I dropped the letter to my lap, my mind and heart racing. There was so much to process, so much to come to terms with. I needed to read my mother's diary. I needed to tell Arthur about this. My mind was in chaos.

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and focused inside. One thing at a time. The bond gave a gentle tug, a reminder that I was no longer alone.

Arthur.

He came in a second after I called. Wordlessly, I handed him the letter and waited as he read through it, all the while wondering if my uncle was, indeed, part of the gate scheme. That would explain so many things. If my mother was to be believed. That would also mean he was behind the attempt on my life.

"I'm going to kill him," Arthur snarled, dark anger radiating off him in waves that rattled the windows and shook the walls. Oddly, the darkness roaring through the bond gave me comfort. I calmed down some.

I plucked the letter from his hand before he tore it to pieces, stood on my toes and kissed him. "Okay, your lordship. Let's go meet Ryan."

His glare didn't vanish. "I'm going to make him regret being born."

I sighed. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but even you can't really do anything to Rion without proof."

He didn't like it, probably because I was right. I chuckled, breathing out the last of my turmoil. I knew what to do next. We had to get proof. I could focus on that instead of everything my mother dropped in her letter. That would come later.

"I can always torture a confession out of him," he growled.

I patted his arm and went into the closet. Strapping on my weapons put my mind at ease. Arthur stood in the door of the closet, his fury barely in check. I put on my hoodie, cargo pants, and boots. I pulled my hair into a tight ponytail. I was ready.

"Let's go."

*** **** ***

We left Charles and Irene behind. I gave her a wink before we sneaked out. She was not amused.

Marianno, Noah, Arthur and I sneaked past the guards in the castle. It was supposed to be difficult, but having a shapeshifter and a vampire lord in tow made it feel like child play. Arthur had a lot of tricks up his sleeve. It made me realize that there was so much I still didn't know about him, and that made me giddy with excitement for the future.

"You knew you were going to come with us to see Ryan anyway, didn't you?" Arthur asked as we walked through the forest to the spot where we were supposed to meet my cousin.

"Yep." There was no way I was missing what Ryan had to say.

Through the darkness, I saw Arthur's blank face. The forest ground was mottled with moonlight and shadows. The pattern looked arresting on Arthur's face. Marianno and Noah were quiet beside me.

I took a deep breath of the humid air. It smelled like rain, yet the moon shone round and clear in the cloudless night sky.

"Do you simply enjoy antagonizing me, then?" Arthur asked. A movement to the right caught my eyes. I squinted. There was someone maybe two hundred feet away. Patrol?

"Vampire," Noah murmured. His eyes were two glowing amber jewels.

Through the bond I felt Arthur focus his magic out and away. A second later, we heard a crash. The sound attracted the vampire away from us. We kept walking.

"Have you met yourself, Arthur? I love you, but you're an overbearing asshole. Once I let you have your way, you're going to make it a habit." I paused. Marianno choked back a laugh. "Okay, to be honest, that's an afterthought. The real reason is that you piss me off when you order me around. So maybe I do enjoy antagonizing you as payback."

When he didn't respond I looked at him. He radiated smugness. The bond was almost drunk on it. I went back over what I said. I rolled my eyes. Oh, for goodness sake. As if he didn't feel it every second of the day.

"What do you think of the king's advisor, Sire?" Marianno asked.

"I think I would like to skin him alive," Arthur replied, with no trace of a joke in his voice. "What about you?"

"He's an odd one, that's for certain. With everyone else, other than the fae, I can get faint impressions of their surface thoughts when they are involved in another activity or conversing with someone else. That witch, on the other hand, has an extremely firm shield around his mind." Marianno paused. "It gives off the impression of a hex."

"Like the one Santos had?" I asked.

"Very similar. But I can't tell for sure if they're done by the same person."

Well, we pretty much knew now that Rami was involved, along with my uncle.

"Interesting. Noah, any thoughts?" Arthur asked.

There was a beat of silence before Noah's gravelly voice disturbed the night. "The witch is powerful. Powerful immortals of that caliber usually chafe at being under the authority of someone else. Especially if that someone is weaker."

I raised my brows. "You think my uncle is weaker than Rami?"

I mean, sure, I knew my uncle was way behind my father in terms of raw power, but I personally couldn't tell if Rion was weaker than Rami.

"I wouldn't say weaker," Arthur replied. "In terms of raw magic power, it's difficult to tell who's got more. But Rami has more of a... character, if you will. Rion has to drape himself in silk and gold and jewelry to make an impression, his royal fae blood is what gives him influence and a sense of supremacy. Rami doesn't need any of that. He can stand before you covered in rags and dirt and you can tell he's got a tremendous amount of power and knows how to utilize it.

"Which makes Noah's thoughts valid. Rami is odd. A powerful immortal such as himself wouldn't stay under Rion's thumb for so long."

"Unless he has a reason," I said.

"Unless he has a reason."

Noah angled his head upward, sniffing the air. "Ryan is close, and he's not alone."

"Who?" Arthur asked.

"A few vampires," Noah said.

We walked for another ten minutes before I could sense the vampires and Ryan. We were now way past the outer security perimeter of the castle, deep into the woods. I felt safer here, at ease. Everything should have been dimmed by the night and the darkness, but my senses were sharper. The forest was always home to me.

Ryan stood covered in a black cloak and shadows under a tree, two vampires on either side of him, another hidden up in a tree a few yards away. The vampire was well concealed, but we had an Alpha wolf and Arthur in our ranks. No one could hide from them.

Arthur and I stopped a few yards from Ryan, Noah and Marianno fanned behind us.

"Lord Arthur, and here I thought you weren't going to make it," Ryan said, his smile pleasant. Now that I knew about his unusual palate, I couldn't help but despise his smile.

"I wouldn't miss the opportunity," Arthur said. "Let's get to the point, Ryan. What do you have?"

Ryan's shoulders were tense. "I have a deal for you. In exchange for information that would be, as I believe, quite invaluable for you."

"What sort of deal?"

Ryan took a deep breath. "I want to seek refuge in your territory."

I raised my brows. Well, then. Arthur chuckled. "Refuge from what, exactly? I don't believe a royal has anything to fear in the land of the fae."

"Ireland is no longer what it once was." Ryan's voice was bitter. "Nowadays, anyone who doesn't play by the king's rules is torn to pieces. Quite literally in some cases."

"I'm interested in your case," Arthur said.

"He's been after me for my... peculiar taste."

I couldn't help the snort that escaped. Ryan looked offended. I waved him on. "Carry on."

"Anyway, I have resources that say he's considering prosecuting me for acts of cannibalism."

"There's no law against cannibalism," Arthur said.

I looked at him, surprised. "Really? There isn't?"

"No, even humans don't have laws against it, per se." Arthur crossed his arms. "Rion can't prosecute you for a crime that doesn't exist."

"That's what's taking time," my cousin said. "Otherwise I would've been dead, or worse, long ago. The law will be voted on next month. I'm not allowed to leave the country without the king's knowledge. I'm stuck here until he can get me punished according to his laws."

Arthur considered my cousin for a long minute. Ryan squirmed under his gaze. "Alright," Arthur finally said. "I'll grant you safe passage and refuge in my territory if the information is worthwhile."

Ryan shook his head. "That's not enough, I need your word."

Arthur's chuckle raised the hairs on the back of my neck. The vampires around Ryan shifted their feet, their eyes uncertain. "You must be mistaken, Ryan. We're not negotiating. You will tell me the information you have, whether you want to or not."

My cousin's lips tightened. He stared at Arthur, no doubt realizing he had no way out of this. This is what happens when you negotiate with the devil. Or worse, vampire lords.

The vampires on either side of him shifted. I clicked my tongue. "One wrong move and you'll be charred corpses, boys. That includes you there in the tree," I said. "Let's not ruin the beautiful night."

"Fine," Ryan bit off. His next words took me off guard. "Do you know about the last Seer?"

"Yes." was Arthur's short reply.

"She disappeared, according to common knowledge." Ryan smiled. "I know where she is."

I froze. The last Seer had produced a prophecy that included me, if Santos was to be believed. Arthur made no sign he was interested. "Where?"

"She's a prisoner of our dear king," Ryan said. "For the past couple of decades or so."

Well, that put the last nail on my uncle's coffin. Santos had told us that he was ordered to deliver the Seer to England. England was the fae's backyard. If the Seer was truly my uncle's prisoner, then he was in cahoots with Santos.

Which proved my mother's claims.

"I want the exact location," Arthur said. Ryan nodded. "How did you know that the Seer is of interest to me?"

Ryan frowned. "Why would it not be of interest to you? A Seer is a great asset, especially for immortals."

"Alright. What else?"

Ryan shifted on his feet. "What makes you think I have something else?"

"You promised information that would interest me, Ryan. For your own good, I hope the Seer is not your only bargaining chip."

Ryan's eyes flitted away. He had something else, but he was hesitating for some reason.

"Tonight, Ryan," Arthur said, sounding bored.

Ryan sighed. "I have no proof of what I'm about to tell you, but I've seen it with my own eyes."

He looked at Arthur, fear darkening his eyes. "I think Rion is communicating with someone from the other realm."

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I know it's a short chapter, but very soon I'll be updating more often. We're getting close to the end, so stay tuned!

Much love.

M.B.