Marked (The Coldest Fae Book 3) by Katerina Martinez (novel24 .txt) 📗

“My help? With what?”

“That’s just it. I’m sure that as soon as I tell you, you won’t want to help me.”

She slammed the table with her fist. “And with good reason!” she snarled. “You came into my home, ate our food, accepted our hospitality, and all this time you have been sleeping with the man responsible for the death of many of our kind. Your kind.”

“He’s not responsible for that!”

“And you know this how? You, who were once banished to Earth and called back only to take part in the Royal Selection. You know nothing about your own people, how could you possibly know anything about his?”

A sharp cold tore through me. “Toross told you…”

“He is my Beta. He tells me everything.”

Of course he did.

I wasn’t sure why I had expected him to keep what I had told him a secret. I had told him mostly everything; my mothers, my kidnapping, the selection. I had concealed the part where I’d slowly fallen for the very man who had stolen me from my home, though—for obvious reasons—and it was a good thing I had, too.

I had no idea how Toross would’ve taken it if I’d told him the Prince of Windhelm was currently living in his village, or that I had started falling for him. Knowing, now, that he would’ve gone and told Ashera everything whether I was ready to reveal it or not made it clear I had dodged a lethal bullet by keeping that secret to myself.

“I know you want justice,” I said, “Toross has told me… a lot of things since we started training. I know more about our people now than when I arrived. I also know you were friends with my mother.”

“I was her Beta. She trusted me.”

“I know. And that’s why I’m going to trust you now when I tell you what I have to tell you. But before I do, you need to promise you’ll keep an open mind.”

She frowned. “Go on?”

“You doubted I was the white wolf because the first part of the prophecy has not happened yet.”

“When brother turns on brother…” she nodded.

“I’m going to tell you now that it has. The Prince of Windhelm… the original Prince, Radulf. Do you know of him?”

“We hear only stories of the castle fae. Few of us still alive have ever seen any of the King’s children.”

“Do you know his first son is dead?”

“Yes…”

I shook my head. “He’s not dead. He was attacked once, some time ago. Seriously injured. His father took him to the Veridian hoping it could heal him, but then something happened to him to turn him into some kind of… spirit.”

“Spirit?”

“That spirit then possessed his own brother. I don’t know how, but he has dwelled within him for… well, for years. Slowly, he gathered enough power to be able to influence his brother’s thoughts, and even some of his actions. I heard they were planning an invasion of Earth, with the Prince leading the attack.”

“An invasion? Why?”

“That doesn’t matter now. What matters is, these are the two men spoken of in the prophecy… they are why I’m here.”

Ashera was having a hard time with this. I could see it on her face, the disbelief, the distrust. Part of her still didn’t believe I was the white wolf, but if I had been able to believe it, then I had to make her believe, too. It was the only way we were going to be able to help Cillian and stop the Veridian from bringing darkness to the land.

“Alpha…” I said, trying to play the pack card. “I need your help. We all do. If we can take Radulf out of his brother’s body, we may be able to stop this before it starts.”

“Before what starts?” she asked.

“I don’t know, but Radulf is gaining power. He has been ever since we left the castle. I’ve been doing all I can to keep him buried under his brother’s psyche, but I don’t know how long that will last. The sooner we can get him out of him, the better.”

“And what is it you ask of me?”

“We need to perform an exorcism.”

She cocked an eyebrow. Her mouth opened as if she was about to speak, but one of her people came through with a plate of food and a pitcher filled with a warm, spiced drink. The plate was set in front of me, as was the cup, but I wasn’t hungry. Not right now. When the man left, Ashera spoke.

“You need me to perform an exorcism on your Prince?” she asked.

“I would do it myself, but I don’t know how. None of my friends do. I know if you could help us, we would stand a far better chance at getting this right. If you don’t help us… then this could all go horribly wrong.”

“I would ask you why not simply kill the man, but you have clearly considered that option already.”

“I wouldn’t say I’d considered it, but I know it exists.”

“Then you must know that would be the easiest way to deal with this?”

I shook my head. “That’s not necessarily true… what if by killing Cillian, we release Radulf? No. An exorcism ritual, where the invading spirit can be captured, or banished… that’s what’s going to work. I can feel it in my gut.”

“You seem very sure for someone who has been with us for less than a single cycle of the moon.”

I shrugged. “Exorcisms aren’t unheard of back on Earth. I don’t know exactly how they work, and I’m sure every ritual is different. I also know there are great risks to consider here, so I’ll understand if you want time before you decide, but time is short.”

Ashera’s eyes narrowed. She glanced at the plate, then back up at me. “You talk a lot,” she said, “Now eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You would refuse your Alpha’s food? I am sure we have spoken of this before.”

Frowning, I grabbed the plate up and started gingerly picking at the meat on it with my fingers.