Grayson sat next to his mate and his mate’s familiar, reeling at what had happened. He’d never heard of a familiar being able to speak to anyone, not even their bonded. Then there was the bit about Ethan’s soul.
How many other familiars could do the same? he thought to himself.
He didn’t have long to dwell on it before the queen started talking.
“Okay, let’s get the introductions out of the way, Silas and Jett will return shortly. I want to be careful about who knows what, and this is not something any of my guards need to know.”
Grayson nodded along with Adam and Russell, who were sitting on the opposite couch. The queen had her own chair in between the two couches.
“Right. A few quick introductions first. Ethan, your mate is Grayson. He’s an alpha and the shifter representative here to convince me to get the Fae involved in a battle with the Midnight Coven. Across from you are his betas, Adam and Russell.”
Grayson smirked when Adam wiggled his fingers at Ethan in a sort of wave. Russell just inclined his head.
“Boys, as I mentioned earlier, this is my nephew Ethan. Now, introductions are over and—” The queen was cut off by a hiss. “Oh I do apologize. This is Beema, Ethan’s familiar.”
Grayson heard Ethan snicker, but thought better than to say anything.
“So now that we’re all one big, happy family, what is our next step?” Adam asked.
“We start with what we know,” Grayson said, turning to look at Ethan. “You mentioned you had a surprise visitor two weeks ago. I’m guessing that means you know who it was?”
Ethan nodded. “Yeah, it was my sister Des.”
Queen Arabella gasped. “What was she doing there?”
Turning, Ethan focused on his aunt. “She was after love potions.”
Grayson’s jaw dropped. A quick glance revealed that everyone else was in the same position.
“Why would anyone want love potions? Weren’t they made illegal?” he asked, voicing the question that was undoubtedly on the minds of the others.
Ethan shrugged. “You tell me. What is Ravyn Darkh planning, and how could it benefit with some love potions?”
Grayson froze in his seat, dread filling him. “Ravyn Darkh? She has dozens of plans that we know of, which means there are just as many that we don’t know of, and each one of them could probably benefit with a love potion. Your sister is aligned with Ravyn Darkh?”
Ethan’s blue eyes locked onto Grayson’s, and it took everything within him not to get lost in their depths. He still almost missed it when Ethan started talking.
“Uh…not exactly.”
Frowning, Grayson watched as his mate squirmed in his seat. “What does not exactly mean?”
He started to feel uneasy when Ethan kept glancing around the room, avoiding anyone’s gaze.
“Ethan, we need to know,” Queen Arabella said quietly.
“Fine,” Ethan sighed. “Not exactly means that Des isn’t aligned with Ravyn because…”
“Because?” Grayson prompted, taking hold of Ethan’s hand and entwining their fingers. The small smile he received from his mate made him want to explode with happiness, but the next words burst his happy bubble.
“Because my sister is Ravyn Darkh.”
****
Ethan held his breath as he stared at Grayson, waiting for the shock of his announcement to leave Grayson’s face. Knocking on the door sounded, forcing Grayson to snap back to attention. The shock was still clear in his eyes, but his face was now a blank mask. Ethan couldn’t resist tightening the hold he had on Grayson’s hand. A thrill went through him when Grayson lifted their hands and kissed Ethan’s.
“It’ll be okay, my mate,” Grayson whispered, and Ethan let the tension leave his body.
A tiny part of him was still worried that this might cause him issues with Grayson down the track, but he had to hope that his mate would stand by his side.
“Who is it?” his aunt called out.
Jett’s voice came through the door. “Silas and Jett, Your Highness.”
“Come in,” she replied.
Ethan turned to look at the guards as they entered with the tea and cake. There was a flash of irritation on Jett’s face when they saw them all on the couches. Instinct had him switching his vision so that he could see the true natures of the guards walking toward them. The second he did, he gasped. Standing, he quickly put himself in front of his mate as Beema leapt onto the couch, hissing at them.
“Eth—”
He cut his mate off without taking his eyes off the men approaching. “They’re surrounded by black magic!”
Everyone froze at his declaration. He returned his vision to normal and started to call his magic to him when suddenly his aunt moved herself in front of him. At the same time, Grayson leapt off the couch and grabbed him. Ethan was maneuvered until he was standing behind Grayson. As Grayson growled, Ethan leaned over slightly until he could monitor the guards.
“Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you impersonate my guards!” His aunt’s voice was so icy that he’d have sworn the room temperature dropped a few degrees with each word.
The guards didn’t respond, but Ethan clenched his fists when they both turned to look at him and snarled. In front of his eyes, the guards’ blond hair and blue eyes became black. The gold and white uniform of the queen’s guards seemed to melt off them, turning even their clothing black.
“Soon you will be dead, and this whole kingdom will belong to Ravyn Darkh, the rightful queen!” Silas yelled.
Before he could stop himself, Ethan spoke. “You think Ravyn is the rightful Fae Queen?”
Jett shook his head at him. “Fool! Ravyn is the rightful queen of all the realms, not just the Fae! Soon, you will be bowing down to her.” Jett smirked. “Unless, of course, she kills you first.”
Bright light suddenly flared, but the two imposters threw something to the floor and disappeared in a puff of smoke just as his aunt hurled whatever she had conjured. Ethan continued to stare at the spot the two had stood moments ago while hearing his aunt swearing in the background. Grayson spun around, pulling Ethan into his arms. Ethan relaxed against his mate and enjoyed the moment.
“I wonder if the Midnight Coven leader knows of Ravyn’s plans to take over,” Russell remarked.
Adam groaned. “So now what?”
So much for enjoying the moment, Ethan thought to himself. Beema’s delicate snort made him think that maybe he hadn’t been as alone in his thoughts as he imagined.
“Now, we take a break. I’ll need to investigate and see how those two were able to pass themselves off as my guards—“
“And who they stole their likeness from,” Russell stated.
His aunt closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them, Ethan could see the determination in their depths. “Yes, and whose features they stole. We can meet tomorrow morning and discuss things further. In the meantime, there is a set of suites in the royal wing that you can use. There are three rooms, but one has its own lounging area while the other two rooms share theirs. There is also a connecting door between the two areas.”
“That will be fine, thank you, Your Highness,” Grayson said.
“You’re welcome.”
“Where do you want me?” Ethan asked, facing his aunt.
Grayson cupped his cheek and tilted his face up until he was staring into his eyes. “In my bed,” he growled out.
“A-are you sure? I don’t want to impose.” Watching as Grayson growled again and his eyes turned amber. A thrill raced up Ethan’s spine.
“You’re mine! The only place you’ll be spending your night is in my bed!”
“Okay,” Ethan agreed. It’s not like I want to spend my night anywhere else.