“I do not share my mate with anyone.”
“Is that right?” He arches a brow. “Even if she is human?”
I still.
His grin widens. “I’ve played with a few of them myself, and I recognize the scent. Let me share in your play, and I promise not to tell anyone.”
I growl.
“It is against our laws to mate a human, is it not?” he asks, his eyes narrowing slightly. “And it is also illegal to have her on this side of the veil. Share her with me, and I’ll speak of this to no one.”
Concentrating, I call upon my magic to conjure my knife—my most deadly possession. The moment I feel the cool steel of the handle in my palm, I rush toward him and pin him back against the wall, holding the blade to his throat.
His eyes are wide in panic and alarm. His kind always underestimates mine, believing us weak because we are rabbit shifters instead of wolves.
“How did you find us here?” I grit through my teeth.
“The rain,” he sputters. “It weakened some sort of barrier. A magic one. I wanted to see what it was concealing, and I found you.” His eyes dart behind me as if searching for Ella. “But I suppose you are the one who raised it in the first place, aren’t you? To conceal your human from our kin.”
His words unnerve me. This should not have happened; rain should not affect my magic, unless... I shake my head softly, pushing the thought aside as I question the wolf.
“Why were you here in the first place?”
“The queen,” he gasps as I press the blade firmly against his skin, drawing a small trickle of blood. “Her cousin was killed by a human. She suspects that human is here somewhere and ordered us to search for her.”
My eyes widen slightly at his admission. “What do you know of the queen’s cousin?” I ask.
“Only that he was doing her bidding. He disguised himself as the prince and was sent to the human kingdom to kill the Chosen One. The prophecy of the elders,” he wheezes against my firm grip. “It’s wrong. If we form a treaty with the humans, they will only use it to attack us later. It is not possible to maintain peace with their kind. She has ordered everyone to seek out the Chosen One. We must kill her before she fulfills the prophecy and dooms our people.”
“What else do you know?”
“Nothing,” he begs. “I swear.”
I focus on his eyes and recite the spell of truth. He stares at me but says nothing, and I know that he was not lying. If he were, the magic would have compelled him to speak further. I cannot allow him to live, however. And after his threat toward my mate, I would not want to anyway.
In one swift movement, I drag the knife across his throat.
A sharp inhalation behind me draws my attention, and I spin to find Ella staring at his bloodied form with wide eyes.
“They want to kill me,” she whispers, her eyes staring down at him in shock. “They’re searching for me, Nyx.”
I rush forward and take her in my arms. “We will not let them.”
When we return to the cottage, everyone is already waiting.
Kai gives me a furious look. His nostrils flare and he narrows his eyes. “Where were you? We were worried.”
It is easy to tell that he knows I have mated Ella. I know I should not have kept her away for so long, but it was challenging to sate my mating lust once it had begun. He would not understand. His kind does not experience this like mine does.
“A wolf shifter found us,” I tell him. “I killed him, but not before he informed me that it was the queen’s cousin that Ella killed at the castle. The wolves are searching for Ella. Our queen has ordered every shifter to hunt her down and kill her before she can fulfill the prophecy.”
Kai’s expression does not waver, telling me that this is not news to him.
He clenches his jaw. “I spoke with the Elder. She said as much to me also. It seems the queen does not want to give up her power.”
“What do you mean?” Ella asks.
“You are destined not only to unite our two kingdoms but to become the queen of our kingdom as well, thus overthrowing the reign of our current queen and her wolf pack.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Nothing for now,” Kai replies. “We will hide here while we decide upon our next move.” His gaze shifts to me. “Reestablish the protective barrier,” he orders.
“I will.”
Kai’s blue eyes meet mine. “How was it weakened in the first place?”
I look at Ella. “The wolf claimed it was the rain, but rain should not affect my magic, unless it was enchanted.”
Devon frowns. “Enchanted?”
“Yes.” I look at Ella. “When you sang, it brought the rain with it. It happened yesterday and in the gardens of your home as well. I did not recognize the magic of it then, but I do now. You are the reason your land has prospered while all else has withered and dried up. You have the ability to summon the rain.”
Cash turns to her. “I’ve heard her father’s line had this ability—mastery over one of the elements.”
“Yes,” Finn adds. “But it was always believed to be a myth.”
Chapter 25
Ella
“How is this possible? Why does my singing cause it to rain?”
Finn looks to me. “It is said that it was a gift to your father’s line from one of our earliest queens. A token of friendship and prosperity between our two people. She gifted the magic of the elements to each of the four human kingdoms that were allied with our people.”
Kai looks to me, his expression sober. “There is more.”
“What is it?”
“Someone casts a spell on the body of the wolf shifter that you killed to make sure he remained in the prince’s form.” He
