Queen of Fate (Fae of Woodlands & Wild #3)

Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

“Stop!” Jax snarled at the advancing kingsfae.

They halted as one, and a male with an authoritative air about him paused just short of us. “You’ve been summoned by the courts, Prince Adarian.” Six kingsfae moved in closer, flanking the commander’s sides, yet all of them stared at Jax with uneasiness. “You’re accused of being the Dark Raider.”

“That’s preposterous.” Jax seethed. “I’m the crown prince of Stonewild Kingdom. I’m exactly the type of male the Dark Raider would steal from.”

Another look of wariness passed between the kingsfae, but their commander, while looking more contrite, didn’t dip his head. “We understand, but given what was discovered in your tower this morning, we have to take such accusations seriously until we can prove otherwise.” The commander pointed at my guardian. “He was found in your private area after all, and he’s accusing you of being the Dark Raider, of abducting him, and of holding him captive. We cannot ignore that.”

Guardian Alleron stood tall beside the king and queen, his eyes shining with vengeful malice. Even though he had an unkempt beard and dark circles underneath his eyes, he looked anything but beaten.

A tremble of rage shook me, and it took everything in me not to curl my fingers into fists. Baring my teeth, I glared at him. “That male is a liar . The prince may not know who he is, but I do. He’s my former guardian, and he probably smuggled himself in here as a way to get me back. Everything he says is a lie.”

“But he was locked in a room in the prince’s wing!” a female cried. “He didn’t fake that. I found him there.”

Jaw dropping, I swung toward who’d spoken.

Lady Aerobelle of House Dallinger stepped into view from around her parents. Puffy skirts swished with her movements. The garish, fluffy yellow gown she wore reminded me of sticky candy. “I found him this morning, knocking frantically on the inside of a locked chamber. It’s truly a miracle I did. That area of the prince’s wing was entirely empty of anyone else, and the lock on it was so complex that we had to call the Master of Spells to disarm it.”

“You were in my tower?” Ice dripped in Jax’s question. “How did you get in there?”

She raised her chin. “I...a servant helped me.” Her pompous tone dropped, and she entwined her fingers, twisting them together. “I was simply looking for you, my prince. I’d heard rumors that you hadn’t been seen lately in Leafton, and since we returned from the Match Finals this morning, I figured you might have as well.”

“A servant allowed you access to my wing?” A flash of disbelief pulsed in Jax’s aura. “I highly doubt that.”

Lady Aerobelle’s chin wobbled. Cheeks also flushing, she stammered, “It’s...it’s true. One of the servants was nice enough to let me enter at her side.”

“She means that she forced the servant to allow her entry,” Trivan barked from the edge of the great room, his lip curling. “She made the serving girl stay so close to her that your wards didn’t detect her.”

“You broke into my private wing by coercing a servant?” A cloud of fury rose from Jax, and his eyes emitted shards of sapphire sparks.

Lady Aerobelle shrank back. “I was just looking for you. That’s all.” She dropped her lashes. “I’d hoped we could enjoy lunch together.”

“You hoped for a meal with him after breaking into his warded tower?” I challenged, my voice rising.

She shot me a haughty glare, her parents doing the same. Their looks were so similar to the disdainful glances they’d given me on the ship when we’d all sailed together to Faewood. But I didn’t care what they thought of me. They were the reason for this disaster.

Aerobelle shifted her attention back to Jax. “I’m sorry, my prince. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble, and it’s ridiculous what you’re being accused of, but I couldn’t very well just walk past that door when someone was knocking frantically from within it, obviously unable to get out.” She squared her shoulders. “I thought you would be pleased. I thought that I was saving one of your servants. I had no idea this male would be in there.” She shuddered when she glanced at Guardian Alleron.

Jax’s nostrils flared so slightly that if I wasn’t standing close to him, I wouldn’t have detected it. “Whatever Lady Aerobelle may have discovered in my tower, I can assure you I had nothing to do with it.”

Guardian Alleron stomped his foot and made a motion with his hand to pieces of parchment on the table beside him.

The kingsfae nearest my guardian indicated for him to be quiet.

I stepped closer to Jax, and my heartbeat tripled. Because as much as I didn’t want to deal with Aerobelle’s meddling discovery, it’d been thrust upon us whether we liked it or not, and even though I’d truly thought any hold my guardian had on me had long disintegrated, he was now back in my life.

The king arched an eyebrow at his son. “If you’ve never met this male before, then how is his presence in a locked chambers within your tower explained? Go on, tell them, Adarian, so this can all be put to rest.”

Jax fisted his hands. “I. Don’t. Know. Like Lady Elowen implied, maybe he smuggled himself in there.”

“They won’t listen to reason!” Bowan called from where he’d been restrained by the wall. “We’ve already told them it’s absurd, that none of us have seen that male before today, and that none of us have had any part in the Dark Raider’s crimes, but they won’t listen.”

Trivan grumbled something similar and spat on the floor, right by the feet of the kingsfae who stood over him. Lander and Alec seethed quietly next to Trivan. Beside them, Phillen and Lars also stood in cuffs. Only Quinn was missing.

My breath stuttered when I caught Phillen’s worried expression. Both of the prince’s private guards stood silently, but Phillen’s attention kept swiveling around the room, as though searching for someone.

A wave of sickness came over me. He was probably looking for Saramel or Cassim. This was Phillen’s greatest fear, that he would be caught, and his wife and child would pay the price for his crimes.

“Father.” Jax swung toward the king again. “This is absurd .”

Silence reigned.

The king of Stonewild stood with the queen behind the front dining table, and the stare-off between them and their son was sharp enough to cut glass.

Food had already begun to be laid out on the long banquet-style table behind them in preparation for the supper meal. Numerous dishes and serving platters were filled to the brim with steaming selections, the serving ware enchanted to keep the nourishment hot, but all of the noble fae in the room appeared to be in attendance because of the spectacle. Not because of the impending meal.

I could only imagine what had gone on during the past two hours. While Jax and I had been making love in his tower, the kingsfae had been arresting his friends left and right and bringing them here. They’d probably been waiting for us to appear and that was the cause of the servants’ strange reactions in the hall.

Haltingly, my gaze crawled over the king and queen. The king looked strikingly similar to Jax, but gray hair lined his temples, and his stomach wasn’t quite as lean. His mother, however, was entirely fair. Unlike her husband, whose skin was a tanned light brown, she was as pale as me. Long blond hair was coiled around her head, and tepid blue eyes watched all of the commotion with stunned shock.

As though feeling me studying her, Queen Rashelle’s attention slid my way, her eyes narrowing, and I hastily looked away before her stare could turn into an accusing glare.

“You still need to explain all of this,” Lady Aerobelle’s father decreed.

Standing near the king and queen were the Dallinger House nobles along with other House fae. Like the royal fae, they all appeared stunned. And given that one of the males had brown skin, a large build, and penetrating green eyes, I had a feeling I was looking at Bowan’s father, the male who ruled his family’s House.

“As I said, this is absurd,” Jax exclaimed again, staring at his parents with fury streaming through his aura. “I’ve had nothing to do with this male.”

“It’s true,” I added. “That male is my former guardian. He’s been trying to get me back ever since he lost me, and he’s now lying about everything. He and I were taken captive by the Dark Raider, but the prince saved me from him, although my guardian wasn’t so lucky. He probably came here after the Dark Raider let him go, probably not only hoping to reclaim me but to also seek revenge since the prince hadn’t saved him too.”

Jax squeezed my hand lightly, and a pulse of his approval emitted to me along our bond.

Relief hit me that I’d made the right call. Because if we wanted to find a way out of this, we needed to keep our responses as close to the truth as possible. King Paevin knew that Guardian Alleron and I had been captured by the Dark Raider, but the Faewood king believed that the Stonewild prince had bartered for my release. If I told a new lie now, saying I didn’t know who Guardian Alleron was or that I’d never met the Dark Raider, I would inevitably be caught in a lie.

“You’re her former guardian?” The king turned on Guardian Alleron, confusion on his face. “You wrote that you’re her current guardian.”

Guardian Alleron’s mouth opened and closed, indignation rising in his aura. It was obvious Jax’s Ironcrest sense-stealing magic still kept his voice robbed. Seething anew, my guardian grabbed a piece of parchment that lay on the table next to the king and hastily wrote something down. And it hit me how he’d communicated everything to them. He couldn’t speak, but he could write .

The king took the note, a look of disgust upon his face when my guardian edged closer to him. He read it, then zeroed in on me. “This male claims that you’re still his property. He says the supernatural courts enslaved you to him and that my son was holding you hostage as well. He says everything you two are saying is a lie.” The king scoffed and glanced back at my guardian, then the kingsfae. “Truly, this is getting ridiculous. I can assure you that my son is not lacking of females vying for his attention. He does not need to hold any female captive, and from the looks of it, this mistress he’s taken is not a captive.”

The king huffed out another breath, then raked his gaze up and down my frame. “From what I heard from the other House families, this... slave has entirely captivated him.” He eyed the Dallinger House, then glanced back at Jax. “Although, I must say, Adarian, one thing doesn’t add up. You told the council you met this female in Fosterton and invited her back to see the palace. You never said anything about saving her from the Dark Raider. How did you even know the Dark Raider had her?”

A sheet of ice coated my stomach, and Jax’s throat rolled in a swallow.

My guardian scribbled something else down, then handed it to the kingsfae nearest him.

The kingsfae took it and read it. His brow furrowed, and he wouldn’t meet either Jax’s eye nor mine when he addressed his commander. “He’s claiming again that the prince is the Dark Raider, and that’s how he and his enslaved female came to be here. He’s saying the prince is lying, and so is the female because she’s fallen in love with him.”

I tried to keep my demeanor innocent-looking, but even I felt the blood drain from my face.

“It does support what another servant reported in our questioning this afternoon, Commander.” A kingsfae stepped forward from the wall where Jax’s friends were being held. “A staff member said he initially met this female when she was running frantically through the castle, as though she was trying to escape from here. She even had a broken arm.”

Queen Rashelle’s breath sucked in, and all of my limbs locked into place. I cursed myself a hundred times over for not trusting Jax and fleeing from his enchanted suite that day. If I’d only had faith in him, I wouldn’t have tried to escape, and a servant wouldn’t be sharing my strange behavior that day.

The commander sighed heavily. “All of this is certainly muddled and entirely conflicting, and I do apologize, my prince, but we still need you, this female, and the other males being accused of such crimes to come with us to the supernatural courts. King Paevin had also sent word to us that a male and female were abducted from his kingdom weeks ago by the Dark Raider, and he’s been searching for them ever since, and both this female and this male claiming to be her guardian match their descriptions.”

“And your name’s Elowen, is it not?” the commander asked, turning toward me.

My throat rolled in a swallow. “Yes.”

“King Paevin said his lorafin’s name was Elowen, further proving that you’re the female he’s been looking for.”

“But King Paevin already knows that I’m accounted for,” I replied in a hurry. “He knows that the prince rescued me from the Dark Raider. We told him that when we were in Leafton.”

The commander pointed at my former guardian and continued as though I hadn’t even spoken, making the rising dread inside me increase. “Furthermore, the king said he’s been searching for a male named Drevel Alleron, commonly called Guardian Alleron, and this male matches his description. King Paevin has also confirmed via dillemsill this afternoon that Elowen was once the enslaved lorafin of Guardian Alleron. At the moment, those are the facts that we solidly know.”

The commander turned to the king and bowed. “Until we can sort everything out, these fae need to come with us, Your Majesty. I do beg your pardon, but we will need to take both the prince and this female, along with his guards and closest friends, in for questioning. I’m sure it will be a formality only, but the courts do demand that we conduct a proper investigation into this matter.”

Jax snarled and stepped in front of me, blocking me from their view. “This female is my mate . She belongs to no one but herself, and you will not take her anywhere.”

The king and queen gasped simultaneously.

“Your mate ?” Ruddy color filled the king’s cheeks.

Blood pounded through my ears, and icy sweat lined my palms. I hastily stepped around Jax so I could face them, but I was met with silence. Every single fairy in the large room, even the kingsfae, appeared speechless.

“Your... mate ?” The queen repeated the same statement as her husband, and her mouth dropped open. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“Not at all. She’s my mate.” Jax’s nostrils flared. “We were fated, and we’ve completed the bond.”

Lady Aerobelle abruptly burst into tears, and her parents cast Jax a scathing look before ushering her away.

The king prowled toward Jax, his aura rising and growing more potent with every step he took. “You dared to defy us and your royal duties by mating yourself to this slave ?”

That one-word accusation cut me so deep that all hope I’d ever had of being accepted by them died as though I’d been stabbed through the heart.

“I did.” Jax bared his teeth at his father and kept his hand around mine. “And nobody, not even you, can take her from my side.”

Silence again swept through the huge dining hall as the king and prince squared off.

Queen Rashelle scowled at me, that look telling me she blamed all of this entirely on me.

But I didn’t try to defend myself. I knew there was no point. His parents had already made up their minds, and my guardian’s accusations were only making everything a hundred times worse. But like Jax, I wasn’t giving up on him. Even if they hated me, I wasn’t leaving the prince’s side.

Finally, the kingsfae commander cleared his throat, his expression looking entirely uncomfortable as he gazed between Jax and his parents. “Mating duties aside, Your Majesties, if it is suitable with you, we will escort the prince, the other males being accused of such atrocities, and this female to the courts until this matter may be straightened out. I do apologize for the inconvenience.”

The queen sneered and looked down her nose at Guardian Alleron. “Don’t forget this one. I don’t care for him to ever be present within the palace again.”

Guardian Alleron shot her a contemptuous look and straightened his shoulders. I could practically taste the rising victory emitting from his soul despite her snub. He truly believed that he’d caught the Dark Raider, and inevitably, Jax and his friends would hang.

Sheer panic coated my insides because I’d seen that look on my guardian previously. It was a look he wore when he wanted something fiercely, and I’d never seen him lose when he’d set his ambitions.

“My prince and lady, if you would.” The kingsfae commander gestured toward the door, and some of my panic calmed when I realized they weren’t going to restrain us.

But Jax’s expression hardened. “As I said earlier, Lady Elowen’s not going anywhere. I won’t say it again. She belongs to no one but herself. She will not be subjected to any questioning.”

“Really, Adarian.” The queen huffed. “You’re making this so difficult. Just do as they say so this matter may be cleared up.” She eyed me again. “And I don’t care to hear again that you’re claiming a slave as your mate. That’s beyond absurd. And if you truly have completely lost your head and mated yourself to this... female , we shall call upon a spellcaster and have the bond dissolved shortly upon your return.”

I swayed, and it felt as though the floor had dropped out from under me. Dissolve our bond by wielding a dark spell? The queen actually wanted to cut the threads that wove Jax’s and my souls together, but I would never allow such a thing. It was said one never recovered from a broken mate bond, and Jax and I had done nothing to deserve that kind of pain.

I locked my knees and met the royals’ contemptuous stares squarely. “My king and queen, Guardian Alleron is my former guardian. As your son stated, he rules me no more. And despite your feelings for me, which I can partly understand given the circumstances, I hope that eventually you’ll see me as a worthy mate for your son because I’m not going anywhere.” I lifted my chin, and Guardian Alleron’s eyes narrowed, but the second his attention dipped to my throat, his eyes widened.

That’s right . I glared at him. Your collar and adaptor are gone, which means that you can’t control me anymore.

Despite my respectful yet challenging tone and words, Jax’s parents only gave me a dismissive wave, as though I was no more significant than a tiny beetle crawling in the soil.

Fresh pain cut through my heart at their obvious disgust of me, and a growl rumbled in Jax’s chest.

“Just go and be done with this nonsense, and take that girl with you.” The king pointed a finger at me and then Jax. “But be civil. Do not embarrass our great name by doing anything other than what they ask of you.” The king shifted his attention to the commander. “And, Commander, we expect the same of you. Be mindful that Adarian is our only son, who you’re taking in for questioning.”

Jax’s aura rose monumentally, and my concern shot to Bastian, confined within Jax’s tower—the king’s bastard son under this roof at this very moment, completely unbeknownst to any of them—and entirely at risk if he was discovered too.

And to make matters worse, since Jax hadn’t delivered a looking glass to his brother yet, Bastian literally had no way of contacting anyone in the outside realm. Until Jax released him from the chambers, he was trapped. Just as I’d been.

Oh Gods.

The commander bowed. “Of course, Your Majesty. We understand the gravity of this situation.” He signaled the other kingsfae, and they began closing in.

“You’re coming with me,” the kingsfae stated beside me and reached for my arm.

“Don’t touch her.” Jax snarled and shoved him away from me.

“Adarian!” the king yelled, fury lancing his tone. “Truly, if you’re innocent of everything they’re claiming, this will all be cleared up soon. And as for this female you’ve brought along, your mother is right. If she’s a slave to this”—his gaze tracked up and down my guardian, his lip curling—“this male , then she best return home with him. Or she can handle her plea with the supernatural courts to be free of a guardian on her own time. Whatever the case, it has nothing to do with us. Neither your mother nor I wish to ever hear the word mate brought up again by you. Now go, and don’t cause a scene.” His voice dipped. “If you do, the only one who will pay the price is your supposed mate.”