Fate of a Royal (Lords of Rathe, #1)(75)

Suddenly, the smoke spreads out, thinning until it’s nearly translucent, and then there he is.

Knight’s sharp jaw stares back at me, his eyes pointed and hard, face set with a death glare—his usual expression.

He’s bouncing slightly, and my brows pull, realizing he’s walking, the soft click of heels heard in the distance.

Oh my shit, the smoke listened to me.

Afraid to spook, well, one of us…assuming it’s a living thing, I slowly ease my legs up, folding beneath me. Might as well test this baby out.

“Show me all of Knight.”

Like adjusting the lens on a camera, the image zooms out, revealing Knight and Sinner walking side-by-side in matching, dapper solid black suits, their expressions matching and eyes brilliantly blue against the raven shade. Legend and Creed are beside them, and as the smoky screen moves farther away, his mother, and who is without a doubt his father, appear.

A black crown sits atop his mother’s head, her long black hair silky straight down her back, lips painted a deep blood-red as she stares straight ahead, black fingernails as sharp as diamonds.

Behind them, another portal opens as a few girls step through, each in full glam with stilettos and dresses I couldn’t afford if I saved every penny over my entire lifetime.

My eyes snap left as the girl grows closer, and instantly a frown pulls.

Alex sashays forward, planting her hand on Knight’s arm.

I wait for him to shove her off, but he doesn’t. He swings his arm over, wrapping it around her back and using it to guide her forward.

Heat crawls up my spine, tension settling behind my ribs as he leans toward her, whispering in her ear.

“Silence,” he demands.

My lip curls when she looks up at him with hungry eyes, using her finger to pretend to zip her lips.

They descend several stairs, the giant room seeming to shift and spin with each step they take, making it hard for me to find anything that might clue me in to where they are. This is live, right? Like, I’m watching him right now? Not some old film that’s tricking me because my mind is a fragile being at the moment?

“Where is she?” Alex asks then, and I sit up straighter.

Okay, live it is.

“What part of silence do you not understand?” he deadpans.

“Maybe if my mouth had something else to do, I wouldn’t be speaking.”

My jaw drops. “Brazen little bitch.” Irritation itches along my skin and I fling my hand out, sick of her, and…holy shit. The image moves.

It shifts until Legend and Creed are in view, a girl our age at each of their sides as well, and then there’s Silver. He stands beside an older man who must be his father, with Knight at his side.

I stare at the man responsible for the devilishly divine men who have been ruining my life lately, and yeah. I can see where they get it.

Their father looks cold, harsh, and aged in ways they aren’t yet, but not old. His eyes snap up then, and I hold my breath as they seem to stare directly into mine. His gaze narrows , and he shakes his head.

A knot forms in my throat and I don’t dare move, but then he clears his throat, lifting his chin to speak.

“Why have you called us from our lands when we are but hours from the Midnight Mating ceremony?”

“You really plan to continue with your night of reckless debauchery considering what’s happened?” a silvery voice says.

“What’s happened?” I whisper to myself, leaning forward.

“What’s reckless is keeping your gifts on leashes. We’re stronger than you for many reasons, one of which is we don’t hold our gifts back. We are our gifts. Not some humanized version of it.”

The way he spits the word human has the hairs on my neck standing.

Speaking so low I can hardly hear myself, just in case the sound travels, I test this smoky surface shit again. “What does Knight see?”

The picture disappears and I gasp, but then it swirls, and slowly, I gape at the scene.

“Holy shit.”

In the back of my mind, I recall the Mage’s warning about the use of such a word here, but I can’t focus. My eyes are eating up every inch of this space. A giant room, spinning in orbit with diamonds hanging from the ceiling. There’s a long, marble-style table that separates each person, and the closer I look, the more I notice there aren’t any doors. One materializes, and a waiter walks through before it disappears again.

Ah. Right. I mean, who needs a door when you have fucking magic?

“Enough,” the voice I recognize as Knight’s mom commands, her tone bored but indefinite. “You have concerns about the attacks on the Deveraux domains.”

“We’ve heard there has been—”

“Heard from who?” Creed speaks, and suddenly he’s in my view, as if Knight has turned to face him before looking forward once more. “Who would speak of the Stygian business to an Argent?”

By the way he says it, he means they wouldn’t.

So he thinks they must know more than they’re saying?

The next words spoken go right over my head as all I can hear is Alex’s voice as if in my ear.

“Can we play after? I’ve missed you.” Her hand brushes his chest, and he stares at it, attention rising to her.

“Who have you missed, Alexandra?” he whispers, and my claws sink into my heart, restricting it as his hand lifts, tipping her until his mouth is at her ear.