Page 307 of Night's Fall
ThenIleaned closer toAleksei, “WhyamIhere?”
He didn’t answer me.
He turned to the last being in uniform and asked (but it was an order), “You’llcontact me when he’s officially in custody?”
“Yes, your highness,” the male replied.
With that,Alekseistood, taking my hand to pull me to my feet.
We were both silent as we walked back to thePalace,Fannonleading us.
He took his post withGeleenaoutside as we entered the suite.Alekseiclosed the door behind us and went directly to the cabinet in the sitting room that concealed the contents of a bar.
“Want something?” he asked me.
I shook my head.
He poured himself two fingers of whisky.
He then walked to the windows, pushed a hand in the pocket of his jeans, and sipped while he stared out of them.
“Aleksei?”Icalled, feeling strange because his mood was strange.
I mean, obviously, it would be.
But also, he was with me, andI’dhoped he’d learned that he could lay anything on me.
“You stream,” he said to the windows.
Oh dear.
“Honey.”
He turned to me.
Before he could speak,Isaid, “LikeItold you in the courtyard,Ididn’t knowIdid.Itwas a surprise to me as well.AndIhad no control over transforming.Idon’t know what came over me, but the instant those trolls got hold of you, there was nothingIcould do.Shewouldn’t allow anything, but what we did.”
“I know that feeling,” he murmured before he took another sip and returned his attention to the windows.
I was getting concerned, because he didn’t seem mad, he didn’t seem remote, he wasn’t being argumentative.
I didn’t know what was happening.
I moved deeper into the room and encouraged, “Aleksei, talk to me.”
“The most likely result of what’s about to happen is that the many beings inSky’sEdgewho wantedArnaudout andTanynin will rejoice.Arnaudwill answer for the murder, and to theUCRfor the invasion tonight, the deaths that occurred, and if we can find the evidence to support it, his assassination attempts on you and me.”
“Well, that’s good,”Iremarked.
He again turned to me. “However, some of his followers are more like zealots.Thisspectacular fall from grace isn’t unexpected, considering he’s insane, and he’s never given any indication he’s brilliantly insane, just insane.Thatdoes not extend to his mother, who, as far as we know at this point, has done nothing.Thoughwith the kind of female she is, none of us believe she doesn’t have some hand in this if only to encourage his insanity and attempt to keep her son on the throne.Now, she’ll be removed fromBergCastle.Tanynmay even be moved to strip her of the title she stole from his mother, and he’ll soon have the power to do so.Andshe will not like either of those things.Andshe is far cleverer than her son.”
Hmm.
This didn’t sound good.
“So we’re not out of the woods,”Ideduced.
“We’re not out of the woods, and you stream.”
