Page 47 of Until the Stars Fall

The king.

I froze. Staring at Brennan’s back, I waited for him to be shoved aside so the king could snatch me up and throw me out of the palace—or worse.

But instead, a hand grabbed hold of Brennan’s neck, yanking him forward, dragging him toward the door as his feet scrambled to stay beneath him.

I couldn’t scream.

I couldn’t protest.

I couldn’t fight.

Not against the king himself.

So I remained there, sitting on the window seat, watching helplessly.

Just as they reached the door, Brennan managed to slip out of his father’s grasp and shout over his shoulder, “Get Connor!”

CHAPTER 23

Connor

The ride home from Linley had been long and tense, and I was ready for a good meal and a night in my own bed. The sun had just fallen below the treetops when we turned our horses onto the road leading up to the palace.

I side-eyed Matthias. “I hate feeling like I’m lying to everyone,” I admitted, shaking my head.

His lips tightened into a line as he scanned our surroundings for any signs of danger. “How are you lying?”

“I know I’m not actually lying, but my words sound empty even to my own ears. How is it that we haven’t been able to find the humans? They’re mortals. Weak. Slow. Clumsy.”

“And clever,” Matthias added. “The worst thing we can do right now is start underestimating them, Connor. You know that. And it’s not like we haven’t tried. They have to be using something to mask their scent and remain hidden. Maybe it’s time we ask Minerva.”

Slowly I turned to face him, the familiar ache of grief stabbing me in the chest. “No.”

“I know there’s bad blood between your family and—”

“She let my mother die, Matthias!” I bellowed, and a pair of birds flew out of the trees above our heads.

“And your father has forgiven her,” he said calmly.

“No,” I repeated. “We can do this without her.”

Matthias replied with a sharp nod. “Yes, Your Highness. We’ll start with the locations of the most recent attacks and work our way from there.”

Drawing in a deep breath, thankful to be off the topic of the old mage, I faced forward again. “Maybe see if the healers have any thoughts on herbs or stones or some magical something that could be hindering our search. Maybe if we can find—”

“What about the girl?”

“Girl?”

“You know, the blonde human who’s currently distracting a certain brother of yours?”

“What about her?”

“Where did she go after you saved her? I’m assuming she didn’t go live with some benevolent fae somewhere, right? If she was in hiding with humans, maybe she could help us find who is responsible.”

I was already shaking my head. “I don’t know. Obviously I’ve considered it, but her parents served my family for years.”

“Maybe her other family isn’t as loyal as her parents were.”

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