Page 115 of Pain

“I trust you are feeling better?” the Mage Queen asked. “King Howar said you were poorly.”

I smiled. “Yes. I am feeling better, thank you. Must have just been something I ate. I also appreciate you both making the journey here. I know The Palace of Venixe was the initial plan, but … well, I appreciate you accommodating my whimsy.”

She inclined her head to the side in response, offering me a small smile, but didn’t say anything.

Howar’s eyes lit up when he spied Drak. “Cousin, so wonderful to see you. I can’t remember the last time we went this long apart from each other. It feels … unnatural.”

Drak forced a smile and tipped his head. “I couldn’t agree more. It is good to see you, My King. You look well.”

The corners of the Vampire King’s mouth lifted, but caution entered his eyes before he flitted his focus back to me. “Right. Shall we get the ball rolling then?”

“If you don’t mind,” I replied, “I would like to begin this meeting with a toast. We were just in Hell, as I’m sure you both know, where I met with a wonderful demon who helped me learn to control my powers. We were also introduced to many of the … delicacies of Hell—”

Zandren scoffed, and I shot him a quick glare.

“Hell certainly lacked for flavor in most things. However, we were introducedto blankberry leaf tea with skivern syrup, and I must say, it is truly delicious.” As if the cave was my home, I stepped to the side so the mages and vampires could enter and move toward the seating area. Everyone skirted around the giant hole to nowhere, paying it no mind. Like it was a coffee table in the center of the room, not a gaping void to the unknown. “Please, have a seat. Let us drink to this new era.”

Everyone found a seat, and although it was fleeting, it was also impossible to miss Howar’s quick glance at me when I took the raised throne where my father once sat.

Luckily, our B&B had a very cute set of matching mugs and teapot, decorated with happy chickens on a sky-blue backdrop. So after pouring water into the teapot from the thermos we packed , followed by a little flame magic from my handy dandy fire mage to instantly heat up the tea, we were ready to go.

Maxar poured us all the tea, then passed them out, including to the mages and vampires that accompanied Anysa and Howar.

Once I knew everyone had a cup, I lifted mine in the air. “To King Donovar, may he rest in peace. I truly wish I had the opportunity to meet my father, and hope that as I get to know each of you, you will share stories and anecdotes with me so I may feel closer to him.” Everyone smiled. “And to the new era. One I hope will continue to be peaceful, and where our races can find even more common ground rather than tension.”

“To King Donovar, and peace,” King Ryden said, his voice deep and gravelly as he raised his mug into the air as well.

Howar and Anysa hesitated, but only for a second, before they lifted their mugs into the air as well and repeated what King Ryden said. “To King Donovar, and peace.”

Everyone else followed suit, but nobody took a sip before I did. Once I swallowed, that seemed like the sign that it was okay for the rest of them to sip and swallow as well. Everyone’s eyes lit up.

“This is rather delicious,” Queen Anysa said, going in for another sip. Her silent mages behind her all nodded and drained their mugs quickly.

Howar remained stone-faced, but he sipped, then finished his mug—as didhis vampires-in-waiting, including Raver.

I finished my tea and smiled at all of them. “I’m sure it was incredibly surprising to not only hear of my father’s passing, but that he had an heir.”

Everyone’s brows rose, and they nodded.

“Believe me, nobody was more surprised by all of this than me though. I’d never met my father before, and I was raised by my aunt who shielded me from your realm my entire life. My mother passed when I was an infant, and she was human. Aunt Delia cast a cloaking spell over me and raised me as a human, and it wasn’t until King Donovar was killed that the spell was broken. Lightning struck me, and suddenly …” I glanced at my three mates sitting to the left and right of me, “I had three very handsome men knocking on my door, claiming to be my Fated Mates.”

“I’m still positively gobsmacked at the notion ofthreeFated Mates,” Anysa said. “And of all different species. That must be incredibly difficult to navigate.”

I smirked and glanced again at my mates. “We’re still figuring things out.”

“You,” Howar cleared his throat, his brows knitting together in confusion before he coughed, “you must understand—” He coughed again, his blue eyes going wide. The skivern slime mixed with the syrup was beginning to take effect. “Did you—” He cleared his throat again, as did his vampires-in-waiting, panic in all of their blue eyes. Anysa and her mages were experiencing the same throat tickles and muscle tightening. “Did youdrugus?” Howar finally asked, reaching for the mug on the arm of his seat, only to be unable to pick it up because his arms no longer worked.

He gaped at me.

“It’s not fatal,” I replied. “I assure you, you will wake up again and be completely fine. However, we need to take care of a few things, and it is best if you are incapacitated for that to happen. Your body is going to slip into a temporary paralysis, followed by a deep, restful sleep. Then you’ll wake up refreshed and ready to answer some questions.”

Howar tried to open his mouth, but he couldn’t. His words were no more than mumbles and squawks of protest. Queen Anysa’s fate replicated Howar’s. Her mages-in-waiting silently panicked as their body parts grew more and more useless. Howar’s gaze darted to Drak.

Drak glared at him with such hurt and hate, even I got an icy chill.

Realization dawned in Howar, and his expression hardened. Raver seemed extremely confused, and even fell face first on the floor when he tried to get to his king to protect him. How could you protect someone from a nerve agent though? You couldn’t.

Everyone’s eyelids grew heavy.

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