I fold my arms, taking in his group of friends. Scorpius certainly is the most reserved toward me. I doubt Draven would’ve told them my role but I’m sure they heard about the rebel attack and that I was there, which might be enough for them to dislike me. Melancholy roots its way into my chest. It shouldn’t be important, his friends’ opinions of me, and yet … to my annoyance, I still find myself caught in their stares, a fly in a spiderweb.
Draven addresses his cohort. “While we are over the border, remember that the elves have a power similar to the High Priestess Arcana. They may not be able to read minds, but they often can read emotion, the change in one’s energy, or aura,and the more powerful ones can compel you into doing things against your will. So mental shields up, assume we are being spied on the second we step over the border, and—”
“Compartmentalization! We know, Draven.” Fable shakes her head, brows disappearing into her perfectly cut bangs. She says out of the side of her mouth, “You’d think we’d never left the Forge.”
Draven clears his throat and adds, “Rune is first priority when we cross those borders.” No one turns their head at that faster than me. What is he doing?
“You can’t be serious?” Scorpius asks, fangs glinting. Although I agree, I really don’t like this guy. “It’s our job to protectyou—”
“That’s Soto’s job.” Draven doesn’t so much as blink, his hand gripping my side a little tighter. “If Rune were to be hurt or captured, I would willingly start a war, or worse, to get her back. She’s my fated mate. She is the priority.” He looks at them each in turn, and taken aback, I open my mouth to argue with him, too, but he only holds up a hand to all of us, ignoring his friends’ surprised and confused faces. “Do you understand?”
Each of them nods, suddenly serious.
I’m saved from further awkwardness as Commander Soto calls from the entry.
“Prince Draven, if you’re ready, we need to go.”
“I’m always ready.”
Draven grasps my hand tightly and leads me through his friends toward the forefront of armored guards. There must be twenty people gathered here.
Draven pulls a crown from seemingly thin air, wrought from black steel, spiking like knives to the skies. He addresses the others.
“My father would like for me to remind you all that whilst we’re beyond our borders we represent Sedah and blah, blah, blah—you all know the drill. We’ll enter at the border and from there they’ll transport us to their Grand Palace. After that we’ll head out to the location of the dark crystal. Zenith is highly volatile, and the den was home to a toxic drake, so it may hold dangerous residues.”
Draven opens the doors to the World’s Hearth with his power and we walk down the steps where a host of wyverns greet us right there on the Oval. I almost freeze, but Draven’s hand is firmly interlaced with mine, and I stumble toward a bright white one, its scales shining like opals in the sun. It’s a little larger than a horse and wears a leather saddle that might be pretty if it wasn’t attached to a giant alligator with wings.
Draven murmurs, “She’s a windborn breed. Fast, but even children can ride her.”
“They’re welcome to her.” I gape at it. “Can’t we just portal into their kingdom?”
“And start a war? Why don’t I just portal into the elven king’s bedchamber while I’m at it?” Draven chuckles at my glower before his grin dips and he turns away quickly again.
He leads me right up to the wyvern’s side and she turns to look at me, her crooked mouth nearly a smile. I remind myself she could take off my hand in a bite. Draven strokes her neck, and the space beneath her jaw rattles, her eyes closing in bliss. “There are magical wards to prevent us from just appearing within their castle walls. It’s courteous to meet at a preselected safe point.”
“I’m not going to have to deal with some boring, polite Draven there, am I?” I curl a bit closer, and he finally drags his eyes to mine. They’re half hooded, and a hint of that fire has returned.
“Darling, I haven’t behaved a day in my life.” Draven opens his mouth to add more, when the sun darkens above us. Clouds gather unnaturally quickly, and our company shifts uncertainly—this isn’t expected. Draven’s eyes narrow.
Then seraphs descend through the clouds, and my heart hammers in my chest when I spot my father at the lead. I quickly scan the rest of them, but I don’t see Altair with them, or Reva.
Commander Soto calls out, “Flank the prince!”
Soto and his men form a seamless line, while Draven pushes me behind him. A twin of him has moved deftly to his side, and I’m shocked at how well Scorpius embodies Draven. If I wasn’t already holding him, I wouldn’t know which was which.
The seraphs land in front of us. For one tense beat, everything is still.
Then my father lifts his hands. “I’ve come in peace, as part of the emissary.”
Draven shifts and hesitantly steps forward, throwing a dismissive gesture that has the others spreading out, moving to their wyverns. But they remain watchful. Scorpius turns back into his blond self, melding into the crowd.
I stay behind Draven, even though I long to run to my father, who gives his men a similar discharge, though they’re more hesitant about leaving his side.
“I was sent to encourage you to go through with the betrothal, or potentially, a different match among Nevaeh’s royalty.” My father’s eyes flicker to our claim marks, his lips pulling down at the corners before he smooths his expression into something both curious and stern. “But I can see that we are beyond that.” His eyes flit to Draven again. “Do you mind allowing me to talk to my daughter for a moment, alone?”
Draven leans in close to my ear, arm looping around my waist as he curls me close, voice lowered. “If you need me …for any reason …” His eyes widen, thoughts caressing my own, and I nod to him, understanding. He straightens, nods his head in respect to my father, and then walks toward his onyx-scaled mount, securing each strap of its bridle and saddle.
There’s a beat—the silence fills with emotion as we look to each other, his eyes watering. I don’t know what to do with the other seraphs and druids watching, and Draven quickly barks an order that has the druids making themselves busy. But this is the most alone I’ve been with my father since I got here, and I don’t want to waste it. I rush over to my dad and hug him tightly.
