Page 3 of A Story of Sinners

We were a witch short, as Isadora’s sister, Kathryn, was pregnant and building a happy home life, something all the other witches of the coven also seemed to be doing. The Dragon Lands provided a layer of safety the witches were never able to find before.

Those witches had been left behind, while these three remained adamant on attending, despite Fin’s objections. He deemed tonight too dangerous of a mission for mere witches, fearing for his mate while greatly underestimating the abilities of both her and the coven she led. What he didn’t realize was that the witches were powerful beyond measure, and though their power seemed limited, Eulalia held more natural magic in her pinky finger than the majority of fae could even dare to dream of.

I would never admit to it, but frankly, the witch terrified me. The magic she held felt potent and dangerous, too much for a mere witch. I’d prefer to steer clear of the witches, but their skills were a necessary evil in the face of tonight’s undertaking.

Especially the skills of that greying seer child.

Although Matilda’s abilities to glimpse the future were not perfect, as she was still young and untested, they were crucial in ending my brother’s reign. With her, I would have the ability to see nearly every outcome and opportunity that would present itself.

Caspian would be blindsided.

Fin’s father, Lord August, stepped off his throne and shook my hand. He had graciously allowed me to hide out in the Dragon Lands while I’d gathered my forces and planned my brother’s demise.

“Tonight is the night, then,” Lord August said, pulling away.

“It is. I appreciate everything you have done to help make this possible,” I responded, cautious not to saythank you, since the phrase would leave me indebted to him. However, my reluctance didn’t mean I wasn’t grateful and wouldn’t repay him. No, I simply wanted to maintain control over how he would be rewarded for that generosity. “When this is over, I will grant you whatever you wish…within reason.”

“As I would expect,” he answered, and Fin snorted beside me. Nobody in Faerie did anything without an ulterior motive, not even Fin’s father.

I turned to Fin. “Where is everybody else?”

The squad should be here already, unless they were having second thoughts. There were many who’d protested my brother’s reign. Most had spent the years I was away hiding out in the Scourged Forest, but others had remained at court, slyly integrating themselves into my brother’s closest circles, all while lying in wait for the day I returned.

Though there were many, only a select few had been chosen for tonight’s mission.

“Oh, don’t get your panties in a twist, Ryken,” a soft, musical voice filtered through the hall behind me. “We were running behind because Kieran was busy cleaning his blades and plotting world domination.”

My attention whipped to the newcomers, Lady Lyra of the spring court, Lord Evander of summer, and Lord Kieran of winter. I shook my head at Lyra’s jab towards Kieran. His blood red eyes went cold. He was an Unseelie surrounded by Seelie fae, and the two classes held a historical hatred towards one another. However, he still showed up for me.

Thanks to my mother, I was not solely one class, as she possessed a mixed heritage of both, though my father was a seelie male. Needless to say, their marriage had been the talk of Faerie.

The three approached, Kieran and Evander flanking the female who would be a key part of our plan. Lyra held the power of seduction—like a siren, her song brought males to their knees. Her power would be a necessary distraction against my brother while we all took our positions. Pink hair trailed down her back, so long, the ends brushed against the low-cut back of her gown. She was dressed for the part.

“The three of you are late.”

Lyra chuckled and smiled at me, lightly touching my shoulder. “Only by a little a bit,” she sang, dragging her hand across my chest, an act that made me bare my teeth in warning. “I had to finish getting ready, didn’t I? Do I look nice, Ryken?”

I gripped her wrist harder than I should have and plucked her hand from me, knowing what she was really asking. I’d explained to her time and time again that we wouldn’t be going there. I had found my mate, and what we had once before was done and dead.

My lectures hadn’t halted her attempts, though, and I was growing increasingly annoyed. Most high fae held the ability to dream walk, and the female took advantage of the skill, entering my dreams countless nights, in hopes of catching me off guard. I pushed her violently from my mind each and every time, only to pop over into my mate’s dreams and pay her a visit. I didn’t want Dahlia to rest without being haunted by my face.

In turn, it was always hers that haunted mine.

Dahlia hadn’t caught on that it was me visiting her dreams. She simply assumed that I was nothing more than a figment of her imagination, but despite believing my presence to be imaginary, she still ignored me while remaining stonily silent. She didn’t speak; she didn’t even glance my way. Instead, her eyes remained unfocused, peeled onto the distant sunset of some strange dream world.

It killed me to be ignored. I often shouted. Sang. Screamed. I tried anything there was to garner her attention, and yet my attempts were disregarded.

“You look fine. Your aim is to seduce my brother, not me,” I snapped.

Lyra backed away, seemingly dejected, but that spark in her eye told me my refusal meant nothing. “For now.”

The female was relentless. I ground my teeth in frustration, and Eulalia’s familiar croaked loudly, likely reaching his daily fill of drama. The raven held a flinty disposition, and his only concern seemed to be eating or watching over his witch. Eulalia waived the raven off her shoulder and stepped forward, bearing a small glass vial of liquid.

“You have a five-minute head start to slip this potion into his wine. After that, his powers should be nullified.”

Lyra gripped the vial in her hands and turned to me. “I don’t understand why you want his powers to be nullified when you are more powerful. You did get your powers back, didn’t you?”

“I did,” I answered, opening my palm to display a silver flame. “But it’s not your place to question why, only to follow through with the plan. Now, go.”

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