“We think it best to keep the peace at these things,” Yuna said with a raised chin.
I stared at her for a solid beat, not sure what to say to that utter bullshit. The flames dancing across my body licked higher. Caron sat forward, and I saw movement in my peripheral vision, their beta edging closer. A soft shuffle behind me warned that Weston was moving closer as well.
“Hey, hey. Whoa, whoa.” Finley’s light touch ran up my arm and over my shoulder. I hadn’t heard her get up. “Don’t mind him.” She snuggled into my side. I hooked my arm around her waist without thinking about it. “He’s prone to fits of manic rage. He’s not challenging you. Not physically, anyway. The betas can be called off. They won’t be fighting here today. Well…Weston might. I have a feeling Dolion is going to try to kill us in our sleep again, and things will probably get hairy.”
Caron and Yuna didn’t so much as blink. They must’ve heard about that already. They’d heard what Dolion was up to and were still attempting to go along with this farce.
“It’s fine.” Finley rubbed my chest. “It’s okay. Let’s just have a chat.”
“I don’t think I’m calm enough to sit down and have a chat,” I growled.
“Look, here is the situation,” she said to the royals, maneuvering me so I would return to my seat on the couch. She sat beside me. “As he said, you have to know Dolion is doing some shady fucking things that should never be allowed in the magical world. Some shady fucking things. Human trafficking? With your own people? Come on.” She leaned forward, almost across me, bracing her hand on my thigh. “You’re not okay with that. Maybe you don’t have proof, and maybe you don’t want to talk about things that are hearsay because something bad will happen to you, like him attempting to kill you in your sleep, but it can’t be allowed to continue. You must know that.”
Caron licked his lips, and his eyes darted to the side. Behind him, two royals from smaller kingdoms had stood up and edged closer. They’d left plenty of distance, though—they wanted to hear, not talk.
Finley took notice of it as Hannon moved near her. She glanced at other royals, all of them focused on us, none of them wanting to actually take part in the conversation.
“Ah,” she said, nodding. “Hmm.”
“I think it is time for you to leave now, Finley,” Hannon murmured, standing next to her with his hands at his sides. His eyes were wary. He had the ability to feel emotions in the room. Clearly whatever was happening wasn’t good.
“Oh yeah? Was it something I said?” She huffed out a laugh, but I wasn’t going to stick around to see what happened next. Not with her here.
“Let’s go.” I pushed to standing and dragged her up.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Yuna said, her voice almost too low for me to hear. “King Dolion has money, power, and a seemingly endless army—”
“Not to mention powerful allies,” Caron murmured.
“He has ways to sneak into bedchambers and turn people to his will. He has people always watching, reporting.” She shook her head. “Look what he’s already done to you. He has too much power for us to stand against him. It’s better for everyone to…just…”
She couldn’t finish the sentence.
Finley stared at her. Then she put her hands to either side of her temples and exploded them outward.
“That just blew my mind, right there. Look what he’s done to me?” She swiveled around to look at the others. “Do you know how many people successfully escaped his dungeons? As many as came with me. How about the number of people he can turn to his will after I’ve given them my elixir?” She held up a fist. “None. Zero. Ask the faeries. You’re worried about his armies? What fucking demon in this world has a chance against a band of dragons working with a team of wolves? No, no, don’t look so scared. I’m not talking about you cowards. I’m talking about the best fucking alpha wolf this world has ever known”—she hooked a thumb at Weston—“teamed with mean, powerful fucking dragons who cut their teeth in Dolion’s dungeons. Dolion has come after us multiple times since we freed our kingdom. Multiple. The only demons left alive were the ones that escaped with him. It wasn’t us scurrying out of here earlier, either. So yes, I know what I am talking about. You’re the one who doesn’t have a clue.” She held her arms wide, and fire spread across her skin dramatically. She could sure make a statement. “The dragons are back, and this time they are united under the golden king and flanked by wolves. Be very careful which side you pick, fuckers. Very careful. I hold a grudge.”