Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
XANDER
“ I said move ,” I hiss between my teeth, my fingers flexing as I stare down the FIB guard at the door to the hotel elevators that lead to the court rooms. “I am a fae representative and have every right to be here.”
It took me hours, and a substantial bribe to Gage’s mother that I knew would go straight to booze or up her nose, for me to find out that he had been hauled to the hotel under guard.
And that my own brother had been there to help.
Devyn is obsessive about doing his job, but he doesn’t always think things through. Gage is one of ours. Devyn may think he can look out for him in whatever situation they’ve found themselves in, but politics isn’t Devyn’s strong suit any more than they’re Gage’s. They’re both more likely to bluntly insult a lord or lady and be thrown in lockup for a month than anything else. He should have called me right away, given me the heads-up, and let me join them.
But not only did he not call nor give me a warning about whatever the situation I’m walking into is, he somehow managed to fucking ban me from entering the court. Only the queen, the prince, or one of the princesses should have that right. Devyn is a scary-ass bastard when he wants to be though, so no doubt he leveled some serious threats in this guy’s direction.
The guard flashed a FIB badge at me upon my initial request, but I have no idea who he is, let alone his powers. He can’t be a high-level member or I would have run across him in the past or during my studies. In my position, it doesn’t pay to be surprised; unfortunately, surprises seem to be a main aspect of my life currently.
“This is a private matter,” the guy repeats in a dull monotone as though he’s reading off a script. “Authorized personnel only.”
“I am an authorized person,” I snarl at him, glaring into his flat, gray eyes.
His face may be as stoically solid as the Queen of England’s guards, but I bet that’ll change quickly once I use my shadows to string him up and make him bleed.
Sera will never tolerate one of her mates being kept away from her, and it’s my job to give her whatever she needs. There’s no way Gage did anything to warrant detention, let alone at this level, and a few words into the right ears will easily clear this matter up.
Besides, if I can’t free Gage, then V?—
No, I won’t think like that. The psychotic prince will not die. He’s too damn stubborn to allow the grim reaper to claim him.
“Last warning.” My words are ice cold, and I let my power fill me, shadows veiling me slightly, their cool, familiar weight pooling in my hands.
Lies. Danger. Lies. It’s coming.
The shadows whisper their dark, cryptic warnings into my mind, but I don’t bother asking for clarification. This aspect of my gift has always been more of a burden than anything else, creating a low level of constant, chronic anxiety from the dark unknown. They may give me hints of what to look for, of what is coming, but hints are the best they can manage. I frequently think of them as ghosts, lingering here but unable to see the whole picture, to understand space or time. They may attempt to help—or even hinder—but outside of being a presence, they are of little benefit.
“This is a private matter. Authorized personnel only.”
Fuck it.
Ignoring the fact that I’m mildly channeling Prince V, I wrap the guard in a cocoon of shadows, throwing him to the ceiling and attaching him there like a fly trapped in a spider’s web. He’ll still be able to breathe but not call for help or continue interfering.
I step into the elevator and press the button, watching the floors scroll rapidly by while I straighten my suit and smooth my hair.
Image is secondary only to power in our world. Those of us who mastered both are a force to be reckoned with. Appearing even the slightest bit frazzled is as good as baring my throat for a killing blow.
But god, I’m seconds from spiraling. Everything has gone to shit in a span of hours. The sky and land have exchanged places, and I no longer know which way is up and which is down. What I do know is that my mate is back at my apartment, attempting to heal a dying angel prince.
I heard Serafina talking to the others before I left—about bringing V to a hospital or kidnapping a healer or using her gifts on him herself—but I know it’ll be futile. The shadows whispered to me as we stood over V’s deathbed, their silky voices a dissonant sound.
Baku. Need Baku. Gage. Only he can heal.
The elevator lets out a loud chime, and I exit and turn down the hallway, sending my shadows out ahead of me to search. It only takes a moment for them to find the room I need, and then they return to me swiftly, dissipating into the ether. I take a deep breath, centering myself, before I open the door, step inside, and shut it with a solid click behind me.
Sera’s family stands on one side of the room, with Devyn in a guard position in front of them. Gage is shackled to a table, the queen standing over him, one of her hands around his throat, and the other gripping his shoulder tight enough that I’m sure there will be marks left behind. His eyes are wide, his face as pale as her blouse, but he isn’t fighting against her hold as she screams into his face.
Fear surges through me, but I push it down, letting the shadows swallow it so I can stay centered. I’ve never seen the queen lose her composure. She may as well be standing before us naked.
Something is clearly very wrong, and I cuss Devyn ten ways to Sunday in my head, shooting him a scathing glare. It would have been nice going into this with a heads-up and some preplanning.
But Devyn isn’t looking at me or at Gage. His attention is fixed on his hands as if he’s never seen them before.
What the fuck is up with him?
“Your Majesty.” I keep my tone calm, even, and just on the right side of cold.
The queen is normally rational, but she never tolerates disrespect of any kind. V may be a hot-headed psycho, but bloodthirsty behaviors aren’t abnormal within the family. Even the queen isn’t immune. I’ve seen her break the necks of more than one fae who has broken protocols or disrespected her, and I’m not going to add myself or my family into that mix.
She doesn’t even spare me a look, continuing to tower over a pale-faced Gage, her features pinched and her eyes radiating unfettered fury.
I step forward around the table, ignoring the protesting noises from the Jenkins family as I move into her line of sight. Devyn shifts his weight slightly, the only tell that he’s tense and unsure, as I place a hand on Gage’s shoulder.
“I’m sure there’s been some misunderstanding, Your Majesty,” I say, squeezing Gage’s shoulder in a show of support.
Her lip is curled away from her teeth, and tears mar her cheeks, falling unheeded to add to the stains on her blouse.
“He should have been killed years ago,” she screams, the words echoing around us, nearly covering the sound of the door slamming open.
She grabs Gage’s cheek, her fingernails digging into his skin hard enough to draw blood.
Sera is inside and across the room in a dozen steps, daggers in her hands as she glares.
“I see we’re having a lovely little gathering,” she taunts as she flicks her wrists, releasing daggers into her palms. “Release my mate. Now.”
She doesn’t waver in the slightest, and it’s clear this isn’t her skinwalker riding her. This is all Sera, protective down to the bone.
It’s not going to stop me from spanking her ass later for putting herself in danger.
Devyn is quick to join Sera and me, leaving Foster to coral Sera’s family.
“Sera, please. Let us handle this,” Sheila begs.
“Sweetheart, you need to remain calm,” Jensen adds, holding his hands up placatingly. He takes a step closer to her, but Maddox gets in his father’s face with a scowl.
“Don’t touch her,” he snaps, tension riding his shoulders. Anyone with eyes could see that Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins would never hurt Serafina, but emotions are running rampant. No one is thinking clearly.
“Get out of my face, Maddox,” Jensen barks, and Maddox puffs out his chest.
“Make me.”
“Maddox! Enough!” That comes from Caleb, who places a hand on Maddox’s shoulder in an attempt to pull him away. Maddox simply shakes him off with a scowl.
“Sweetie, come here.” Sheila moves towards Sera, but Foster lifts his hand, and a ring of fire surrounds her family, preventing them from getting closer to her.
The looks Caleb and Maddox shoot him? He’s likely to be in for it later if we all manage to get out of this alive.
“Enough!” Devyn’s voice is a shattering roar, echoing around us as though he yelled through a megaphone.
The queen releases Gage and staggers back a step, though she continues to watch my mate with wary, narrowed eyes, her chest heaving as she reaches up to swipe at her tears.
“Your mate killed my daughter and a dozen others today,” she hisses at Sera. “The same way he destroyed his father years ago. He was a monster then, and he’s one now, and he’ll turn your brain to jello next.”
Gage takes deep, long breaths, his face angled at the floor as he hides from Sera’s gaze and the judgmental noises coming from her family. I squeeze his shoulder in an offer of support, but he flinches away from my touch.
“That’s who you’re so protective of, skinwalker. A murderer. A baku. At thirteen years old, he murdered his father in cold blood, melting his mind until there was nothing left, draining him bit by bit even as his dad told him how much he loved him and pleaded to be allowed to live. It’s worse than murder, even. They’re still breathing, still existing, but everything that makes them a person, an individual, is completely wiped away.”
Well, fuck .
The truth is more complicated than that, but the queen is in no mood to be understanding or overly truthful. Clearly, we should have told Sera about his past before now, regardless of what he wanted. We could have made her understand. We could have shielded her. We could?—
“So?”
Even Gage whirls to look at Sera after she speaks, but she calmly spins the knife on the tip of her finger, glaring at the queen, unbothered by Foster’s sputtering and her family’s groans.
So? Did she just fucking say, “So?”
Devyn’s amused eyes meet my shocked ones, and he gives me the smallest of winks before turning his attention back to our mate.
“If they’re still alive, technically it isn’t murder. If he really murdered for fun, I doubt he would have just been let go. Besides, your son is one of my mates, and I know he’s truly killed a lot more than just one person.”
“V kills those who deserve it,” the queen snaps, drawing herself up to her full height and glaring down at my tiny mate, attempting to intimidate her, but Sera is having none of it.
Our girl may be shy at times, uncertain in these new waters, but she’ll burn like the sun to protect those she cares about.
My heart squeezes in my chest, and I have to fight the urge to scoop her up and hold her close.
Sera shrugs, her eyes flicking over to her family, a small smile on her lips. “We have a family rule. Kill first, ask questions later. If you’re expecting me to judge him, you’ve picked the wrong person to try to manipulate. Considering the fact that he looks like he’ll keel over any moment now, I’m going to guess that whatever happened, even if his dad deserved it, he didn’t mean for it to happen. You said he was thirteen?”
Her gaze unfocuses slightly, though she makes no move to lower her weapons. “So his powers had just come in.” She purses her lips for a moment and then scoffs. “Let me guess, he accidentally hurt his dad the same way Avril told me a lot of young fae hurt those around them when they learn their powers?”
“He didn’t hurt him,” the queen accuses. “That’s a weak, human word. He destroyed his very being, melting his mind until there was nothing left.”
Sera shrugs, flipping her blade in the air and catching it by the handle with practiced ease. “That just tells me I have a badass mate who’s good to have on my side. And it explains why everyone’s scared of him.” She pauses. “But he can heal too, so he gets two powers?” She shakes her head and then displaces the thought with a wave of her hand. “I’ll deal with that later.”
From the slightly wounded look she throws at Gage, I can tell there’s a lot that will be dealt with later. Even her hurt glare doesn’t dispel the outright worship on Gage’s face as he stares up at her from his seat as though he’s seeing the sun for the first time after years of imprisonment. It’s a look of utter awe that is nearly painful in its vulnerability.
“You’re insane.” The queen’s words are a murmur, her eyes tracking between each of us. “All of you.” She takes a deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting out a sharp huff. “It doesn’t change the fact that he’s left a shit ton of people in a coma, my daughter one of them.”
“You said killed earlier, not a coma,” Sera points out, sliding one of her blades away so that she can reach out and stroke a hand through Gage’s hair, offering her own support. “So they’re just injured, really, and they have a chance of waking up.”
From the way Devyn shuffles, she’s accurate in her guess.
“It’s what baku do, Sera,” her father calls out. “Gage is the only baku, the only person powerful enough to have messed with all of their minds at once.”
Sera freezes, processing that before she whips a blade at them. Her father only barely manages to snatch it from the air as she snarls at him.
“You’re the ones blaming him for this? And that’s fucking all you have?” Her words are a screech as she stomps over to her parents to stick a finger in their faces, ignoring the flames Foster erected. “No one knew I was a fucking skinwalker, let alone everything I can do. No one can explain this insane illness. No one could explain the serial killer that you were chasing when you moved us here. But sure, let’s just arrest and put a teenage boy on trial because his power could have maybe caused this? Are you insane?”
“Sparkles, it wasn’t just us,” Caleb tries to justify, holding up a pacifying hand to his sister. “Devyn even?—”
“ Devyn?!” She whirls on my brother and me, and I take an instinctive step back as her power thrums through her. “Lucy, you got some ‘splainin’ to do,” she singsongs, stalking towards my twin.
Well, this is going to get interesting…