If Tiron was who I thought, he’d want to save Azrael, no matter what.
I just wasn’t sure how well I knew him, at the moment.
I studied Raile, wondering what his plot was. Did he want to find Azrael because he knew I would want to find Azrael, and he wanted to please me…or at least, convince me that we were on the same side? Or did he have another motive, something that was a bit more… Raile?
Because I doubted he cared much what happened to Duncan, Azrael or Tiron. If they all killed each other, or I killed them, he’d probably munch on dried seaweed and watch the show with a smile on his face.
“For now, let’s stay on the surface of the sea, where my magic isn’t blocked and I can communicate with my people,” Tiron said. “Once I know where Azrael is, I can give specific coordinates.”
“If they tell you,” Raile said crisply.
Tiron stared Raile down as he said, “I’m their king.”
“Do they know that?” Duncan demanded. “Did you let them take Azrael as leverage, or did you lose my brother?”
Duncan’s tone suggested that either option might end in bloodshed.
Tiron faced Duncan with his shoulders squared. He was clearly exhausted but he didn’t back down, no matter that he was probably just beginning to recover the first strings of his magic and didn’t yet have strength for a fight. I wondered if that was part of what had held Duncan back. Raile’s arm barring Duncan’s chest would never be enough to stop Duncan if he truly wanted to hurt someone.
“You don’t need to concern yourself with my court or my people,” Tiron warned Duncan. “I put my court above all else—just as you do with the autumn court.”
Duncan stared back at him, something dark and dangerous glinting in his gaze.
“You lost control of your court, hm?” Raile leaned one shoulder against the wall, his hands in his pockets, pushing up the hem of his finely embroidered jacket. He was still dressed for our wedding, and he looked far too good in that suit now that my mind wasn’t racing to find an exit.
“Don’t pick on him, Raile,” I warned. “We need to focus on the tasks at hand: Making sure Azrael is safe, and not getting murdered by Faer’s guards ourselves.”
“And breaking the enchantment so we can have a good long talk about what exactly happened back in the castle?” Raile said, still looking amused by it all. “I think Duncan needs to find his brother and talk through his feelings before he snaps.”
A nap and some fruit snacks might help the big baby too. Right now I was pretty exasperated by all of these males.
Duncan snorted. He didn’t make any promises that he wouldn’t snap. Tiron might be his best friend, but Duncan probably wanted to keep him in a low-key state of terror now, too.
I knew firsthand how well Duncan coped with betrayal.
“Enchantment? What enchantment?” Tiron demanded.
“Faer had Alisa under his control making sure she came to her own wedding,” Raie said , then looked at me fondly. “Such a beautiful bride. I’ll never forget our special day, full of magic and murder.”
“Faer’s not here now,” Duncan pointed out.
“Mm, but I’m not sure he’s done with her.” Raile turned to me. “Is he?”
My lips parted to answer Raile’s question, but I couldn’t discuss the enchantment without those same cruel fingers twisting in my brain. Raile’s gaze sharpened, even though his posture was as relaxed as ever.
“That’s what I thought,” he said, sounding satisfied with himself to be right, the prig.
“Right about what?” Duncan asked, his tone still seething. “You are ridiculous, Raile.”
“Perhaps,” Raile said. He took my chin between his fingers and tilted my jaw up; I almost pulled away, but his eyes were bright and keen, as if he could look right through me and see Herrick’s grasp. Hope rose in my chest. “I think she’s still under the enchantment.”
“She does usually speak for herself just fine,” Tiron said.
“Far too much,” Duncan muttered.
“Ah, but I don’t think Faer is letting her speak freely.” Raile released my chin, although there was surprising sympathy in his eyes. Then Raile went on, “You have my magic now. Surely as your own magic returns, you should be strong enough to fight the enchantment.”
Without Raile’s gift of magic, I didn’t think I could have escaped. The thought made me itchy; he was already insufferable. “I can’t keep your magic.”
He tilted his head to one side, studying me. “It suits you,