Chapter 147 The Plan Has Changed - Adele's POV

Chapter 147 The Plan Has Changed - Adele's POV
Adele

The words came out so quickly that I almost didn't recognize his voice. The lady on the council smiled cruelly, her eyes remaining on his face before briefly flicking to mine.

“You heard me, my prince,” she cooed. “Mira is—”

“No, that’s not possible,” he said, stepping farther into the room. “I watched her die.”

“She’s alive.”

His entire body went still.

I watched him closely. Since I met him, I had never seen him react to anything like this before, even when I told him that I hated him and refused to marry him. He never looked as shocked as he did now.

“That's impossible,” he whispered. “She died.”

“Apparently not,” the woman said coldly.

His eyes snapped toward me, and I swallowed hard. 

“She’s on the Isle,” I breathed. There was no way of escaping this, not when he was looking directly at me.

“You knew?”

“I didn’t know she was your mate,” I corrected. “How would I have known that?”

His expression changed from one of confusion to anger to something I couldn’t even name. “That’s right. You wouldn’t know that. But this…changes everything.”

My gaze narrowed as I studied him. “What does this mean?”

He glanced back at the council, then back at me. I didn’t like how he looked at me. “If there is a chance that I can have her back, then I’m taking what is mine, and I’m using you to do it.”

He swiftly yanked me to him, my back pressed to his chest in the blink of an eye. “You will be my bait.”

“Bait?” I laughed. “No one wants me. My own coven tossed me aside and left me to die on the Isle.”

“Not them,” he said, his mouth dangerously close to my ear. “Your men.”

I laughed again. “They’re not coming for me. They are on the Isle.”

“Or are they?”

The words made me freeze. “No, they wouldn’t come—”

“What if they did and that is what I’ve been dealing with all morning?”

My entire body went rigid. Of all the stupid things they could have done, why did they have to come to the mainland after me? Did I not make myself clear enough?

My heart began to pound as Corwin’s arm tightened around my waist. “No, they—”

“They did.”

I shook my head, even though he wasn’t looking directly at my face. “They wouldn’t be that stupid.”

“Oh, but they are. They even landed in the forests east of here, hoping to go unnoticed. I’m letting them come.”

“But why?”

“Originally, I just wanted to take what my brother had and shove it in his face, but now—” He laughed and held me tighter. “I want what’s mine. A trade, perhaps.”

I looked over my shoulder at him. “Trade? What happened to wanting to keep me safe?”

Corwin's arm tightened around me.

“I want Mira in exchange for you.”

My stomach dropped. I turned my head enough to look at him. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am.”

“You’re going to trade me for your mate?”

His expression hardened. “If I have the opportunity to get her back, yes.”

Something inside my chest twisted. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I hadn't expected him to say it so easily.

I swallowed and looked away. “Then why are you holding me?”

“Because I’m not going to let the council have you, but I also won’t let Craven have you either.”

That made me look back at him. His eyes were fixed on the council now, and there was something dangerous in his expression.

The woman at the table smiled. “You said you wanted a trade.”

“I said perhaps.”

“Prince Corwin—”

“Do not mistake my words for an agreement.” His voice was cold. “You have already proven that I cannot trust this council to follow my orders. Once I get my mate back, then I will figure out what to do with this one.”

The woman's smile disappeared. 

Corwin finally looked down at me. “You are not leaving my side.”

I blinked in disbelief.

“Not until I know exactly what is happening.”

I didn't know what to say to that. He had just told me he would use me as bait. He had admitted he wanted to trade me for Mira if he could. And yet, somehow, I still felt safer with him than I had when I was standing alone in front of the council.

That thought made me deeply uncomfortable.

The woman leaned forward. “We need her.”

Corwin's gaze snapped toward her, a flash of anger in his eyes. “I will decide what happens to Adele.”

The woman's eyes narrowed. “You're making a mistake.”

“No.” Corwin's voice was dangerously calm. “I'm making a decision, and I’ve decided. Why have one queen when I can have two?”

“What? That’s not how this works,” I said firmly. “You can’t trade me if you plan to keep me.”

The woman’s expression shifted, and for the first time since Corwin had entered the room, she looked genuinely concerned. “You don't understand what you're saying. This is—”

“I understand perfectly.” Corwin's arm remained locked around my waist. “Mira is alive. Adele is a queen. And if what you have told me is true, then there has never been more than one queen alive at a time.”

The woman stared at him as his gaze hardened.

“Until now.”

My stomach twisted.

“You cannot have two queens,” the woman said slowly. “It has never happened.”

“Then perhaps it is time it did.”

A chill ran down my spine. I turned in Corwin's arms as much as I could, trying to see his face. “What are you talking about?”

His eyes dropped to mine. There was something in them that made me wish I hadn't asked.

“Your power hasn't awakened yet.”

“I don’t have any power,” I lied.

Corwin's eyes narrowed. “You don't believe that.”

“I have spent my entire life without magic,” I groaned. “You know this.”

“It just hasn’t awakened yet, but we can fix that.” The certainty in his voice made my stomach twist. “I promise you it can be done. Mira’s power awakened once she had us. So will yours.”

I stared at him. “I’ve been around them all. It won’t work.”