Page 129 of The King is Dead
Walking back to the Palace at Melek’s side, my heart was thudding in my chest—pounding so hard my fingertips tingled.
I couldn’t stop smiling.
My mate was a force. He was strength. He wasmagnificent.
Seeing him stand his ground and demand his due before those men who’d followed him for years—seeing himclaim his throne…God, it made me melt inside. And giddy.
Also, fucking terrified.
Not as terrified, though, as the faces we found after Melek and I returned to the Palace. They were already searching. A fist of guards found Melek and me before we’d even crossed the garden outside the Palace, their leader wide-eyed and pale, looking around frantically for a threat as they surrounded us and escorted us to the internal chamber I had instructed the Advisors to use today.
“You can’t actually mean to do this?” Turo gasped half an hour later in the stunned silence left after I’d outlined our plan. “You arejoking?”
“Not at all,” I said.
“Your Majesty, you’ve already put your life on the line more than once to overcome these creatures. Now you’re going to—”
Melek cleared his throat, and I had the distinct impression that if his wings had been out they would have ruffled to show his agitation.
I put a hand up to stop Turo. “I know it sounds dramatic, but in many ways this is far safer than the mission I undertook amongst them months ago. After all, we havealliesnow, and… and our King.”
They all dropped into stunned silence again at that. As if overnight they’d forgotten.
“Melek and I have agreed—we want to unify the nations. If not in truth, at least in agreed peace. Surely we can all see that it would be better to hold a truce with the Nephilim, a formal agreement not to harm each other, than to walk into war?”
“Yes, yes of course,” Turo said faintly. “But at what cost? What you’re suggesting does not present you to the Nephilim as a Queen of honor—”
“She is my mate, and my Queen. They will soon learn,” Melek said darkly from behind me. “The subterfuge at the beginning is merely to stop suspicion and open doors for Yilan to spy for me until I’ve taken the crown. Once my grip is established she will be presented to our people for everything that she is.”
I felt the wave of admiration and joy in the bond when he said that and almost giggled.
Melek was less than impressed by the fact that I wasexcitedfor this mission. But I could barely contain myself.
“I’ll be at far less risk this time,” I assured them all. “Letting me find the resistors and remove threats frees Melek to take the challenges and assert dominance. Together we’ll be unstoppable. And once we stand together on the throne—twin thrones—the Shadekin will have increased political power and prosperity. There is really no downside.”
Turo choked like he’d swallowed water wrong. “Thedownsideis the physical risk of losing both of you!” he spluttered. “But especially you, Yilan. You admit that these men have no qualms about taking women—”
“She will remain untouched, because she is claimed by me,” Melek said firmly.
But Turo frowned. “You claimed her last time too, and she ended up almost being taken by the King!”
“And you see, he is no longer a threat,” I said sweetly.
But Turo was getting over his shock and starting to think like a fighter again. “Yilan, I do not doubt your skill or that you would be an asset to Melek in this operation, but therisk—”
I planted both hands on the table and leaned forward. “If something doesn’t change, both nations will soon go to war, and then the risk will be exponentially greater. At least in this way we get to choose the timing and control the momentum of the Nephilim’s progress.”
“You hope,” Turo insisted.
“Iknow,”Melek said firmly. “I don’t deny the risk to her—or to me. I don’t deny that there is danger. But I agree with my mate: This is a necessary risk. Without it, far more lives will be under threat. And both nations move towards war. In this way we carry both peoples to peace.”
“Ifyou’re successful.”
“Together, we will be,” Melek growled.
I didn’t think I’d ever loved him more.
My mate had finally laid claim to what was rightfully his due, and he’d agreed with my plan. We would walk into the Nephilimtogether,and take the entire fucking continent before this was done.
