21. Kenrid

Istopped several feet from the base of the sweeping steps that led to the Exiled Fae's plantation style home. It was listed as a bed and breakfast within the city of New Orleans, but it never had any vacancies. While the fae population in the area was fairly small, they all lived inside the twelve thousand square foot home.

It had been my main residence until Lorna came into my life. I hadn't been back since, much to the dismay of many of the Exiled Fae. After tonight, they'd be furious.

"Thank you for coming with me," I said to Nathan, who stood at my side.

"I don't believe I'm needed, but I would never deny my support," he said.

I glanced at him, but his focus remained on the house.

"I still appreciate your presence," I said. "Many of the fae here will be very unhappy with my announcement."

Nathan stepped in front of me, giving me a hard stare. "Are you sure this is the right decision for you?"

I'd asked myself the same question so many times while we looked for Lorna. I'd decided then that I couldn't keep my soulmate and stay with the Exiled. Giving up Lorna wasn't an option. My life with the Exiled was now in the past, even if some of the fae would hate me for leaving them.

It wasn't just the fae's hate that I worried about. The Exiled Council had so many secrets that we didn't share with Nathan or the rest of the clan. Until now, I hadn't considered those secrets important. They were mostly fae politics that didn't really affect anyone but the fae. Now, I wasn't so certain.

What really concerned me was Nathan's reaction to some of the things I would have to share with him.

"I'm sure," I said.

"Then let's get this over with." Nathan started to turn, but I caught his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"You know I've all but abandoned my heritage," I said, swallowing my apprehension. At some point, he'd stop trusting me if he thought I kept too much from him. "Some of the Exiled still see me as more than I am now."

Nathan shrugged my hand from his shoulder. "And who do they expect you to be?" A red ring circled his irises, warning me that I'd better tell him everything sooner rather than later.

"I'm the youngest son of the Queen of the Summer Court," I replied. "I have no rights to the throne, not that I want to be part of the royal politics. I was rebellious in my youth. They tried to force me to conform and ended up giving me to the Grand Master of the Summer Fae University when they couldn't." I shook my head at the memory of the man who took me in and let me learn everything I wanted. He was more of a father to me than my own. "I may carry their blood, but they're no longer my family."

Nathan squeezed his eyes shut and turned his back on me. I couldn't help but feel the symbolism in his posture. Would he change his mind about supporting me? I truly hoped not. No matter what he thought, I needed him in this meeting.

"Is there anything else I should know before this meeting?" he asked, posture rigid.

"No, but there is still more I need to tell you," I said, committing myself to giving him the full truth. "After this."

He glanced over his shoulder at me. His eyes were back to normal, but the hard set of his jaw gave away his disappointment.

"Let's go."

I followed Nathan up the stairs and through the door he didn't hesitate to push open. While I'd seen some of his insecurities during our private meetings with Elliott and Damon, Nathan never showed that uncertainty to our clan. I sometimes wished I had his ability to lead, but the thought rarely lasted more than a few moments. If I'd had the dominance needed to rule the Summer Court, I'd still be a prisoner of the royal family.

Yes, they were my blood relatives, but there was no love between any of us. I had no desire to stay tied to their manipulations.

Commotion in the foyer drew my attention back to the present. Two men and a woman stood at the bottom of the grand stairwell, with their fae attributes on full display. Each had the fae's emerald eyes and pointed ears. To a human, they would've looked like siblings with their dark hair and lean physiques. I knew better. Their only connection was they were all born in the Winter Fae Kingdom.

"Kenrid," one of the male fae said, acknowledging me first. I cringed at the slight given to my leader. Their leader. "Mr. Kaerne, we weren't expecting you to attend tonight's meeting."

"Am I now required to announce my intentions, Brance?" Nathan asked.

"No," Brance replied. "Had we known, we would've made proper arrangements for the clan's leader."

I shook my head.

"Special arrangements aren't necessary," Nathan said, stepping farther into the foyer. "Let's get started, shall we?"

Nathan didn't wait for the fae to acknowledge the suggestion. He crossed the open space and headed straight for the large ballroom where our meetings were always held. He'd only attended a handful over the years but seemed to know the layout of the home like he'd been there a hundred times.

The fae fell into step behind us. Their silence was unusual, probably brought on by Nathan's presence. I didn't mind. I wanted to get my announcement done so I could leave. The Exiled mansion had been my home for decades. I'd expected it to always be my home. I should've been fighting for everything I'd gained in the last thirty years, but I wasn't. Now that Lorna had arrived, staying with the Exiled no longer felt right.

Two months ago, I would've ignored this feeling and gone with logic. Being around Damon every day made me realize I had to trust my magic—something I should've learned a long time ago. I wasn't young or naive, but unlike Damon, I'd lived my life believing I was the manipulator of my magic. I was only now realizing that might not be true.

The ballroom was already full when we strolled through the open French doors. Rows of chairs lined the room, all of them occupied by the Exiled Fae. Nathan strolled down the center until he reached the front. I followed behind him with Brance on my heels. The other two fae must have found their seats among the others.

A long table stretched out in front of us. Five of the seven chairs were already occupied with council members, two women and three men. As I stepped up beside Nathan, I nodded at each of my fellow members. Brance took his seat in the last chair on the left, leaving only the center seat empty. My place at the Council's table. I had no doubts they all expected me to fill the empty chair.

I didn't move from Nathan's side.

"Welcome Mr. Kaerne," the woman at the center said, but her attention stayed focused on me. "What brings you to our monthly meeting?"

"My lieutenant has an announcement for your council, Alyssa," Nathan said.

I didn't miss his careful wording. He separated me from them by calling out my official title within his command structure. Alyssa, the Council's second oldest member, didn't miss the insinuation either. She curled her lip and narrowed her eyes at me.

"Which lieutenant would that be?" she asked, pretending she didn't understand. "Why didn't you bring them with you? It's difficult for them to make an announcement when they aren't here."

She would not make this easy. Not that I expected any different. Alyssa, Brance, and I had founded the Council for the Exiled. She wouldn't sit back and accept what I was about to say.

"I'm officially resigning my position with the Exiled's Council," I said. They needed to hear it from me, not Nathan. I took advantage of the shocked silence to continue. "Our clan leader needs me full time. The Council can easily function without me."

An uproar of objections echoed through the room. I glanced at Nathan, expecting a look of disdain, but his focus was entirely on the council members. They'd all risen from their chairs and huddled around Alyssa. I couldn't hear their whispered conversation over the protests surrounding us, but it looked like Nathan might.

Brance stepped away from the small group a few moments later and raised his hand. "Silence!" A pulse of fae magic rippled through the room, making my skin crawl.

The occupants mumbled for several seconds before an uncomfortable silence filled the space.

Brance narrowed his eyes at me. "We will not accept your resignation, Prince Kenrid. Your influence is needed here."

I was so glad I'd told Nathan about my parentage. He would not have appreciated being blindsided by that information.

"No. I have no influence here or the Fae Courts," I said, standing taller and trying to look like the prince they expected me to be. "The Council makes all the decisions for the Exiled, not me. We agreed years ago that we would not emulate the fae realms. Did we not decide that a council elected by the people was better for us? One member resigning should not change our future." I drew in a slow breath and let it out. "My absence should have no impact on the running of this council."

Brance bared his teeth and turned his scowl on Nathan. "What's so important that you have to steal our prince from us?"

Nathan snarled at the fae. His fangs lowered and red consumed his irises. It took every bit of my willpower not to step away.

"You will not question me," Nathan warned. I could feel his command saturating the air, even though he only had eye contact with Brance. "The security of this clan is always my first priority. If I say I need Kenrid Windsong, you have no choice in the matter."

"It's that half-breed, isn't it?" Alyssa hissed. "You've brought her to our home, knowing she is dhampir. How does that protect us?"

It took every bit of my self-control not to flinch at her words. Thankfully, my leader didn't hesitate to react.

Nathan laughed exposing the full length of his fangs. "Do you hear yourself? Did you think about your words before you spoke?"

Alyssa didn't answer, her glare intensifying with each passing moment.

Nathan spun on his heels to face the room full of fae. "Dhampir cannot procreate. Everyone knows that. Yes, Lorna Cross is a half-breed, fae and human. Last I checked, when a human and fae have a baby, it doesn't pop out as dhampir."

Nervous laughter flitted through the crowd. Nathan's words made everything seem so simple. How could anyone believe that Lorna was a dhampir, unless they knew about the fae research facility I'd destroyed?

"Then why would an elder vampire kidnap her and claim she's dhampir?" Brance asked.

How had Brance already discovered Conrad's role in all of this? Had the video of Lorna in Conrad's cell already spread that far?

Nathan slowly turned around again to face the Council. "Because he believed a rumor about a dhampir sighting. He was delusional, his mind broken from the withdrawal of not having dhampir blood." Nathan's eyebrow rose, and his gaze drifted to the rest of the Council. "He was desperate, and he paid the price for that desperation. I assume everyone has seen the video of Lorna ignoring the vampires?"

Alyssa looked away, but a couple of the other council members nodded.

"We all know a dhampir can't ignore the lure of a vampire's blood, much less a whole room full of vampires. Only a fool would believe she's anything more than half-fae and half-human." Nathan rolled his shoulders. "Lorna Cross is not the reason I need Kenrid full time. There are other threats to our clan that are more important than his attendance to these meetings. We're done here."

Nathan turned and marched back through the rows of chairs. I followed him. My emotions rolled from relief to inadequacy. I was grateful he was there by my side, but I should've been able to handle my own people. I should've been the one to explain Lorna's kidnapping. I shouldn't have needed a vampire to tell my people to go to hell.

But I'd known I would. The Exiled had always hoped my royal status would get them back home. I couldn't convince them otherwise. I huffed and nearly ran into Nathan's back when I hadn't realized he stopped in front of me.

As he reached the French doors, he said over his shoulder, "In case you hadn't heard, Damon has claimed Lorna as his mate. Like any mated pair, I will not stop him from protecting her or issuing punishment on those who threaten her."

I didn't turn to see the expressions of the fae. I had no doubts there would be threats. There was no way Alyssa and Brance would let me walk away without a fight. Not only did they see me as their prince, but I'd been an intrinsic part of their social standing for years. I'd have to convince them that the benefits of moving into the space I vacated outweighed everything else. Brance would accept it more willingly than Alyssa. His desires revolved around power, where Alyssa's were more carnal.

I shivered as the memories of past ‘meetings' surfaced. Every Council meeting ended with a party. Just like I'd tried to explain to Lorna, the fae weren't shy about having sex with multiple partners. Alyssa was almost always part of my group. She and I were good together in bed, but that was the only place. Every other part of her personality pissed me off.

Most fae didn't need a commitment or emotional attachment to satisfy their sexual urges. Until they met their soulmate. The Exiled were probably even more emotionally detached because they knew they didn't have a chance at finding true love outside of the fae realm. It was nearly unheard of for a fae's soulmate to be anything other than fae. And the number of Exiled was so low, it was pretty hard to miss your mate in that crowd.

So they fucked and hated each other for it.

I had been no different until now.

Alyssa would figure it out the first time she saw me with Lorna. I could try to hide my adoration for my mate, but I wasn't sure I'd be successful. No. I knew I'd fail at hiding my love for her, but I'd try anyway, because I couldn't accept the alternative.

Nathan and I returned to his car in silence. As soon as the doors closed, he pierced me with his red-ringed eyes. A snarl pulled at his lip. He didn't even start the engine before he turned on me.

"What else is there?" he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

I swallowed hard and rubbed my palms on my knees.

"Each Court has slightly different rules about heirs to the throne," I said. "In the Summer Court, the oldest child will inherit the throne unless the sitting monarch deems them unworthy. If that happens, the title is passed to the next oldest and so on. The only exception is if one of the royal children finds their soulmate."

I cleared my throat and forced myself to hold Nathan's glare. I could already see him anticipating what I would say.

"The fae believe that a soulmate will stand by their beloved with undying loyalty and not fall prey to politics." I scoffed at their na?veté. My father tried to keep the Queen from allying with the Winter Court's plans for the dhampir, but she wouldn't listen to her mate. I truly believed she loved him, but her love for power surpassed everything else.

"I heard a rumor several years ago that my oldest sister found her soulmate," I continued. "If that's true, I have nothing to worry about. If it's not true, and if my mother finds out about my claim, Lorna's life will be in danger. The royal family doesn't want me on the throne. The easiest way to remove that possibility is to take away my mate."

Nathan squeezed his eyes closed and pulled his palms over his face. Waves of anger pulsed through the vehicle, battering me with their intensity. I waited patiently, enduring his rage in silence. Unlike other vampires, Nathan didn't normally react with violence. I'd never met someone with as much control over their feral side.

"Why did you not tell me sooner?" he growled after several minutes.

"I never thought I'd meet my soulmate," I admitted. "I didn't think about the implications until we stood before the Exiled Council. I can see Alyssa telling the Queen about Lorna just to spite me." I would not forget Alyssa's hate-filled glare. She wasn't capable of compassion. "I'll need to hide my claim on Lorna. The Queen cannot find out about her."

"What about Brance?" Nathan asked.

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He's from the Winter Court and was awfully interested in Conrad. Would he know about the contract to find Lorna? Could Brance be the mediator between Conrad and whoever paid his contract?"

I looked out the car window and considered his question. I didn't think Brance knew anything about the dhampir research. He'd been exiled for almost eighty years, well before I destroyed the research compound. But the information we found on Conrad's computer implied that someone outside of the fae realms knew about Lorna. Conrad's emails didn't say it was the Exiled Fae, but they also didn't say it wasn't. I'd just assumed the Fae Courts wouldn't deal with the Exiled. Maybe I'd been wrong.

"I'm not sure," I replied, glancing at the home I'd just abandoned. "And I may have just burned the bridge to finding out."

The car's engine rumbled to life, and Nathan drove away from the Exiled Fae. He didn't react the way I'd expected. I hadn't even considered Brance's comment about Conrad, and Nathan seemed to ignore my concerns about hiding my claim on Lorna. Part of me wanted to ask him about it, the other part didn't really want to know the answer.