Fragile Reign (Mortal Enchantment Book 2) by Stacey O'Neale Page A

understand you were eager to meet with me, Darius.”
    “I was curious. Given your past, I had my doubts you would even show up.” Darius glanced at his hounds, snickering.
    He had been present when I was mutilated. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I heard his voice afterwards. If I was right, Darius was the one who suggested throwing me in the dungeon where I would have most certainly died. “Many things have changed since the last time we saw each other.” I said, speaking with a firm, level tone.
    He crossed his massive arms across his chest. “Indeed they have. You are the one who killed Prisma. For that, I am grateful.”
    My stomach tightened. Taking my mother’s life wasn’t something I was proud of. She wasn’t winning any awards for ‘best mom’, but she was still the only parent I had ever known. “You deserved your freedom long before you received it. I always said if I became king that would be my first command.”
    “But you did have a chance to free us, little prince.” Darius cocked his head to the side. Little prince? He was trying to use his words to lure me into a fight. “After Prisma’s death, you should have been crowned. Instead you abandoned your court, choosing to stay in the mortal world to guard the air court princess. The same court who later attacked us, killing some of my pack.”
    Had I not protected Kalin, she would’ve died in the forest before she ever reached Avalon. The war would have started much earlier and Taron would not have stopped until every fire court elemental paid for her death with their life. “I never abandoned our court. I saved many lives by protecting Kalin. That was more than I could have done sitting on a throne.”
    I heard a low, growling rumble come from Darius. I doubt many argued with him. With Liana and Prisma gone, he answered to no one. The other hounds gathered closer, boxing us in. Each one breathing heavy as they prepared to shape-shift. Their natural body heat thickened the air around us. With each passing moment the tension escalated. If the hounds decided to attack as a group, I would be killed within seconds—along with Marcus. But I refused to back down.
    Darius bent down, settling only inches from my face. “Why did you ask for this meeting, little prince?”
    Anger bubbled in my chest. I needed to stay composed, but I had reached my limit. I drew my sword from the glamoured sheath. The closest hounds let out a pained scream. A few backed away when their skin caught fire. Iron burned the hounds the same as any other elemental. I leaped back, landing in a crouching position. Pointing my sword in Darius’s direction, I said, “You may address me as Prince Rowan or King Rowan, but that will be the last time you address me as little prince. Do you understand?”
    Darius began to shift into his hound form. “You made a fatal mistake coming here.”
    Marcus appeared in front of me, blocking my view. Speaking to his father, he said, “Please listen to what Rowan has to say. He came to ask for your allegiance. If we return with him, he has promised to give us our freedom. And once he is crowned, you will have a seat on his council.”
    Darius ignored his plea. The bones in his back shifted while the muscles in his arms and legs seemed to multiply.
    “Father, please.” Marcus clasped his hands together. “I have never asked you for anything, but I am begging you to stop this. Please accept his offer.”
    Darius stopped the shift, returning to his human form. I wasn’t aware a hound could do that once the transformation had started. “Very well, Marcus. But first, Rowan must agree to a test. Prove he is strong enough to lead our court.”
    I nudged Marcus out of the way. “Name it,” I replied.
    Darius smiled, wickedly. “I challenge you to a one-on-one battle. If you can beat me, you will have the support of my pack.”
    The hounds cheered.
    Before I could tell him to bring it, Marcus said, “No. There has to be another