Warning

**Natalie POV**

Wasting no time, Trevor pulled the water from the pond into two fat blasts. One swept Izzy and me back; while the other aimed for the tree. Upon impact, the bark scattered. The wood broke off into large sharp jagged pieces in the sky and rained down on us. A circle of water swirled around Izzy and me, creating a bubble. As the bark daggers approached, the dome formed into ice, caging us safely inside.

Through the distorted imagery I got inside the ice barrier, I saw several pieces of wood jutting out of Trevor's arm. Any pain he may have been experiencing didn't show. He acted unfazed and charged after our assailant. Jacob hit the ground. Eyes shut tight, he buried his hands in the dirt. I couldn't hear the words in the barrier, but he was shouting something at Trevor.

I had to get out of the confine. Something wasn't adding up. Assassins don't make big obvious moves unless desperate or plotting a trap. They strike precisely and fast. A sneak attack that gives time to the victim like that one could only be a setup.

Against my back, Izzy became still and stiff as a pole. A flare of wind aura came from somewhere behind us. Seconds later, the ice barrier shattered. Two high-pitched screams drowned out all sounds of elemental powers clashing. I whipped my head around quickly, just in time to see my friend claw at her heart. Izzy shrieked miserably one more time and collapsed to the ground.

Izzy fell as if her wings which were beginning to spread once more, had been ripped off. The clashing of swords was numb to my ears. Panic filled every bone in my body. Why should we pass out? There was no new wound. Preparing to defend my friend, I forced the pieces of broken bark into the softened ground, ready to stab whoever meant us harm. My eyes frantically searched for what could have hurt her.

Rushing from the inner gate was a tall knight. The knight tore the helmet off. Black hair was plastered to his head from the sweat beading from every pore of his heated face. Princess Lydia trailed behind him; the fat man from the kitchens was alongside her. Both their expressions were unreadable.

Sir Ellice skidded on the mud in front of Izzy's unconscious body earning a disapproving glare from Princess Lydia's advisor. Two slabs shot at Ellice's arms before he could touch her. The next round would do more than shallowly puncture his skin if he got any closer. I pulled Izzy close to me, shielding her with my body. It had to be one of them. She was terrified of someone standing before me, maybe all of them. One of them could be her assaulter.

To my right, Jacob scurried forward in the direction Trevor had taken. Several shouts filled the air, but I felt no more surges in aura. No one was using elemental power, not even the two DSS members. What was happening over there? Was Trevor okay?

As much as I wished I could figure out what was happening on the battlefield, my priority was my passed-out friend and the handsy knight. *Trevor and Jacob are members of the DSS. Trap or not, they should be prepared.* Keeping one eye on the ground, Sir Ellice reached for Izzy again, anxiety written in every crease on his face. I curled my body protectively around her, secretly aiming the hidden projectiles toward Ellice.

"Sir Ellice, get off the ground now! Your Prince is fighting! Go serve the crown, not some silly future mistress' of his!" The old man barked at the knight.

Confliction and fear replaced anxiety in his golden gaze. Casting a sad glance down at Izzy, Ellice hopped to his feet. A quick bow to his higher-ups, the draw of steel, and off he went charging into the battlefield. Judging by the number of different grunts I could make out in the distance, at least a dozen people were fighting. It took that many to bring down this assassin? One member of the DSS should have been enough. Something really wasn't settling right in my stomach.

A grunt came from the Princess, snapping my attention back to her. A pink ring was forming on Lydia's forearm. Skittish long fingers scratched at the web of jewels by her collarbone. Lydia watched Izzy nestled securely in my arms. Her expression was unreadable. Recarad glared at her, more fire in his cold eyes than a demon's when red with bloodlust. A tremor ran up her spine. To further nudge Lydia, the advisor pointed to Izzy. The Princess paled immediately and gulped loudly.

The song of swords ended in the background. A quick glance to the left showed Sir Ellice rejoining us. Blood spots decorated his half plate and gauntlets. "Fights over." He declared, staring down at Izzy once more. I squinted near where the two DSS members had run to, but Jacob was the only one I could see. He was crouched down intently at something hidden by his body.

Lydia released the gold and squared her shoulders. "Prince Trevor has a responsibility to his people. Princess Aileen selfishly set aside my brother regardless of the impact it could have on her country. Prince Trevor and I should correct her failings and wed." Princess Lydia explained, steering the conversation.

"You two are engaged," I repeated the lies she told at the banquet.

She clucked her tongue. "Last night, he said he had reservations about our pending marriage. My Prince cruelly admitted this once he took what he desired. Perhaps due to his intoxicated state."

Crap bag of lies! He was covered in actual shit when I saw him. He hadn't fucked anyone last night. Right? Or there was another timeline of events. *Stop overthinking! Facts and instincts, that's it!*

I said nothing.

"Princess Lydia!" The horrid man growled threateningly. Lydia's heart skipped a beat, and she became uneasy on her feet. He grabbed her, adding fingerprints near the pink ring on her arm. Promptly the Princess stood tall; her high-headed, elegant poise recovered.

"We slept together out of wedlock. Sinned. I must marry the man who took my virginity. The only issue is Prince Trevor is not willing to commit exclusively. It was…naive of me to believe he would be solely mine. I am willing to share him with a couple of lower-class whor- mistresses. So, when he woke up this morning, I told him he could keep you two as concubines."

Her perfectly manicured nails tapped on her thigh impatiently, waiting for a response.

"This morning?" I didn't have to hunt for words. Truth was forbidden fruit for her.

Then I saw it. Rips formed in the veil. Cracks in the plastic smile.

The advisor, like a hippo, opened his mouth wide, beginning to say something. Seeing the Prince and Jacob approaching, clearly upset, his mouth snapped closed.

Hard lines contorted their faces almost unnaturally. Both looked ready to commit blood murder, a dangerous, complex mixture of confusion, anger, uncertainty, and hypothesizing.

Advisor stick up the ass wasn't the best reader of people. Money and position can really leave a person deaf to cues. Trevor's change in behavior was more crystalline than the diamonds inlaid Lydia's tiara. Full of arrogance, he asked, "how was it, my Prince? The assassin fled again?"

Was he really taunting the Prince of this kingdom?

Trevor's scowl deepened. "The assassin was not here this time. We have thirteen people unconscious being brought to the dungeons by the wall guards. When they wake up, they'll be questioned."

Trevor didn't allow Not-So-Jolly-Santa a chance to speak. He motioned for Sir Ellice to come forward. The knight bowed next to Trevor, his posture stiff. None of us missed how his eyes wandered down to Izzy before standing straight in the Prince's presence again.

"Take Izzy to my sister's wing. Aileen is best suited to help Izzy through her current situation. Protect them, Sir Ellice; it's your life."

"My Prince! He is in charge of Lydia's protection!" Outrage was leaking out from the arrogant man. Both his fists were clenched at his sides.

Trevor blew a hot breath upwards, lifting the brown hair strands on his forehead. "Jacob will be taking over for this shift." Prince Trevor narrowed his eyes and cocked his head as if just realizing something. "Why are you three here?"

The advisor turned around to mouth what I swear were the words 'Roy's fate' He turned to me and said, "we are in understanding of your place? You can be a good whore for Prince Trevor and not stand in his way?"

In response, Trevor's aura radiated off his body in ocean-deep blue waves. Recarad couldn't see his aura the way a demon or elemental could; however, human instinct kicked in, sensing the danger. While the advisor searched for the correct words to appease the glowering Prince, I kept my face blank. Ahead of me, I noticed how Lydia pinched her leg from behind her back. Another tear in the invisible veil.

The sexist pig brain took a step towards Lydia. He grabbed her arm and pushed it near her chest. Taking the too damn obvious cue, she placed both arms under her boobs, pressing them together, creating more cleavage. The globes of her breasts were an offering to distract the young Prince.

It didn't work. The royal advisor may have observed this had his lust-filled eyes not been staring at Lydia's chest.

Confident he had piqued Trevor's interest, he took a step closer to the other man. The millisecond he lifted his foot, I rumbled the ground beneath him. His balance failed, and Recarad fell into a puddle of mud with a loud splat. A satisfying 'oof!' left his mouth.

Jacob and Trevor must have seen my aura flare. They both flashed me quick thumbs up before Recarad could look up.

In a small submissive voice, I asked, "are you okay?"

The jerkwad of Krennan glared at me. He had no idea I was the reason for his sudden descent, but I was a much easier outlet for his frustration than Mother Nature.

Prince Trevor growled and repeated his previous question.

In scattered words, he replied, "I wish for you and I…to request an audience…with King Ulrich! We must discuss…arrangements for you and Princess Lydia."

"And why is that Royal Advisor?"

A relaxed grin formed in the corners of Royal Advisor Ricarad like he had won the top prize at a casino. "I heard you were very drunk last night indeed. The two of you took pleasure from each other's bodies. She is fit to only wed you now."

A slight pause was given for Trevor's benefit. How kind of him. Then he continued, "I have also gotten her to agree to let you keep your two mistresses here, so long as you give her your heir. So now, let us talk to His Majesty."

Lying was contagious in the Kingdom of Krennan.

"Alright, I will speak to the King with you. I just have to speak with my mistress; privately."

Recarad wasn't pleased but agreed. He muttered something about taking a bath. The two made their arrangements. Trevor said he would go to the King and wait for the advisor to begin the discussion. Jacob went to Lydia's side. Sir Ellice untangled Izzy from me and gently picked her up. Seeing he had no malice, only sadness in his expression, I decided to trust the man. He wasn't the one who gave Izzy to the assassin's accomplice. No, I had an awful suspicion it was a different man here.

Trevor nudged his head, and we went to stand by the empty pond. I didn't feel like playing the silent game with my true love, so I went straight to the point. "What is it? Ya know full well you didn't sleep with her. None of the timing works outright. And we were with each other pretty much the entire time you were drugged. You called me Casper-ette, remember. They said you spent the night with her; this is a trap to-"

A quick hard kiss silenced me. "You rambled! So you do still trust me, Sweetness!"

The idiot! Did he really have to be more concerned with that at a time like this?!

"So, uh, what did you wanna say?"

Darkness befell his face again. "All the people the assassin left behind to fight us were well-armed. Natalie, they somehow had guns. When we knocked them out, we searched their bodies and found two disturbing things. This is a lot more in-depth than just an elemental assassin."

"What?

"They were all from Vernen. Of the thirteen people, I recognized two as guards of the inner mansion and one as a kitchen aid."

The citizens of Vernen were wielding weapons of a different dimension and helping the assassin?

"Second?" I didn't wanna know. The way he was acting, he held the worst news for last.

He reached for my arm and trailed his fingers up from the vein in my wrist, exactly where Diana's mark had once been on me. "They all bear Demon Lord Shiuku's mark."

My heart plummeted. Knots twisted in my stomach. Demon Lord Shiuku's mark was here?! It shouldn't be possible. Demon Lord Kuzon was the bridge between dimensions. Dimensional rifts were his power, and he locked this one from Demon Lords Shiuku and Darren. It was part of why we all retreated here. How in the dimensional hell bull baloney did a closed-off dimension have random citizens bearing Shiuku's mark?! No wonder the two members of the DSS were dragging their feet back here. What explanation could they offer the King?

"Meetcha up tonight. Your handsome man is going to need some serious stress relief."

"I'm going with you to Siren's whatever. We're in this together."

"It'll be dangerous, and I'll be acting like those evil perverts. If you're there, you'd have to be my slave. You just stopped fearing me…No." His lips pecked my cheek just before heading inside the castle.

Jacob and Lydia were talking amongst themselves when I walked back. Mentally I'd had enough. All the lies, betrayals, not knowing who to trust, I'd had it. *Mom, I promise one day I'll live a simple happy life just like I always told you, but for now, I have to do this for my friends, true love, and well myself. I need answers about all these lies, and I need revenge for Izzy.* And the place to start was the brothel.

"Nats? Are you alright?"

I nodded. "I'd like to talk to you about your outing tonight."

"How lucky. What woman wouldn't want to spend time with her future husband's whore." Lydia snarled. "Since I'm so nice, I'll give you a word of caution Ms. Natalie. Stay away from Trevor, or you'll share a similar fate to Izzy. This was all a big warning."