41: Nik's POV

*”Can you do that spymaster?”*

The way her lips curved into a near-sneer made my stone heart thud painfully in my chest. My gut twisted as I looked at her. Moments before she’d sent my brothers out — which I still couldn’t quite believe — there had been something in her eyes, some shift of light. Like something had clicked for her. Morbid curiosity had paralyzed me and kept me rooted to the spot I was in while Darius was screaming at me in my head, preventing me from doing anything other than simply watching. 

Her voice was a higher tone than usual, her heart pounding ferociously. If the way she shifted from foot to foot wasn’t enough to tell me that she was scared, her scent certainly was: almonds and cacao. Ada chewed on her bottom lip as her right hand began to pick at the left one’s nail beds. 

My own voice rumbled and vibrated my own chest, “I can.”

She rolled her shoulders back and sucked in a deep breath, her leather corset expanding slightly, “What do you know about my mother?”

That wasn’t exactly where I thought she was going with this. I cocked my head to the side, “Do you want what’s in her file, or what my shadows have told me?” Her eyes flickered to the floor, where shadows were swirling about lazily. It was answer enough. The problem was I didn’t know how much she could handle. “They’ve said quite a bit, but less of late. Are you sure you can handle it?”

“I’ve handled *you* just fine,” Ada narrowed her beautiful eyes, a stray hair falling down beside her chin, “Is the story my father told me about her death true?”

I shook my head, “But you already suspected that.”

A curt nod, “She wasn’t my father’s fated mate, was she?” I gave another shake of my head, flexing my hands before walking to her. She took a step back, “But she found her fated mate, didn’t she? And he wasn’t a wolf.”

“His name is Fane Rosu,” my hand gripped her chin tightly, dragging her eyes up to mine, “How do *you* know about him?”

“I met him,” she whispered, tears pricking her eyes, “Days before my mother’s supposed death.”

Ice flowed through my veins, shadows dancing up from the ground and wrapping around Ada’s throat. I let the shadows pin her to the spot she was in, locking her wrists and ankles in place while they tightened just enough around her throat to make her uncomfortable. She didn’t struggle against them and held my gaze as I dropped my hand from her face. My wolf roared in the back of my mind for what I was doing to her, half of him begging me to let her go and the other begging me to claim her and take her like this. I tamped down his spirit, working to shut off the part of me that cared for Ada. 

“An alliance was recently made with Fane,” I growled, fingertips extending to claws, “Between your father’s pack and him. I have not been able to determine who it was that set it up,” her face reddened as I wrenched my fist and tightened the shadows around her throat, “My spies have not been able to find out. You have a single minute to convince me now that it wasn’t you.”

The grip on her neck released just enough to allow her to speak. She took in a few gasping breaths as the shadows raised her off the ground to where she was my height. Ada never moved her eyes from mine, “Seeing you there, in front of the fire,” she jutted her chin to the flames behind me, “It’s the first time I’ve thought of him in years. I think I might be the reason he teamed up with my father,” she shook her head, “But I’m not the person who set it up.”

“And why would *you* be the reason?” I whispered hoarsely. 

“I think my mother is looking for me,” she choked out. 

The shadows snapped back from her all at once and sank into me. Ada fell to the floor with a thud. I sank to my knees in front of her, dropping my hands into my lap and hanging my head, “Your mother isn’t looking for you. Fane is looking for me.”

She reached forward, her fingers brushing the back of my hand, “What makes you think that?”

“Where do you think I get the shadows from?” I snorted, pulling my hand back from her, “My father knows very little about Fane or your mother or anything else, really,” my shoulders slumped forward, “Which is a good thing because I would be dead if he did.”

Ada reached forward again, this time grabbing my hand, “Nik, what are you talking about?”

I let the shadows carry me toward the couch, each step near weightless as I glided across the floor. The muscles in my body seemed to relax all at once as I sank into the couch in front of the fire with a heavy sigh, “Did you know that Darius, Phoenix and I all have different mothers?”

She gasped, sitting in a chair right across from me, “No, I didn’t.”

“It isn’t common knowledge,” my eyes bore into the flickering flames in front of me, “My father never his mate. Darius’ mother was the only woman he took that he loved,” I tossed my head back, “My mother was…” my hands moved in a flourish, “Beautiful but complicated.”

“Meaning?”

“She and Fane were *associates,*” the coolness of familiar shadows began creeping up my leg and I worked to draw them in closer, “I am the only Prince born outside of the castle.”

“Where were you born?” Ada whispered.

I leveled my gaze on her, “The Forest of the Forgotten,” her eyes widened and I gave a little nod, “Fane was there. My mother died and nearly took me with her. Fane did *something* and somehow saved me,” I blinked and shook my head, “I had the shadows before my wolf. When I was seven, Fane found me playing in the woods with Darius,” my chest was heavy as I sucked in breath after agonizing breath, “I *remembered* him. I started to sneak off with him. He taught me everything I know about shadows and secrets. The last time I saw him was when I was sixteen he had a woman with him,” Ada’s hands were shaking so I crossed my arms over my chest to prevent me from reaching for her, “Your mother. They wanted to take with them,” I swallowed, “I wouldn’t go and when Fane tried to call in what he called a life debt, I fought. My father overheard the skirmish,” I stopped, giving Ada a pointed look.

“He killed my mother,” she whispered.

“Tried to,” my voice was soft, “He had a beta before Cade. Last name Clark. He intervened and saved your mother’s life,” a chill ran up my spine, “Fane told me he’d be back for me right before he disappeared into shadow. It was soon after that a prophecy was told to my father and he’s been obsessed with it ever since.”

“What’s the prophecy?” Ada’s body was tense.

“You know some of it,” I responded softly, “None of us know all of it. Only he does. But I know that he thinks either me or one of my brothers will be responsible for the downfall of the kingdom and that it is somehow tied to the destined surrogate,” I smirked as he face paled, “We won’t let anything happen to you, Ada.”

She swallowed, looking at the fire. After a moment she leaned back on the couch and sighed, “There are things that not even three powerful princes can prevent.”