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“That’s my sprite,” Ruslan praised, pressing a kiss to my forehead before releasing me and sliding out of the bed and into a pair of loose pants laying on the floor. He tossed me my own clothes that had been scattered about, and I dressed quickly, joining him and Liliana in the living space.
The two of them were still tense around each other, but he gripped her arm all the same and moved us to Ryza Citadel. Rares, Artur, and several others were already in Ruslan’s office by the time we arrived, all in various states of night dress.
Ruslan dropped Liliana’s arm but held mine as he tugged me to the chair behind his desk, sitting me in it while he braced his arms on the back of it, the two of us holding power positions in the room. “Someone tell me what the fuck happened.”
Rares spoke up, wringing his withered hands. “Princess Gizela was kidnapped during the festivities, and the Night Fae are the prime suspects. There was no trace of them by the time the princess was discovered missing, and a gate where their horses were tethered was blown open. Drazen traced their prints to the edge of Zheka, but they disappeared before they even reached the bridge. Vanished, like they were never there.”
I chewed my lip as I listened to the recounting of events, and Ruslan’s hand tightened on the chair, making it rock ever so slightly backward. “How did you find out?”
“Katrina appeared to me,” Rares said. “I immediately sought out Artur and Liliana so we could meet.”
Ruslan nodded, then cracked his neck from side to side, filling the room with pop after pop. “Where is Desmond?”
“We haven’t tried contacting him,” Rares noted.
“Try right now,” Ruslan gritted out, and I didn’t have to use our bond to follow his train of thought. There were few full blooded Mages on the continent, and only Mages, or those with Mage blood like Ruslan, held the power to move through space without leaving a trace.
Rares muttered a spell, his form shimmering slightly as he spoke into the air at someone we could not see. “Can you please fetch Desmond?” A pause. “What do you mean he isn’t around?” Another. “And he didn’t attend the announcement with the king and queen?”
Ruslan shook behind me, the wood creaking beneath his fingers as his rage rose. Instinctively, I pushed soothing emotions toward him, hoping to calm the storm brewing within.
“Okay, thanks for letting me know.” Rares re-formed, pinching the bridge of his nose before facing his master. “Desmond has disappeared. Left everything behind. Hasn’t been seen in days.”
“Fuck!” Ruslan roared, and I leaped from the chair, immediately snatching his arm and siphoning away his emotion, trying to calm him down. He cracked his knuckles, disregarding me completely as he turned on the old Mage. “How could you let this happen, Rares? I thought you had the Mages under control. How did you not see the signs of his treason?”
My mind worked over the problem at hand as Rares and Ruslan hurled violent words at each other. The Night Fae knew about the announcement, which meant that Desmond must have passed along the information. And then, he helped them escape Zheka with the little princess in tow.
What else had he revealed?
“Hey!” I shouted over the males, trying to get their attention. “What else did Desmond know that could hurt us? He’s clearly been working with the Night Fae for a while.”
Artur paled, glancing at Rares, and I interpreted that knew at least a few important pieces of information that should not fall into the enemies’ hands.
Blowing out a loaded breath, Ruslan braced his hands on the desk, lifting his head in a menacing way to glare at his advisors and Liliana. “We were planning on launching an assault on the Night Realm while he was away, but now that it appears he has already returned, we need to change tactics. Priority number one is getting Princess Gizela home to the Day Realm, as soon as possible. Artur, put together a rapid strike team to assault Este Castle. Rares, contact Katrina and tell her to move Drazen, Zuriel, and Gozzak back as soon as she is able. Liliana, I want you working with Artur on mapping ways in and out of the castle until Drazen is back. I don’t give a fuck that your brother and family are still there, if you want to remain in the Iron Realm, you will give us every fucking detail you can remember. And don’t say there’s only one way in or out, because I know about the underground tunnels. Are we clear?”
Liliana lifted her chin and squared her shoulders under the vehemence of my mate’s words. I looked between them, waiting for her to agree to his terms. I was still a little upset with her for keeping information about Kazimir attending the announcement to herself, but not nearly as upset as Ruslan still was. Finally she said, “Give me parchment and ink and I’ll tell you where every hidden tunnel is.”
Tension I didn’t realize I was holding bled from my shoulders as she agreed to reveal everything she knew. Lilana’s jaw ticked, hinting at the fury that she held about the actions of her brethren.
“I want to be part of the strike team,” I said forcefully. My magic was fucking powerful and useful, and more than anything Ineededto do this. For me as much as Princess Gizela. Liliana dipped her head in agreement, crossing her arms over her chest.
Ruslan spun on me, forcing my heart to skip a beat as emotion flooded our bond. “I can’t risk it, sprite. Please understand. The battlefield is one thing, but entering Este Castle is another.”
I quirked a brow at him, popping my hands on my hips. “So you’re not going either?”
“I didn’t say that,” he said, a warning in his tone.
“Where you go, I go. Period. You are my emperor, my future husband, but most importantly, my mate. We are better, faster, stronger when we are together.”
“I can’t go through the pain of almost losing you again. First the burnout, then Kazimir…”
“I’m not letting another babe be kept from her rightful home because of some fucked up male who thinks he knows better than everyone else. I am strong, I am powerful, and I am pissed the fuck off. They should fear my wrath.”
A wicked smirk crossed his face, and his iron gray eyes flashed with black fire.“Damn right they should.”
“Rares,” Ruslan barked, not bothering to look at the Mage. “Prepare extra Demon blood drinks for the road. I want to ensure we’re fully stocked.”
“Do you want a shifting potion too?” he questioned, pulling a notebook from his robes and beginning to scribble.
