Kingdom of Shadow and Light by Moning Karen Marie

Author:Moning, Karen Marie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2021-02-23T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

“I took Rae to see Sean for the first time today.”

I flinch. I don’t want company, so I say nothing. Keeping my back to Kat, I continue staring over the balustrade, at the many sub-clubs of Chester’s, seeing nothing but my mother’s face superimposed on a dance floor as I tell her Jack Lane is dying.

“In retrospect, I realize how foolish that was of me. I think it was bringing them together that made Cruce come.”

Still, I say nothing. If she thinks her mistake of taking Rae to Sean is as terrible as what I’ve done, she’s mistaken. The world is in chaos, four of the people we love are missing, and I’ve killed my father.

“I knew all along Rae might be Cruce’s child. It didn’t matter. I love her more than life. She’s my daughter, regardless of who her father is.” She pauses a minute then says, “I imagine there’s another mother somewhere that might say the same about Lyryka.”

“You did not come here to argue for the librarian.” If Christian doesn’t bottle her, she’s going to taste the cold iron of my spear.

“Merely to point out that while you may be losing the father you’ve had the privilege of loving for decades, I just lost the daughter I had only five years with. You can choose to wallow in self-loathing, or you can recognize that there are many who suffer. There’s a whole world out there, and they’ve incurred horrifying losses since the walls came down. Many lost their entire families. If everyone who ever had something awful or painful happen to them turned ugly, and possessed the kind of power you do—which I feel stirring in you like a dark cyclone capable of mass destruction—how long do you think our world would survive?”

“Oh, God, please just stop talking, Kat.”

“With immense power comes immense responsibility.”

“You think I don’t know that?”

“You’re the Fae queen.”

“Painfully aware of it.”

“But you’re more than that, Mac. Though you wear no crown and hold no formal title, you’re our leader. We look to you for guidance. We have faith in you. You’ve seen us through seemingly impossible situations and, whether you know it or not, we follow you. You always find a way when it seems there’s none to be found.”

I have a sudden lump in my throat. I didn’t know she felt that way about me. Most of the time I feel like I just bumble about and get lucky with the help of my amazing friends. The truth is, nothing I’ve ever done would have succeeded if I’d been alone. “It takes all of us, Kat. Not just me.”

“My daughter was stolen by Cruce. He took Sean, and I strongly doubt he means to let him live. Your father is dying. Dani is missing, and we have no idea where she is. Get back in that conference room. Open your mind to the possibility of Lyryka helping us. Christian says she’s passed every lie-detection test he’s given her. I, too, probed her with my gift of empathy.

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