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Death chuffed.“Perhaps. But she’s a stubborn enough female to appreciate your strong will, even if it takes her time to admit it.”
Ravv found us soon after that, and we exchanged reports. The Beast was still bleeding badly when he disappeared into the Wilds, and Ravv had followed his scent trail for an hour before heading back when there was no sign of it turning around. I hadn’t found evidence of the Monster or the Demon, either.
Both of us itched to check on our mates, so we headed back to the castle to set up an assload of patrols.
When we approached, we found Eisley standing outside the castle, arguing vocally with a massive group of my fae. Ravv headed in another direction, but Death went down there without a second thought.
“What’s going on?” I asked, raising my voice as I slid off Death’s back and stepped up beside Eisley.
“We want to know what the Beast was doing here,” a woman at the front of the group said. Her name was Tal, and she had been a pain in my ass since I turned down her invitation to spend the eclipse with her two centuries earlier.
They deserved the truth, even if it made them angry. And I doubted they would take the risk of selecting a new king so soon after the war ended, regardless of any anger they felt.
“Someone made a bargain with the Beast to kill me,” I said bluntly, as I unwound the fabric from my hand and then lifted it up to show them both the brand and my glowing palm.
Their gasps were audible at the sight of it.
I added, “Someone made bargains withallof the elves’ assassins, one to kill each of the kings. Apparently a few fae in the other kingdoms were willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of our deaths.”
The responding silence was so thick and heavy, it may as well have been alive.
None of my fae had gone missing or been found drained of life, so I knew none of them had made the deadly bargain.
“After we woke up with the brands, we went to the elf Alida and asked her for a way to buy time. She directed us to the humans with life magic. Their power neutralizes the death of the ice in our veins to hide us from the assassins when combined with ours as mates.”
A long pause followed the explanation, and I added, “I have bonded with the human female Nissa, under the advice of Alida, and it is protecting me from the Beast. When the eclipse comes, it will erase both the Beast’s brand, and our temporary bond.”
Some eyes were narrowed in anger.
Some were wide with shock.
No one was afraid; we’d faced far too many battles for that.
“Have you had sex with her?” someone demanded.
“I have not and will not, unless we all agree to remove the law against it,” I said firmly. “You know I am a male of honor. I gave you my word, and I have kept it.”
A few murmured agreements sounded.
“Let’s remove the law,” a male voice called out. “If the Beast is hunting you, he’s hunting all of us. And if I’m going to die at the hands of an assassin, I’d like to do so after spending the night in someone’s bed.”
A few chuckles followed his request.
“Get me proof of everyone’s agreement, and we’ll remove it,” I said.
“I’ve got it,” someone else called out. The crowd parted and Weva slipped through, then handed me a thick roll of paper. “Everyone signed it, except you.”
“Even Eisley?” I lifted an eyebrow.
“She was the first one.” She gave me an impish grin, and I chuckled.
“Alright.” I didn’t bother opening it. There weren’t any of my people who would be unwilling to sign it; I knew that without a doubt. “The law is removed. Have at it.”
A few people whooped, though it was half-hearted after the drama of all that had just happened.
Eisley leaned closer to me, her expression anxious as she whispered, “Nissa isn’t doing well. I was coming to find you.”
My heart dropped into my abdomen.
