Page 10 of Unseen Lord

At this point my stomach decides to make its presence known with a growl so loud a black and white tiger I didn't see until now shifts from the floor in front of the fire and looks up at us, a low rumble building in his chest.

"Is that… ?" I look at the beautiful creature and gulp, just as the fur shifts to skin and the feline into man.

"Tavian Gray," he says with a deep voice. He's naked and doesn't seem to mind or care. I turn away, but not before noticing the rich caramel of his skin and finely carved muscles. Averting my attention to his face doesn't help much. It's just as mesmerizing with green eyes the color of emeralds.

He grins and Kayla rolls her eyes, clearly used to the affect her husband has on others.

"Wait a minute." I turn an accusing look at the Rider. "You said your father was killed."

The Rider shrugs. "He was. Or at least, I thought he was. I ran after that. Left the island thinking it would spare my mother and those I loved from further pain." He glances with an apologetic look at Kayla. "It didn't have the effect I'd hoped."

Tavian shrugs into pants, but doesn't bother with a shirt. Okay then.

"Well, this family reunion has been fun and all, but you still have the queen locked in a cave. You still tried to kill me and your brother. Those things haven't gone away," I accuse him.

My stomach growls again and Tavian moves around the kitchen putting food together while I try not to stare at him.

I'm used to being around immortals. So it's not that strange that Kayla and Tavian look the same age as the man they raised as their son. What is strange is lusting after a legendary figure with his wife right here, also a legendary figure.

But more than that, finding out said legendary figures—who fought and bled for the queen and king—are part of the mystery of the Rider's rise to infamy. Everything feels off in my world now, and I don't know how to make it match up again.

"So… you two are responsible for the king of jackasses, Thalius, and the White Rider plaguing our lands. You must be so proud. Is your next venture a book on parenting?" The sarcasm drips from my mouth, and I'm surprised after my very solid and well-deserved burn that Tavian still deigns to feed me, but I don't object when he hands me a plate of bread, cheese and fruit. I eat it gratefully, not even caring at this point if it's poisoned. I'm too hungry for that to matter. Besides, if Arias wanted me dead, he wouldn't have saved me.

After I've stuffed my face and my belly, the Rider raises an eyebrow and takes a seat in front of me. I don't like playing invalid in bed, so I swing my legs off to the floor and perch sit on the edge of the cot, making eye contact with him. "Better be careful, Rider. I'm still dangerous, even with these shackles."

Tavian chuckles but says nothing, and I scowl at them both. Clearly he wasn't phased by my parenting insults.

"That's why we need you," the Rider said. "You're powerful. As a highly trained Watcher, but also as the Unseen Lord. I, alone, can't stop what is coming. But maybe with your help, we can."

"And what's coming?" I ask, curious despite myself.

"War," he says. "The likes of which you have never seen."

"Uh huh. This is based on…?"

"The Tempest—the leader of the shadow organization Lix Tetrax, and the one who pulls the strings of the Council of Hunters— has infiltrated the royal house," the Rider says. "We strongly suspect he is behind the bewitching of the queen. I intended to awaken the Unseen Lord to stop the Tempest and his corrupt organization once and for all. I was expecting… "

"Let me guess, not me? Some old wise white dude, perhaps?"

Arias at least has the grace to glance away in shame at that. "Still, you have the power I seek. We need your help."

"For what? And why should I help you?"

"To save this island, for one. And to save the worlds for another."

"That's enough," Kayla says, standing. "She is a stranger. We cannot tell her more."

The Rider huffs in annoyance, and it's such a teenage kid thing to do I nearly laughed. It's surreal seeing the White Rider, the terrifying legend, reduced to being reprimanded by mommy.

"She will not trust us without knowing the whole of it."

Tavian walks over and slips an arm around his wife.

"She's an outsider," Tavian says with a low growl. "This is too risky. We can do this without her. Your plan was foolish and has wrought nothing but pain for all involved. You should not have ventured forth without us."

"One of us had to act," the Rider says. "Someone had to do something. You two just hide away on this island hoping it will all be okay. You don't see what I see. You don't know what the worlds are becoming. And you don't understand the influence and power the Tempest wields. He is a danger to us all. Especially with what we guard. She needs to know the whole of it since her help can no longer be forced."

At this point, I'm super done with being talked over like a piece of furniture. "Um, hello? Yeah, that 'she' you keep referring to is right here. And Icanhear you."

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