“I can walk,” Zara said, though she didn’t sound the least bit convincing, even to herself.
“I’m sure you can. But I want to have you in my arms. Humor me.”
She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. If Wadim wanted to pamper her, then she wasn’t about to stop him. It had been so very long since anyone had taken care of her, unless of course you count vampires tossing a small bowl of mealy rice into her dark cell a couple of times a day just to keep her alive.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she closed her eyes.
“It is an honor to care for my mate,” Wadim said. “Now rest, my love. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Cyn watched as Thalion,the elf prince and her husband, inspected the swords the elven blacksmith had forged. One by one, Thalion laid them down on a table, lining them up straight. She waited for him to finish and let her know it was time for her to work her magic on the blades. Cyn would like to think that this would give them an advantage in battle, but Ludcarab was old and crafty. He would no doubt have some tricks up his sleeves.
After another fifteen minutes, Thalion finally turned to her. “If you will,” he said and motioned toward the swords.
Cyn walked over and ran her finger over the first blade, slicing her skin just deep enough for it to bleed. She let drops of blood fall onto the blade as she whispered a spell in her people’s language. The blood absorbed into the sword as if it were a sponge and not steel. She continued the process on each blade until all fifty blades were done.
“Are we going to do the arrows as well?” Cyn asked as she turned to face Thalion.
“If you are willing,” Thalion said.
“We need all the help we can get, Thalion,” Cyn said. “This magic will ensure that wherever you aim your sword, arrow, or knife blade, it will land true. A child could throw one of the knives I’ve magicked and not miss. So yes, my love, I’m willing.”
“Then I will have all the arrows brought here.”
Herewas the makeshift camp they, meaning the elves who refused to pledge their fealty to the elf king, had built in the forest three miles from the palace. They’d erected tents for shelters, and Cyn had put a cloaking spell over the camp. It wasn’t a long-term solution to their problem, but it would have to do until they could take on Ludcarab without getting massacred.
“Tonight, we’re going to scout the castle grounds,” Thalion said. “I need to get confirmation my father is involved with the Order.”
“Why?” Cyn asked. “Isn’t it enough that he lied about his death and has chased his son and any who do not want to follow him out of their homeland”
“If he is connected to the Order, then he has committed crimes against the elfin race, and I can execute him without any formal trial. As it stands, he still has a right to a trial,” Thalion explained.
“As it stands,” Cyn said, using his words, “Ican execute him without a trial.”
Thalion’s lips twitched as if he fought a smile. “Why is that, my love?”
“Because I don’t care about formalities when it comes to protecting those I care for.”
He stepped closer to her. “And you care for me?”
Cyn tried not to shiver at the warm, velvet tone in his voice but knew she failed when his lips turned up in a crooked smirk. “A minute amount,” she said, trying to keep her face as blank as possible.
Thalion took another step then another until he was standing directly in front of her. He ran his thumb along her jawline as he clucked his tongue at her. “My love, I believe you care for me a great deal more than you let on. I see it in the adoration that fills your eyes when you gaze upon me.”
Cyn couldn’t help the laughter that irrupted from her. He had a way of doing that, making her blank facade break. “I do not gaze on you adoringly, elf prince. That is simply your overinflated ego making your eyes play tricks on you.”
“If that is what you need to tell yourself in order to cope with your feelings, then I will let it lie.” Thalion dropped his hand, and Cyn nearly snatched it back but refrained from acting on the ridiculous impulse.
“If you’re done pestering me, move along so that I can finish my task,” Cyn said.
Thalion chuckled. “I will give you some space. But later you will give me your undivided attention.”
“Needy?”
His smile was positively wicked. “When it comes to you, absolutely.”
Fane waitedfor his mate while she put Slate in his crib. Whatever it was that she hadn’t wanted him to know about couldn’t be too bad because she seemed fine. There were no tumultuous emotions racing through their bond. She actually seemed quite relaxed. Regardless, he hated having any sort of secret between them, as it made him feel distant from her. Distance was the last thing he or his wolf ever wanted between them and their mate.
“Is he asleep?” Fane asked Jacquelyn as she walked into the living area of their suite.
