I look across the palace wall, trying to find another way that I could slip inside without them seeing me. But it's too late. "What are they doing here?" I whisper.

"An investigation disguised as official business," Cain says. "You know the drill."

I sigh. "Stay behind you?"

I keep a little further behind him, coming to a slow stop at the top of the path. The gathered group of visitors are large, I count twelve of them, they are the council members from the dinner party. The guards are lined up in front of the entrance, their backs straight and heads high, not allowing the council to enter without Cain's permission.

"Twice in one month," Cain says. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Axel?"

Axel steps out of the group, he's the only one that is brave enough. "I thought it best to bring witnesses to speak with you."

Cain grins. "Am I that unpredictable these days?"

"It just seems a little odd," Axel says, moving his eyes to look directly at me. That makes Cain tense and he moves over to block his view. "There is talk among our species of a pure soul that lived as a nanny at Raven's centre. The girl was sought by everyone that touched her. Then, mysteriously, she disappeared."

"I heard she committed suicide," Cain says.

"Yet there was no body to recover," Axel says. "No burial site. Then shortly after the girl's 'death' Raven disappeared too. And now Arabella. It seems those connected to that nannery, and that girl, have vanished."

"Are you accusing me of something?" Cain says.

"Just allow me to touch her to put our doubts at rest and we will leave in peace." Axel doesn't even blink while giving his request, he keeps his body straight, awaiting Cain's reaction.

"Why would I allow that? The human is mine."

"Where did you bid for her?" Axel asks.

"I didn't," Cain says. "She was brought here as a stray. She was found hiding out in the mountains."

"Impossible," Axel mutters.

"Are you implying that I am lying?" Cain growls lowly.

"So if we brought some of the bidders here they wouldn't recognize her?" Axel says. "Because I think they would."

"Bring them here," Cain says. "Test it."

I glare up at him but he keeps his eyes on Axel. They'd all recognize me, creatures have excellent memories. Cain must know that.

"Forgive me," Axel says. "But I have just told you that Arabella is missing and you do not seem that concerned."

"Arabella gets bored easily," Cain says. "She and Raven have probably absconded somewhere together. They probably kidnapped that pure soul and planned it."

"She wouldn't break your laws," Axel mutters. "She enforced them. She spent eight years at that nannery, that doesn't sound like boredom to me."

Axel has an answer for everything and it's making Cain angrier. He's been smart so far but one wrong response could change all of that. He flicks his hand at the guards along the wall and they start to move forwards, herding the group further to the left.

"Do not show up at my home unannounced again," Cain orders.

"We will return with the bidders," Axel shouts over the several bodies that are cornering him away from the path. "If you are killing your own species to protect a human then it will be the last thing you ever do as King!"

"Get them out of here!" Cain yells.

The guards become more aggressive and start pushing the council backwards by their chests. Axel snarls at a guard and then straightens his jacket, releasing his large, black wings that he uses to spring himself into the sky. The others follow.

"I'd love to kill him," Cain hisses. He tightens his hand around my wrist and starts pulling me towards the steps to the palace. "Damn witnesses." Cain stops in the doorway, turning around to yell orders at his guards. "Double the security around the walls and the back towers, if you see any movement in the sky then I want to know about it."

"Yes, my King," one guard says.

"Pull the group from the river side, I want this palace to be a fortress within the hour."

I wait awkwardly inside the entrance way for Cain to come back inside, he slams the big double doors and locks them with several bolts. This has really startled him. Arabella warned him that the council were plotting against him but I don't think he took it seriously until now. He starts snapping orders at the all guards inside too.

"I want a guard stationed at every window," Cain shouts as he angrily storms up the staircase. I hurry after him. He pauses halfway and stares down to the guards below us. "Did you hear me? What are you waiting for!"

They start moving, panicked and fearful. Even the humans are staring towards us in shock. He doesn't say another word as he charges right down the hallway, making every single human, creature or otherwise slam themselves into the walls to let him pass. I offer an apologetic glance to a girl who is holding her chest as though she's having a panic attack.

He climbs another staircase and waits for me at the top, turning to move as soon as I'm on the level. He doesn't go towards the stairwell to my bedroom chamber, instead he takes a sharp right and approaches a guard waiting outside a set of large double doors.

"Go," he commands. "Go do something useful outside. You don't need to guard my rooms every single minute of the day."

The male creature looks at me as he hurries past me. I stick close to the wall, my arms tucked to my side. I've learned my lesson.

Cain leaves the doors wide open for me to enter but I don't know what I'm doing here. I follow him into a wide, spacious living room with low couches, a firepit and a corner office with a desk and lamp. He takes out a large bottle from his desk and pours himself a drink, lifting it up to offer me one. I shake my head.

"This is bad," he mutters.

"Why did you tell him to bring the bidders here?" I say. "They're all going to recognize me."

"Let me worry about that," he says. "I knew they'd investigate Arabella's disappearance but I didn't think they'd make the connection with you so soon." He rubs his chin and tips the drink into his mouth, pouring himself another one a second later. "Sit down."

I slide to the far edge of the grey couch, crossing my legs as I stare at the low fire crackling inside the wall. "So what will they do?"

"Axel has been after my position for centuries," Cain says, his voice hard and resentful. "He's got a very powerful influence, especially over the other council members. If he finds evidence that you were stolen from the nannery then he won't hesitate to bring an army here. He already thinks I'm breaking too many of my own laws, why should they follow them if I don't?"

"But if you're the only one that can kill them then that's not breaking a law. . . right?"

"Stealing you is," he says. "Zander technically stole you so that wasn't my fault. But by law I should have returned you to the nannery to be bid on."

"And you would have won anyway. It makes no difference."

Cain smiles. "It does to my species. So many of them are starving because they are being outbid on. If they don't have enough souls to trade then they don't eat. Axel will target them; he'll pray on their weakness and anger towards me. Your hunger is nothing compared to ours." He looks me over softly. "When we taste something that we want, something so good that it keeps us distracted at night thinking about it, then losing the chance to bid is a powerful fuse to start a rebellion."

"What will you do?" I mumble.

"The bidders won't recognize you, I'll make sure of it. But Axel will never stop. He knows you're completed; he just won't say the words out loud in front of me. You're in danger, Aurora."

I take a deep breath as I glare at him. "So we're back to killing me?"

Cain shrugs and tips the glass to his mouth. "That's the logical option."

"Or. . . you could offer him something else," I say. Cain narrows his eyes and joins me on the couch. "I saw the way Axel looked at you at the dinner party when you held the blade, it wasn't just annoyance, it was envy. I think there's someone that he really wants to kill and you could make a deal."

"I take a life for him and he drops the accusations?" Cain says, rubbing his chin in thought. "It will never happen. He's too smart to be alone with me to discuss it. He won't come anywhere near me without witnesses."

"Then order him to," I say. "If the council are downstairs then him not returning would be a little obvious. He must know you wouldn't try to kill him with witnesses waiting for him."

"Are you sure about this? Because if I make that deal and you're wrong then I'll be admitting that I will gladly kill my own to protect my secrets."

"I'm sure," I whisper. "I know too well what envy looks like. He hates that you have the position to kill and he doesn't, that's most likely the reason he wants it."

Cain takes a slow sip of his drink and stares at the fire. I can see centuries of memories flashing through his eyes as he thinks. He's probably remembering every time he spoke with Axel, if there was anyone he'd try and badmouth or frame for a crime. I rest my elbow on the armrest and I start to close my eyes as it becomes so quiet that I can't keep my eyes open.

"What's wrong?" he says. "Didn't you get much sleep last night?"

I shake my head as I yawn. "There were a lot of things to keep me awake." I think of Wendy and I pinch my nails into my temple.

"What you did," Cain says. "was the bravest thing I've ever seen."

"Brave?" I whisper, the word rolling around my tongue with a bitter taste. "No. She was the brave one, not me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm still alive," I say, turning to look at him. I form a sad smile. "The ones that sacrifice themselves are the brave ones, I'm just. . . something else."

"I'm okay with you being something else."

I wipe my tears as I laugh to myself. "I'm not."

Cain nudges closer to me and his large arm folds around my back, he pulls me over to him and I'm too tired to resist it. I lay my head against his shoulder, feeling so comfortable that I hate myself again.

"You'll get your time with Jackson tomorrow," he whispers. "I promise."

"And Christian?" I say.

"Christian too. I don't think I can keep him from you for much longer anyway."

I don't know what he means by that but I close my eyes as the exhaustion takes me. I crash against him, listening to the distant crackle of the fire as it pops and rustles. I can feel his fingers drumming against my shoulder, it's like a lullaby without sound. I stir deeper into his side with my soul finally at peace after a chaotic day, because it's next to his.