Especially considering how much his own sister keeps from him.
What he seems to be forgetting is that Viveka is an old friend of Kenisius’s. Shifters have a loyalty of their own. On top of that, she hates unnecessary conflict, and we’ve never had any issues that require Terra Court’s involvement. So she has nothing to report to Eoin.
“You lie,” I say.
He smirks. “Whatever she doesn’t tell me, the pixies do.”
Gods damned pixies.
“This conversation is pointless. Whatever you think you know, you don’t.”
I swipe a new glass from my desk, fill it to the brim with wine, and sip it as he scrutinizes me.
A second later, Kenisius and Viveka burst through the door. It’s a relief, to say the least. Another second alone with Eoin would’ve been agony. It’s hard to understand why his court loves him so much, he’s punchable at best.
Kenisius opens his mouth to speak, but he glances at the burgundy-red stain on the carpet, then Eoin, then back to me. He does a piss job of hiding the smirk budding on his lips.
Luckily, Eoin does us both a favor and dismisses himself. The servant will be waiting in the hallway, ready to show him to his rooms, so I’m not worried about him roaming.
As soon as he leaves, Kenisius speaks. “The shadow called to her again.”
“And?”
“I flew over the forest to check,” Viveka says.
“And?”
She clears her throat. “It was a shadow-spirit. Affirmed.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. Every day new problems seem to arise, and right now, Eoin is the smallest of them. The only thing worse than a cursed forest, is a cursed forest with a loose shadow-spirit.
“That’s twice in a few weeks,” Kenisius confirms.
“Yes,” I say, huffing. “I realize this. How many did you spot?”
“Only the one,” she says. “It dissipated before she could catch up to it.”
“It knows Alessia,” I mutter. “And she can hear their call.”
“Should I send for Tynan?” Kenisius asks. “Have him round it up? We shouldn’t wait to investigate the happenings in Shyga. What if there are more?”
Tynan.
My half-brother who guards the resting grounds for faerie spirits.
Another one of my many secrets, and the other bane of my existence—somewhere behind Felix and Eoin.
The last thing I want is Tynan and Eoin around, especially with Alessia here. I’ve already mutilated her dear friend Felix for simply not protecting her, and I’m starting to accept that I have no limitations on what I might do to protect her myself.
But Kenisius is right. This can’t wait. My fingers tap against my thigh anxiously as I work to quell the fury at the base of my spine.
Nodding at Viveka, I give her the approval to find him. “Go.”
She isn’t aware Tynan and I are brothers—only Kenisius is—and it’ll stay that way.
Without hesitation, she heads out of the room, likely to shift into her owl form and head to Shyga. It’s a dark, ominous bog, leeched of all life, where the spirits of fae who’ve died linger, their souls tethered to the swamp.
Shadow-spirits are mostly harmless entities, but that’s not the issue.