Page 78 of I Destroyed the Elf Prince's Harem

I squeezed my eyes shut and swallowed hard against the bile that shot up my throat. Oh, this one was my fault. I remembered creating Widow’s Spite. It was late one night, and I’d been high on way too many shots of espresso and chocolate cake.

What could be worse than a lightning-fast and deadly snake? Let’s give the fucker wings.

God, I was such an asshole. I’d never thought that one day I would need to face these slithering nightmares.

“Lockeheim. I should have headed in that direction from the very start,” Nylian muttered. “Lady Helena makes every vial of Widow’s Spite. She’ll also know where every drop has gone. She’ll be able to tell us who from Wolfrest acquired the poison.”

“That’s the hope,” Thallan agreed. “Since you were banished, your father has been conducting a thorough search of West Vale for any clue as to who handled the poison or how it was even acquired.”

“Something as rare as Widow’s Spite wouldn’t be cheap,” I observed, and immediately bit my tongue. I didn’t want the duke or even Nylian to think that I was pointing fingers at other members of the royal family. Yet, they would be just about the only people who had the money to afford a poison like that.

“You’re right,” Thallan stated, enabling me to breathe again. “It’s why the king sent Prince Xeran away. He never believed that he attempted to kill Orian. Getting him out of West Vale was the only way to protect him from whoever was striking at his sons.”

“I’m sure he also knew I would do anything to get revenge on whoever dared to harm Orian,” Nylian ground out between his teeth.

Thallan grunted, not bothering to deny such a guess. “That’s why your father and Orian are counting on you now to retrieve the antidote and the truth of who tried to kill your brother. He can’t send a diplomat without causing an incident. It’s better if this is all handled in secret. If word reaches Lady Helena that we’ve identified the poison, she could run, destroy all the antidotes, or even destroy what evidence remains of who she gave the poison to.”

“Understood.” Nylian pushed to his feet, leaving the duke and me to follow a second later. “We’ll take two days to rest here and replenish our supplies. Adeline might choose to leave her brother here with you. Lockeheim will be too dangerous for him. I want you to find a wizard to mentor him.”

“I’ll protect him like he’s my own son, but there are no wizards in the immediate area. Any around here would be specialized in farming spells and nothing more.”

Nylian shook his head. “Then send him to West Vale. Escort him there personally, if you must. I promised Jasper and Adeline that he would be trained properly, and I will not break that promise to them. She’s saved my life more times than I care to think about.”

“As you wish.” The tighter Nylian’s voice became, the more cautious Thallan’s tone grew. Even though Nylian had no expression on his face, there were signs of tension at the corners of his eyes and mouth that convinced me he was barely holding it together. He needed somewhere safe where he could deal with his emotions, and soon, rather than bottling them up and shoving them down where they could bubble and boil into a toxic brew that ate away at his soul.

“Your Grace, could you have someone show us to a room where we can sleep? Possibly have a tray of food sent up? I don’t think I am up for socializing this evening. I’m sure you understand,” I interjected with a bright smile while placing a hand on Nylian’s too-stiff shoulder.

“Of course.” The duke bowed to me and turned toward Nylian. “Nephew, please get some rest. If you need anything, I am at your disposal.”

Nylian didn’t say a word. He managed one small nod and swept out of the room, not even waiting for a servant to guide us.

The elf was a ticking time bomb.

Chapter 24

Good-bye Old Life

The room assigned to us wasn’t as elegant or over-the-top fancy as the one we had in Ulmenor, but that was understandable considering this was a place built for war, not to house royals on vacation.

Still, there were heavy velvet curtains to block out the early morning light and to protect the occupants from drafts during those cold winter nights. The bed was narrow, but right now, all I wanted to do was snuggle as close to Nylian as possible while wrapping my arms and legs around him.

But that was not what he needed.

The man needed to explode. He needed to shout and possibly break a few things.

Yet, he was simply standing in the center of the room, his hands balled into fists at his side, every muscle in his body taut and trembling with tension. The slightest thing was going to make him snap. I didn’t want him to direct that destructive energy at me, but I’d take it if it meant him feeling better.

“Let it out, Nylian,” I ordered when we were alone.

“There’s nothing to let out,” the elf bit out, turning his back to me.

“Oh, bullshit! That’s complete and utter bullshit.”

“You forget, Prince Victor, that elves don’t feel intense emotions like humans.”

I rolled my eyes and stomped over so I was standing in front of him. “Don’t give me that arrogant nonsense. You’re so pissed that every muscle is tensed. If I shoved a piece of coal up your ass right now, you’d shit out a diamond come morning.” That at least got him to blink at me as though I’d lost my mind, but the distraction lasted only a second before a scowl formed on his face. He started to turn away again, but I grabbed his arms and forced him to remain looking at me. “Let it out!” I shook him. “Your father is a fucking asshole! He used you as a distraction! He soiled your good name and let you think your twin brother was dead.”

Nylian fought to shake off my hands, but I wasn’t letting go. “There was a good reason.”

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