Tortured Royals (Game of Psychos #3)

Chapter 22

Chapter

Twenty-Two

~ Princess Blake ~

“ W e can regroup at my clan house,” Dante suggests as the warehouse continues to burn, flames clawing at the sky.

It’s been a while since the last explosion, and Prince Callan has removed his wind vortex. Undoubtedly, others in the city will have noticed the blaze by now, and will be on their way to investigate.

“Most of our clan members stay at other houses we have around the city, so it should be relatively quiet,” my demon mate adds.

I frown, thinking of the witch’s demands.

“Do you believe this Ivar will murder the other clan leaders, my mate?” Mason asks me.

Dante rubs his chin thoughtfully. “An exclusive dinner party would be the quickest way for Ivar to poison the leaders.”

“In which case, Noah should get an invite,” I say. “If we know where the party is being held, we might have another chance at capturing Ivar and questioning him. Maybe even the witch.”

“And this vault in the castle,” Prince Callan asks, his face solemn. “Is this the power you were warning us of? What could the power be coming from?”

I shake my head. “I wish I knew. I’ve never had access to that part of the vault, but whatever it is, I’m guessing it’s nothing good.”

There’s a beat of silence, before I say, “I need to get a message to the king. Someone needs to warn him that Ivar’s spy has infiltrated the castle, and that the witches intend to attack soon. He needs to protect the vault and himself. Especially if assassins are headed his way. And if whatever is in the vault is as powerful as I’m thinking it is, it might be our turn to call for aid from the allied realms.”

“I can go,” Shade volunteers.

My brow creases. “What?”

“Dante and the rest of you should go to the Coilan clan house. I can pass a message on to King Dalton about the attack,” Shade elaborates. “You just need to write out the message for me.”

“No, I should go to the castle in person,” I protest. “There’s a barrier, so we can’t portal inside the castle walls, but we can portal just outside the gates. Going there could be dangerous for you now that Ivar has a spy behind the castle walls.”

“You’ll be there soon enough,” Shade tells me. “Ivar still doesn’t know you’re back in the city, so let’s keep it that way. For now, you should stay with your mates and figure out how to stop him. Let me help. It won’t take me long.”

I don’t want to agree. I want to go to the castle and strategize with the king, but if Ivar takes out the clan leaders, demonkind will be crippled before the battle with the witches has even begun.

I let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine. But promise me you’ll try not to be seen. If Ivar’s spy spots you, they’re just as likely to kill you. Something tells me they won’t treat any crow kindly at the moment.”

“Sure thing,” Shade replies, and despite her unexpected bravery, her voice wavers. “I’ll be back before you know it. Now, about that message?”

“Actually, we should get Luna and Noah from the house in the forest first,” Dante says. “You can ink a message there.”

Nodding, I turn to Mason and hold out my hand. “Can I have the portal ring?”

He passes it to me, and I glimpse the burning warehouse one last time before turning and creating a gateway.

~ Shade ~

Why Shade? Just why? I chastise myself as I fly toward the castle, the wind gliding past my wings. The moment we’d arrived at Blake’s secret house in the forest, Blake had ignored Noah and Luna’s questions, immediately finding a piece of parchment and ink. In no time, the message was tied to my foot, and now I soar above the trees toward the imposing black towers of the demon castle.

For all you know, you could run into Ivar’s spy straight away and end up in a pie or something horrible. The thought makes my heart pound wildly, but I don’t slow my pace.

I know why I’m here. For Blake, who’s been the one constant in my life. Or at least, the one constant I can remember. She needs me, and I can do this. With any luck, I’ll be in and out of the castle without so much as a squawk.

The sky is quiet, and soon I’m banking to the right, curving around one of the stone towers, bee-lining to the south wing where Blake’s room is. She’d had a small window installed, specifically for myself and her other birds, and I’m relieved when I find it’s still open. The moment I enter the tower, power washes over me. I get the sensation that some dark and unnatural force is assessing me, but the feeling is gone in an instant. I tell myself I imagined it, but my feathers puff up. The power reminds me of the last time Blake and I had been in the vault, and I can’t help but feel like it’s a bad sign. Don’t worry, Shade, it’s just some dark unknown power that the witches are desperate to get their hands on. Nothing to worry about.

Shaking myself, I move across the room and hop through the little flap at the bottom of Blake’s room door. Guards are stationed along the decorated corridor, but aside from some curious glances, none of them try to stop me as I flap my wings, launching into the air and making my way toward the king’s chambers.

At this point, having Blake’s crows in the castle is a common occurrence, and I could swear that some of the guards are relieved when they spot me. The thought fills me with pride, and I flap my wings faster.

As I enter the last corridor that leads to the king’s bedchamber, I spot a familiar physician. I keep close behind him, and when the guards open the doors, letting the physician into the king’s room, I hop in after him and duck to the side of the dresser.

It’s still daylight outside and I half expect the king to be sleeping, but he’s sitting at his desk with a pile of paperwork. Thankfully, he’s fully clothed unlike the last time I was here, and he looks up, his brows furrowing when he sees the physician.

“Is it that time already, Farrex?” King Dalton asks gruffly. Dark circles line his eyes, and he leans back in his chair, his movements stiff. Tilting his head, he peers out the window to where the sun is just starting to lower in the sky.

“You should have been resting, your highness,” the physician says, moving to the table on one side of the room and placing his case on it.

“Resting?” King Dalton laughs. “Let’s just get this over with.”

The physician’s case clicks as he unlocks it, and it swings open. “As you wish, sire.” He pulls out a large vial filled with white liquid, and King Dalton stands, taking off his shirt.

I have to contain my squawk when I see the demon king’s chest. Long black lines cross the span of his torso, winding as they climb over his skin like the twisted branches of an ancient tree. Beneath the lines, is that same red rash Blake and I had witnessed before when we’d accidentally walked in on the king.

Holy hell what is that? I’m tempted to tell Blake, but I decide to wait until I know more.

Instead, I keep silent, watching as the physician smears the white substance all over the king’s marks. When the king’s entire chest is practically covered in white, the physician packs the vial back in his case. King Dalton shrugs his shirt on again, but now that I know to look for it, I notice the end of a black tendril still exposed on his neck above his collar. Crap on a cracker, this is bad.

The king dismisses the physician, and the doctor leaves as quickly as he came. The moment he’s gone and the doors close again, the demon king lets out a heavy sigh.

“You can come out now,” he rumbles.

I stiffen. Wait. Me? What? But I ? —?

“It’s about time you turned up. I was starting to worry,” King Dalton says, and his gaze goes to where I’m still hiding beside the dresser. Crap.

Sheepishly, I move out from the cover of the furniture, and the demon king watches me intently as I hop across the floor. Then I flap my wings, flying into the air and landing on his desk. His papers scatter, and I curse again internally, but the king doesn’t look bothered.

His gaze drops to the tiny parchment tied to my leg, and he carefully removes it, stretching it open. His eyes skim over the message, and I study the older demon. He’s always looked handsome and formidable, but now his eyes are sunken, and his skin is a paler shade than usual. My stomach tightens.

“Ah, so my daughter has finally bonded,” King Dalton says with approval. “That’s good. Very good.”

Wait, out of Blake’s whole message, that’s the first thing he focuses on? I would have thought the news of the witches and an impending war in his kingdom would be what drew his attention first . In that moment, I wish I could talk to him, but of course, all I can do is stare.

“It looks like I’ll see another war before I’m done,” King Dalton says wearily. “Ivar has always wished for more power. I’m happy for my daughter to do as she sees fit to cleanse us of his influence. In the meantime, I will start gathering our forces and reach out to the other realms.”

Before I’m done. His words echo in my head. I’ve never been close to the demon king, but my heart still feels heavy hearing those words. Even though King Dalton had already told Blake he was dying, it hadn’t felt real. Not until now. And I know even though Blake tries to hide it, his death will hit her hard.

The demon king stares at me fondly, as though I’m an old friend rather than his daughter’s pet, as he has so affectionately called me in the past.

“Don’t worry, I’ll sort this mess before I go, little one,” he tells me. “We made a promise, and I won’t leave our daughter while there are enemies circling.”

I cock my head to the side, wishing I could ask more, but the king turns, striding toward the window. He releases the latch and pushes it open. “Go now, crow,” he says, staring at me expectantly. “Take care of my daughter.” It’s a clear command, and I launch into the air. As I exit the window, the king starts coughing, but I don’t look back as I head for Dante’s clan house.