Page 127 of The Fae Kings' Bargain

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Fine,”Mehl said, ignoring their husband’s intense stare.“I don’t know for sure, but it’s a possibility. Not so much against Toren, though. If Ber hurts him, he forfeits his right to inherit as part of the challenge.”

Really? If Prince Ber couldn’t attack, then…? Ria frowned down at the roast she should have been eating.“In that case, why are you so worried about this meeting?”

“Because Prince Ber is not someone you should underestimate.”

A difficult truth—one she couldn’t deny.

They didn’t linger once the meal was complete. Almost as one, all four of them stood, and though they began the long walk to the door in silence, murmurs flowed around them by the time they exited. To Ria’s ears, most of the voices sounded concerned. Toren might have stemmed actual panic by continuing the meal, but the fear was far from gone.

Part of Ria hoped that Toren led all of them to his receiving room despite Ber’s insistence on meeting alone, but he headed straight for his office, instead. Her steps slowed just over the threshold. Four bodyguards ringed the room, and the healer stood from his seat and bowed at the sight of them. Why was Vesset here? Did Toren anticipate an injury?

As soon as the door closed behind them, Mehl rounded on their husband. “He’s going to try to manipulate you any way he can.”

“I am well aware,” Toren replied. “But I must go, anyway.”

Though she’d been quiet since Ber’s arrival, Ryssa stepped forward. “I should leave the palace. He’ll have less to threaten you with if I’m not here. I…I think he might have recognized me.”

That was a terrible idea, one Ria couldn’t countenance. But before she could do more than slip up to Ryssa’s side, Toren shook his head. “You will stay. Wandering the streets where anyone could find you is hardly safer than being protected here by my guards.”

“Then give me a weapon,” the princess insisted.

With the flick of his fingers, Toren summoned one of the bodyguards, who pulled one of the knives from his belt and handed it over without comment. The man hadn’t even resumed his position before Ryssa had the blade secured in her boot. Ria could sympathize with her concern—her own knife was strapped to her thigh beneath her dress.

“I must go,” Toren said. Then he looked over his shoulder. “Vesset. Ensure the health of my wife and our child as well as Lady Ryssa in this tense time.”

Surprise flitted across one of the guards’ faces, but it was quickly masked. Even so, all four snapped to greater attention as Toren’s words hit. Though there were rumors of her pregnancy, there’d been no confirmation until now. That the guards were tasked with protecting not only the king and new princess but also the heir to the throne hadn’t gone unnoticed.

Toren kissed a scowling Mehl before easing over to do the same with Ria. But she couldn’t let him leave with a single, quick kiss. She wrapped her arms around his waist so tightly that he let out a surprisedoomph, and for a moment, she settled her face in the vee of his shoulder and took in his warmth. His scent.

Unfortunately, though, she couldn’t linger. So she forced her hold to loosen and slipped back enough to accept his kiss. “Come back quickly,” Ria whispered. “And without a scratch.”

Toren cupped her cheek. “I’ll do my best. Don’t let Mehl do anything foolish, hmm?”

Ria laughed softly, but the low sound cut off when Toren slipped from her hold to march toward the door.

Gods, let him be safe.

* * *

All the wayto his sitting room, Toren seethed. His brother had caused him grief time and again—he was accustomed to it. But the fear and worry Ber had evoked in Ria and Mehl? That was one step too far. They didn’t deserve the suffering his horrid brother could bring. It was past time for that to end.

This meeting was dangerous for so many reasons. Not only would Toren be practically alone with the man who most wanted him dead, but he wouldn’t have a way to channel the energy building in him with every step. He was a barely banked fire surrounded by tinder, and the slightest nudge could set everything aflame. But he couldn’t allow his brother to hurt his family any longer.

As promised, Macoe stood just inside the door, ready to protect. Mehl might not understand why the captain had been permitted, but Toren did. Macoe was blood-bound to the Eyamiri family with oaths so absolute that to break them would bring instant death. It was a harsh requirement, but necessary—the royal family needed at least one person they could entrust with the kingdom’s deepest secrets.

Mehl could be given the same confidence, of course. But Ber had set the rules of this meeting, and it was clear he would not trust the king with whatever he wanted to say. Even with the captain’s blood oaths, Ber gave Macoe a dark, annoyed look as the man closed the door behind Toren.

“There isn’t an unknown portion of the law, and the challenge you sent was accurate and complete,” Toren said before he reached his brother’s side. “You’re wasting both our time.”

That slow, sly smile spread across Ber’s face. “You’re correct. Didn’t it occur to you that I lied to get this meeting?”

Halting just out of reach, Toren took a deep breath against twin surges of anger and energy. “Of course it did. Lying is all you know how to do.”

Abruptly, Ber’s grin dropped. “More than you know, Tor.”

Was that…sadness in the depths of his brother’s eyes? Uneasiness tangled with the thread of anger in Toren’s heart, and he peered more closely at Ber. Did his brother have regrets? Or—no. As Mehl had warned, Ber only sought to manipulate. He would pretend any emotion if it helped him reach his goal.

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