Page 211 of Infernal Secrets

He protected me.

He hunted for me.

I never asked him about Shane’s broken arm. I doubted he’d admit to following me, but I remembered his words: “I’ll do more than break your fucking arm if you come near her.”

He hunted my boss after our run-in at the mall.

Why would he do that if he truly hated me?

My own family didn’t protect me. And while they didn’t like me, they didn’t hate me—but they’d never lift a finger to look out for me the way Cyn had.

That meant far more to me than he realized.

Still, he’d crossed a line I didn’t know if we could come back from. After today, I’d never find out.

I opened my eyes and shifted my gaze to the last prince in the row.

Ezra.

He looked impeccable as always, but the shine was gone from his inky hair. His pale skin lacked the healthy glow I remembered. He looked ill. They all did.

I wondered if their time on Earth affected their ability to adapt once home.

His icy gaze trailed over me, taking in every detail with that usual penetrating sweep that left me feeling exposed. When his gaze returned to my face, his mouth dipped in the faintest downturn.

He didn’t like what he saw.

Before I could unpack what that might mean, the guards yanked me to the right, forcing me to face the others in the clearing.

Six middle-aged women and men in elegant robes watched me with a mix of curiosity and contempt.

On the far left, a blue-eyed, willowy woman in silver and blue robes accented by aquamarine jewels and silver chains gripped the arm of the man at her side. He wore similar robes. Their bright platinum-white hair revealed they were Zeke’s parents. He hadn’t dyed his hair like I’d thought.

To the far right, a man with ebony hair tied back in a sleek ponytail watched me with scorn. He rivaled Ash in size, but the chiseled jawline and ruby gemstones accenting his crimson and black robe marked him as Cyn’s kin. The amber-eyed woman with long black hair at his side watched me with curiosity.

Standing between the couples, a tall man in black robes with silver chains and sapphire gemstones studied me.

He shared the same crystal blue eyes as his son, but Ezra’s father, Cornaith, hadn’t mastered his son’s talent for concealing emotions. If the power radiating off him didn’t broadcast his loathing, his burning stare did.

The woman at his back was an entirely different story.

Her head stayed lowered so I couldn’t see her eyes, but her posture said she didn’t carry Cornaith’s crushing power. Still, in the same style of robes, the pale woman with honey-blonde hair was clearly Ezra’s mother.

“So this is the human who thinks herself worthy of Elyrdin’s royal power?”

Cornaith’s deep voice carried a layer of force that pressed against me, weakening my knees. He infused his voice with power on purpose.

The council members around him stiffened and flinched, making it obvious this wasn’t his ordinary tone.

The guards guided me before the council, forcing me to my knees.

I glared at the one on the left—the same one who’d manhandled me.

He pressed my head down, forcing my submission.

I clenched my teeth; the magical gag kept me from snapping at him.

“I commend your efforts,” Cornaith said, clasping his hands before his chest as he peered down at me. “To mask your influence and keep even our strongest vallants from finding the princes’ magical signatures for as long as you did is quite an impressive feat.”