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“See for yourself.” I waved him off, not wanting to speak or listen. Any effort was grueling, and I was so close to losing what little control I had over my deepest fear.
“Pull it together, Ruslan,” Zuriel hissed. “You have a kingdom to rule now. Act like it.”
“Fuck you, Zuriel. If my mate didn’t need your help right now, I’d make sure you were gone tomorrow.” I didn’t have the energy to temper my words, and the glare I gave him was like the icepicks smashing into my brain.
“I’ll gladly leave once you fulfill your promise to Izidora and have Rares lift the spell keeping me here,” he retorted.
“Yeah, yeah, I am going to see him now. I’ll have him lift it later.” My fingers tightened over the back of the chair poised between the Angel and me.
“I will hold you to that, Ruslan. I am going to check on Izidora, so I will see you later. Hopefully when you are in better shape.” Zuriel looked me up and down once more, disdain dripping off him like water, then disappeared into the bedroom.
Blowing out a tense breath, I shoved away from the chair and headed out of the apartment. I should have checked on my mate, but my head pounded like a hammer on an anvil. Each step I took was excruciating, and what felt like hours later, I finally found Rares in my father’s study. Not a hint of blood or battle remained in the pristine space where King Azim had died not even a full day before.
“Rares, you clean up nicely,” I commented as I sank into my usual chair, not caring enough to round the table and face him.
“You look like shit,” he snapped back.
“I feel like shit, too. Cure this hangover.”
He snorted, then chanted a few words and the pulse that resounded in my skull disappeared. “Better now?”
“Much better.” I sighed as sweet relief washed through me. Without the headache taking my attention, more of the previous night returned, and I recalled my request of Rares. “Did you find a way?”
Rares held up the aquamarine ring I used when I proposed to Izidora in his withered hands. “This is the solution to your problem. It will only work if she wears it, however. I could not find a spell that would permanently change her, but I found a spell I could bind to an object. So long as she keeps this on her finger, her emotions will be numbed to anything but her love for you – which also means her powers will be dulled and she will be unable to use them. It is not a perfect solution, but it is all I could do in one night.”
Accepting the outstretched ring, I pinched it between my fingers, examining it, before turning it over in my palms. It looked exactly the same as before, no hint of the magic that lay within. Izidora’s empath magic would be useful during the feast, especially if I needed to sway some visiting noble’s opinion or force someone to comply with my demands. But once she was bound to me in marriage and mating bond at the end of Béke, there would be no use for the ring. I would simply have another made and switch them out once everything was settled. “This will work for now,” I finally replied, pocketing the jewelry.
“As you wish, My King.” Rares wobbled to his feet, but I caught his wrist and he sank back into his seat.
“I have not dismissed you, Rares. I still have need of you. I want you to lift the spell tying every Telivér to the Iron Realm.”Rares looked as if I had just asked him to murder his entire family. Which, in a way, I had. In his twisted little mind, he did care about them and about us Félvér – if only because he wanted to create a power unlike anything before. And I had just commanded him to give it all up.
“Why?” he managed to bite out as his shock gave way to a face flushed with anger.
“That was my promise to my future wife in exchange for her help yesterday,” I shrugged.
Rares’s face grew redder, his lips a razor-thin line, and his hands shook against the edge of the chair. “Let me get this straight. You asked Izidora to help you kill your father, promising to free all the Telivér in exchange. And yet, you wanted me to find a way to keep her heart prisoner to your whims? And now I deliver this to you, and you still wish to free them? She would have no way of knowing! She would not care if she did, with the magic held in this ring! You wish to destroy all my life's work when I have given you everything you’ve ever asked for!” Rares was on his feet, chest heaving as he shouted the last of his words.
The corners of my lips started to pull into a smile, so I covered the lower half of my face with my fingers as Rares unraveled before my eyes. “And you will continue to give me everything I ask for until you die,” I purred. “After all, you took an oath to this crown. You can do no harm to me, and your only release is death.”
“In exchange for freedom to pursue creating the most powerful race!” Rares fumed, but he was powerless in our new dynamic.
“That was a goal you and my father shared, not one that was baked into your oath, if I remember correctly,” I drawled, still hiding the pleasure that filled my veins from riling him. He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. “I have a differentgoal. Well, not so different in the end result, but much different in the execution. Rather than using Telivér and Félvér to help us conquer the continent, I will use my mate’s magic to unite it. She and I share similar goals on equality and acceptance. As much as I love slicing and killing, it will not win anyone to our side, and too much powerful blood will be shed. She will sway all who oppose us to our side, and then there will be no carnage Once we have united the realms, and depending on how valuable I still find you, I might consider allowing your experiments to resume.”
The sliver of hope shining through my strategy calmed him enough that he returned to the chair with a heavy breath. Hope was a compelling tool when applied correctly. Hope drove us insane with the desire to wait for a change that may never come to pass. Hope was for those who would not take immediate action to get what they wanted. Hope was for the weak, and it was a weakness that I easily exploited over and over again.
Rares narrowed his eyes at me, studying my face closely, and I let my hand drop to reveal the smug expression that told him I knew I’d won. “Fine. I will lift the spell so they may be free to go,” he conceded.
“Let’s go. I want this settled before the other monarchs arrive this afternoon. They will be welcome to stay if they wish, otherwise they can travel to Stravek and find a ship home.” I pushed up from the chair, towering over Rares. “Then afterward, you will gather all the staff in the main ballroom while I explain how I expect this citadel to function going forward.”
We left my father’s office – my office – and circled our way through the halls of Ryza, seeking the spiral stairs that led to the tunnels underground. Last minute preparations were underway as we wound through the halls, servants decorating every inch of available surface in fine fabrics, floating lights, and glittering gems, displaying the wealth of the Iron Realm at every twist andturn. I made note of a few changes to announce later, then we descended into the earth one step at a time.
When we exited the staircase, the two Wolves, Rixis and Thalia, were chatting in the antechamber. “Gather all the Telivér. Now,” I snapped when Thalia raised an eyebrow at me. She muttered something under her breath before stalking off into the tunnels that housed most of the residents. I popped my knuckles one by one as the Telivér gathered on the opposite side of the room. Rares hunched beside me, whether from anger or age, I did not care. I was eager to rid myself of the bullshit tasks on my plate so I could focus on other activities – namely, flexing my right to rule over the other monarchs.
I imagined what their reactions would be when they heard the news that King Azim was dead – and that he had a son. He never announced me as his heir to more than a few trusted advisors and the heads of the noble houses in the Iron Realm, wanting to protect the secret of this place and these people from the other judgmental rulers on Északi. Their shock was delicious in my mind – the pale, bloodless faces with slack jaws formed the creamy base, my radiant mate willingly standing beside me the icing on top. My cock twitched with the exhilarating images springing to life behind my eyes, and I casually adjusted myself before pushing off the wall and surveying those gathered before me.
In all, only twenty-four Telivér remained in Ryza Citadel, most having married Iron Fae, some even finding mates among them, but as I counted them, only twenty-three were present. All twelve Shifters, six Mages, and five Demons stood stoically before me. Zuriel was missing, and I ground my teeth at the thought of the Angel still alone in my apartment with my mate, hours having passed since I left him there. I clenched my fists, about to shout at someone to fetch him, when the Angel himself breezed past me, having justdescended the stairs to the tunnels. He checked himself and glanced around before his eyes landed on me, a question dancing in them. Releasing a long breath, I jerked my head for him to join the others. Understanding passed over his features, and he jogged forward, joining the Demons along the back wall.
“For those of you who do not already know, I am now king of the Iron Realm.” Murmurs passed between a few of the Telivér, but more passed between the Félvér who pressed against the walls of the tunnels, blatantly eavesdropping. “And one of my first acts as king will be to release the Telivér from the magical chains tethering them to the Iron Realm. Once Rares reverses his magic, you will be free to return home or make one here in the Iron Realm. The choice is yours.” The murmurs rose to gasps from those gathered in front of me to grumbles from the onlookers in the tunnels. Once the voices died down, I continued. “But you must make your choice now. If you want to leave, you must do so today. If you want to stay, your room here is available until you can find other lodging.”
