Their emotions assaulted me, but my monster was too intoxicated to worry with the fear and uncertainty rolling off the Reapers that stood before me. I glanced over them and spotted a few things that needed to be corrected before we met with the King.
Axton stood tall, his false pride clear. In reality, he worried, and those bitter feelings formed a cloud of poison around him. Even so, I stepped closer, looking into his black eyes as I reached for his cloak. Grim Grouping Mannix had also been moved forward in ranking, and this would be their first outing with their new, thinly embroidered cloaks. A single line of the iridescent brek webbing followed the edges, and my fingers closed over it along the neck. A quick tug straightened out the slight wrinkle that Axton had missed. When he nodded, I proceeded to Trace.
Trace's emotions seemed more erratic lately, though I didn't blame him. Mine hadn't exactly been very level, either. Still, while I sensed the battle within him, his eyes didn't show it. He loved riling me up, but he couldn't seem to control those black orbs, and they never lied to me. They softened as I brushed the material covering his broad chest, patting it before I gave Kian a final look.
His blinding grin showed those sharp teeth that made his Fae heritage obvious. Heat bloomed inside of me as I inhaled the pheromones that billowed off of his bronze skin and remembered the last time his teeth sank into me. Hidden by my hood, I shook my head and adjusted the lines of the closure seam.
I'd turned away from them all, saying nothing. My throat seemed to be swollen, unable to speak any words even if I found them. With how my gut churned and my inner well swirled, I didn't have high hopes for us.
I should have persuaded them to stay home.
We stepped outside into the cool air and began our trek towards the sun and the palace. Leaving the past for later examination, I took a moment to tap into the Marks that lingered in their souls. Their emotions remained about the same as they had at home, with one notable exception—Kian felt nothing.
Our march towards the palace seemed ominous, as if both Fate and Death watched, waiting for the singular moment they could fuck us over simultaneously. I still wasn't convinced that we weren't the playthings of forces beyond us. Of course, some of the crawling sensation on my skin might have been attributed to the previous marches I'd made. One led to our imprisonment, the other gave us pardons, but neither foisted trust nor forgiveness on me.
While Axton and I led his Grouping down the street in a box formation, whispers followed us, and my thoughts wandered to the words on the summons. Despite my trying, I recalled nothing with the initials of OMIEB. I had no reason to trust the King, either, so I abandoned that line of thought in favor of playing out scenarios in my mind. The layout of the palace could be a confusing mess—an intentional security measure—so we would need a plan if the King rescinded his pardons and tried to toss us back into the dungeons.
A single shrill whistle cut through my thoughts. The whispers that had dulled while I was lost to my pondering returned, and they were much louder. A quick request sent to Shadow gave me the answer.
She turned around, spinning in her perch on my shoulder and transferred what she saw to my mind. Apparently, we'd picked up an entourage.
As we continued towards the palace, I couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not. With more than half of our walk finished, I didn't have long to recalculate my plans and potential dangers because of sudden fame. It was a mistake, one I couldn't afford to make. Not when I had so many secrets that needed to remain out of the spotlight. And certainly not when I had to prepare for a game where life and death were only opening bets.
Chapter Two
When Grim Grouping Mannix and I arrived at the gate, hate burned in my chest as the grey-clad Guards came into sight. As I tried to tamp it down, the Guard nearest me yelled for us to halt, which made no sense because the closed gate had Guards lined along the perimeter's interior. What did he expect us to do? Leap over