“Speak,” Drake says.
“There is something we can do,” he croaks out.
Drake shakes his head. “No, son. We cannot go to war with them and the Dragons. This child is supposed to bring peace.” He stops and then his gaze bores into Sebastian’s and he says. “Unless…”
“Unless what?” I breathe.
“Unless Kalen takes back his rightful place as true King of the Light Fae,” he states.
I look up at Sebastian who has his grim face on. That would mean killing his brother and reclaiming his throne.
“No, Seb. You can’t,” I tell him.
He looks down at me. “I have to. It is the only way to break this,” he says, resigned.
There is a long silence, which Vito breaks when he asks Drake, “Why did you let him abdicate in the first place?”
We all look at Drake.
“I am not his keeper,” Drake mutters. “He is free to do what he wants, but I didn’t fight him on it because it was what was best for my daughter.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“With him King of the Light Fae, your place would have been over there, with them, not here with me,” he says with a slight flush.
“Oh,” I say and beam at him.
He beams back but then his face goes serious again. “Kalen, if you do this, you have to be one hundred percent committed. Any more indecision on your part could start proceedings if Thrace has told anyone about this already.”
“I know,” he says. He smiles at me and adds, “How about it, wife? Are you ready to be Light Fae Queen again?”
“Ahem,” Drake clears his throat and gives me a piercing look.
I know what he is thinking. He wants me over here as true Dark Fae Queen.
“Daddy,” I whine. “I already told you, you can’t do that.”
“It’s already done, Princess. As soon as you give birth to the child that you and Kalen will create, you will be Queen of these lands.”
“But not if Thrace gets to me first,” I mutter, appalled that I let myself get into this situation. “How will that even work?” I ask.
No one can answer that for a moment.
“Because the two Kingdoms will be united and you will rule together,” Drake says eventually.
“Oh,” I say flatly. How am I supposed to tell him that I want to choose CK and not Sebastian once all of this is over? Although, me wanting it won’t necessarily make it so. It is still up for debate and one that Aefre is currently losing as Sebastian takes my hand and links our fingers together. Aeval wants this, desperately.
“We should go now,” Sebastian says. “If he has any brains in his head, he will be expecting it anyway.”
Drake nods his approval and then mutters, “I never thought I would help bring a Light Fae King into power. This is messed up.”
I snicker in spite of the serious nature of the next actions, which are all my fault. I don’t know how I will ever make this up to Sebastian. I watch them leave grimly and then a hand circles my waist. I look next to me and it is Maurelle.
“They will be safe,” she says.
I nod, a little bit tearfully. I am not worried about their safety, I am more than sure that Sebastian, with the entire Dark Fae army at his back, can hold his own against the Light Fae, but I am worried for him. He may be a Vampire and he may be just as cutthroat as the rest of the Faerie, but he has already been a party to his father’s death and now he will take his brother’s life as well.
All for me.