Page 103 of Fallen Heirs

X hung his head at the hopelessness of the situation, cursing under his breath.

Ore called his magic, smoke starting to swirl around him, and smiled out at me. “Be back soon, baby bird.”

“Ore!” I screamed.

But it was too late.

He disappeared from view.

Trust me.

It wasn’t about trust. Of course I fucking trusted him. After all this time together, things couldn’t be any other way.

But I didn’t trust Constantine.

He didn’t have a shred of honor to speak of.

He wouldn’t stick to theneutralityof the meeting he’d demanded.

And Ore could suffer for it.

I mean, he was supremely powerful, especially now he’d come into the full breadth of it, as I’d witnessed when we’d gone to rescue Alena in the DFR.

Butwhat if his mom showed up.

It was clear that there’d been no love lost between them, that she didn’t care for him like a mother should her son. I doubted she’d hesitate to hurt him. And with her now wielding angel magic, she actually could.

Shit,she could do more than even that.

She could fucking kill him.

My phoenix fire sparked wildly on my palms.

So much for not involving Alena until her mission was complete in the Dark Fae Realm.

This situation had just made that impossible.

25

~Alena~

Applause sounded through the black desert—what I called the space I’d been working in just beyond the forest.

I smiled out at the palace guards, six of them watching me and my every move. Two were on my left, two on my right, then two behind me, all spread out in formation. It was the positioning they always took when I was out here, whenever Saryan had to attend to matters of the Realm. He never left me unattended. Even when I retired to the room he’d made for me, there were two stationed outside. It was part if I needed anything and part keeping an eye on me as a precautionary measure.

When I’d checked in with the guys, Orpheus had told me that usually they’d actually be inside the room too watching somebody considered a threat, but that his father had once again compromised and had clearly also come to see me as more of a guest to be making these sorts of allowances.

Basically, the almighty King of the Dark Fae had taken a liking to me.

So had the guards.

Instead of just standing back and observing as I’d gotten to work with myspecial ability, they’d taken to cheering me on. The same ones had been on me for the last few days, so I’d gotten to know them and we’d become friendly, chatting it up and joking around every now and then too.

It had gone from awkward to having them watching everything I did, to something that was pleasant—having company around me, people to talk to and help lighten the mood, considering the real dire and tense nature of the situation itself.

I stared at the three poles in the distance, all of them now without silver flames.

Two days ago, I’d started perfecting my dark magic extinguishing ability, overcoming the obstacle of leaving some of the flame alive. I’d tapped into a little darkness and managed to destroy the flames altogether. Two of them, at least.

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