Cast in Faefire: An Urban Fantasy Romance (The Mage Craft Series Book 3) by S.M. Reine

room.
    Ymir bolted to his feet. A strangled groan caught in the boy’s chest.
    “You’re right,” Konig said. “This is urgent.” The frost giant shouldn’t have been able to vocalize through the force of Konig’s magic in his chest. Such groans meant he was shaking the magic again. It wouldn’t be long before he was outright talking.
    And once he started talking, Ymir would tell Marion that it hadn’t been Leliel who killed the refugees.
    “Come here,” Konig said with all the kindness he could muster. He sat the boy on the couch and took the spot beside him.
    Ymir managed to say something that sounded like, “No.”
    Konig swirled fresh magic around Ymir—stronger this time. The child didn’t make another sound.
    “There,” Konig said, patting him on the back. “This won’t be necessary soon, I promise. I just need to be sure that you don’t go around spreading confusing lies about the attack you saw from an angel. I’ve got a very important day coming up, after all.”
    Marion had only agreed to give Konig another chance because she thought the angels were a threat. If she heard Ymir’s side of things—and if she found out that Konig had lied to her—then their wedding would be wrecked.
    “Why don’t you find somewhere for the boy to play that’s safer?” Konig asked the Raven Knights. “There are a lot of holes in this part of the palace. Take him down deep and make sure he can have fun where he won’t get hurt.”
    Ymir was still shaking his head when they led him out of the room.
    Konig and Nori were alone.
    “That was close,” she said. “I think he was trying to find Marion to talk to her earlier.”
    “It won’t be a problem.” Konig drew the half-angel into his lap, settling back to allow her to sit comfortably atop him. Nori wasn’t as beautiful as Marion, but at least she had many things in common with Konig. Like priorities. And a fondness for sex that Marion used to have, back when she’d been herself.
    He allowed her to kiss him for a moment before drawing back. “This will have to wait, pet. I need you to do another kind of favor for me.”
    “If it involves Violet, I’m not sure she’ll tolerate my presence much longer.”
    “Then you’ll be happy to know this involves leaving Niflheimr.” He slid his hand into her furs, seeking the contact of warm woman-flesh against his fingertips. “I need you to dig up everything you can find on Deirdre Tombs. We need leverage against her in case our other bid for votes fails.”
    “No problem.” Nori shook her furs to the floor to expose her lean body. Even if she wasn’t a particularly beautiful half-angel, she was still very much a half-angel, and that meant the statuesque elegance that came with it. “But what if there’s nothing to dig up?”
    Assassination was on the table. “I will not lose my title,” Konig said, kissing Nori’s throat. “And the wedding will happen.”

    * * *
    M arion used the magic mirror in the throne room to arrange her hair while it was still reflective. Most likely it was sacrilege to use such a rare artifact for purposes of vanity, but it wasn’t like she could make business calls rumpled from traveling between planes.
    A figure appeared behind her in the reflection.
    “Your Highness? Do you have a moment?”
    She turned to greet Morrighan, one of the sidhe refugees. “Of course I do.” For the people whose families she’d failed to protect, she had infinite time.
    Morrighan approached the throne hesitantly. She was one of the gentry but shone with enough blue light that she would have needed to work to conceal her magical nature. “I was a witch who specialized in wards before Genesis. As a result, my sidhe talent is likewise ward specialization, and I’ve been feeling disruptions in Niflheimr for weeks.”
    “Yes, I understand that the wards are failing,” Marion said. “Please don’t worry yourself about them. We have a plan.”
    “That’s not what I mean. Someone seems