Blakeshire Read Free

Emotions feed the heart; without them black and white reasoning comes into play, and I knew without a doubt reason would not be on my side.
    “My friend, my patience with this world has long since thinned. I have reason to take you and my mother and flee. Madison Marie should at the very least see the home I built for her before that time comes.”
    Zander grinned broadly, which was rare in and of itself. “So you plan to claim her openly?”
    “As openly as I can and not put her in danger.”
    His smile faded.
    “What?”
    Silence.
    “Listen, if you have seen anything, past or present, that tells you that I am wrong again—tell me now.”
    He stared at me endlessly before sucking in a harsh breath.
    “What? Zander!” I yelled as I shot up from the floor and went to shake him out of whatever spell he was under. His visions were dangerous. They had been known to pull him so far away that death was nearly declared. I held his chin, forcing him to look me in the eye. A second later, he focused on me.
    “Honest.”
    “Honest what?” I asked as my heart thundered.
    “If you must stand on a stage, sire, tell her why. Never let a lie leave your lips when your words are aimed at her.”
    My thoughts rushed back, questioning how many times I had already done that.
    “Too late.”
    His stare told me I was wrong. “Be honest now. She is your queen.”
    “A queen to a world that you yourself said I would not rule. Am I set to make her a widower? Is that what you are saying?”
    Zander was back completely now. He leaned away from me. “What the hell is your problem? Why is death your way out of everything?”
    I nearly punched him.
    “I don’t want to bring her here, but everything is telling me that I need to.”
    “Everything?”
    I slammed my fist into my chest.
    Zander let a slow smile come to his face. “Honest. If you are honest, she will let the walls down.”
    “She’s hurt, Zander.”
    “For good reason.”
    “Bring her here. Open the wing—you agree with that?”
    He raised his brow. “I do. But I would take my time with that notion.”
    “You’re a jacked up soothsayer, you know that?” Take my time? What did that mean: an hour, a day, a decade?
    “Few days,” he answered as if he’d read my thoughts. He shrugged. “Try being Drake and not a king for a few days. See where that gets you.”
    “More than likely with an overrun kingdom by the time I come back.”
    “Sire, do you not know how to bend time in your favor?”
    “Call me sire one more time, and I’m going to kick your ass from one side of this palace to the other.”
    He burst into laughter. He was one of two that knew the non-king Drake. Landen was the other, but that was another story in and of itself. Neither Landen nor I were eager to tell Willow that we had been fast friends in our childhood. Torn apart by fate and thrust back together by the same measure.
    “Have you figured out anything about Alamos?” I asked him.
    Alamos had always been a close advisor of mine, a self-proclaimed father figure. But lately I had noticed that his aura seemed to shift drastically at times. Never in front of me, but nevertheless each time I saw him his energy was vastly different. I was concerned that either he was manipulating me or he had been possessed. I could not afford for either to happen. He knew of Landen and Willow’s plots, that the palace was full of native Charans in place to protect anyone that lingered near me.
    “Nothing. I need something personal of his in order for me to make it clear to you if he is the real deal or not.”
    I clenched my jaw. I didn’t have time to go rooting through his things; his chambers were at least a mile away from where I sat right now.
    “No rush. If you are not here, he can bring no harm.”
    I hesitated as I thought of all the fires I had burning right now. All the false stories I had in the air. This was the worst time in history for me to leave, but I needed to. I had to.
    “I want you out