CHAPTER 83

Alister dismissed every attempt of diplomacy they sent. Faye had hoped to resolve this peacefully, but Rune's brother was set on vengeance. Faye tried to see the situation through his eyes. She didn't pretend to understand what he'd been through. The depth of his grief. She couldn't imagine a vacant-eyed Rune or caring for the shadow of the person she loved for eight hundred years.

Faye leaned her hip on Rune's desk, peering through the intricately designed wrought iron glass. Her mind wandered as she gazed at Hell's ever-twilight sky. "I think you should formally acknowledge me."

Rune set his documents down, offering her his undivided attention. "Vsenia, we have been over this."

They had. The past three weeks had been busy, the days bleeding together. Rune taught her to manipulate shields around herself and others. She could throw arcs and bolts of power. Her most recent lesson— Communicating telepathically.

She trained with Damian each morning. Learning combative techniques and how to maintain a shield while being attacked.

In the end, it felt pointless. Alister was thousands of years older than her. A master swordsman.

Faye frowned. "Your brother won't stop."

"I will find another way. One that will safeguard you, and the family you want." He took her hand, brushing his thumb over her knuckles. "The family we will have."

He always asked for time. Being immortal, the man had an endless quantity of it. Faye didn't have that luxury. "We need to put an end to the blood debt. Help me find a way to incapacitate him."

Rune squeezed her hand as his lips thinned. "Vsenia."

"He will attack me. If not in The Eyes, then later when I don't expect it."

"There are dozens of combative techniques I could teach you." He spoke in a gentle tone, leaning forward. "They take time to master. Even mastered, you are expecting to be able to manifest your will when you are being attacked. Learning to focus in such a way takes years."

Faye clenched her jaw, turning her attention to Hell's landscape. She had less than a week before Alister forced Rune to name her a whore or acknowledge her.

"Give me two more days to search for an alternative, and I will begin teaching you combative spells tonight. You will need to learn to tear down mental barriers." Rune lifted his chin, glancing at the door. He inhaled and turned his attention back to her. "Dinner is ready. You need to eat. You have been pushing yourself."

"You need to eat too." She smiled up at him as he stood.

Rune followed her lead, pressing his lips to the back of her hand. "What I sip from you each night is more than enough to sustain me."

Faye blushed at the memories of his lips at her throat as they strolled to the great room, hand in hand.

The evening meal had started without them. Faye and Rune took their usual seats. She made a plate, joining in with the laughter and chatter.

"Vash was explaining your idiotic, royal dating system," Sparrow informed Rune despite having a mouthful of food.

Vashien mouthed,I'm sorry,to Rune, and Faye took the opportunity to send a thought to Sadi.

I have an idea to stop Alister.

Faye waited, keeping her attention on Sparrow as she ate. Sadi was loyal to Rune, but she was willing to bet she would help if it freed Rune of his blood debt.

"Want to know a really easy fix for all this?" Sparrow dangled the question, entirely too pleased with herself.

Sadi's response was taking too long. Faye began doubting if she sent her thoughts correctly and turned to glance at the Familiar.

Sadi's sculpted eyebrow momentarily raised as their gazes met, then she bit a cut of meat off her knife paying attention to the conversation between Rune and Sparrow.

Faye explained her plan along her communication thread with Sadi as Rune chuckled, "I have the distinct feeling you are going to tell me."

"If you formally acknowledge her, your shit brother gets to attack her. If you don't, then Faye becomes the slut mistress of Hell. There's a third option you royals are just too stuck up to see." Sparrow beamed.

"I await your invaluable insight." Rune leaned back in his chair. Idly brushing his fingertips over Faye's thigh.

"My invaluable insight won't affect any cute babies you two have either." Faye choked on her drink, coughing into her glass. Scowling at her, Sparrow added, "Bitch don't try to lie. I know you, and you want his babies."

Faye wheezed into her napkin, trying to catch her breath as Rune rubbed her back. Thankfully she'd finished explaining her plan to Sadi before her sister ambushed her.

Sparrow clapped, unable to contain her I'm-a-genius grin. "Announce yourself as Faye's whore. Problem solved."

Leave it to her sister to find a loophole. One Faye didn't want. Questions rose in her mind all at once. If he announced himself as her whore was that all he could ever be? He would have to sacrifice being her husband and consort.

"No." The word slipped from her lips. Faye glanced at Rune and shook her head. "No."

Sparrow's shoulders dropped. "Bitch, you're ruining my perfect plan."

This wasn't perfect. One look at Rune and she knew he would accept it happily, sacrificing his title and social standing for her. He belonged to her, hers to protect. From himself if need be. No matter how brilliant her sister thought she was, a technicality wouldn't stop Alister. Sparrow said so herself all those weeks ago.

This isn't base, bitch.

Sadi clasped Faye's shoulder drawing her from her thoughts. The Familiar smiled at her. "This can work. Come to the north wing after dinner, we'll iron out the details."

Faye admired the billowing lengths of fabric and colorful tapestries decorating Sadi's den. The Familiar stood at the fireplace turning a short white vase stuffed with fresh cut flowers. She tapped the clawed tip of her ring on her bottom lip before shifting the vase a few inches and scrutinizing it again.

Black light flashed over the walls and faded. "The Shadow Prince has sensitive ears," Sadi said absently without looking at her.

"Yeah," Faye muttered, walking to the chairs before the fireplace.

"You're asking me to go behind Rune's back," Sadi said, adjusting a black rose. "And defy his wishes."

Faye's cheeks heated. She didn't want to lie to him, but Rune wouldn't address his brother. He always asked for time. Immortality gave him an endless number of days to scheme and plan.

She wasn't blessed with the same luxury.

"Do you really want Rune to announce himself as my whore?" Faye asked.

Sadi adjusted the vase a final time and turned toward her, folding her arms. Faye's brow pinched faintly as she realized it wasn't a vase at all. The flowers protruded from the eye sockets and jaw of an upturned skull.

Faye swallowed, returning her attention to Sadi. "We're both loyal to Ru—"

"I don't see loyalty," Sadi said flatly.

Faye tensed as her magic surged, answering her anger. "Do you think I like lying to him? Alister is coming for me. He is not going to care if Rune declares himself my whore. I want to call in the blood debt and finish this. Is there a way for me to formally acknowledge Rune?"

"You have no noble blood," Sadi said, as she went to the table and poured a glass of wine. "The only avenue you have to lay claim to the Shadow Prince is to form your court and announce him as your consort."

Faye's shoulders dropped as she joined Sadi. Initiating the blood debt would mean ambushing him. Like the High Queen did.

No, Rune loved her. She was nothing like the high bitch. "The High Queen won't sign the petition to form my court."

"There are other rulers, Morbid among them," Sadi said before sipping her wine. "If you witnessed Alister on the battlefield, you wouldn't be so anxious to face him."

"Damian told me he can break shields. He doesn't have blood dark enough to break mine."

Sadi laughed. "That will be the least of your problems. He's a day-blood that consistently kills dark-bloods. His favored move was to phase his opponent into open sky. Dispatch them when the freefall breaks their concentration and behead them."

Faye's stomach knotted. As formidable as Alister was, it was safer to face him on her terms than wait for him to attack. "Rune's magic has no effect on me. Alister won't either."

"Your life is tied to Rune's. I will take Alister's mind and kill him before it comes to that," Sadi said with a wave of her hand.

Dark-bloods and their violence. "No, I don't want him hurt. Make me a Familiar binding to put Alister to sleep."

"Bindings are initiated with blood. I can spell a dagger, but you'll have to dirty your hands," Sadi said, lifting her glass to point at her.

"I need to stab him?"

"Did you think Alister would offer up his blood if you asked nicely?"

It was a means to an end. Alister was immortal. A knife wound wouldn't kill him. "We're going to be part of the same court. You don't have to be such a bitch."

Sadi smiled, pouring a second glass of wine. She offered it to Faye as she said, "Then be a queen worthy of him."