41. Chapter 41

Chapter forty-one

H is father really was a miserable bastard. He'd dragged Nik from council member to council member, and even to some of the powerful lords that had come from all over the kingdom to attend the ball. Nik about lost it once his father started on the officials from Shaston. He hated what his father did to their crown regent and seeing the lords from there only reopened that particular batch of hatred. Nik was thankful Haven would be righting that wrong and many others once she took the throne. He knew she didn't know much about ruling a kingdom but with a heart like hers, he had every confidence she would be healing many wounds.

Even if she didn't realize it, Haven was the only one capable of truly returning Drailia to what it once was, a beautiful kingdom full of light and happiness. It had been that way a long time ago while the fae were still in the human realm. Everything had gone downhill after his father took over.

Nik was pretty sure his father was dragging him around to garner support for his bid to place himself on the throne. He hadn't outright said anything but anyone with half a brain could figure out what he'd been alluding to in the many conversations Nik was forced to listen to.

The more backing he had, the more likely he'd be able to take the throne for himself. There hadn't been many that showed any kind of loyalty to his father, only two council members Nik would be keeping an eye on and a handful of other powerful members of Dralian society. Thankfully, no one from Shaston seemed inclined to even listen to what his father had to say.

Unfortunately, Nik knew what his fathers backup plan would likely be when he inevitably failed to legally keep Haven off the throne.

It was why Nik needed Haven to hate him, to absolutely despise him. But he was finding it harder and harder to do things that could cause the kind of hate he needed. Every day he found himself more drawn in by her, spying on her training sessions with Tasha, watching her search the library each day at lunch for whatever she was looking for.

Nik had a pretty good idea of why the pull between them was so strong, he just prayed he was wrong and that he'd be able to garner enough loathing from her to do what needed to be done. That way, when the time came, she'd never agree to marry him.

** *

Early morning sunlight streamed through the windows of the castle as Nik walked down the hall, exhausted from his fathers endless posturing. Pausing in an open window, Nik took a deep breath and allowed the early morning sun to calm him. He'd always loved this moment, right before the sun officially rose and morning began. When almost everyone was still asleep and the castle was still.

Nik was on his way to his room, not having gotten any sleep thanks to the fact that his father had kept the ball going until about an hour ago. His plan was to sleep the whole day away, ignoring his fathers order to socialize more with some of the fae that traveled here from throughout the kingdom. His father wanted Nik campaigning, trying to convince others that Haven was not fit for the throne. Nik had no plans to do any such thing. Haven might be young and inexperienced but he knew she could become exactly what this kingdom needed. Watching her lessons, seeing how deeply she cared about the things she was learning told him all he needed to know. Any doubt he'd harbored before going into this had been entirely washed away.

He was just about to turn down the hall that contained his door when a blood curdling scream echoed through the halls. It didn't even take a minute for Nik to recognize the source of the scream and it stopped his heart dead.

Taking off at a run, Nik had only one thought, he had to get to Haven.

Thankfully, Havens room wasn't far. By the time he made it to her door, others were already gathered. It was definitely Haven that screamed. In fact, she was still screaming. The guard that was supposed to be posted at the end of the hall was nowhere to be found. There were a few servants trying to break through the door, plus Astrea. They weren't making much progress. None of them had any powers that could be useful here but Nik did.

"Backup!" He shouted

The five or so fae gathered immediately stumbled away from the door. Nik pulled from his well of power, gathering a large gust of wind in his hands. Throwing it directly at the lock, the door splintered, breaking open.

Releasing a breath of relief, Nik charged into Havens room. It didn't take him long to figure out what was causing her screams.

Her entire room had been ransacked, the desk was on its side, papers and ink scattered all over the floor. Clothes had been pulled out of her dresser and armoire, ripped to shreds and thrown everywhere. The glass from the balcony doors had been shattered, leaving pieces of glass littering the floor making it dangerous to walk on.

Holes had been ripped in the sides of her mattress, feathers from the mattress still hung in the air around the room. The worst was what Nik found when his eyes reached the bed. Haven was sat up against her headboard, clutching her knees to her chest, trembling. She was also covered in blood.

Blood had been splattered all over the bed and her, it dripped down the footboard and gathered in puddles on the floor. One sniff told Nik the blood belonged to a fae, it was also fresh, recent. They'd likely find the body of the guard tucked away somewhere .

Nik inched closer to Haven, not entirely sure how to proceed. She simultaneously looked one step away from a panic attack and ready to rip someones throat out.

Her eyes were wild, the knuckles gripping her legs were turning white. Each moment that passed seemed to increase her heart beat, it pounded in his ears telling Nik that he had to do something quick before she spiraled into a full blown panic attack.

Taking a few small steps, Nik risked Haven clawing him to pieces in her fright. While taking the last step, his foot landed on a piece of glass. It crunched under his boot, thankfully the leather protected his foot from being stabbed by it.

Havens head whipped to Nik at the sound. For a second he couldn't move, not sure what would happen next. When she met his eyes they immediately softened, recognizing him. A tear slid down her face, leaving a trail through the blood spatter. He could tell she hadn't cried until that moment, stuck somewhere between the panic, rage and fright. Nik didn't hesitate in his next move, knowing what he needed to do.

Easing himself onto the bed, Nik sidled next to Haven. Pulling her into his lap, he cradled her close and tucked her head under his chin. One arm went around her back, the other around her legs. Nik was keenly aware of the curious eyes watching them from the doorway, surely this would get back to his father but this was one of those moments where Nik simply did not care. Not as Havens trembling began to subside and her breathing slowly evened out.

Niks eyes strayed across the room, to the wall her desk had been up against. He noticed something he hadn't before, stabbed into the wall with a dagger was a note .

Written in blood it read,

You will never sit on the throne

Nik knew exactly who put it there