Page 71 of Cursed Heirs

“That was actually strategic. I didn’t lose control, nor was I even close to.”

“What? Are you shitting us? That was a play?” Talon interjected, slapping my shoulder in the process.

“Yes.”

“How so?” Marlowe asked.

The corner of my mouth turned up. “Hmm, clearly your watch over me hasn’t made you privy to everything.”

“Well, I assume it has something to do withObsidian.”

Close, but not dead-on, and that was what mattered. So long as there was some guesswork still involved for him.

“Let’s stay on track,” Xavier said, backing me up.

Usually he was all for me spilling my secrets, hating that I kept them. But it seemed after what had happened between us, things had shifted for him in regard to that and me. I’d never thought the day would come.

I smiled out at him and he winked back, then took another bite of his Red Vine.

I rose from my seat. “I have a line into the DFR, but I also want you to keep me posted. Cassius and the Court are holding things well in my father’s absence, but I won’t be shut out any longer. I’ve ensured that I won’t be, but I’d rather not use infiltration tactics here and be kept abreast openly. We need to pull together now, not be at odds, nor play each other for fools. Now I know your true role in this, you are my link between here and the Dark Fae Realm.” I glared out at him. “I plan to make full use of that.”

“Orpheus, I know you’re angry that I kept this from you, but I was under orders.”

“And I respect that. But that was then, this is now.”

“Orpheus—”

“I am the Dark Fae Prince.”

And it was time to show people exactly what that meant.

For three years I’d been at Electi Academy, out of it all, away from the DFR. It was clear, as a result, they all required a reminder. With my father currently out of the picture, they needed it.

All four of us had spent far too much time on the sidelines, some because of influence bearing down on us, others because of trauma we’d endured. TheCataclysmhad damaged so much, including our respective statuses as heirs.No fucking more.

I stepped toward him and growled, “Do. You. Understand. Me?”

He lowered his eyes, then gave a nod. “Understood, Your Highness.”

I moved back. “Good. Now, I’ll wait forty-eight hours more for Taelorn to break. If he doesn’t and we don’t get the lead, we’ll switch strategies.”

“To what?” he asked, as curious as he was worried.

“I’ll track my father through our blood link.”

His eyes widened. “To do that with Constantine cloaked with black magic, you’d have to employ it yourself in order to breach it.”

“I’m aware.” As protests began to erupt from him and Talon, I held up my hand. “These are dire times. Constantine is running roughshod over the supernatural world. No one will be safe soon. There is no more time for treading carefully. This, here, waiting on you and Cassius to break our target, was my last shot at doing so. Beyond that, there’s nosafeor slow and easy strategy left remaining—they will all have been exhausted.”

“He’s right,” Xavier spoke.

My shock couldn’t quite be quantified at hearing his declaration. “Excuse me? I’m… what?”

He smiled. “You believed in me, it’s my turn to believe in you. And Ibelieveyou can wield black magic to do what needs to be done without becoming corrupted. In fact, with how you are, if anyone can do it, it’s you, Orpheus.You.”

Marlowe watched us, rubbing his chin. “Hmm, you certainlydohave your own way of doing things, very differently to how other Dark Fae have approached things before. It could be the key to avoiding corruption and preventing that poison from taking root.”

“This is bullshit!” Talon cried. “I saw it! I was there, remember? During your recovery after you took that brutal hit of black magic from Constantine? It hurt you, Ore! It hurt you bad! And that was taking a hit, not wielding it, with it running through your veins and all that!”

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