Chapter 46
FORTY-SIX
Z
T he trek to the capital was a solemn affair.
We marched with only one hundred soldiers, including a stone-faced B and a fidgety Mali. Davia chose to remain with our other troops, and she hand-selected Phineas—the mermaid who’d first brought us to the camp—and Stefan to lead the various squads.
Everything was coming to fruition.
I didn’t know how I felt about that. About any of this, if I was being completely honest. Fear ensnared me in a chokehold, and no matter what I did, it didn’t release its grip. And with that fear came a heavy dose of self-doubt.
Did I really believe I was capable of…what? Leading a kingdom ? The mere prospect made me stagger over my own two feet. I hadn’t overly thought about what would happen after we defeated the kings and Aaliyah and finished Lilith’s trials. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for the responsibility of caring for millions of lives.
I would be a shit queen.
Yet…
I stared at the faces surrounding me—some familiar, others entirely foreign. All of themunited by their shared goal. All of them willing to follow me.
Me.
Unease tiptoed up the back of my neck, raising the fine hairs there.
I wasn't sure if I could lead, but I knew I had to.
When we finally arrived at the capital, Atta, Axel, and a few nightmares I was only somewhat familiar with greeted us. I recognized them as members of the esteemed council—a council who were once loyal to the kings. All of them, excluding the shifter representative, must’ve been aware that Lilith had granted us her blessing, though I could see that most of them weren’t pleased by that.
They were going to be a problem.
Axel and Atta told us that a few were on our side, but looking at their faces now, I couldn’t believe it. They all looked like they wanted to skin me alive and wear my flesh like a coat.
“Little sister!” Axel boomed, descending the remaining steps and taking me in his arms.
He spun me around with a laugh.
Ryland released a jealous growl from the right of me, and Bash murmured something about blasting annoying assassins to space.
“It’s good to see you too, Axel.” I awkwardly patted his back until he put me down.
“Brother husbands!” Axel cried, racing towards Jax, who was nearest to him.
My vampire’s red eyes widened in horror, and he took an automatic step away, his hands raised to fend off the energetic shadow. But in the next moment, Axel gripped Jax around the waist and spun him around.
I had to bite my lower lip to keep from laughing, especially when Jax tossed me a wild-eyed, what the fuck stare.
Lupe hugged Atta tightly, the two siblings whispering to one another in urgent tones. I saw the exact moment that Atta noticed Mali. Her eyes widened, and her lips parted. Wordlessly, she stepped away from Lupe, a fine tremor reverberating through her.
Mali placed a hand to her mouth and released a choked, gasping sound.
“Mali,” Atta breathed.
Time stood still—suspended in a superficial tranquility, capable of breaking at the slightest provocation.
And then they ran towards each other and met in the middle, clashing like stars colliding.
I looked away to grant them some semblance of privacy and immediately made eye contact with a sour-faced man. He was dark-skinned, broad-shouldered, and seemed to have a perpetual scowl on his face. One glance, and I knew he was the shifter representative.
His firm lips pursed as he gave me a dismissive once-over before focusing on Lupe. “I heard what you did in the Shifter Kingdom, boy. I wonder what your father would say.”
Lupe pushed back his shoulders and met the representative’s eyes without an ounce of remorse. “I don’t give a damn what he would say. After all, he’s not in charge anymore. I am.”
The mage representative brushed at a strand of her curly brown hair. “From what I hear, you’re the only one of the princes to not have Lilith’s backing.”
If she expected to get a reaction out of my shifter, she was sorely mistaken.
Lupe simply shrugged his broad shoulders. “Not yet, but it’ll happen in time.”
Warmth unfurled in my chest at his confidence in not only himself, but the two of us.
Whispers arose amongst the representatives, and Devlin took the opportunity to step forward, clearing his throat.
Before we left camp, Devlin had changed back into one of his customary suits—this one gray, with a violet tie. I had no idea where he’d gotten it, but knowing Devlin, he had his ways. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had someone wish for it.
All eyes turned to the genie, as expected. Devlin had a way of effortlessly commanding respect and attention, even without trying. The confidence he exuded was both admirable and terrifying. I was just grateful he was on our side.
“You seven are still alive only because we can’t kill you,” Devlin said.
See? Admirable and terrifying.
The shadow and vampire council members exchanged worried glances, but the incubus only appeared amused. The others simply stared at Devlin, their expressions ranging from furious to expectant.
Since council members were voted in, we couldn’t kill them without the various kingdoms rioting. We would have to hold a new election—and soon—but for now, these vultures would have to do.
“We hope to establish a working relationship with the seven of you,” Devlin continued, hefting his chin up imperiously. “You all have loyally served your communities for years now. We wouldn’t take that away from you. However, if you wish to maintain that power, you need to understand that we’re not our fathers. We’ll never be our fathers.” His violet eyes slid over the representatives, hardening. “If you can accept that, then we can foster a new start. But if you can’t…”
He allowed his threat to taper off, to linger unspoken in the air.
The genie representative took a single step forward, splitting away from the group, and smiled. “I, for one, love a little mayhem. I’m excited to see what you eight bring to the table.”
Then he surprised the ever-loving shit out of me by bowing his head.
The shadow and vampire council members exchanged another eloquent glance and then stepped forward as well.
“Vampires will still need to feed,” the vampire said, flashing a hint of his fangs.
“And we’ll find willing donors.” Jax moved to stand beside Devlin. “But feedings will be done humanely.” Darkness briefly flashed in his garnet eyes, and I knew he was thinking about my time at the vampire carnival, when I’d witnessed unspeakable horrors. “There’s a way to do it that doesn’t involve senseless killing.”
The vampire representative, surprisingly, turned towards me, one eyebrow raised. “And you think the humans would be willing?”
“It’ll be like any job,” I said. “As long as they’re treated with respect and can return to their families unharmed, then yes. They’ll be willing.”
The vampire still seemed unconvinced, but he nodded stiffly.
None of the other representatives declared their allegiance to the eight of us, but that was okay. I didn’t expect them to. This would take time and effort on all of our parts. And if they couldn’t accept the changes we wanted to make, then they would get voted out in the next election, which was scheduled to occur in only a couple of months.
“We should discuss this more inside.” The mage representative sniffed. “It’s…unbecoming to have such important conversations on the steps. You can send your troops to the barracks?—”
“Actually,” I interrupted, glancing over my shoulder at the one hundred men and women standing behind me. “They’ll stay with me.” I turned towards Atta, who had finally pulled her mouth away from Mali’s and watched our exchange with rapt fascination. “Do you think you can find housing for our troops inside of the capitol building?”
“Of course.” Atta flashed me a quick smile and then bounced inside, dragging Mali along after her.
Hopefully, Atta heard my unspoken order—keep our troops close, in case things go south. We had some of our best shadow spies keeping an eye on Aaliyah’s movements, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t make an unexpected appearance. And god only knew what those loyal to the kings would do when they caught wind of the eight of us here.
“Let’s reconvene in two hours,” Devlin announced, focusing on the representatives. “There’s a lot we need to discuss.”
Like the execution of the disgraced kings.
The representatives nodded and stepped back inside the building—though not without a parting glare from the shifter.
Atta returned a few minutes later and gestured for our troops to follow her. It would be a tight fit with so many people, but we would make it work. We had to.
Soon, only me and my mates stood on the sandstone steps leading to the capitol building.
The sun was high in the sky, spindly strands of gold weaving around fluffy white clouds. On any other day, I would say it looked beautiful, but I couldn’t quite ignore the ominous chill that permeated the air.
Something was coming.
Something bad.
“You sent Axel to guard the kings?” I asked Devlin, and he nodded.
The last thing we needed was the kings escaping and creating an even bigger mess for us to clean up.
“I’m going to find my father,” Ryland said, the shadows already coalescing around him, concealing him from view.
In the next second, he was gone, nothing but a ball of darkness bobbing through the entryway and out of sight.
“Any word from Davia?” I directed this question at Bash.
As the strongest mage alive, he had the ability to communicate with others over long distances using glowing stones. Davia and her troops—the ones not protecting the innocents—were supposed to watch Aaliyah and report any movement.
If she started to move, we would know.
Bash shook his head. “Nothing. Davia hasn’t seen any movement so far.”
“Maybe she doesn’t know we’re here?” Jax suggested.
“Maybe.” Bash didn’t sound as if he believed it.
He opened his mouth to say something else but then went unnaturally rigid. His green eyes fixated on something just over my shoulder.
I felt his presence before I even saw him. It was that feeling you get when you were walking alone at night and knew, with unwavering certainty, that there were eyes on you, yet you were unable to catch sight of the culprit. Every hair on the back of my neck stood at attention, and a chill that had nothing to do with the weather skittered down my spine like a million ants.
Slowly, my heart hammering in my chest, I pivoted on my heel and faced the newcomer.
He stood in the doorway of the capitol, a tiny smirk dancing on his lips. He was tall, much taller than me, with light-blond hair brushed back into a low ponytail. A dark suit clung to his muscular frame, but somehow, it looked strange on him.
Because in the memories Aaliyah gifted me, he wore a flowing white robe and sandals.
“Hello, daughter.” His smile stretched, unveiling perfectly white teeth. “I was waiting for you to arrive.”