Chapter 28

Béke Day Six

The crowd hummed with excitement as the officiants tallied the final scores of the horseback riding events. Those, combined with the scores of the previous days' events, would determine the overall winner of this Béke's competition.

The Iron Realm better fucking win.

The Fae, Félvér, and Telivér clumped together on the ground around the stage where I stood, patiently awaiting the slip of paper that would declare the winning realm. Izidora chatted animatedly with the Telivér, throwing her head back and laughing loudly at something one of the Demons said. Watching her slip into the carefree moment warmed my heart, especially knowing how much she had suffered since the arrival of the other Fae.

A male crossed the stage, handing me several slips of folded paper, and a hush settled over the competitors and onlookers as I unfolded the first. On it was the list of individual event winners, and when I saw Izidora's name next to two of the events, I couldn't smother the grin that broke across my face. One by one, I called out the names, the helpers behind me stepping forward with the respective prizes.

Izidora approached the stage, bouncing with excitement as I lifted a small leather bag from the male stepping forward, and handed it to her. "You can put all your new rings in this while you ride."

"You or Mistik?" Her eyes flashed to mine, filled with heat, and our bond thrummed.

"My dirty sprite."

She winked and sashayed her hips as she returned to the crowd. I watched her the entire way, forcing myself to remain in place when all I wanted was to snatch her in my arms and ferry her to Roc Palace.

High Lady Domi, unsurprisingly, was the overall winner of the day's event.

The final slip of paper contained the overall scores of the realms, ranked from lowest to highest.

Crystal Realm… Day Realm… Iron Realm…

I nearly crumpled the paper when I saw the fucking Night Realm had beaten the Iron Realm by three points.

Forcing myself to unclench my jaw, I looked up from the paper and locked eyes with the new king, whose smug, self-important expression told me he knew exactly what was written on this slip.

Fucking Kazimir.

The bastard even wore the Night Crown, flaunting his new status in my face even more so than in my mate's. But in the end, I got Izidora, and he lost.

So why was he not angry?

If it had been the other way around, I would have lost my shit, tearing everything and anyone around me to pieces to slake the utter anguish that would have consumed my soul. I was not a good male, but I fucking tried for Izidora. I would do anything for her, as evidenced by the way I tortured each and every male who'd kept her chained in that cave.

Shaking away my unanswered questions and dark thoughts, I cleared my throat and tried my best to sound enthusiastic. I was hosting, unfortunately. "The winner of the competition this year is the Night Realm."

Cheers erupted from the gathered Night Fae, and Kazimir sauntered toward the stage like he was the king of the Iron Realm too, escorted by raucous claps. Our gazes collided with the force of an avalanche, so many unsaid words flinging between us as he approached. The officiant stopped halfway between us, the large, elegant box he held hiding the ultimate prize.

With a dramatic flourish, he unveiled a goose egg-sized gem, the stone transforming from a deep green to a deep purple as a sliver of light pierced it. Each knuckle on my hand popped in quick, violent succession as Kazimir lifted the stone from its velvet setting and held it high for all to see. The gemstone was a new discovery, thanks to those tunnels carved into the mountains leading to the other realms, and this was our largest find to date. The Dragon in me wanted nothing more than to snatch it from his oily fingers and fly away to add it to my collection, but I resisted with every ounce of sanity left in me, because I needed the other monarchs to believe I was better than him.

With this goal in the forefront of my mind, I clapped my hands, allowing the forceful slaps to soothe that part of me that relied on pain to cope. As the crowd died down, I spoke again. "Please join us for a celebratory feast tonight at Ryza Citadel marking the halfway point in Béke. And remember, in two days, we begin celebrating our Goddess, who has granted északi long-lasting peace in her generosity."

Not that that peace would last much longer.

The crowd began to disperse, and I immediately sought out my mate. She stood in a huddle with Liliana and Domi, their heads bent together as they whispered furiously. My heart twinged as I paused for a moment to watch her with her friends, something she'd never had before and something I knew she held onto dearly. Liliana was good to her, and I hoped that she would understand, for Izidora's sake, that she'd chosen me over Kazimir.

Though, with the furtive glances the three stole at the aforementioned male, I did not doubt that she would.

He had already rejoined the other Night Fae, the winter sun glinting off of his newly minted crown. My jaw clenched because someone in the Iron Realm had to have made it for him, and I would make it a personal mission to find out who. Ambros would never betray me like that, but he would know who did. And once I had them in my clutches, they'd feel the wrath that had been trained into me from childhood, and I'd slake a sliver of my fury by delivering the most delicious kind of pain to them until they begged me to end their life.

Fucking king of the Night Realm.

The heat that boiled inside me must have caught Izidora's attention, because not a moment later, her gorgeous aquamarine eyes snapped from her friends to me. Her brow pinched ever so slightly as she focused, and the raging boil transformed into a low simmer. I loosed a breath, feeling my shoulders relax as she soothed me. Even from a distance, she lent me strength and support. The corner of my mouth twitched up as I realized she and Zuriel had kept yet another secret from Rares and me about her abilities.

"Come to me, mate. I have not had enough of you yet."

Those gem-like eyes sparkled as I spoke in her mind. "In a moment. I'm inviting Liliana and Domi to come with me tomorrow."

"That is a brilliant idea, sprite. You are going to be so beautiful."

A blush crept across her cheeks under my fervent attention and pretty words, but she returned her focus to the conversation in front of her. I knew by the high-pitched squeal and bouncing from Liliana the moment Izidora told her friends what she had planned for the following day, and my heart melted at the sight of her excitement for my mate.

Being mated was better than I ever thought it could be. I felt safe in a way I never had, loved in a way I never thought was possible, and for the first time in my life, I relaxed into knowing that would never change.