Page 83 of The Lord of Whispers

“This is the last time I’ll cut a deal like this, Jay. If they don’t want to support the next war effort, I’ll just let Rex fucking have them,” the King swore.

“I’m right there with you, Grey,” I replied, my mind wandering back to Alanna, Alarie, and all the personal sacrifices I’d made for the Kingdom already.

39

Alarie

It was the day before the Spring Ball. The Spring Ball at the High Court was a coveted event, one that was bestowed upon a different House by the King each year. I’d missed the prior year’s Spring Ball hosted by House Tragon, having arrived at the High Court days after its conclusion. This year’s Spring Ball was hosted by House Dempsey, an established House from the north who was known to have a foothold in many of the northeastern ports. The word around the Court was that Lord Dempsey intended to use the Spring Ball as an opportunity to identify potential suitors for his youngest daughter, Karina Dempsey.

In the days immediately preceding the Spring Ball, my relationship with Jay had taken on a fervor it had not undergone since the initial days of my lessons atop the library table. It was as if our love was fighting for its life. Jay took every opportunity to make his mark upon me. He had even boldly taken me in the King’s own study the day before. After meeting with the King, Jay all but excused Grey from his own study, making it clear that he required the room. Amused, the King had departed and seconds later I was bent over the King’s large gray stone desk. I would run out of panties at the rate Jay was tearing them from my body.

Luke and I walked up to the King’s estate for Lord Dumont’s coronation.

“What’s that?” he asked, curiously.

“Hmm?” I responded, his question only half registering with me, lost in my thoughts about Jay.

I drew my eyes away from the stars and looked up at Luke. He reached out, his calloused hand softly grasping my jaw and turning my head. I realized too late that he was focusing on the small, silvery scar that had already formed on my neck from where Cole had cut me. It was shiny and silvery because the cut was made with a blade made of iron.

The perpetual laughter in his baby blue eyes was replaced with a chilling savagery. His muscled chest swelled and every muscle in his corded arms tensed. My usual ray of sunshine transformed before my eyes in a matter of seconds to a bringer of death.

“I’ll fucking kill him,” he spat through clenched teeth, his jaw squared off.

I had told him everything about what had happened with Cole. He had gone off on a murderous tirade that had only ended after he agreed with Jay that Cole deserved a slow death.

He looked scary as hell, but he was still my Luke. I grabbed his large hand from my face, holding it between my hands.

“Luke, I’m fine. And he’s already dead, remember?” I reminded him softly.

Cole and Lila, and anyone unwilling to openly denounce House Tragon, had been dislodged from the High Court over a week ago. The King stripped House Tragon of all titles, reclaiming all estates for the Crown and banishing them from the High Court indefinitely.We got word that Cole passed away days after he left Court with his mother.

“Jay was too easy on him. You don’t know what I can do, Al,” he promised with death in his beautiful eyes. “I’ll bring him back to life and make him wish for a quick death.”

I didn’t know if Luke was exaggerating about the powers he once had or if he could, in fact, bring fae back from death. Such power was unfathomable. I was touched by his outrage, but I wanted back my laughing best friend. Seeing him like this just made it that much worse. Noticing the concern in my eyes, Luke pulled me into his body, my back resting against his firm mass. He hooked one arm through mine, wrapping his hand around my small waist and holding me tightly. I could still feel the tension in the muscles on his back, but he bestowed the gentlest kiss upon the top of my head.

* * * *

“Mandy,” a voice rang out from across the King’s hall. “Mand.”

Mandy?I thought, turning my head toward the voice.

Cass? It is fucking Cass!

I dropped Luke’s arm and ran toward Cass, his big arms opening to encircle me in a crushing hug.

He stuck out like a splash of color in a sea of black and white. The tall lesser fae had a swath of green hair atop his head that faded into short, green stubble above his ears. He wore a black, high-collared coat, no tie, the white button-up underneath unbuttoned at the top enough to allow the tattoos that covered his defined chest to peek through. Those were new—the tattoos, not his hulking muscles. Cass had always been massive and his physique had only gotten more defined with age.

He lifted me off my feet, squeezing me and holding me for a moment before setting me down. A genuine smile was plastered on my face.

“Cass! What the fuck are you doing here?” I asked.

Cass had not shown up the last time Lord Dumont came to Court, so I had not expected to see him this time either.

“Same ol’ potty mouth, I see,” Cass teased with a sideways smirk.

“Lord Davante, is this who I think it is?”

A burly man with caramel skin and silvery-red hair approached as we still untangled from our hug.

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