Page 62 of Fates Fulfilled
Em’s mother sighed and climbed onto the couch, shoving her sword back into place above the mantel. “Does it matter, my love?” She hopped down with catlike agility and stood beside her husband. “If my cousin is behind this, we must help. You know how insecure he is.”
Jas shoved his sword into a sheath on his back. “That doesn’t explain why the Dark Prince stole Lex.”
Lex shifted her feet. “Actually, it does. Garrin brought me here to help his people. On our way to Dark Kingdom, we ran into my mother, who said the king is responsible for why Dark Fae are trapped in the Land of Ice. We had just confirmed it when Garrin was taken by the king’s guards.”
Jas tilted his head as though hard of hearing. “You mean to tell me the king’sguardstook the king’s son? Now I know they’ve been lying to you.”
Lex sighed. “Fae can’t lie, as you well know. Besides, I was there and personally saw them take Garrin.”
His lip curled in a snarl. “There are many ways to tell the truth. Who knows what you really saw? It could have been a setup.”
Lex’s mouth hung open. “And you think my mother is a part of it? According to Isle, the kingdom has been silenced by Casone Branimir.”
“Your mother was supposed to retrieve you in the Earth realm years ago,” Jasper said. “I assumed she was killed. But you say you’ve seen her?”
“She is very much alive. The king entombed her in ice. If not for my mother tapping into my power, both Garrin and I would have died in the Great Ravine and my mother would have remained there for all eternity.”
At that, Jas swore.
Camille shook her head. “Many have perished in the Great Ravine.”
“Where Lex wouldn’t have been,” Jas retorted, “had the Dark Prince not taken her from my protection.”
Camille studied him. “Is that why you hate him? Because he bested you?”
Jas frowned. “I despise the prince because he is selfish and a mercenary for his father.” He turned to Lex. “And your story doesn’t explain why the king sent his soldiers after his own son.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Lex walked up to Jas and grabbed his hand. “I know you don’t trust Garrin, but he has taken care of me. I owe him my life.”
“You owe him nothing.”
God, her uncle was annoying. “Garrin knows where my mother is, Jas. I’m not leaving without her. Which means we must find Garrin.” She would have fought for Garrin no matter what, but she didn’t want her overprotective uncle to blow a gasket.
“If you’re on the run from palace guards, we have to get you out of here first,” the petite blonde named Reese said, and looked up at the Fae that Elena called Keen.
Keen’s expression softened at Reese, his shoulder-length white-blond hair a sharp contrast to his chiseled face. “We will get her out, little one. Do not worry.” He turned to the room. “We must go somewhere Lex won’t be discovered.”
Em and her parents looked at each other, then back at the group. “There is no such place,” Em’s mother said. “Castle alchemists will eventually find us no matter where we hide.”
“Perhaps not.” Em’s father retrieved his snifter from the tray the servant held and took a sip. “The caves above the battlegrounds… Dark Fae of all kinds avoid them.”
Em’s mother squeezed her eyes closed. “The graves? Must we?”
Her husband lifted his shoulders. “They will find us there too, but it will take longer.”
Em shook her head. “Mom, Dad—you stay here. The fewer of us, the smaller our power imprint. Better yet, Dad, take Mom and go in the opposite direction to visit friends.”
“Your daughter is correct,” Camille said. “Our chances of remaining hidden increase if there are fewer of us.” She was older than the other women in Jas’s group, who appeared closer to Lex’s age. But given they were all Fae or Halven and aged differently than humans, who could be sure? Camille was incredibly beautiful, though, with bright blue eyes, much like Garrin’s.
Lex’s stomach clenched. The longer she was away from him, the more worried she became. That man hadn’t given her an inch of breathing room before they’d arrived in Dark Kingdom, and now she couldn’t hold on to him.
Camille tipped her head up abruptly. “Too late. They’ve found us.”
* * *
Amund trackedLex’s energy level, and his portal deposited them at a home Garrin had been to as a child. It belonged to a cousin by marriage twice removed, or some such. The room they stood inside was familiar, with faces he recognized—but only one face mattered.
Garrin didn’t stop to greet his cousins, or even properly assess the danger. He swept across the room to the woman whose presence consumed his thoughts. “Lexandra.”
