Page 186 of Infernal Secrets

Roandra looked at Ezra. “Young Master, we all know our kind survives on Earth. We’re here now. Whoever she’s working with from Elyrdin comes to her.” Her tone wavered when she spoke to Ezra. She feared him, and I liked it. She couldn’t speak to Ezra like a child.

“Where did Father get this information? How did they find us?”

“Please step away from the human,” Ranthus said, voice firm. “Your father will explain everything after we apprehend her.”

Rinlora bowed her head. “Please step aside, Young Masters.”

“She wouldn’t hurt us,” Zeke insisted. “She’s our Nyrith.”

Roandra made a tutting sound. “Young Master, she is manipulating you. This is part of her illusion, to keep herself in your good graces.”

“I’m not—”

“To think she would make a mockery of our most cherished traditions,” Rinlora said, cutting me off as she shook her head, genuine distress tightening her perfect features.

They honestly believed I wanted to hurt the princes, which made this even worse. They weren’t trying to trick them. I doubted they’d believe a word I said.

Cyn glanced over at me and then back at the trio. “Illusion?”

“We are here on orders from the council to capture Raelynn Henson for the crime of kidnapping the royal heirs by use of a forbidden ritual,” Ranthus said, dismissing Cyn’s question, clearly done with the back-and-forth.

Ezra’s stony stare assessed Ranthus. “You know the ritual she used?”

“Any ritual that brought you from Elyrdin against your will is deemed forbidden,” Ranthus said, not flinching under the weight of Ezra’s gaze. “Your father doesn’t need to know more than that.”

“I do,” Ezra said.

“I serve your father, Young Master. While I also serve you, his orders were explicit. I cannot go against his command. Please surrender the human to us. She is to be taken to Cholian until her trial.”

I opened my mouth again, but Ezra shot me the same look from when he gave me the pants. A warning. Why couldn’t I defend myself now without a stupid trial? Did he not trust them or their concern?

Ash squared his shoulders, voice dropping to a low growl. “Cholian? Can she even survive there? What if she dies before trial?”

“Then the problem solves itself,” Ranthus said, his voice lacking emotion.

“Ash, no!” Zeke grabbed one arm and Ezra caught the other as Ash lunged at Ranthus.

Ezra said, “Calm yourself, Ash.”

Ash strained against their hold. “They’ll kill her if they take her there!”

“Prince Cyriac, this isn’t like you.” Roandra looked at the others, eyes wide. “Does this seem like the warrior you know? Making emotional outbursts over a woman? A human?”

I really wanted to punch her in the mouth.

Zeke looked from Ezra to Cyn, and my stomach soured. Her words had landed. Ash had said he hadn’t wanted a woman in a long time, and he’d never acted irrationally.

“You know us. We’ve taken care of you for years. We would not make light of something so heinous,” Ranthus said, latching onto the uncertainty on the guys’ faces. “She’s found a way to take control of you in ways we aren’t even aware of yet.”

Cyn pushed off the refrigerator and stepped toward me, forcing Zeke to move out of the way. “Oh, I think I know how she’s doing it.”

“Cyn, don’t,” Ash said, but didn’t move.

Power thrummed in the air; Ezra must have been holding Ash in place with more than his hand.

Cyn stopped in front of me. “She hasn’t said a word because she knows she’s guilty,” he said, making it clear he didn’t understand me at all.

Had that been why he kept looking at me? Was he waiting for me to defend myself?