I hope not, Kris thought but said aloud, "I'll warn him."
Darkyn's features were too shuttered to read, and Kris didn't wait for him to second-guess anything. He returned to the castle, stopping at the sound of commotion from the direction of the forest before he reached the entrance. Rhyn's pterodactyl shape hovered over the demons at the edge of the forest, one of the creatures dangling in his talons. Kris heard the sickening sound of the demon's body breaking from the distance and watched the other demons shapeshift to charge the half-demon. Hoping they'd fix his Rhyn problem for him, he entered the castle and headed straight to the office of his personal secretary.
"Henri, summon Kiki and the others here immediately. If Tamer gives you any resistance, let me know, and I'll drag him here myself," he instructed. "And find out if Iliana made it to her destination."
Henri nodded, his fingers flying over the keyboard in front of him. Of all the thoughts on Kris's mind, Hannah and Jade were foremost. He didn't know whose mate Hannah was intended to be but hoped fate revealed it soon, or he'd help it along and claim her as his as he should've done to Katie when they met.
He'd been too good of a person a mere month before. Andre's death and Rhyn's reappearance changed everything, and Kris found himself considering alternatives he'd never have thought twice about before, like ordering Rhyn and Sasha killed despite his oath to protect his brothers and making an oath to Katie he had no intentions of keeping.
Another idea emerged from his dark thoughts, and he trotted out of the secretary's office and to Katie's chamber. Ully was sleeping soundly in his seat beside Toby's bed. Katie was huddled in a blanket before the fire, and what looked like a healer curled on the bed. Kris nudged Ully awake, motioning for the scientist to follow him out of the chamber. Ully did so sleepily.
"I have a project for you," Kris said as he walked toward the stairs. He looked back to see Ully leaning against the wall to fix his shoes. "Ully, walk!" The scientist obeyed. "Have you had a chance to test the immunity blood Sasha brought?"
"No. I was distracted by Toby. The poor little-- "
"The vial is your concern now. I need confirmation before the Council meets, and I need to know if you can alter whatever it is Sasha's people did," Kris said.
"Alter it how?"
"The demons are demanding I return it to them. I want to oblige, only I want the mix to kill them. Slowly, if at all possible."