Page 6 of Reign

I squatted down by her chair, not caring about the attention focused on us. I loved my mother and didn’t care who knew. She’d not left me by choice, and now that I knew that, I was overwhelmed with my love for her everyday that she was here with me. “You were never inadequate. You were my light in his darkness.” I kissed her forehead and prowled back to my seat. Tyen sniffed, but when I looked at her again, her back was straighter, her chin lifted.

“As I was saying, Rex is an all-round bastard who was never happy with his heir...me. I doubt he’d even know who I was, let alone believe that his son survived and is now Prime and King of Shifters.” I chuckled bitterly. “He’d have come for me long ago if he’d known his son was so powerful. If only to try and kill me.”

“Does he have more children?” Reed asked.

“I’ve no idea.” I glanced at our bank of computers and then at Xania. She stared right back at me before studying her nails. My nostrils flared, my jaw clenched. I wouldn’t ask her to investigate that, even though I was kicking myself for not doing it earlier. I’d just assumed I was his only child, but that had been stupid. Shifters aged slowly. He could have sired a small army by now.

“Oh, for Mother’s sake,” muttered Ava, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. “I’m on it, Connor. I’ll see if I can find anything. Do you know when Drake’s returning here?”

I shook my head. “No, he’s due to video call me in three days.”

“Hmm, I’ll give him a call later and see if he’s found anything out about darling Rex. C’mon, Lance, you can help me. ”

I smiled warmly at her, a little of the tension easing from me. Ava was tenacious when she was assigned a task. “Thanks, Ava.”

“Welcome. Right, come on, Lancy. Let’s get on it.”

He gave her a quizzical look and crossed his arms over his chest. Ava cocked a brow at his stance. “Stop being an ass.”

Lance just mirrored her raised brow.

“Mother Wolf.” She rolled her eyes. “Please.”

“That’s better, baby.” He grinned and stood. “Anything else you need me for, boss?” he asked me.

I shook my head, suppressing a smirk. Ava had him under her thumb even if he wouldn’t admit it, though it was plain he loved his mate as much as I loved Ember.

“So, what’s the plan?” asked Stone.

“While Ava does some homework on Rex, we start clearing this city. We need to be careful we don’t catch the SBI’s attention, though. Walker’s still working on the corruption there. But tonight we go hunting…” Som’s frown caught my eye. “What’s up, Som?”

“Rex Manivera, you say?” The Bogwart fingered his whiskery chins.

“That’s right.” I fixed the Bogwart with a predatory look, calling Prime to my eyes. “Why, what’s on your mind? What do you know?” The fae was, after all, a criminal, and that meant he knew more about London’s underworld than any of us.

“Nothing much, other than he’s a powerful shifter whose enemies turn up dead more often than not.”

“But?” I prompted sensing there was more.

“But the Count might know something. I’ve heard rumblings in the past about a fighter who may be associated with Manivera. She earns the Count a pretty penny or two, but no one knows who she is except him. He keeps her identity secret.”

I sat back and tilted my head, a small smile curling my top lip. “But you know who she is?”

“No. All I've heard is that she is some kind of associate of Manivera’s. No idea what that means, but mayhap the Count’s club is a good place to hunt down more info’ about Yellow.”

I growled, hating that Som had influenced Ember’s life enough that he’d given her a name. “Her name is Ember.”

“Of course, of course, Prime,” he simpered.

“Bogwart, leave us,” B’nar ordered, correctly interpreting my brewing resentment with the creature.

“Connor, that fae is not your enemy,” my mother said quietly.

“Nor is he your friend,” pointed out B’nar. He looked steadily at my mother, who lifted her chin and held his gaze. “Nor should you trust him, Lady Tyen. Somnelaire may be dark fae, but he only ever looks out for himself.”

My mother nodded. “I will bear your warning in mind, Prince B’nar.” She looked at me. “But wasn’t he the one who gave Ember a safe place to live after you and Rawson were arrested, and Lyss was killed?”

I held her gaze, then exhaled, letting my grudge go with it. Instead, I smiled. Tyen was becoming more confident now that she understood she had no oppressor, that she could speak her mind with no painful consequences, that she could go where she wished, and see who she liked. And she was right. Som had given Ember a life; whether it was safe or not was debatable, he had used her to deal drugs in Faerie for him, but ithadbeen under the SBI’s and Doherty’s radar.

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