Night Fae (Dark Fae Kings #3) - Meg Xuemei X. Page 0,1
Fae kings were always ready to go.
“We won’t allow the bitch to thrust you into the Wild Hunt,” Baron hissed viciously, a muscle twitching on his strong jaw. “For thousands of years, no one has ever survived the game. I’m not going to risk losing you. She schemes to sacrifice you as the tithe to the hunt? She can fucking offer herself. So we’ll take the fight to her first and put her down before she ever touches my mate.”
I nodded. I wanted to look less worried, but fear for my brother’s safety churned in my gut, and a bone-deep ache thrummed along my shoulder blades.
Rydstrom saw the shadows in my uncertain eyes. He leaned forward, the pad of this thumb stroking my cheek. “We’ll bargain for your brother first. If that fails, we’ll move on to slaying the usurper.”
“We have everything under control, my king,” Drake said from the driver seat. “Our teams are in position. They’ve surrounded the area and are fired up to go to battle.”
The Captain of the Night Court addressed his king, but the message was meant to calm my nerves. Drake had warmed up to me after I refused to leave him and the last standing warriors behind in the battles. It wasn’t in my heart to preserve only myself, especially when so many of them died to defend me.
Another elite Night knight rode in front. He had the same dark hair and tanned skin as Drake. Most of the Night knights had dark features.
Two Summer knights perched on the rearmost seats, their eyes scanning outside the tinted windows for any potential threats. Eden was one of the surviving Summer knights who’d guarded my house. Vidar, Baron’s Captain of the Guards, was a new addition to this operation. He’d been overseeing the Summer Court while his king stayed in the mortal realm. Now he’d also joined us, ready to jump into the fray.
“We’re approaching the Silver Circle’s headquarters.” Rydstrom regarded me with warmth and concern. “Drink your water, Eve, and you’ll feel better.”
The sparkling water Rydstrom provided for me was actually Fae drink, meant to strengthen warrior Fae when they were in the mortal realm. I lifted the bottle, brought it to my lips, and took a swig. As the pure, ice-cold liquid streamed down my parched throat, my anxiety receded further.
I drank another mouthful of the Fae water as I peeked outside the window. Escorted by four armored SUVs packed with knights from the Summer and Night courts, our limousine rolled along Georgia Street, which curved from the north end of Stanley Park on Lions Gate Bridge.
Brigantia had finally agreed to meet the Fae kings at the headquarters of the Silver Circle, run by the mages in Vancouver—neutral ground. Baron had explained that only the Night King could draw her out. She’d been lusting after him for centuries. The intel wasn’t pleasing to my ears, but Rydstrom vowed that not in a million years would he ever fuck her.
As our limo cruised through the downtown core, an old memory swept over me. I’d lived here in Vancouver, in this metropolis of sunlight, greenery, and ocean for four months as a kid. My parents had constantly moved us around to throw our enemies off our track. We never stayed in any city for over six months, except for Pasadena. I wondered why, since Pasadena, the slow-paced, boring old town, would never have been my top choice of cities.
My parents had let their guard down after I packed and left for college, and then they just vanished without a trace, leaving me and my six siblings behind. I jerked myself out of the memory of pain and grief. I had a battle to fight and a brother to rescue. I couldn’t allow myself to wallow in self-pity.
The Escalade pulled into a colossal square in front of a gleaming twelve-story building in the West End. The mages’ symbol of a silvery circle containing half-shade and half-flame was etched on the glossy glass façade.
The Silver Circle was a powerful guild comprised of mages that served as the supernatural police. It had chapters in every country and on every continent. I was no longer completely ignorant when it came to the supernaturals, as both Rydstrom and Baron had competed to hire court tutors to shove all their knowledge of the magical world down my throat.
Mages were still mortals, though they had a longer lifespan than humans. Shifters were the next power player in the mortal realm. Every region