Shadow Hunter (Court of Life and Death Book 2)

of frustration, confusion, or even just disagreement, it made all the difference to have the connection that allowed my twin to look into my mind and understand my thoughts. It helped to have that with Myrcedes as well; it had literally saved all three of our lives a few times already. My brother leaned against the desk and sighed. “What exactly do you want to do, Myrcedes?”
“I want to go stop his trial and tell them he’s innocent!”
I cringed. “You want to walk into a fae court on fae soil and tell every high-ranking Seelie and Unseelie that you killed their Queen?” This woman was absolutely mad.
“We don’t have any other option,” she stated quite factually. “He can’t be punished for something he didn’t do. I won’t allow it.”
I shook my head. There was no way she’d thought this through, and I wasn’t about to let her put herself in danger just after we’d resolved everything that was threatening her. “I can’t let you do something so dangerous.”
“Daath,” Syrion interjected. I could tell his tone was thoughtful. “I know what you’re worried about. I agree, but… to walk into a fae court on fae soil and proclaim that Myrcedes killed the Unseelie Queen… I can’t imagine a more powerful way to proclaim her as our Queen. Can you?”
Her pink lips spread into a grin at the idea, and I laughed a bit. “You like that idea, do you?”
“I like the idea of being a Queen who stands up for the ones who helped her save her Kings, the ones who need it, and who did nothing wrong.”
I sighed and opened my mouth to speak when she cut me off. “I know you’re worried about my safety, Daath, and I appreciate it. But if I’m going to be your Queen and be taken seriously, I have to be respected by you first, before anyone else. If I make a decision, and you don’t present a good enough argument to change my mind, then my decision should stand. I need the same respect and trust I’ve shown the two of you.”
I took a deep breath and stood from my armchair. I knew she had a point. It was hard to get used to this, not because I didn’t respect her, but because I had such a desire to protect her. I felt as though we’d been so close to losing her… but she was powerful, and she deserved to be revered.
“You’re right. We will follow your lead, my Queen.” As I spoke, I bowed my head as a show of respect. The gesture was a bit funny, considering when I did so, I was still looking down on the tiny woman. I smiled at her, and it was returned, and a feeling of serenity hit me.
“Besides,” the edge of her lip turned up into a smirk. “I did kill the most powerful and ancient Unseelie in existence. I’m not worried about the rest of them.”

4
Myrcedes
Daath and Syrion followed me through the glittering halls of the fae palace where the court was located. I remembered most of the layout from Kalian’s description, and once I was close enough, I was able to sense him. It wasn’t the same way I could sense Daath and Syrion. It was much shallower, almost as though Kalian was reaching out for someone. His thoughts were guarded, but his grief emanated through the palace.
Daath had insisted that if we crash the fae court, we do so with as much pomp and circumstance as possible, so the Kings were clad in their tailored suits that molded perfectly to their bodies - something I found quite distracting if I let my mind wander - and wore those cloaks that turned their already commanding presence intimidating. I, however, didn’t have much of a royal wardrobe quite yet, so I stuck with the outfit Lindsay had bought for me a few months ago: a leather vest built like a corset with patches adorning the left side and the back, along with black pants with the pockets of cargo pants but a silhouette that fit me like a glove. It wasn’t regal, but it looked intimidating enough.
We reached a set of doors that had no business being as large as it was. Really, I’d lived in houses shorter than this doorframe. The actual walls of the palace appeared to be a very pale yellow stone, though it had a sparkling quality to it I found mesmerizing. In contrast, the grand doors before us were wooden, but there were ornate three-dimensional images carved into them. The images of fae creatures and forests would have been beautiful had the whole mural not centered around a very large, tactile carving of Minerva. If I didn’t know better, I’d almost say the wood she was carved from looked more dead than the rest of it.
The brothers looked to me for confirmation. I nodded, and we pushed open the doors to see the courtroom before us. There were two sections for the gallery separated by an aisle down the middle. At the end of that aisle stood the defendant, and before him was an expansive podium that had to be at least twenty-five feet wide. Ten people looked down at us from the podium - either they were all standing on some kind of raised step, or they all happened to be two feet taller than the average person. As we threw open the doors to the sight before us, dozens of beautiful faces turned to examine the disruption. Every expression flooded with fear and confusion; the Kings of the Underworld were interrupting a trial, and they had brought a reaper with them.
Perhaps the most surprised face of all was Kalian’s. I met his golden eyes, full of the fear and distress that I’d been able to feel since we entered the palace. He looked out of place without his golden armor adorning his chest. Instead, he wore dirty gray slacks and a white shirt. He looked