A sad smile rounds Hildy’s mouth. “Hey, at least you have a family dynamic. And like I said, Maxon’s a good kid.”
“Thank you for caring about our boy.” Lincoln sets his hand on her shoulder. “That means a lot to the Queen and me.”
“You’re welcome.” Hildy blushes and steps away. “I better get started on those spells for Maxon. I’ll see you at the Anointing tonight?”
“You’ll see us before that,” I say. “We’ll stop by Maxon’s play date with my father in the afternoon.”
“Okay, until then.” Without any further chit-chat, Hildy marches out the door and down the outer maze of hallways, her boots thudding like a drumroll in her wake.
A long pause follows after Hildy’s gone. Lincoln and I melt into a wordless embrace. While the feeling of his long arms around me is comforting, the threat against Maxon still presses in around us, heavy as concrete. The realizations of today whirl through my mind, leading to one inescapable conclusion.
Maxon’s at risk and Connor’s known for years. The creep has been sneaking around Striga, hiring a monopsyche against a threat he never shared with Lincoln and me. And Cissy said that Connor’s somehow involved, too. What in blazes does that mean? How deep does this betrayal go?
After what I’ve learned today, my guess is that it goes pretty fucking deep.
My inner wrath monster returns with a vengeance, heating my blood with rage. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Lincoln, but I’m going to kill your father.”
Leaning back, Lincoln stares at me so hard, I’m surprised that laser beams don’t shoot out of his eyes. “Not if I get to him first.”
Oh, crud. Lincoln and Connor have been at each other’s throats for ages, but I’ve never felt that anything too terrible would happen between them. Although Connor works himself up into some insane rages, Lincoln’s always able to keep his cool. But seeing that look in my husband’s eyes?
Terrible may be just around the corner.
Chapter Five
I glare down at Connor, my hands balling into angry fists. I so want hurt this man, it isn’t funny. Once Hildy left, Lincoln and I had the guards drag the King and Queen Emeritus in here for an interrogation. It hasn’t exactly been a love fest.
“I’ll ask you once again, Father.” Lincoln’s voice drips with menace. “What the hell is going on?”
“Going on?” Connor asks with a chuckle. “Who says something’s going on?” He wraps his arm around Octavia’s shoulder, pulling her in for a closer snuggle on the couch. You’d think the two of them were lovebirds about to watch their favorite TV show, not ex-rulers ready to get their asses handed to them.
“Drop the act, Father.”
“We already know Hildy is a Grand Master monopsyche,” I say. “She can move souls from Hell.”
Octavia rounds on her husband. “See? I told you they’d figure it out.”
Connor laughs again, his barrel-chest heaving with the movement. “You’re a pair of smart kids, I’ll give you that.”
Over the years, Connor’s ‘jolly old king’ act has gotten really annoying, but never more so than now. We need the truth and fast. At this point, I’d rather he plunge into one of his classic rages rather than smile.
Octavia straightens the neckline of her black Rixa gown. “I told him you’d figure it out. Please don’t hold it against Hildy.”
“We’re not here to discuss Hildy, Mother.” Lincoln takes a half-step closer to his father and glowers down at him. “What do you know about Maxon? Why are you finding him a bodyguard that can pulls their mark out of Hell?”
“I can’t tell you, son.” Connor raises his gaze to meet ours. Bit by bit, his smile fades. “All I can say is this. I’ve been waiting for years to find someone like Hildy. She’s exceptional. A prodigy. She’s exactly what we need. We’ll all be safe now.”
“Safe from what, Father?”
Connor shakes his head. In just the last few seconds, the lines on his face seem to multiply and deepen. I’ve never seen him look so old or tired. “Please, let me be. I’ve done all I can.”
A small voice in my mind says to pity this man. Connor never recovered from giving up the crown. Now, he’s a shell of his former self and clearly upset. But that little voice doesn’t stand a chance. This is about Maxon’s safety.
Lincoln’s mismatched eyes narrow. “You can’t say…”
I finish his thought. “Or you won’t say?”
Connor slowly rises to his feet. “I’m leaving now. This is disrespectful.” He takes two steps toward the door before Lincoln pins him to the wall, his forearm pressing against Connor’s throat. My own breath catches. Lincoln is almost out of control.
“Out with it.” Lincoln pushes harder onto Connor’s neck. “What do you know?”
Octavia rises to stand beside me, her place pale. I know how she feels. I’ve never seen Lincoln so angry.
Connor gasps for breath. “I ca… I won’t….”