Page 183 of Bitten By the Fae
“A counterspell,” I repeated. “Like to dismantle the protection spells?”
He nodded, his focus still on the stonepecker. “Yes. It would essentially create a safe portal for the fae to enter and exit through. It may also allow the fae to craft a shield of sorts to deflect any and all counterattacks that may be incurred after harming someone or something inside of the protected structure.”
“Such as blowing up a building and writingAlqisianin flames above the destruction,” I suggested, following his train of thought.
“Yeah. Just like that.” He looked at Clove, then at me. “Your familiar just brought us evidence.”
“That can’t be good,” Ella interjected. “I mean, especially after Aflora sang about…” She trailed off, her hands twisting in her lap.
“I didn’t do this,” I promised.
“Oh, I know you didn’t,” she replied without missing a beat. “I’m just…” She cleared her throat and looked past me at Zeph. “Is someone setting her up?”
My eyes widened as I glanced back at Zeph.
His expression turned grim. “That’s certainly what it seems like. Why else?—”
“We have a problem,” Shade announced as he materialized across the room. He started toward us, then paused at the sight on the table. “Why the fuck is there a dead stonepecker in the living room?” Then his gaze widened. “Oh, shit. You need to dispose of that. Right fucking now. Before the Warrior Bloods arrive.”
“She didn’t do it!” Ella blurted out, jumping up to her feet in a defensive stance. “She was with us the whole damn time. I will go in front of those Council idiots myself if I have to. And fuck their male chauvinist bullshit; I will bang down their damn doors and scream at the top of my lungs.”
Shade blinked at her, then glanced at me and Zeph. “What is she going on about?”
“Clove brought the stonepecker to Aflora,” Zeph explained, gesturing at the blood residue on my uniform. “We believe someone is trying to set her up for this.”
Shade huffed a laugh. “Close, but no. The attack has Elite magic all over it, and my father is blaming Kols.”
My jaw dropped. “What?”
“There’s no time to explain. The Warrior Bloods are on their way to conduct a thorough search of the premises, andthatcannot be here.” He pointed at the stonepecker.
“That’s ridiculous,” Zeph scoffed. “Kols was in my class during the explosion. There’s no way he did this.”
“While I agree, the scene reeks of source power. And Kols?—”
“Is the one closest to the source,” Zeph finished for him, cursing under his breath.
Shade dipped his chin once in confirmation, his icy gaze holding a touch of unease. “He looks good for the setup, Zeph. Which means someone is trying to take down the future king.”
“Where’s Tray?” Zeph asked.
“With Kols. He’s the second potential suspect for obvious reasons.” Shade ran his fingers through his dark hair and blew out a breath. “I need to get back before they notice I’m gone. I came to warn you that the Warrior Bloods are on their way to conduct a search, authorized by the king himself. So I suggest you hide anything incriminating.” His expression flashed with meaning.
Then he vanished into a puff of smoke.
Zeph immediately pulled out his wand and uttered a spell that incinerated the evidence on the table. Then he uttered another one after it that caused the surface to shimmer. He spoke so quickly and efficiently that I couldn’t even decipher his words. When he focused on me next, I opened my mouth to stop him, but the magic was already working its way over my outfit and destroying all evidence of the creature from my lap.
I gaped at my pristine uniform.
“Well, that’s one way to do laundry,” Ella muttered, then shook her head. “Okay, there’s something I don’t understand.”
“Only one thing?” I asked, completely taken aback by the last few minutes of conversation and the revelations Shade had dropped on us.
“Well, many things. But what I really want to know is, why did Shade just come here to warn us? He hates Kols. I’d expect him to be gloating and celebrating the accusation, not”—she waved her hand around the space he’d just vacated—“you know.”
Zeph cleared his throat. “Well?—”
A commotion at the door interrupted his ability to reply as three Warrior Bloods entered the suite with an irritated SirKristoff right behind them. “Fucking royals overriding royals,” the stone creature muttered. He waved at them and looked at Zeph. “I’m taking the night off.” His stone wings bristled and crunched, then he disappeared into a cloud of white chalk.
