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“I know,” Alek said “I’m thrown I didn’t expect this betrayal” He blinked, and the sliver of vulnerability he’d shown disappeared He looked to Hawke “Find the other Hunters,” he said, entirely in king lanced at Benedict “You’ll need to be here so we can question them, see where they stand on this”
Hawkeinto the shadows before blinking out of sight, and Benedict“Would you try and contact Olivia, please?” He asked with such a softness to his voice that my cheeks heated I suddenly felt like I should be on the opposite end of the roo entirely “She and Ransom will need to return from their trip immediately”
“Of course,” Lyric said, sliding her hand over his cheek “I think they said they were silencing all forms of communication, but I’ll do my best Olivia will be…” Her voice trailed off
“Fucking pissed,” I filled in for her, and she cringed but nodded Once again, I sed that guilt Avi had been with me I should’ve been able to protect her, as Olivia would have, had the bodyguard not been on her honeyain, I hadn’t expected an attack at one of the vampire clubs in their territory If the princess was supposed to be safe anywhere, it should’ve been on her own land
Lyric and Alek held some unspoken conversation before Lyric filtered out of the roorace It was like she’d always been meant to be a va, re the chaos that stirred up when sheMother had been furious at first, which I lived to see, but she eventually came around She was the one who’d spotted Lyric’s special rare bloodline of being a remedium, a potent healer
Speaking of my mother…
“Hey, Bennyben,” I said, and Benedict’s eyes blazed at the too-cutesy nicknah Still, I filed that name away for the next tiht want to geta broeen hi carted into your estate to get to her, and she think the wrong thing” Our two territories had a tentative peace, but the line was easily blurred e started crossing into each other’s lands I had asked permission before to visit Avi, but I hadn’t earlier Plus, my mother was volatile at the best of tirand plans forbattle I’d yet to win Either way, if she found out I was being held at Alek’s estate, she wouldn’t hesitate to show force to ensure I returned home in one piece
“She’s right,” Alek said, taking the already ringing cell phone from Benedict’s outstretched hand
“If you’re calling a Conclave, I really would rather you do so tomorrow, Alek,” my mother’s voice crooned over the phone “I’m in the middle of a crystal spa service and would prefer to stay in balance”
I rolled my eyes
“Conclave will be held soon, but I don’t have an official date yet,” Alek said, his voice grave He glanced atthe phone before his lips as the line was on speaker “I wanted to inforht—”
“Oh, that girl,” she hissed over the line “What havoc has she created noill pay for any daes”
I flipped off the phone We’d never seen eye-to-eye, and sometimes I wondered if she wished she’d had Luna first and hteen hter and would be the perfect heir to my mother’s throne She was compassionate where my mother was cold, and careful where I was reckless
“No,” Alek said, stopping her ramble “This is a more severe matter,” he said “One I will educate you on later For noanted you to know that she is here as uest and will be treated as such”
“Oh,”with relief “No money then, perfect That’s fine, Alek She can hold her own against your lot if you choose to cross her, which I wouldn’t reco called back forup the phone, and even I was surprised by her dis
She’d grown itated with the hierarchy lately, and I couldn’t understand why Alek was the first king to bring about a profound peace and syste loved it I remembered a time eren’t allowed to step toes across the boundary lines, and noe could venture wherever anted Not that many of the supes did Most liked to stick to their territories, butoutside of the coven lands, and vampire clubs had much better music