Page 135 of Wicked Heirs

There was nothing to worry about.

Absolutely nothing.

Everything would be just fine.

25

~Orpheus~

Four gargoyles sat atop the palace.

As I continued striding along the bridge from the Dark Fae Realm portal, their eyes flashed a vibrant yellow and they lifted their chins slightly, their way of welcoming their Prince home.

Home.

That was up for debate.

It hadn’t been for a few years now.

I hadn’t returned in a long time.

My father hadn’t wanted me back here during the college breaks, wanting to rebuild things without me having to see it while it was still in a state.

While he was still in a state.

His decision to go that route had weakened our relationship somewhat, putting a strain on it.

Talking via the IC Watch wasn’t the same as being together in person, spending time together.

And now, despite the circumstances—his summons—I was actually looking forward to finally being able to do that, to see my father up close.

I’d missed him and I’d missed our relationship that had once been the envy of fathers and sons everywhere.

It was bittersweet walking up to the palace knowing my mom wouldn’t be there, that there was an absence there, a hole that could never be filled again unless she returned by some miraculous turn of fate.

A river of silver—my father’s magic imbuing the Realm—ran either side of the bridge, down below the jagged dark rocks of the canyon.

I continued on my way, giving a chin lift to the armored guards positioned every few feet either side, then did the same with the gargoyles perched atop the turrets of the palace. The palace itself was a mammoth creation of jagged black stone and spikes all over, small windows, and a shimmering silver film of my father’s magic enveloping it.

In the distance were the homes of our people, the muted lights on in their houses and businesses barely cutting through the heavy darkness of night. Black mountains and twisted dark trees encompassed them.

It was strange how familiar, yet foreign the surroundings were to me now.

Once my home, now it was like returning to another life.

I’d built my own at Electi Academy.

Speaking of thatlife,I was on edge about this summons impacting it, specifically the part regarding Alena. If my father had discovered what was going on there, I couldn’t imagine him taking well to it. In fact, I imagined him reacting with absolute fury and forbidding me to ever see her again.

I reminded myself that the days of him being able toforbidme from doing anything were over.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t still cause a hell of a lot of trouble to our relationship, to her and the boys.

For now, until I knew if that was the reason he’d called me here, I made myself swallow it down and ensure that I didn’t show any anxiousness or distress on the outside.

All the staff and guards, and then my father, would see was calm and stoicism.

There was power in regulating your emotionsandprojecting precisely what you wanted certain people to see,onlywhat you wanted them to see.

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