Chapter Fifteen
Castor Aegaeon
Well, isn’t this a lovely disaster?
You could practically taste the fear in the air, thick enough to chew on. Humans didn’t wear terror well. It made them pale and wide-eyed, like sheep realizing the wolves had been in the room all along.
And wolves, well, thankfully, we had two of those on our side.
In a flash, Rhea and Talon shifted, I freed my blades, and Skylar’s flames raged.
Daxton pulled his blade free from the human mage’s skull. A soft, wet click echoed far louder than it should have in the sudden quiet of the throne room. Dozens of guards entered the hall, every sword half-raised. Thankfully, none of them were foolish enough to attack yet.
“Now this,” I said, my voice low and dripping with sarcasm, eyes darting around the room, “is what I call a royal gathering.”
Daxton stood before the throne, his expression unreadable save for that faint, dangerous calm I’d learned never to mistake for mercy. Gods, even in the ruins of diplomacy, he held the terrifying stature of my high king—a glorious yet humbling sight to see.
One of the guards beside the human king twitched, and Daxton’s head snapped toward him in a movement so sharp it could’ve cut glass.
“The mage’s death was a mercy he did not deserve,” Daxton said with cold lethality.
“This is an outrage!” King Taran said. “Bring the fae male to me.”
Yeah, good luck with that.
Despite the overconfidence of the human king’s command, the guards closed in.
Steel rang loudly with the marching echo of boots, like a slow drumbeat as they surrounded us.
Their blades were drawn at my brother’s throat.
Daxton held his ground, for once using his head, understanding that unleashing his magic to retaliate would not force the king’s hand. He needed to bide his time.
A lick of heat forced me to step aside, giving Skylar room.
They made a grave mistake trying to take him. If you think our king is lethal, well, here comes our queen.
Skylar called her magic to her palms, face hard and eyes bright with a dangerous calm. I watched the bystanding humans in the throne room scatter, and then everything started to unravel.
“Drop your weapons and step away from my mate,” Skylar said, her tone absolute and deathly chilling. “Or burn.”
There was a collective intake of breath so loud it might have been mistaken for a second heartbeat. A few foolish guards held fast, faces pale, thinking their courage would shield them.
Pride was a poor hill to die on against a female who looked at you like you were already ash.
I quickly sheathed my weapons, stepped forward, and held my palms up in the most theatrical surrender I could muster.
“Bravo,” I called out, my voice echoing across the stone.
“You always did prefer the dramatics, Skylar. I believe they get the picture.” My voice rode over the crackle of her flames.
Daxton’s jaw flexed. Yet he stayed composed while the remaining guards held fast, their blades still at my brother’s throat.
A lick of heat forced me to take another step back. Skylar’s fire coiled higher, an inferno caged only by her will, flickering dangerously close to the throne’s golden frame.
The guards didn’t know where to look. At the flames, at my brother, or at me—the madman grinning with a forced calm in the middle of a potential massacre.
“Alright, everyone, let’s all take a collective breath,” I said, sweeping my arms out as though I was the conductor of this orchestra of panic. “Preferably before we all turn into a delightful pile of cinders. It would be a shame to destroy such a beautiful palace.”
Skylar’s gaze snapped to me, sharper than the alpha’s dagger. Her flames flared in warning, a shimmering wall separating us from the humans.
“Castor,” Daxton said with a quiet edge.
“I’m handling it. One of us has to keep their head.” I glanced at the wolves at Skylar’s side.
So much for diplomacy.
I raised my voice again, flashing the guards my most disarming grin.
“Gentlemen! Let’s think this through, shall we?
Two shifters are prepared to rip your faces off, and you have one very angry alpha with fire literally pouring from her hands.
Maybe put the swords down before someone’s eyebrows end up permanently singed? ”
One of them flinched as Skylar’s flames snapped closer, licking the edge of his armor. He stumbled, sword clattering to the marble. The rest followed in a rush of panic. The ring of dropped steel echoed like rain against stone.
“There we go,” I said brightly, clapping once. “That’s the spirit. Cooperation. I love it. Now, Skylar…”
The flames hesitated, then drew back, curling toward Skylar’s palms like obedient serpents. Her breathing was uneven, the glow along her skin dimming.
Daxton was freed and stepped toward his mate. His voice was low as he spoke to her, soothing her nerves as they reunited. I caught the faint shift of Skylar’s shoulders, a tremor of relief rolling through her as the flames flickered.
The humans, to their credit, remained wisely quiet.
“Well,” I exhaled, surveying the mage’s blood staining the floor. “That could have gone worse.”
Daxton shot me a look—one that said this wasn’t over, and I’d better not entice them further.
So, naturally, I grinned wider.
I glanced around at the trembling humans, the scorched banners, and the melted gilding dripping from the throne like candlewax.
“On the bright side,” I murmured, “they’ll never forget this meeting.”
“No, you won’t.”
Every fiber and muscle in my body tensed as she glided in, flanked by two guards who looked far too calm for the carnage they’d witnessed. Her voice still haunted my nightmares.
“Minaeve,” I breathed, the name tasting like rotten fruit on my tongue.
Daxton went still beside Skylar. Her fingers clenched around his sleeve, and for once, my brother’s composure cracked.
The human king rose from his throne, his smile wide and shining like polished bone. “Ah,” he said, his voice carrying over the silence like oil over water. “I see you’ve all had your… reunion.” He gestured grandly toward the woman now standing before him. “Allow me to introduce my new queen.”
Réalta’s face paled beside her father.
Interesting, she clearly didn’t know about this little twist either.
My laughter broke the silence before I could stop it—an incredulous sound that bounced off the scorched marble.
“You married her?” I asked, voice dripping in disbelief. “There weren’t any other offers worth your time?”
The king’s smile didn’t waver. Minaeve’s eyes, however—those cold, perfect turquoise eyes—found mine.
She smiled, slow and deliberate. “You talk too much, Castor.” Her voice slid across the air like silk over a blade.
I forced a grin anyway. “And you still have terrible taste in men, I see.”
Her expression didn’t change, but the faintest curl of power lifted her hair. The space around her warped like a heated haze.
Daxton stepped forward. His voice was quiet but edged with death. “If you’ve come here to finish what you started—”
“Oh, no,” she interrupted, eyes flicking to Skylar. “Our war has just begun. Tell me, where is your beta, Alpha?” Skylar stilled. “North, I believe?”
Oh, shit.
“You bitch!” Skylar roared.
Minaeve clicked her teeth. “Foul language for a proper queen.”
Talon and Rhea snarled, jumping in front of Skylar, baring their teeth.
“Your time in Valdor has come to an end. Seize them!” Minaeve roared, conjuring a bow made of shadows. Like a wraith, her eyes darkened, narrowing on Skylar at the heart of our group.
Mages and hunters sprang from corridors along the side with blades drawn and magic curling in their palms. Bow strings sounded with a thud as arrows released, magic surrounding us, with the promise of death at our doorstep.
I watched in horror as Minaeve summoned an arrow and a bow made of pure shadow. There was a flash of her pale skin as she drew back, releasing the string faster than I could track it.
Daxton and I used our magic to create an ice shield beside Skylar’s flames, but this arrow was otherworldly. The howl of a wolf’s cry shook the walls as a blur of black and auburn lunged before Skylar.
Before I could think of a plan, I felt Daxton grab my arm as Skylar fell forward toward Rhea and Talon, with Daxton’s fingers still intertwined with hers.
And in a blink, the throne room disappeared.