Page 24 of Bane of the Wild Hunt

“Stolen,” Orion supplied drolly, and I glared at him.

“Iknowwhat it means,” I snapped before looking back at Riordan. “Do you suspect the Autumn Court rogues?”

“It is unlikely. The Four Courts should be abundant with so much fey magic concentrated there. And besides that, it would seem counterintuitive for them to be taking on more fey from us if they cannot feed the population they already have,” Riordan said. He glanced at Orion as if looking for his thoughts on the matter.

“Unless they really are building an army to attack us, and the rapid increase in their population density has strained their resources,” Orion pointed out.

Riordan grunted in acknowledgement, and there was a moment of silence while he seemed to contemplate.

“Speaking of the theft of resources, are you going to address the fact that she steals your magic?” Orion asked Riordan expectantly. “She easily takes the very power for which that blood witch killed your brother and cursed you without the need for your permission. Magic that holds our entire world together,” Orion stressed significantly.

I glanced nervously up at Riordan, but he was already shaking his head confidently.

“No.”

“What?” Orion gaped at him as his arms unfolded and his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

“Amira used it to protect me. To heal me. I am not afraid of what you did, and I trust you,” he added to me. “You will probably want to understand what this ability means about you, and I will help you find those answers. But if we never know, then I am content with that.”

“Riordan,” gasped Orion, looking as shocked as I felt. “She could take your kingdom fr—” he tried to protest, but the king shot him a sharp look that silenced him.

“I don’t want to use it,” I tried to reassure them.

“And you do not have to if you are uncomfortable with the situation. But I would prefer it if you agreed to use it,” Riordan informed me unexpectedly.

“You…wanther to?” Orion verified.

“As you pointed out, my power is the glue that holds the Vale together. If she can use it, then I would rather she knew how to do so safely rather than risk unintentional damage to our realm,” Riordan explained his reasoning.

“Youcannotbe serious!” Orion shouted at him.

“I am. What is the alternative?”

Orion raised his brows at him significantly, and my mouth dropped open at his obvious insinuation.

“You want tokillme?” I sputtered in utter disbelief, but he merely rolled his eyes at me.

“Do not be dramatic. There are ways to stunt the use of magic in individuals who are too dangerous. And you are dangerous,” Orion insisted.

Before I could even begin to panic, Riordan rose from the bed beside me, lethally graceful and silent except for the faintest ruffling of his wings.

“Orion, I will only say this once,” he said with a deadly calm that sent thrills of awareness down my spine. “Amira is my chosen mate. Donotthreaten her.”

“I didn’t. You asked for an alternative. The alternative to training her is to stunt her. Neither option is ideal.”

“Then we are in agreement. I will be training her,” Riordan declared, and then he looked at me before Orion could reply. “There is another matter I wish to discuss.”

“Oh?” I prompted, although my mind was still a little hung up on Orion suggesting they should take my magic.

“The two of you are the pillars between which I will stand as king. I need you to be confident in me, but you should also trust one another. So I would like to know the nature of this immediate distaste between you.”

“You mean besides the fact that he just suggested you should essentially imprison me?” I verified sarcastically.

“I did not say that,” Orion dismissed me and rolled his eyes again as if I were the one being dramatic.

“What you insinuate is close enough to a witch!”

“Please,” Riordan insisted, trying to encourage us to share our thoughts more constructively, and I sucked in a deep breath to calm myself.

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