47. Open Your Eyes
SOUNDTRACK: Ice Queen by Margo
~ MELEK ~
I’d been furious when I found her injured and asleep.
Ready to bite out the throat of my closest friend.
I didn’t miss the sudden wariness emanating from Jann in response to Hever’s disgust when I was so attentive to her.
But as she stood and faced us all down, pride and a grim sense of satisfaction rose in my chest.
“You should move ahead exactly as you’d planned—taking Melek and I with you,” she said airily.
I tensed and my brothers’ brows all shot up, except Hever, whose eyes glinted.
“I will get you safely through the Shadows of Shade. You take us both back to the Nephilim camp—where you tell them all that Melek holds me as a prize. Reveal my position as Queen and say that once he has the Nephilim aligned and behind him, he will take my land as well.”
I looked at her, worried—was she thinking clearly? She wanted to make her people think I’d stolen her?
“If you do this, it gives Melek a reason to continue to keep me physically close and safe—a reason that your people will accept. Just as they did when we were in Gault’s camp. And that in turn will lower suspicion—opening the door for me to both spy and assassinate as needed. ”
I stiffened, instinctively shaking my head. “Yilan, I’m not putting you—”
“It’s perfect, Melek,” she said calmly. “They will see you as the conquering hero, returned to them with a prize. It will strengthen your position for taking the throne—and they’ll be arrogant towards me.
Not to mention, distracted by their own conflicts.
I spent months with you, and even you didn’t know I roamed the camp in the darkness.
I can listen for you, find out where the pockets of resistance lay, and inform you.
I will identify the threats while they are still planning and let you reveal their treason to them.
You will know the impossible. They will see you as a mythical figure who is somehow everywhere at once.
But because I will be the one doing the work, you will be free to use all your time and energy in your campaign for dominance.
I will inform—and assassinate as needed. You will dominate and win. ”
“But, the risk—”
“I am skilled and bold. Use me.”
God, my cock twitched at the pride in her. She was magnificent. And so willing to put herself in danger, my heart threatened to stop in my chest.
“Then, when you have the Nephilim secure, when you wear the crown and they bow before you, then we form a treaty. No war. No battle, even. You will save your people, and I will save mine. Our people will be safe. And you will rule as you should.”
I sucked in a breath at the picture she painted—my mate, so sure. So confident in my ability to walk this tightrope. To bring the Nephilim with me.
And she was right. I could. At least, I believed myself capable of it. And yet… God, as much as I longed to grasp her vision, to work with her in this subterfuge… it was so risky.
I took a deep breath. “And Turo?” I asked her quietly.
“What about him?”
“If you’re taken, he will bring the Shadekin against the Nephilim before I can have the Nephilim securely in my grasp.”
Which was when my mate planted a fist on her hip and tipped her head. “No, he won’t, because he’s going to be in on this plan from the start. Did you think I meant for you to steal me away?”
She left the word fool, unspoken. But my pride felt it. I gave her a flat look, but she only smiled .
“This is…” Jann was frowning at the dirt, shaking his head. “This could work.” He raised his head then, meeting my eyes, intensity burning in his gaze. “Can she truly be trusted?”
“Of course I can!” she spat.
But I raised a hand to soothe her and held Jann’s eyes.
“Yes, she can,” I said quickly. “She is clever, and strong, and unafraid to put herself at risk for those she loves. And she loves me.” She humphed, but I wasn’t done.
“Perhaps more importantly, if you truly believe I am your King, that makes her your Queen. And if you couldn’t trust your own Queen, you have much bigger problems.”
Jann turned to her, scratching his chin, staring at her like he would a beast he was considering for purchase.
Yilan arched one brow at him, clearly unimpressed. I was about to tell him to stand down, but she sent a jolt of caution through the bond and addressed him herself.
“Say what’s on your mind,” she said quietly. “This will only work if we are all committed and certain of each other. So, speak it.”
Jann’s jaw rolled. “You killed Gault, stole Melek, and now want to walk back among our brothers and—”
“Actually,” I sighed, “Gall gave Gault the killing blow. But Yilan put him out of his misery. He would have died a slow, painful death. What she did was a mercy.”
It wasn’t why she did it, but they didn’t need to know that.
But Jann’s jaw had dropped. He looked first at her, then at me. “You were all in on this? You knew she was bringing you here? That was how you avoided taking responsibility for conspiring to kill the King?”
“What? No!” I started, but Yilan jumped in.
“He was foolishly going to take credit for the kill to save Gall and I from the ire of the Nephilim,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I was saving him from himself.”
Jann snorted, and I saw his eyes dance for the first time since I’d confronted him back in the royal suite.
Yilan tipped her head again, getting that gleam in her eyes that she used when they flirted, which made the back of my neck prickle.
“Come now, Jann. You saw how juvenile and perverted Gault was. Surely you didn’t want to stay under those chains?”
“No,” Jann said honestly. “But neither do I want to be a traitor.” He turned to me again. “You always teach the men to respect the throne even if we don’t respect the man. ”
I nodded. “I will continue to do so.”
“And yet, you had him killed?”
“I didn’t,” I said solemnly. “I was as surprised as you when Gall attacked. But I have to tell you that I planned to kill him myself. He was trying to claim my mate and manipulated my son to aid him in the endeavor. It was only a matter of time until he killed me or had me killed to soothe his jealousy. I do believe that we must all respect a crown, even if we don’t respect the person.
But at some point, loyalty has to be based on something more.
True honor can only be appropriated by a vessel worth risking death for.
I could no longer say that of Gault… I don’t deny that. And I won’t.”
“And what, in your mind, makes a person an appropriate vessel for that kind of loyalty?” Jann asked me warily.
I looked at Yilan, because she inspired honor in me.
“Any person who puts their own needs and wants aside, and is willing to risk themselves for you before they ask you to take a risk for them. Then you know they don’t weigh your life lightly.
So, if they ask you to risk it, it won’t be wasted if you win for them, but lose yourself. ”
Yilan blinked and I felt the surge in the bond. I couldn’t stifle the hint of a smile and tapped my chest where I felt her there, reminding her that she held my loyalty.
But when I tore my eyes from her and back to my brothers intending to continue to answer their questions, Jann wasn’t looking at me, but at the others.
Then he turned to face me and dropped to one knee.
To my shock, he thumped his clenched fist to his chest and raised his chin.
“I vow my life to your service, Melek Handras,” he said, intensity making his eyes glint. “I call you King. I will stand for you. I will stand beside you. My life is a tool to your hand.”
While I was still gaping from that, Kran and Drek both dropped behind him and repeated the vow, though Kran looked like he thought he was literally vowing his life away.
And when they were done, they all looked at Hever.
The old man stared at me, his eyes burning with a feverish light. “I came for you because you inspired something in our people I had not seen in all my years,” he said quietly. “I do not like where this might take all of us, but I cannot deny that I can’t identify a better Neph to wear the crown.”
Then he slowly lowered himself to one knee, laid his hand on his chest and repeated the vow as the others had. There was a hint of anger in his eyes, but whether that was for me, or just the situation, I didn’t know.
And I was astounded at first, left speechless, gaping at the four of them kneeling in front of me.
It was Jann who smiled. “We came to get you because we believe you should wear the crown. And you just proved it,” he said with a small shrug.
I stammered something. Some kind of gratitude.
But then Yilan came to stand at my side and when I looked down at her, she looked like the cat who’d stolen the cream.
“This is just the beginning, Melek,” she said, leaning into my side. “I told you. God made you for this.”