Page 13 of Tortured Royals

“And what are our plans from here?” Mason asks, pulling my thoughts back to our conversation. “When are we to depart for your queen?”

Nate, who had looked like he was snoozing a moment ago, stretches and props himself up on his elbows. “Yeah, ’bout that, we sure that’s a good idea?”

My brow creases, and I whirl on him. “We’ve talked about this. I need to see Queen Vespera and try to convince her to call for aid from the allied realms. If Toralyn falls, who knows which realm will be next.”

“For all we know, attacking Toralyn could be a diversion,” Nate counters.

“Toralyn is one of the strongest realms,” Dante says. “If the witches conquer this land, it will not look good. Nor will it bode well for the rest of us.”

“Whatever the reason, Nine Lives is right,” Prince Callan says harshly. “You should all go to Seral. This is my home and my problem. I can handle it.”

I gape at the archangel. “You can’t be serious. This affects all of us.”

Prince Callan clenches his jaw. “At least, if you won’t return home just yet, then all of you wait here while I go ahead to speak with the queen.” His gaze flicks to the water, and I suddenlywonder if the choice for us to be here wasn’t just about finding a safe place for us to rest.He was hoping we’d be tempted to stay here.I narrow my eyes at the archangel, irritation prickling at my temple.

“I could be wrong,” Dante muses. “But I get the feeling you don’t wish for Blake to meet your family.”

I blink rapidly. “Is that true?” I search Prince Callan’s face, but his expression is unreadable. “Is it because I’m half angel?” My walls fly up, anger simmering in my veins. There had been times when I’d wondered why the angels never tried to reach out to me. I was heir to the demon throne, after all, and a half angel.

As a child I was ridiculed for being a half-breed demon, and now I wonder if the angels feel something similar for me. Mason’s hand rests on my shoulder, and he massages my tensed muscles.

Regret flashes on Prince Callan’s face as he holds my gaze, and he blows out a breath. “It’s not that,” he says, and I visibly relax, not realizing how much the thought had bothered me until that moment.

“Then what is it?” Mason asks, his voice hard like he’s about to make Prince Callan hurt if the archangel says the wrong thing.

Prince Callan runs a hand through his golden hair, and I note how different he looks in comparison to the archangel I’d first witnessed in the ballroom. Instead of oozing confidence and arrogance, right now the male just seems…tired.

“And this is why I’ll never have to worry about bein’ the biggest dick of the group,” Nate comments with a lopsided grin.

Prince Callan glares at him.

“We’re not staying here,” I tell Prince Callan bluntly. “If you’re embarrassed of me, you’re just going to have to deal with it. Visiting the queen isn’t about you or any of us.”

“Embarrassed?” Prince Callan says incredulously. “You don’t get it. I want you to stay out here for your own safety. All of you.”

My brows lift. “Nowhere is safe. Not anymore.” Okay sure, there was some kind of barrier around the valley, but who knew whether the witches would be able to break through it if they really tried.

I’m surprised then, when Prince Callan’s gaze goes to Nate, like he’s imploring the shifter to side with him. For the entire time I’ve known these two, they’ve been at each other’s throats, and now I get the undeniable feeling that I’m missing something.

“I would have thought of all beings, you would know to stay away, Nine Lives,” Prince Callan says bitterly to my shifter.

Nate shrugs. “I was proven innocent, and I can’t stop Blake if she’s determined to meet your queen. I plan to go where our mate goes. Besides, times have changed, prince.”

The archangel’s face tightens, and he runs another hand through his hair.

“Wait, what do you mean by innocent?” I ask Nate. I think about the shifter’s reputation. Nine Lives is the name he’s called throughout the realms, in reference to the nine times he’s escaped an execution sentence, due to his thieving exploits. “Let me guess, you took something from Queen Vespera in the past?”

Nate grins broadly. “Hey, I wasn’t about to exclude kingdoms and deny them the joy of my presence.”

I groan. “What did you steal?”

“I neverstoleanything,” he defends, mocking a hurt expression like he’s offended I would imply such a thing. “Whoever took the jewel from the treasury merely made it look like it was my fault. Some kind of annoying copycat. Timed it perfectly when they knew I would be in the realm and everythin’. The angels only figured out the truth in the weeks after they had condemned me to death. It’s lucky for them that I escaped, or they’d have my innocent death on their conscience.”

“Yes, innocent,” Prince Callan says dryly.

“Innocent in regards to that crime,” Nate says. “And anyway, the queen wouldn’t kill me now that she knows she was wrong. Besides, I’m bonded with you, gorgeous.” He winks at me. “I’m sure you wouldn’t let her take your favorite mate from you.”

“Favorite? Is that right?” Dante drawls.

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