Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I spent the remainder of the evening in my chambers going through the House lists as Kole stood watch in the hallway until his shift ended.
Once again, he was keeping his distance, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because he’d started to open up to me about his family, which once again put us in questionable territory regarding his Council vows.
It also wasn’t lost on me that since leaving my new royal chambers earlier today, somebody had placed a powerful ward around its perimeter. There’d been a ward in place prior to it, but the new one felt thicker and stronger.
My brow furrowed, especially since Kole had been on high alert at Gwen and Timith’s, but he never said anything was amiss, yet something felt off and it reminded me of my situation.
Someone was out to harm me, and while learning about the Houses, attending balls, and trying to get my sisters to like me were all fine and wonderful activities, they didn’t address what should truly have been holding my attention, which was to discover who was after me and why.
When I woke the next morning, my situation was still weighing heavily on my mind, but it hit me that my introductory ball was only one day away. That meant I had a lot to learn, so I began to study the names and lists of the ten Houses in earnest.
Thankfully, my mind remained clear since Timith was doing so well, and by the early afternoon, I’d moved my studies outside into my courtyard, Kole following, and we both basked in the sunshine.
But try as I might, I couldn’t let my concerns go, so I finally asked Kole about it.
“Has the Council made any headway on who poisoned my uncle or sent those creatures after me while I was hunting the Stone?” I paced in the courtyard, and warmth kissed my skin thanks to the palace’s wards.
One perk to being a princess—my private courtyard was huge and allowed me plenty of freedom outdoors.
“No, they haven’t made any headway.” Kole stood near the stone wall, resting against it with his arms crossed. At his back, his huge sword’s pommel gleamed.
I turned and paced the other way. In my hands, I had a list of the ten House nobles and their families, but I’d been keeping it folded for the past hour since I was doing my best to recount everything by memory.
“And have any more of those things been found in the Wood and killed since I’ve returned here? ”
Kole’s jaw tightened, just slightly, but since he actually had an outward reaction, I knew I’d hit a nerve. “A few.”
When he didn’t elaborate, I stopped and faced him. “How many is a few?”
“Seven.”
My eyebrows shot clear to my hairline. “Seven? All in the past couple of days? Where in the Wood were they caught?”
His nostrils flared, and I braced myself for his response.
“It wasn’t in the Wood,” he finally replied. “They were in Whiteolf.”
My jaw dropped. “Those things are here in the capital?”
“Yes.”
I thought again of his energy last night, when he kept glancing out the windows. And of the new ward placed around my chambers. And of my parents’ insistence that I not travel anywhere without an Imperial Warrior.
Stars and galaxy. Those monsters are now in the capital.
“But where were they found? Did they hurt anyone? And how did the Council find them?”
Kole inhaled, and I could have sworn that he was debating how to answer my questions. “They were caught just outside of the palace’s walls, nobody was hurt, and we found them because they triggered the wards. All of them were killed by other warriors stationed within the capital.”
“Wait . . . There are more Imperial Warriors in Whiteolf? How many?”
“If you include Jamie and me, there are six of us.”
“Six? That many? But I thought there weren’t many Imperial Warriors?”
“There aren’t. Our group is small.”
“Yet, six of you are here. Oh Gods.” I sat down on the nearest bench, right beside a small maple tree. “Is that why you were so on edge last night? Because you’d learned that those things were trying to breach the palace’s wards?”
“Yes. I received word of the first one just after nightfall, while you were using the restroom during our walk through the palace. And I was informed this morning that all seven were found and killed before midnight.”
I brought a hand to my forehead. “That’s why the wards were stronger around my wing when we returned.”
“You sensed that?” He cocked his head.
I nodded. “Thank the stars and galaxy that nobody was harmed.”
“Exactly. We have it under control.”
I licked my lips and faced him more. “Do you know who they were, the seven things that were killed? I mean, the fae they were before they were turned?”
“We’re still determining that.”
“But they were all here for me, weren’t they? They’re still hunting me and trying to get to me, even if it means they die trying.”
His jaw ticked, and he leveled me with a weighted stare. “Yes, we believe so.”
I wrapped my arms around myself. Memories surfaced of Inisville, of my one and only encounter in which I’d seen one of those creatures in the flesh. A whole-body shudder racked me.
Kole’s eyes softened. “You don’t need to be afraid. We’re strong. We’ll keep you safe. I’ll keep you safe.” He growled the last part, and his chiseled face turned so hard, so menacing, that I knew I got a glimpse of what his foes faced on the battlefield.
But I wrapped my arms even tighter around my middle and tapped my foot. “I could keep myself safe if I knew they were near.”
“I have no doubt.”
“Yet, you haven’t told me when they’re nearby.”
“That’s because they’ve never been able to breach the wards. If they had been, trust me, you would know.”
I wondered what he meant by that and figured I would have been whisked into a stronger warded chambers lined with warriors on all sides.
It was enough of a reminder that my parents and the Council took my safety extremely seriously.
They were doing everything in their power to allow me a normal life and not lock me away in a permanently warded room while also trying to keep me protected.
“I’m surprised you allowed me to see my aunt and uncle last night if seven were prowling around Whiteolf.”
His lips thinned slightly. “Believe me, I had my reservations, but I also knew that wards just as strong as those encircling your chambers had been placed around Gwenery and Timith’s residence. So as long as we stayed inside, those wards offered similar protections.”
I nibbled on my lip, and a wave of relief hit me that my aunt and uncle were also being protected.
But despite all of my parents’ precautions, even I knew the Council couldn’t guard me or them forever.
There were only so many Imperial Warriors.
Everyone knew they were a small, secretive bunch.
Their rigorous admittance requirements kept many envious males out, but the Council’s rigorous standards were also rumored to be why the warriors were so effective.
Only the elite were admitted into their ranks.
Still, they were small, and my parents had to share the warriors with the other kingdoms. Other royals on the continent would eventually need the warriors to fulfill their wishes. The king and queen of Mistvale Kingdom could only demand so much. They couldn’t keep the warriors here indefinitely.
I peered up at Kole. “You only seemed nervous last night once the sun had set, but not during the day. Do the creatures only come out at night?” Because while Kole was always alert on some level, today he was nothing like the wound-up spring he’d been last evening.
He cocked his head. “I seemed nervous?”
“Yes, you did. You seemed on edge.”
He grunted.
“Well, am I right? Do they only come out at night?”
“You’re not wrong.”
I raised my eyebrows. “So I am right? They only come out at night?”
“I believe I just said that.”
I huffed. “I’m seriously considering punching you right now. Would a straight answer kill you? Especially regarding this?”
His eyebrow arched. “You’re not quick enough to lay a finger on me, Your Highness.”
“Is that right?” I smiled, and some of my frustration with his backward answers evaporated.
Teasing the warrior was much more fun, and I missed the times we’d bantered.
Besides, playing with the warrior was much better than stressing over whoever wanted me dead, captured, or turned into a hideous creature.
Definitely better. “I highly doubt that.”
For a moment, Kole stared at my mouth but then shook himself. “I’m a trained Imperial Warrior with a Solis warrior affinity. I was born to fight. Trust me, you’re not fast enough.”
I smiled cheekily. “And I’m a princess with unique and immense magic. I shouldn’t be underestimated.”
“I never said you should be. In fact—”
My arm swung out before he could finish his sentence, going for his breastbone, but his arm lifted just as fast, as though his body had anticipated the move before I’d even decided to make it.
Our arms connected, mine striking his while his blocked mine, and a zing of awareness jolted through me.
A wicked light shone in the warrior’s eyes, and I could have sworn he was on the verge of smiling. “What are you doing, Your Highness?”
“Testing you. If you’re the only thing keeping me safe from the big scary monsters at night, I want to ensure you’re up to the task.”
“Oh, I can assure you, I’m up for it.” His arm twirled before I saw it coming, and the next thing I knew, he had my back plastered to his chest with his two arms pinned around me. One was locked around my waist, the other just above my breasts.
My chest heaved.
“Is that a good enough demonstration, Your Highness?” he whispered huskily into my ear.
My knees threatened to buckle from his warm breath and the hard feel of his arms around me, and I was reminded of our time at the Nelive Sea, when he’d admitted to feeling things for me that required the Council’s magic to remind him of his duties.