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“I won’t be,” I growled. “Ilara and I have eternally wed. I’m bound to her for all time. Evenyoucannot break that bond.” I held up our hands, the marks of our eternal marriage glittering in the fairy lights.
“You—” Wings whipping out, my father shot to standing. “You enacted the ancient bond?” His face mottled, and his hands fisted. “You dared defyme?” His voice boomed through the throne room like exploding glass.
Ilara jumped, her pulse fluttering in her neck.
Seething, I stepped closer to him and snarled, “You gave me no choice. The wedding to Georgyanna is off. Ilara will be the next queen.”
A moment passed, and then another as the king stood as still as a statue. His aura clouded around him, the air in the room dropping to freezing temperatures from his air elemental affinity even though his expression gave away nothing.
“You truly defied me. Both of you.” His attention snapped to Ilara.
I bared my teeth and stepped in front of her. “She’s mymate. Did you really think I would ever marry another?”
The king’s nostrils flared, and then he took a step down the stairs, first one, then two. He took his time descending, watching Ilara’s quickened breathing andwidening eyes. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he stood before me.
We were the same height with similar builds. But whereas my hair still held the pure silver color of youth, his had turned snowy white with gray at the temples from middle age. His age didn’t detract from his intimidation, though, something he relished.
My jaw clenched. I didn’t flinch. I held eye contact with him, not once looking away. It wasn’t the first time we’d danced this dance.
Veins bulged from his neck, and his eyelid twitched. “I am thekingof the Solis continent. My word is law.”
“And Ilara and I are eternally bound. Evenyoucannot break our marriage.”
His lips quivered, and he snarled low in his throat. “Guards! Apprehend this female!”
Two sets of boot steps reached my ears, letting me know the guards had returned. My death affinity rose, and I said on a low growl, “You’renotto touch her. I’ll kill you if you do.”
For the briefest moment, my father’s eyes widened, and in that expression I knew he understood how serious I was. I would kill him, here and now, and damn the consequences if he so much as laid a hand on my mate.
But as soon as that fear was upon his face, King Novakin laughed, the sound low and cruel as the approaching footsteps grew louder. “Is that right? You think you could actually kill me? On the contrary, I believe I can do whatever I want with her. You bothdefied me, but since you’re the crown prince, and imprisoning my own flesh and blood would be seen as distasteful among our kind, I won’t apprehend you, buther?—”
He rounded on Ilara, who’d turned as white as snow. “She shall join her village archon in the dungeons where she belongs.”
“No!” My bellow rang throughout the throne room, and my death affinity rose. Movement flashed in my peripheral vision.
“Nori!” Ilara screamed as her fear slammed into me.
But my death affinity was too fast to heed her concern. It shot out of me, aimed right at the king, just as Ilara tried to wrench me away.
“Behind you, Nori! Move out of his?—”
A firm hand clamped onto my shoulder.
My death affinity’s tendrils ensnaring my father’s soul disappeared into oblivion, like mist in the wind, and the magic that perpetually rumbled along my limbsvanishedas all of my magic, power, and affinities locked down inside me so tightly that it was as though they’d never been.
Sputtering, I spun around to confront whatever guard had touched me.
“No!” Ilara cried again. “Mother Below!”
Shock blasted up my spine when I beheld green eyes, blond hair, and light-brown skin.
“Hello, Prince Norivun,” Tylen inclined his head—the Lochen fairy with magic strong enough to null any fairy’s powers. “We meet again.”
CHAPTER 2 - NORIVUN
Iyanked out of Tylen’s grip, my eyes wild. The doors to the throne room burst open, and a dozen guards ran in, jogging to flank the Lochen prince’s sides. Two stayed behind, locking the doors with a solid bar of Isalee steel.
Dread worked up my spine, and my arm shot out, propelling Ilara backward, keeping her away from all of them, but the king was at our back, and the guards and Tylen surrounded us.
