Page 7 of Royal Fate

“That damn enchantress with her on-demand locator spells,” Agnan muttered, shaking his head as Zen burst across the threshold. “I guess he really wants you back, huh, Mousie?”

His grin broadened, and he again produced the vial in his hand. “Good thing we’re prepared, isn’t it?”

I ignored Agnan and focused my attention on the king, a mix of relief and horror overwhelming me.

“Zen!” I gasped, rising to my knees on the bed as he rushed toward me.

“Oh, thank all the gods you’re okay!” he rasped, rushing toward me. “Are you hurt?”

“Of course she’s okay,” Agnan snickered. “And she’s not hurt. She’s home now.”

Zen stopped in his tracks, his relief fading away as he whirled around to confront Agnan.

“I’ll kill you,” he hissed, baring his teeth. “Do you knowwhoyou took? Mirielle is going to be the queen!”

Agnan burst into laughter but abruptly cut himself off.

“Grendel, you mean?” he asked nonchalantly, raising his hands.

My mouth gaped open, and I instantly realized what he intended to do. Without hesitation, I threw myself between them as Zen released a low growl.

“Mirielle, what is going on here?” the king demanded, his eyes locking on Agnan’s hands. “Step aside, Little Mouse. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“NO!” I gasped, waving my hands desperately between them to stop Agnan from doing anything to Zen. “Zen, you have to go. You have to leave. He’s right. I’m fine. It’s okay. Just go. Please!”

“He’s not going anywhere, Mousie,” Agnan laughed. “You really have proven yourself more useful than any other orphan I’ve ever taken in. That’s why I love you best, you know that, right? Bringing the king to my doorstep without any backup? Where are your Royal Guards, Alpha? Are you that cocky?”

Agnan began to laugh again as dread swept over me. I turned to look at Zen desperately, but he was fixated on Agnan, the bloodlust in his face palpable.

“I don’t need my guards, Agnan,” Zen hissed back. “I’ve been looking forward to taking you down myself for a long time. And then I’ll take my fiancée home where she belongs.”

Agnan whooped and clapped his hands, advancing on me as I waved my hands desperately like a matador distracting an incensed bull. But the fight was on now, and there was nothing I could do to stop this.

“I’m afraid there’s going to be no wedding, Alpha,” Agnan chortled in a singsong voice, and to my added horror, a flock of faces appeared in the hallway behind him, the rest of the household wakening at all the commotion.

One by one, I recognized the faces of my sisters in the Order, my knees weakening at their numbers.

Zen, get out!I screamed inwardly, but I couldn’t formulate the words.

Zen roared, his body morphing into his wolf form as he lunged for Agnan. The gray tufts of fur sprouted over his back and ears, the white t-shirt tearing away to reveal his muscled back. Agnan laughed again, sparks of electricity surging through his fingers when Zen pounced, the bolts hitting my lover fully in the face. The vial in his hand sprung open and spilled over Zen’s body in a glittery mess of shiny silver haze.

I screamed, burying my face in my hands, the shock of losing Zen when I had only just found him too much for me to bear.

The rest of the Order began to chitter from the hallway, cheering as Zen crumpled to the ground, his wolf frame fading away to show his naked fae body.

“What did you do?!” I shrieked at Agnan, dropping to Zen’s side as tears welled in my eyes. “What was in that vial?”

Agnan stared at me furiously, and I knew I had to tone it back before I ended up in as much trouble as Zen, but my nerves were frayed.

“Why do you care so much, Mousie?” he asked, his voice no longer amused.

“DON’T FUCKING CALL ME THAT!” I hollered, banging my fists against the splintered wood floor. I opened my palms and spread them over Zen’s face. “Zen, come on. Wake up.”

Agnan snorted. “If I didn’t know better, Mousie, I’d say that you like this royal scum. Have you been sleeping with the enemy?”

The Order’s voices swelled around me, but my tears blurred my vision as I shook my head, trying desperately to clear it.

“You can’t kill a king like this, Agnan,” I whispered, forcing myself to think rationally. “There will be repercussions. They will come for all of us. If he knew where to find me, others will know, too.”

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