Marked By Lies: A Reverse Harem Series (The Marked Series Book 1) by Paige Orr (best english books to read for beginners .txt) 📕

but I know it won’t be long before word of what’s been happening gets out to the rest of our people and it will be Cailean’s head on the chopping block.

At this point, I don’t think we have any other choice but to bring someone else in to help us with this because we’re fucking lost. The issue with that though is finding someone that we can trust that won’t leak any of the information. Before that though, we should probably contact the Unseelie, even if it is the last thing that any of us want to do.

Surely if Fae are being kidnapped though, then it can’t only be our people, it wouldn’t make sense for us to be the only ones targeted unless it’s an Unseelie faction who are to blame. Broaching the subject will not go over well with Cailean, but at this point what choice do I have?

“Cail, I know this isn’t what you want to hear. But you're going to have to talk to Zaphyr. Either people are being taken from both sides, or it could be down to the Unseelie, but we won’t know until we ask. There are too many lives at stake to let your pride rule you, especially since the culprit seems to be upping the ante.”

He throws himself down into his chair, letting out a sigh of resignation before roughly dragging his hands through his hair. I hate seeing him so defeated, but until we catch whoever is to blame, I know there’s nothing that will cheer him up.

“I know! I just hate that I have to go to that bastard for help, you know he’ll hold this shit over us for fucking years.”

I take a moment to think over the last thing that's holding him back before finally answering him.

“That may be so, but with the new reports we’ve received tonight, we're left with no other choice. I’ll get in touch with one of the guards and ask him if Zaphyr turned up tonight. The sooner we get this over with the better for us all.”

I don’t wait for his answer before pushing off from the wall and heading out into the hallway. I take a moment to compose myself before heading towards the room that our guests are waiting in. As soon as I walk through the doors, people begin to surround me and I try my best to politely excuse myself before making my way over to the main doors and the guards stationed there.

When the guards notice me approaching they snap to attention, awaiting my orders and I motion for them to be at ease.

“Good evening. I need to see tonight's guest list. Also, have you lads seen the Unseelie Prince in attendance tonight?”

While one of the guards goes to get me the guest list, I watch the other one as he fidgets in his place. You can always tell when someone has been assigned to guard one of these events for the first time. Not only does the guard in front of me barely look old enough to be barely trained, but he also hasn’t learned how to keep a poker face yet.

“I’m sorry sir, but our shift has only just started. The two who were here before us should be in the break room if you need to find them.”

As soon as the boy finishes speaking, his eyes swing towards his partner, silently begging him to hurry. Luckily for the inexperienced guard, his partner comes back over a few moments later with the guest list, handing it to me before he retakes his position at the door. I nod my thanks to him before leaving them to their work as I make my way over to the closest table.

Taking a seat, I flick through the guest list, stopping at the Unseelie section and letting out a breath of relief when I see that the Prince did turn up tonight. Discreetly, I check out the rest of the room, looking for any sign of the surly Prince before finally spotting his aide surrounded by a group of women. Rolling my eyes, I get to my feet and make way towards him, not surprised in the slightest that instead of being with his Prince he’s decided to flirt up a storm.

As I approach the group, I clear my throat catching Morpheus’s attention, and when his eyes land on me they go from being warm and inviting, to cold as ice and filled with hate.

“A moment of your time if you would be so kind Morpheus, it’s rather urgent.”

I wait patiently as he extracts himself from his group of admirers and makes his way towards me with a sneer on his face. I turn on my heel and begin walking to a quieter place in the room where we won’t be overheard by prying ears, and I hear him grumbling under his breath as he follows me.

At least he didn’t tell me to fuck off. Things will be a lot easier for us all if we can learn to put our differences aside to make sense of this all. It’s difficult to put aside centuries of hate, but we have to for the sake of our people. Once we are far enough away from everyone else, I surround us with a soundproof bubble that not even supernatural ears could penetrate and brace myself for the conversation ahead.

“Look Morpheus, I know that we don’t get along, but right now there are more important things to concern ourselves with. I’m looking for Zaphyr. There is a rather sensitive subject Cailean needs to speak with him about but before that, one aide to another, have any of your people gone missing.”

He studies me for a few moments as I await his answer, and I can feel the patience that I’m known so well for slipping the longer he doesn’t answer me.