Page 98 of Claimed By the Fae Lord

The muscles in my jaw tightened until I thought they might snap. Her words hit hard, reminding me of my own foolishness, of how it must have looked to her, watching me with Sidra. After all the other horrible shit I’d done, Raina could only think the worst of me.

Lorne angled his body to Raina, drawing her attention away from me. "Liam was playing the part of a barrier, Raina. He was not one of Sidra’s bedmates, whose sights were set on ensnaring Nox again. She thought she could make Nox jealous through Liam, but our berserker here was merely running interference."

“What do you mean?” Raina asked.

“He kept Sidra away from Nox. She didn’t take well to the king ending their … time together. She was relentless in trying to lure him back into her bed. She showed up everywhere he was, vying for his attention at a time when Nox needed to focus and figure out who was targeting the royal line as he dug for information among the high and mighty. Nox tried to task meto run interference but apparently I’m not suave enough to fool anyone. So Liam was the sacrificial lamb.”

I remained silent, my gaze fixed on Raina, willing for her to lift those violet eyes to mine. Slowly, she met my stare.

"I didnotfuck that female. Nor do I consider anyone other than you as having ever been my lover. No one else has ever held my heart. They never will."

Her reaction was subtle, a slight easing of the furrow between her brows, the faintest softening around her mouth. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

"Father," I turned back to the matter at hand. "What does Sidra have to do with all of this?"

Though I put it out there, I was thinking we already knew.

"Both prisoners have named Sidra as the leader of what they referred to as The Movement. She was the one who found the buyer for Raina. Though," he looked at the female in question, “I’m sorry to say, my dear, that idea came directly from your parents. The money was going to help them fund The Movement’s plans. Apparently those who contributed the most would benefit with positions of authority under the new regime.”

Sidra. A name we all knew all too well, yet never expected to hear in such a damning context.

She acted more like a feline in heat than a criminal mastermind. A ripple of incredulity ran along my backbone as I tried to square the frivolous socialite I'd known with the image of a clandestine leader.

As Father continued to brief us on the finer points of what they had learned, my mind churned with confusion and rage. How had I not seen it?

My entire job was to keep others safe. To notice, down to the tiniest fragment of a threat, and prevent it from causing harm.

I’d failed. Failed King Orson. Failed Nox. Most gut-wrenching of all, I’d failed Raina.

"Wait.” My hands lifted, unable to contain the urgency that was surging within me.

All heads turned in my direction.

"There's something I need to say, right now. To you, Raina."

She looked at me, her small frame rigid.

"I know, with every fiber of my being, I know that we are meant to be together. And I believe you know it, too."

Surprise registered briefly on her face before it was replaced by a cautious glimmer of hope. The rest of the room faded away and my world narrowed to the space between us.

"You are mine. This is your warning that, whatever it takes, I will make it so," I vowed, my hand slamming onto the table with a resonant thud. "If it fucking kills me, I will make it so.”

My declaration dangled between us. For a moment, I thought I'd breached the walls surrounding Raina's heart. Before she could reply, the room erupted in reactions.

"By the gods," Brahm muttered, his beefy hand sweeping across his face in disbelief.

Mirrelle's laughter rang out, sharp and disbelieving.

"Perhaps you should tone it down just a tad, little brother," Gunnar advised, his voice laced with amusement.

"Coming from you?" Mirrelle snorted, her eyes gleaming with mirth. "That's rich."

Lorne rose, unflappable as ever. "It’s nice you pulled your head out of your ass, Liam. Now pack your shit because we needto inform Nox. I’ll be out on the deck eating the meal the Drótinn had prepared, but we will leave as soon as you three return with your gear.”

“Raina and I will be out in a minute.”

One by one, the others filed out, leaving a trail of chuckles and shaking heads behind them. The door closed with a soft click, and the room fell into an expectant hush.

---