurted, and Blaise blinked at me, finally cracking a smile.
“You’re fighting against all the others, too. Take out Merden, or Jillian, or Darnell. Be the backup plan so Kana doesn’t feel like she has to do damn near everything. Well, you probably should leave Merden to her,” Blaise said, chuckling.
“And how is Luca supposed to be a weapon if he’s contracted to kill her?” I demanded, her simple solution only pissing me off.
Blaise’s eyes darkened and her mouth set in a grim line. “That dumbass will have to figure that one out. None of us knows enough about blood magic to counter that spell.”
It was true enough. In between everything else we were managing, we’d been searching the palace from top to bottom for any evidence of Merden’s blood magic practice. But she’d either destroyed or carried everything with her. Except for the slaves and our memories, it could have all just been another nightmare rumor mill story about her.
“Hey... we’ve accomplished a fucking ton of things in the last few days. Give yourself a fucking break,” Blaise advised again, slowing down her words for emphasis and gesturing around us to all the quiet beds. Once the slaves had woken and been able to feed, it was like the spell keeping them in a zombie-state truly had been broken. They were all extremely weak, and a lot of them had injuries. All of them had a shit-ton of trauma, and their memories were scattered and unreliable. But many of them had been recognized friends and family in the crowds of commoners, and we were hopeful that as their bodies grew stronger, they would begin to recall what they’d lost.
Of course, not all of them had made it, and there were still dozens who had been taken to the Vault.
But yeah. I needed to take a step back and celebrate every vampire and half breed safe and recovering here in the palace as a victory over that fucking woman.
“You’re doing a great job, you know,” I told Blaise suddenly. “With the ice wolves and the guards and all.” She’d stepped rightinto place as a sort of head of military this week, and the role really suited her.
Blaise’s cheeks grew pink at the tops as she grinned back, enjoying the compliment. “Yeah, I know. Don’t tell anyone I said this, but I’d actually rather be head of guards than Queen.”
“I bet Kana would love that,” I said.
Blaise laughed. “I bet she’d fight me for it. She doesn’t want to be Queen. She just wants to make sure Merden isn’t Queen.”
I sighed. I’d known that, too. Kana was restless in ways I might never understand. Tying herself to a palace, wearing fancy dresses and entertaining a court - none of that seemed like her at all. But once Merden and her court were gone, maybe Kana could create a new kind of royal family.
She’d certainly be making history by taking more than oneaima, if she held her promise to make me King.
Of course, Cade, Luca, and Rush could never be King because of Saori Sang’s laws. I was the only one, and it still settled heavily on my shoulders that I might one day wear that title I’d always hated so much - royal.
