Shadow Hunter (Court of Life and Death Book 2)

said with a touch of sharpness. “They’re the highest authority in the fae realm, and they can handle things.”
Daath scoffed. “That creature didn’t have advisors. She’d never listen to anyone. She had yes men and conspirators. They all gave her what she wanted because she gave them power in return. They won’t come to a decision soon.”
“So, what will the fae do in the meantime?” I frowned. I had noticed that to these people who lived for thousands of years, there wasn’t much of a sense of urgency to certain things.
“They’ve been going mad so far,” Kalian sighed. “Everyone is afraid. They don’t have anyone to look to, and… the council really isn’t that helpful.” He ran a hand through his curls to push them out of his eyes, and I could see raw bruises on his wrists from the chains. “I’m worried the imbalance Minerva caused is going to take its toll on the fae realm now…”
As he said that, I felt a pit in my stomach. I didn’t know what I needed to do, but I had to find some way to help. I needed to help not just him, but everyone who was affected by the evil Unseelie Queen.
“Kalian, you should come to the Moonstone Castle with us.”
“What?” the three men spoke in unison.
I kept from flinching. “You sacrificed everything to save us. This is your home, and they…” My eyes trailed to the bruises on his wrists. “You’ll need somewhere to stay and heal, and it’s the least we could do.”
Kalian looked from me to Daath to Syrion for what felt like ten minutes. Finally, he turned and looked back at the council members and the guard who had removed his chains, but they didn’t acknowledge him. He looked down and nodded slowly. “I would truly appreciate that. Thank you, your Highness.”
“Please, don’t be so formal,” I smiled. “Just call me Myrcedes.”
He looked up, and his gold eyes met my silver ones. His demeanor was still cautious and cold, but there was a touch of vulnerability, of surrender, that hadn’t been there before. “Thank you, Myrcedes.”
Before I could respond, I felt a hand on my back and turned to see Syrion at my side.
“We should return,” the silver-haired King nodded.
Daath took a step toward the podium. “You three go. I’d like to meet with some council members. Perhaps offer some assistance with their current predicament.”
I cocked my head curiously, but Daath merely smirked before sauntering over to the podium, which immediately gave him all their attention. I turned to nod at Syrion. He put his hand on Kalian’s shoulder, and the three of us fell into darkness.

6
Syrion
There was no hesitation for Myrcedes once we arrived home to the castle.
“Kalian, are you alright? I can call a medic and the cook, and we’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”
“I’m fine,” he shook his head. “Thank you. I don’t intend to be a burden.”
I examined the Seelie standing before us. It hadn’t been much of a concern for me last time we met; I’d had bigger problems. Now, however, I looked him over with precision.
He was stately and certainly had the build and air of an army General, with skin that was a striking shade of copper. The gold in his eyes was distinct and almost shined. His dark brown hair was just long enough to hang on his forehead, and he’d started to grow stubble on the lower half of his face from being in a cell for so long. But the most significant thing about this man was the way he looked at the woman I loved.
There’d been a moment of vulnerability before we left the fae world, but once he looked around the study in the Moonstone Castle, his demeanor seemed to harden again. As Myrcedes went out of her way to ask this now destitute pariah what he needed, I watched him avoid her gaze as much as possible, finding anything in the room to look at besides the woman speaking to him mere minutes after she saved his life. When he did look at her, it seemed condescending, as if speaking to her were beneath him.
I cleared my throat to grab the attention of them both. “I must insist that you acknowledge and look at the Queen when she speaks to you, Seelie.”
Myrcedes looked dumbfounded and… embarrassed? I wasn’t quite sure why. She had no reason to care what this creature thought of her. He was already indebted to her for his life. I knew the council had been planning to kill him until we showed up, and she knew it too.
Kalian’s sharp jaw tensed, and he adjusted his posture, which only served to make him look more like, well, an asshole. “My apologies, your Majesty.”
“Um…” Myrcedes muttered. “It’s fine. Uh, I was saying… what do you know about them, the council members?”
He kept eye contact with her as he answered, which somehow pissed me off even more. “I know them all. They’re the oldest fae and were close to the Queen. They called themselves her advisors, but… Death had a point. Minerva didn’t exactly take advice. She took praise.”
I could see in the Queen’s eyes that her mind was racing.
“You suspect some of them were involved in Minerva’s plot against you?” I clarified.
“No,” she shook her head. “I’m certain they were.”
“Her plan to kidnap the Kings?” Kalian questioned.
“No. All of it. To kidnap them, to kill me, as far back as when she killed my family, my parents…” Myrcedes trailed off as she spoke. She’d confided in me a few days before about her parents. It had never bothered her before she could remember them. She’d just accepted they’d died or given her up when she was young, and that had been enough to satisfy her. But since she’d accessed those memories Minerva had stolen, they were almost all she could think about in her spare time. She remembered the way her mother made her cereal before school, how her