Crown of Betrayal (Wicked Kingdoms Book 2)

by Graceley Knox

  Eryn rolls her eyes and flounces from the room. “I’ll be back.”

  “Who would give me a crown that hasn’t been seen in centuries?” I wonder aloud.

  Doyle walks up beside me and picks up the pillow with the crown still upon it. “I have a few ideas, but each of them are more impossible than the next.”

  “Like?” I question.

  “Either Cashel escaped whatever dungeon he was thrown into, or you have another secret admirer who knows about the prophecy. Either way, we need help and we no longer have MECA’s resources.” Doyle gives me a hard look.

  “You’ve got to be joking.” I scowl at each of them. “Over my dead body.”

  “We don’t have another choice, Ev. The light elves are not friendly to leath cine.”

  Axel rubs his hands together in excitement and Kirin wears a shit-eating grin. Children, the both of them.

  “There has got to be another way. Ask Eryn. She’ll know.”

  Like she knew we’d need her she peeks around the door jam. “I overheard when I was coming back.” She stands in the middle of the doorway and wrinkles her nose. “Sorry, Ev. There is only so much I know. And without MECA…”

  “Yeah, yeah. Fucking MECA. We couldn’t have gone to regular schools? They are so much more accepting of shenanigans in those movie things.” I throw my hands up in the air and stomp out of my demolished room.

  “Is that a yes?” Doyle yells after me.

  I growl in distaste and yell back. “Call the gods damned goblins!”

  CHAPTER

  TWELVE

  I drum my fingers impatiently against the counter of the kitchen island and wait. I wait for the goblins to show up. They’re late. And it’s pissing me off.

  “They’re late.” I state the obvious.

  “They’ll be here. They said they had a few things to take care of first.” Doyle offers a small smile and tries to reason with me. “We aren’t the only people they help or deal with I’m sure.”

  I glower at him. “We’re the most important though.”

  Axel snickers at my remark and I smile smugly. “Axel agrees with me.” I point a finger at him.

  Doyle turns and levels him with a stern look, his brow furrowed. Axel rolls his eyes and goes back to playing with his knives.

  I stand up and start pacing. “This is ridiculous. What if this had been an emergency? Hmm? We’d all be dead right now.” I press my hands together with a clap like I’m smashing a bug.

  “But it wasn’t and you aren’t.”

  I don’t need to turn around to know Dare’s behind me. I grit my teeth and ignore the shiver of desire that sparks through me at the sound of his voice.

  Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

  I fucking hate that saying.

  I throw my hands up in the air. “Look who decided to show up.” I spin around and glare at Dare, ignoring the others with him. I’ll get to them in a minute. “Fucking finally.”

  Dare steps forward into my space. Instead of closing the remaining distance between our bodies, I ignore my pounding heart and inner nymph, and take a giant step back. I look around Dare’s broad shoulders and see he’s brought quite a few people with him. I see Dax, Dagan, Anghus, Kian and at least three others I don’t know. It’s like my own personal mini goblin army. How cute.

  “What’s up.” I give them a head nod in greeting. “I know some of you… unfortunately,” I joke. “But who are the rest of you?”

  Dax waves hello and turns to each of the newcomers. “This here is Ferghus, and beside him is Ronan. The two dark and scowly bastards over there are Calder and Calum.”

  “Twins?” I ask.

  Dax grins and bobs his head happily. I had only seen Dax not smiling a handful of times, and against my own will, I smiled back at him.

  “Right then. Let’s get to it.” I hold up one finger. “What’s with the mini army?” I add a finger to make two. “And let’s show you what happened, shall we? I’ll warn you, it’s delightful.” You could cut my sarcasm with a knife it was so thick, but for now it is the only thing keeping me on my feet and moving forward. “What took you guys so long?”

  Dare waves his arm. “Lead the way, little álainn.”

  I grumble under my breath about his nickname for me. “And my other questions?”

  “Later.” He places his hand at the small of my back and gives me a gentle push. My skin burns at the contact. “We have more important things to worry about right now.”

  He’s right, but I don’t want to admit it. Instead I snap at him. “Fine. Don’t call me lovely then.” With that I skip up the stairs ahead of the troop of goblins and lead the way to my annihilated room. “Here we are. Help yourselves.” I take a step into the room to let them by.

  Dare presses into my back, and gets his first look at my room. A growl rumbles through his chest and his hand grips my hip.

  His grip is firm, but doesn’t hurt. My body warms at his touch and the need for him to hold me in his arms and tell me we’ll get this bastard overwhelms me. I dig my nails into my palms to keep from letting my emotions get the better of me.

  Dax and Dagan file in behind Dare and look around. Dax whistles. “Whew, you really pissed someone off.”

  I gape at him and take a step forward in affront. “Excuse me?”

  “They systematically tore apart your room. Someone wanted to make sure you had nothing left.” This comes from one of the twins. I couldn’t tell if it was Calum or Calder. They were both tall, dark skinned, and had jet black hair. The only difference I could see was in their eyes. One had green and yellow colored eyes, the other had black and gray.

  I point at the one with the black and grey eyes. “Which one are you again? Calum or Calder?”

  “Calder.”

  “Gotcha. Okay well, last I checked the only person who I had royally pissed off like this is rotting in a dungeon in the Light Elven Kingdom. Past that, MECA wouldn’t do something like this. They wouldn’t risk it right now.”

  “What do you mean, they wouldn’t risk it?” Kian asks as he pushes past the twins.

  I grit my teeth and regret my choice of words. “Not important right now. Let’s focus.” I point at my bed. “Take a look at what was left on my pillow.”

  “Dagan, check it out.” Dare issues the command and once again removes the distance between us. His front to my side, his hand rests dangerously low on my lower back this time, rather than on my hip.

  I try not to let his touch distract me. Especially since the hem of my shirt has ridden up and his skin is against mine.

  Every time he touches me it’s like an electrical current sparks between us. It lights me up until I’m ready to combust.

  I watch as Dagan grabs the pillow and holds it up. A hush falls through the room, and the guys stop rummaging through my stuff.

  “Holy fuck.” Anghus says the words softly, but in the silence they sound like a battle cry. “Is that what I think it is?” he asks.

  Dagan looks to Dare and then to me. “Do you know what it is?”

  I huff. “Yeah, I know what it is. And no, I have no idea who would put it there. Or who the hell would know what it is unless they are old as fuck.”

  “Hey, I know what it is and I’m not that old.” Dax pouts.

  I roll my eyes. “You’re old compared to me, Dax.”

  “Still, I make my age look damned good.” He shimmies his hips and we all chuckle. Dax can always be counted on to lighten the mood.

  Dagan clears his throat and we all turn our attention back to him. “If you know what this is, then I think you know who put it here.”

  “That’s impossible. Caddox assured us that Cashel is locked down tight and going nowhere. For all of eternity.” I stare down at my hands. “He can’t be back.”

  Dare takes a deep breath, his chiseled chest pressing against me, and starts barking orders. “Kian and Anghus, get back to the Goblin Kingdom and find out who knows what. Tell no one what has happened unless it is t
he King or Tore. Check on Arela and let us know she’s unharmed. Need to know only here, so keep it subtle.”

  I give both of them a little wave as they sift out and I turn to face Dare. I step back out of his hold and clear my throat. He ignores me.

  “Calder and Calum, head to the manor. Make sure everything is ready for our arrival. Only those who are absolutely necessary should stay. The rest can have a paid holiday. You know what to do.” They both salute Dare. He tilts his head in acknowledgement. “Go now. Report back when it’s clear.”

  “Um. Excuse me? Can I ask a few questions?” I wave a hand in the air to get Dare’s attention. Again he ignores me.

  “Ronan and Ferghus you’re with us. One of us for each of her crew. Head downstairs and familiarize yourself with them.”

  Dare’s decision to put us all under lockdown makes my blood boil and my back stiffen. “Oy! Dickhead. Slow your roll.” I don’t just yell the words, I roar them.

  Dare’s head snaps in my direction and his mouth drops open.

  “Yeah, I said that. You wouldn’t listen to me so I had to get your attention.” The sound of several pairs of boots ascending the stairs hits my ears and I narrow my eyes. “Now how about we talk about this like adults, and you don’t treat us like children.” I look around the room. “Downstairs would be nice, don’t ya think? More room, less crowded, and far fewer objects for me to beat you over the mother-effing head with.” I direct the last part at Dare and put my hands on my hips. I hold back my satisfied smile at the goblin’s slack jawed looks and push past Ferghus and Ronan at the door.

  I pause when I see the wall of my crew in my way. “Downstairs. Now.” I point behind them in the direction of the stairs and they haul ass to get out of my way.

  I walk into the kitchen and grab the kettle for tea. I’m muttering to myself as I fill it up at the kitchen sink.

  Kirin leans against the counter beside me and chuckles. “What’s that, Ev?”

  “Gods damned goblins, Kirin. That’s what I said. The gods-fucking-damned goblins.”

  Doyle crosses his arms over his chest. “Hey, you said to–”

  “Yeah I know. I said to call the goblins.” I shake my head while I mock my own words. I look to Axel and curl up my lip in disgust at my own actions. “Remind me not to do that again.”

  Axel coughs into his hand to hide a laugh and I scowl as the goblins file into our massive kitchen.

  “Good. Now that we’re all here and thinking sensibly, we should discuss next steps in regards to this crown, and why someone wanted to break into our house and tear up my room.” I tuck my hands into my pockets and wait. Everyone just stares at me. “Floor’s open people, let’s hear it.”

  “We’re getting you out of this house and to a secure place.” Dare steps toward me while he speaks.

  I hold up a hand to stop him. “Last time you told me you were taking me somewhere secure, I was elf-napped. No thanks.”

  Dare rocks back on his heels at my words and I regret my harsh statement instantly. I know he feels responsible for what happened to me, and I know he struggles with it. That was a low blow, even for me.

  “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” I offer him an apology and keep my gaze firmly on his.

  His lips remain in a firm line but he says nothing.

  I swallow hard and try to push past the rush of guilty apologies I feel crawling up my throat. Not for the first time do I wish I had the luxury of being able to spare people’s feelings, but safety comes before feelings, always.

  “Uh, Ev?” Eryn pauses and waits for me to turn my attention to her. I turn my head and nod at her. “I think he’s right. We can’t stay here.”

  I open my mouth to argue and she rushes the rest of her words out.

  “Whoever it was got past our wards, the goblins’ wards, and Puck’s wards. That’s some powerful stuff. We need a place to regroup where they can’t easily get to any of us. Think of Arela, too. She comes home tomorrow, and we need to make sure she’s safe. She can’t fight like we can.”

  My eye twitches with the thought of giving up ground to an enemy. But as I reminded myself earlier, my personal feelings come last when it comes to the safety of my crew, and I won’t risk Arela like that. I know my crew can defend themselves, and we’ve taught Arela a few things, but not enough to go up against a full-fledged rogue Fae.

  I hang my head and stare down at my muddy boots.

  “Ev?” Eryn’s voice is soft.

  I hold up a finger. “Just let me think.”

  There’s no way I would go back to that manor house. Even though the library is kick ass, I would never be able to fall asleep under that roof. Our only other options are a few safe houses, but those are small and would get cramped quickly. There’s the Goblin Kingdom, which has to be safe. The castle is a damn fortress, but I don’t know who my enemies are there. I know the Queen isn’t a fan, and a few others object to me being Arela’s guardian, but at this point another realm is looking like the only way to do things.

  I look up from my boots and purse my lips. I look hard at each of the goblins standing here in my kitchen. Can I trust them? Can I let them help keep us safe? I sigh. I don’t think I have a choice anymore. I’ve got to trust someone, and better the devil you know.

  “Okay. Instead of the manor house, what about the Goblin Kingdom? Do you have a house there? We need resources and no drama. I want to keep this quiet.”

  Dare eyes me for a moment. “We have many places there, but we mainly live at the castle.”

  I look to each of my crew. They all stare back at me, trusting my judgement no matter what. “What would be safer and cause less of a stir? One of your houses, or the castle?”

  Dagan steps forward and crosses his arms over his chest. “What are you insinuating?”

  I cross my booted feet and lean back against the counter. “I’m insinuating that people talk. Maids talk. I don’t want this shit getting back to the Light Elven Kingdom. I’ll be contacting Caddox myself.”

  Dagan tilts his head and stands down. “We know how to keep things quiet if we need to.”

  I smile. “Excellent. So back to my original question. Which would be easier? We’ll need room for all of us and Arela.” Axel coughs and raises his brows. “Oh, right. And preferably a space to train. Even if it’s in a front yard or something.”

  Dare looks at Dax and Dagan, and both of them shrug. He looks to Ronan and Ferghus and they both shrug a shoulder as well. “The Goblin Kingdom would be best. As in at the castle. The resources are inexhaustible and we’d be able to keep a tighter watch over you and your crew.”

  “We don’t need to be babysat, we just need a place where we don’t have to watch our backs while we regroup. Sound good?”

  Dare runs a hand over his head and dips his chin.

  “Good. Few things we need to do before we can head to never never land.” I scowl and shuffle my feet.

  “There is no time to waste, Ever.” Dare’s tone is stern and disciplinary.

  “Listen. I have no choice. Trust me I would rather fight off an army than have to do this shit.” I shudder in disgust.

  Dare looks around, his brows drawn. “I don’t get it. What is going on?”

  Kirin laughs and I flip him off.

  Eryn answers Dare with a face splitting grin. “Ever needs to go shopping. All her clothes were destroyed.” She claps her hands in glee.

  Understanding dawns on Dare’s features and his lips twitch.

  “Don’t even think about laughing.” I point a finger at him in warning.

  Dare turns to Kirin. “I thought females like new clothes?”

  Kirin chuckles and claps a hand on Dare’s shoulder. “Not Ev.”

  My shoulders slump and I grab my bag before trudging out the door.

  Ugh. Shopping. Gross.

  CHAPTER

  THIRTEEN

  Shopping had taken a few hours. Long, excruciating hours where Eryn made me try things on, look at different fabrics o
f shirts, and figure out what size I was. Human dress was odd. In the fact that they had numbers to go by. At MECA they had taken our measurements and made us clothes. With no other option, we had been forced to stop in a human store, which would have been hilarious from the looks we received when our entire entourage descended on the store, but we were shopping for me so it only annoyed me.

  We’d arrived at the gates into Goblin and piled through, loaded down with bags of clothes, and made our way into the castle via a back entrance. We weren’t staying in the royal tower. This time we were staying in our own wing that was rarely used, but connected directly to the library. I didn’t ask how Dare had arranged that, but I assumed that he had spoken with someone here. After getting me all settled and unpacked, Eryn and I had decided on what I should wear for dinner. We’re dining with the King and Queen, and I’m dreading it.

  I had bought nothing formal during our foray into the human shopping place, so Eryn and I decided that it was best to keep it simple. Black leather pants and a long sleeve grey shirt that had flared sleeves.

  I’m armed to the teeth, but only one knife is showing. Our guns are of little use here since magic abounds but that doesn’t mean that I’m not carrying one with me at all times. Bullets can still kill whoever’s coming at me. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I open the door into my room and step out. I look right and see nothing but empty hallway. I look to the left and see two guards standing at the entrance to the wing. Perfect. Maybe they could tell me how to get where I’m going.

  I shuffle my feet as I approach them so they know I’m coming. One of them turns around, and I see it’s Calum, the green-eyed twin. “Hey, Calum.” The other guard turns and its Calder. “And Calder. Can you guys tell me how to get to this dinner shindig?”

  Calder doesn’t respond this time, instead Calum is the one who speaks. His voice is hauntingly beautiful and I’m stunned for a moment while he talks.

  “We’re going to take you there. We’re all having dinner with you so we can stay on a schedule.”

  I stare up into his handsome face and smile. “Uh huh.”