“Mm… Only the once actually,” she said, feeling the swim of the herb and wine through her veins. “You’re losing your touch.”
“I doubt you’ll be saying the same later.”
The jagged breath left her lips, and she swallowed hard at the look he was giving her. Her arms hugged her chest. “Promise?” she managed in a quiet voice.
A huff of amusement left his lips before he took another inhale, and he shifted his weight against the window. “Seems your brother is still in denial about the ships.”
“It would seem he believes us to have killed ghosts of our own men.”
“Pretty sure Belwarks’ heads would just turn to ashes upon their beheading. Duarb would have claimed the bones of any of my men. Their ears would have been pointed had they been Dreamers. And the Honest… well their necks would have had gills.”
“Don’t you think I’ve said all of these things to him?”
“Have you?”
She gave him a sideways glare and wrapped her arm over her chest, swirling the wine in her cup. “You’re just trying to get a rise out of me,” she muttered.
“I’m not,” he replied simply. “Simply wondering what you’ve been doing here for a month when your brother acts as though—”
“You know he will not listen to me.”
“Then make him.”
“How exactly do you propose I do that? Ash told him the strangers were barely swordsmen. I showed Rhaif my own battle scars. Had Lex recount and affirm my story—”
“You could summon Nadir,” he interjected.
She balked at him. “Summon Nadir? As if he would ever step into this kingdom without use of force.”
Draven shrugged. “He might. Offer him something he can’t refuse.”
“Like what? His life?”
He chucked under his breath. “I said summon. Not threaten.”
“He’s your friend. You summon him.”
“I cannot summon anyone to a kingdom that isn’t mine.”
She paused and stared at him a moment. “Could you bring him to the meeting with the Nitesh if I asked it of him?”
His brows raised. “You mean escort the favored son of Lovi Piathos and commander of the Honest Army across the Preymoor and Bitratus Hills all the way to Magnice to ambush a meeting with the most powerful woman in all of the land?”
She raised an expectant brow at him and tilted her head.
He contemplated it a moment.
“Yeah, all right,” he gave in with a shrug.
She almost laughed at his nonchalantness.
His weight shifted, and he straightened to stand over her. “You wanted danger in your life, my Queen… allow me to oblige.”
“Knew there was another reason I kept you around,” she grinned.
A huff of amusement left him, and he took one step closer to her, allowing his hair to fall over his face when he paused at her side. “Do you know what I’m going to do to you later?”
The chill ran deliberately down her spine with his breath tickling her ear. She turned around as he leaned his shoulder against the wall on the other side of her, and she took the pipe from his hand again.
