Page 28 of The Demon King's Unruly Mate

“A coordinated attack,” Talia spat. “Continue.”

I watched her from the corner of my eye, noting the slight tremor in her hands that she tried to hide by keeping them tightly clasped. I’d known her for such a short time, but I could read the shock and fury radiating from her like heat waves.

“They underestimated how much I’d fight to get back to you.” A hint of pride flickered in Griffin’s voice. “I managed to break free and make my way out of the palace.”

The king is dead.The thought hammered in my brain, making everything else feel absurdly normal when nothing was.

“So, what’s happening at the palace now?” Rava asked, leaning forward.

Griffin shook his head. “I couldn’t get much information. The guards were keeping quiet, but I managed to hear that Emil had taken control by right of ‘pure blood and clear conscience.’“

“Emil must have some support,” Talia said flatly. “He wouldn’t make such a move without preparation.”

“What exactly are they saying about us?” I asked. The answer wasn’t difficult to guess.

Griffin hesitated, glancing at Talia. “He’s accused you both of treason. He claims you orchestrated Leona’s kidnapping as a distraction while you murdered the king.”

“How convenient,” Talia scoffed. She turned to her bodyguard. “Leona and Aaron?”

“Safe in London, as you arranged,” Griffin assured her. “Emil doesn’t know their location.”

“Yet,” Malak said grimly.

Talia’s face hardened into a mask I recognized all too well. It was her armor, the same expression she’d worn when facing her father in the throne room just days ago. Watching her put iton piece by piece felt like watching someone disappear behind a wall.

“Then we have work to do,” she said, and I could almost believe she felt nothing at all.

“So,” Zane said, cracking his knuckles, “who do we hit first?”

Pride swelled in my chest, even as anxiety churned in my gut. This was my clan. My family.

I could feel the tension still simmering between us. They were pissed I’d hidden my mating with Talia, furious I’d taken on the Leona mission alone. But none of that mattered now. Rava would give me so much shit. Zane and Malak would still fight at my side. They always had.

“We can’t just storm the palace,” I said, though part of me wanted nothing more than to burn the place to the ground with Emil inside it. “We don’t know how much immediate support he has.”

“Griffin,” Talia said, drumming her fingers on the polished tabletop, “did you get a sense of how many clans have been informed? Or support Emil’s actions?”

Griffin shook his head. “Everything happened too fast. I think some of the guard made it easy for me to escape, but I couldn’t tell how deep the loyalties run.”

“So, we go in quiet,” Rava said, her eyes meeting mine. “Get in, take out Emil, get out.”

“No,” I growled. “Too risky.”

Rava’s eyes flashed. “Need I remind you if I hadn’t taken that risk, we’d all be mindless puppets acting out Javed’s twisted fantasies right now?”

I flinched. Javed’s control through the relics was still a raw wound, the memory of being forced to hurt my own sister haunting my nightmares. If she’d played it safe...

“We need to move fast, before Emil secures his position,” Talia said softly. I saw her wince at the mention of Javed, but hervoice was steady. “The longer we wait, the more time he has to consolidate power and eliminate potential opposition.”

I wanted to argue, to insist we take more time to plan, but I knew they were right. Emil was undoubtedly moving quickly to shore up his claim. Every moment of our absence was one more for him to paint us as villains.

“Malak, pull every surveillance feed you can access,” I ordered. “I want to know who’s in the palace, where they’re positioned, and which entry points are least guarded.”

Malak nodded, already reaching for his tablet.

“Zane, weapons check. I want everything prepped and ready to move in thirty.”

“On it.” Zane pushed away from the table and headed for the door.

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