Jaded [The Moonlight Breed 9] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) by Gabrielle Evans (best free novels txt) 📕

Jacobi had used his powers of seduction to question some of the guards without them even realizing it, while Mihail and Nikola had been using every available opportunity to travel to the mainland, utilizing the library to scour the internet for information. So far, however, they’d found nothing useful.

“This is my fault.” If he had tried harder, maybe Lily wouldn’t have suffered as she had.

“Zuri, you didn’t do this,” Spiro responded with a firm squeeze to his midsection.

He couldn’t keep the secret any longer, and it all came spilling out in a rush. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled when he’d finished explaining what he and his friends had been trying to do. “I should have done more.”

“You did everything you could, and I’m inspired by your dedication, but this stops now.” A hardness entered Spiro’s gaze, and the muscles in his jaw tensed as if he was grinding his teeth together. “This is dangerous, and you’re going to get yourself hurt.”

“But…I—”

“No,” Spiro growled. “Nithron, please take Zuriel back to the palace.”

Nithron nodded, gripping Zuriel’s elbow in an unshakable grip. With his free hand, he reached for the walkie-talkie on his hip, fingering the knob at the top. “Should I call for more guards?”

“They’re already on their way.” Marcel strode toward them with narrowed eyes, stopping short and bowing respectfully to Spiro. “Rissian had a craving for vanilla bean coffee this morning. The café was still closed when I got there, but the smell coming from inside was awful. I found Jaeah dead behind the counter.” He stared pointedly down at Lily’s bloated form. “I radioed for more guards.”

“Someone else is dead?” This nightmare just kept getting worse, and Zuriel desperately wanted to wake up now. These residents weren’t related to the royal family, blowing his theory completely out of the water.

“Zuri, go home and stay put until I get there.”

He had no argument against going back to his room, but he did worry for Spiro’s safety. “Come with me.”

Spiro offered him a sympathetic smile, but Zuriel knew the answer before it even came. “You know I can’t, but I’ll be there soon.” He kissed Zuriel’s forehead and eased him away. “I’m needed here.”

He needed the king, too, but with two more deaths, he felt selfish for even thinking it. “Yeah, I know.” Allowing Nithron to lead him away, he glanced over his shoulder, feeling his heart ache for his lover.

Spiro wasn’t nearly as okay as he led everyone to believe, and he looked so alone standing over the lifeless form of someone who had once been his friend. Zuriel couldn’t change the past, but maybe he could heal his mate and give him a reason to look forward to the future.

Chapter Twelve

“Goddamn it!” Spiro raged, downing the contents of his glass before sending the crystal sailing into the fireplace to shatter. He pushed both hands into his hair, pulling roughly at the locks while he paced his office.

In the mere weeks since he’d become king, three people had died, and he was no closer to knowing why. He had nothing to tell their families, no comfort to offer them. Additionally, the arrival of more sentries in the town had gained the attention of the residents, and they’d amassed in the streets, whispering amongst themselves as they watched on in obvious fear.

After paying his respects to the families of the deceased, he’d spent hours fielding questions and assuring everyone on the island that they weren’t in danger. It was a lie, but the last thing he needed was mass hysteria.

If he’d been honest, however, he’d have told them that any one of them could be next, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Gods, banging his head against the fucking wall would probably produce better results than any of their tests or speculations.

Grabbing the rum off his desk by the neck of the bottle, he spun in a circle, searching for his glass. When he remembered he’d taken his frustrations out on it, he shrugged and tipped the bottle to his mouth without care of propriety. Two swallows later, he pulled the clear, empty bottle away from his lips and frowned. He didn’t remember drinking that much, but it would explain why the room was suddenly spinning.

Had he been human, he’d probably be passed out in the middle of the floor. Good thing he wasn’t human, because he needed another fucking drink.

A soft knock echoed around the room, and the door creaked open so that Zuriel could poke his head inside with a tense smile. “Hey, can I come in?”

“Sure.” Oh, he really needed to sit down. Damn his elven tolerance for alcohol. “Are you feeling better?”

“I’m okay.” Slipping into the room, Zuriel closed the door behind him and shuffled a little closer, looking him over with a speculative eye. “Are you drunk?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You are!”

“Zuriel, I assure you that Dr. Spiro Melonious Araceli does not get drunk.”

His mate snickered, not looking even a little convinced. “Maybe not, but King Araceli is hammered.”

“King Araceli was my father, and he was a certifiable prick.” There was a place in hell reserved for people like his daddy dearest. “When I was fifteen, I stood right where you are while guards carved derogatory remarks into the flesh of my back on my father’s orders. Of course, since I’m part shifter, they healed.”

“Why would he do something like that?” Poor Zuriel. He sounded a little sick to his stomach.

“Who knows? Because it amused him, I suppose.” Turning in a circle, Spiro held his arms out to his sides and twirled his wrists. “This was his kingdom, his dominion, and he could do whatever the hell he pleased.”

“Spiro, I think you need to sit down.”

“Oh, he was pissed when those cuts healed. So, he had more sentries drag me—literally—out into the courtyard and tie me to that old, ugly tree. Then he invited the entire island