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He kept himself distracted, even when Emerald remained in his mind. Then the investigation took a turn when the magic user’s body disintegrated into ash and a chain reaction occurred. One week later, he finally had substantial news for Erin.
“The magic user’s body disintegration caused all of his remaining energy to disintegrate, too, including the spells he placed on others.”
“Merrell?” she guessed.
He nodded. “The energy wall inside him has been lifted. He confessed to more crimes and confirmed the magic user’s identity, as well as working with the man. After watching the magic user orchestrate two of the deaths, Merrell also gave an account of how the magic user would have made the other deaths seem like accidents or natural causes.”
“Teeth and being mauled to death, so we would blame other creatures,” she cited.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“He was offered a better position and more access to power.”
“Which court?”
“That’s the thing. He doesn’t know which court, only that it was a major court. The magic user wasn’t just an assassin, he was also a medium for communication. He made the promises and the offers.”
“Stupid. That’s so idiotic.” She growled. “He had to have other reasons.”
“Jealousy. Resentment. Dissatisfaction with our court. I can’t pinpoint the exact reason. I just know he was never my friend, to begin with.” A pause. “The magic user is half-Fae, half-warlock. Em was right. We found the remnants of energy before the disintegration to be closer to a Summer Fae’s, quality-wise.”
“Of course, it’s those murderous bastards. And we can’t even prove it and confront them.”
“Maybe that’s what they want, so they would have an excuse to go to war with us. They’re dangerous, but they are no match against our army’s training and the fact that Winter Fae are essentially more coldblooded when we need to be—figuratively. Plus, we have more pockets of energy in our lands from our ancestors, preserved by ice.”
“They have the stupid sun. Greedy bastards. Are you sure we can’t go to war with them?”
“We can, but as I said, that’s what they want.” Rick shrugged. “I find it best not to give them what they want and just bury this whole thing. Imagine how pissed they would be if they find out that their little plan had no effect whatsoever in our court.”
Lavender eyes peered at him sharply. “Funny.”
“What?”
“That’s how Father would have done it too. He was a good ruler.”
“He was.” A lump formed in his throat when he realized that it was Erin’s way of complimenting him. “Anyway, if you need to verify all of this, you can check with Billicent and Bronco. They were with me throughout the whole investigation.”
She waved a hand. “There’s no need. I believe you. So, is it over?”
“I think so. How’s Em?”
It was a sneaky question, one he expected Erin to catch quickly and answer with more scolding. But her prompt, casual answer left him stupefied.
“Your witch’s body has improved thoroughly and the wounds are gone.”
He recalled the wounds, marring every inch of her smooth skin. Rage tried to spurt out, but he reined it in and took a deep breath.
“That’s good. Their healing process is doing wonders. All the sleep she’s getting in that block of ice is helping too.”
“She’s off the block of ice. She’s awake, too, and out of the room the last time I saw her. She said she needed the exercise—Rick!”
“Talk later,” he called out, ignoring her warning as his feet were already taking him away. “Take it easy, sister.”
Rick didn’t even know where to look for her, but that didn’t matter as he was determined to find her no matter how long it took. He expected to find her with Yu, but the pixie was enjoying some time with a couple of Fae folks who gushed over his cuteness, including Jyss. Emerald wasn’t in their original bedroom area, either, and he almost asked around until he spotted her, strolling a garden hall with Bronco.
Bronco met his gaze, then subtly stepped back and disappeared to give him the floor. He reminded himself to thank the man’s sense of awareness next time before she was taking his attention. Green eyes locked in on him upon his approach, and his eyes devoured her back. The lack of scars and the healthy glow on her skin brought so much relief, but the worry was still there.
