This was where I belonged.
34
We sat at breakfast with Nylah and Dex a few days later. We’d been spending more time together, the four of us. I felt like I was a part of the family, not only a warrior fighting in the King’s name.
For the first time in my life, I had a home.
The plates were empty; the servants had cleared away the leftover food, and we sat in companionable silence after a substantial breakfast.
Shouts were heard from outside the doors, and we all stiffened.
Before any of us could react, the doors to the dining room burst open, and a male and a female marched in with an air of importance. Servants bustled around them.
“His lordship Baut, and his lady Carlin, Your Highness,” the servant said and bowed.
I frowned. The servants treated them as if they belonged. Ren didn’t look surprised to see them, either. Weariness flowed through our bond, but not surprise.
Magic crackled in the surrounding air.
Baut had dark brown hair, cropped short, and a beard that gave him an intimidating look. The female at his side, Carlin, had lighter hair, blonde with streaks of white. They both had cerulean eyes that were filled with anger. They looked young, but with Fae, you never could tell. They could be thirty or three thousand years old.
“Baut,” Ren said. “You came at an inconvenient time. If you had announced your arrival, I would have prepared a meal and set time aside to talk.” He sighed and looked at the male, who wore a dashing suit embellished with golden chains and jewels. Clearly, they knew each other well enough that Baut and Carlin had been allowed into the palace as esteemed guests.
“It couldn’t wait,” Baut said tightly.
Nylah shifted a little closer and leaned in.
“Those are Lucia’s parents,” she whispered.
My blood ran cold.
“You have some nerve sitting there like the cowardly king that you are, talking to me that way when you’re the reason my daughter is dead!”
“Let’s talk in my office,” Ren said calmly.
“Oh, no, you don’t. I want this conversation here and now, where everyone can hear what’s being said. Where there are witnesses to this injustice.”
His fury crackled around us in the room. There was an undercurrent of magic, but it didn’t feel like a threat. I was uncomfortable, shifting in my seat.
I’d killed Lucia. They were mad at Ren, but it was my fault.
“All right, we’ll talk here,” Ren said. “Where there are witnesses. If you like, I can call for a scribe to take it all down.”
Baut spat. “Did you think you were going to get away with this? You might be the King, but murder is murder!”
Ren shook his head. “I did you a favor by letting you know what happened. I didn’t have any obligation to do it, but we’ve been friends for a long time, and you were in good standing with my father. Don’t expect me to extend any more liberties. Lucia’s actions brought her fate upon herself.”
“Lies!” Baut shouted. His anger was getting the better of him. Ren was calm. “I reject your excuses. Lucia was your fiancée! Do you think it’s any less treacherous to turn on her in her death?”
I wanted to cry out that she’d turned on Ren. That she’d never been on his side. But Nylah, sensing my frustration, put her hand on my arm to keep me quiet. I bit my tongue and watched Ren handle it all with grace. He didn’t throw them out, as was his right, and he didn’t lose his temper with the male shouting at him like that, either.
“Lucia sealed her own fate when she became a Conjurite,” Ren said. “She planned to kill me, as she and Zander had killed my father. Even without what happened, that is a crime punishable by death. There isn’t much more I can do about that. She would have died either way.”
Baut looked like he was going to explode. His anger was so thick in the air, I could almost choke on it.
“I won’t have your excuses,boy!” he yelled.
“Do I need to remind you that I’m your king?” Ren asked. “I may have extended you special privileges with how you address me in private, but I’m your ruler, and I will be given the respect that comes with it.”