Page 21 of A War of Three Kings

I remain absolutely calm, focusing on my breathing, and definitely not on the fact that I want to smack him. I made my father no such promises.

Aldrin sits slowly, flicking me glances of growing concern, but says nothing. Ropes of air tie his waist and arms to the chair. My father’s wields are so expertly done, I would have missed them if I hadn’t been watching Aldrin. Once complete, they are invisible.

Their presence triggers a burning fury within me. Like Aldrin hasn’t been humiliated and degraded enough over the past days.

“Is tying him up really necessary?” I scowl at my father, who shoots me a dark look. “I’m serious, Father. Remove the binds from him!”

Heartbeats pass while he considers Aldrin, then he breaks the binds. “Shall we pick up where we left off? Aldrin, when are the other fae crossing into this realm to take their consorts by force?”

I suck in a sharp breath, but Aldrin says nothing. I stare at him like he has grown a second head.

“Come now, Aldrin,” my father continues. “Are you going to deny these facts now that my daughter is sitting here?” He gestures in my direction. “Deny that you came here to claim her by whatever means possible. Deny that your people have the intent of stealing more human consorts.”

My heart feels like it will burst as horror surges through me.

I don’t believe it. I can’t.

Aldrin says nothing. He stares and stares at my father as the silence drags out, all his earlier rage gone.I don’t understand why he doesn’t rant and scream and call out the lies. Theyarelies. I know it in the depths of my soul.

“DENY IT!” My father slams a fist on the desk, tipping over a teacup and slopping liquid everywhere. I jolt from the shock of it.

“Edmund. Is this really appropriate with Keira here?” My mother places a hand on his arm, shooting a worried glance at me.

“She needs to hear it.” My grandmother walks around the desk and stands beside me, placing an arm around my shoulders. I flinch under the touch. “You need to see that he is just like every other fae.” Her voice is warm and soft, but there is hatred masked behind that tone. “Otherwise, why does he not deny it?”

Aldrin turns pleading eyes on me.

Sweat beads his forehead, but still he doesn’t say a thing. Every muscle in his body is taut, with tendons sticking out in his neck like he is struggling against something. Perhaps it is the sight of me witnessing this.

“No,” I whisper. “It can’t be true. I don’t believe it.” A single tear falls from my eye and slides down my cheek.

“It is, Keira.” My father drags my attention back to him. “Why do you think a fae male who is infatuated with you would be here? He has tried to claim you once before.”

“We had many conversations with Aldrin and his people while we had them in our cells,” my grandmother chimes in. “They have given us enough information between them to piece together a coming attack on our women.”

I flick wide eyes to my father. His lips are pressed into a thin line. He didn’t want that said in front of me.

“It’s not true,” I argue back, then turn to Aldrin. “Tell them it’s not true, Aldrin! Tell them your people aren’t like that! I know Cyprien. He would never?—”

Sweat drips down Aldrin’s stony face and all those angular planes turn savage as he stares daggers at my father, whose smirk has suddenly fallen. Neither look at me. It is as though they are in a silent battle of wills.

A sudden burst of magic flares through the room as light and air rush from Aldrin’s center like ripples in a pool.

I am overwhelmed by wave after wave of warm tingles as they crash over my skin. Aldrin’s hair whips around his face like it is caught in a strong, chaotic breeze. Hatred dances in his eyes, and still I am not afraid of him.

The shadows of those black marks that paint his face when he is ready for a fight appear. My heart thunders as I silently plead for those horns not to materialize. My family will never trust him if they see the wildest parts of him now.

“You dare gag me with bindings of air!” Aldrin rises from his seat and points a finger at my father. The broken wields become faintly visible as they fall from him. “You dare take away my ability to speak, then challenge me to deny allegations of your own fabrication!”

We all stand rapidly, a few chairs clattering to the ground. Everyone takes a step back from Aldrin, except for me. I move toward him.

“You have tortured me and my people,” Aldrin spits, his eyes flicking between my father and grandmother. “For days, you made sure we didn’t sleep. You thrust starvation and thirst upon us, then laid a feast in front of us that we couldn’t touch unless we betrayed our people with lies. You led me to believe you were going to cut my man into pieces while he was still alive. I have endured countless mind games of your making, but the worst you have done is try to turn Keira against me.”

My feet take me straight to Aldrin as though I am in a trance. He doesn’t notice until I place a gentle hand on his arm. I don’t know how I expected him to react—maybe to shrug off my touch or stare at me with bewildered eyes.

Instead, he falls to his knees before me.

“I deny it! I deny all of it.” He takes my hands in his. “I will give you another blood oath, Keira. I will make another bargain. Whatever you need to believe my truths, I will do it.”

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