Tate was careful as she shifted to give him more of her attention, not wanting to trigger him by accident.
Her caution proved unnecessary.
She could probably have drawn a knife and attempted to cut off his head for all the attention he paid her. Every bit of his focus was locked on the woman. Rage and hate burning in his gaze.
His jaw was clenched so hard it was a miracle he hadn’t broken his teeth. Still, he managed to grit out two words.
“Dragon slayer.”
TWO
Tate paused in the act of putting distance between her and an angry Blaise.
Dragon slayer. Not a promising sounding title. Something that suggested a bringer of death—and quite a painful one at that.
Not exactly the sort of person you wanted around your vulnerable, slightly unstable dragonlettes.
Blaise wasn’t the only one who had a problem with the woman’s presence. There was an unnatural stillness in the way Thora held himself while Jacob looked murderous—a rare expression for a man who’d shown little emotion since his rescue from the same people who’d turned the children into dragon-ridden.
Despite the aggression pouring off the dragons in front of her, the woman remained unruffled.
Tate couldn’t help but admire her poise. In the same position, Tate would have been quaking in her boots.
“Children, come this way.” Jacob gestured toward himself, no trace of the agitation from moments ago. His expression was gentle but firm against the children’s protests. They obeyed reluctantly, making a show of dragging their feet.
Dewdrop drew Daisy and Jack behind him. They were the only ones who hadn’t run to Ben the moment he appeared.
Tate couldn’t help feeling proud of him. To others, Dewdrop was nothing more than a former street urchin. A pick pocket with a sarcastic mouth, bad temper, and flexible moral code.
But he was also protective of the people he loved. Loyalty formed the foundation of his personality. She’d take one Dewdrop over a hundred others.
From the roof, Tate caught movement. Ah, so that’s where Night had gone. He’d abandoned the group before their game of ‘steal the gems’ even started, stating the fact they were too noisy.
It looked like the Veles chosen to sun himself on the roof instead. Hidden but always close enough to act if needed.
It was something she’d come to expect from him.
The knowledge that both Dewdrop and Night had her back if the situation deteriorated made Tate relax somewhat.
Bringing out Ilith was also a possibility, but she’d prefer leaving that as a last resort. Harming the emperor’s people would send her down a road she couldn’t turn back from. To say nothing of the skills someone with a title like ‘dragon slayer’ was likely to have.
“What is she doing here?” Blaise demanded.
Ben straightened from his crouch, taking a moment to knock the dirt off his knees. “The Lord Provost thought it best she familiarizes herself with the palace grounds—and the children.”
A barely audible snarl came from Blaise. Scales appeared along the tops of his arms and his cheekbones. The dragon peered out of his eyes.
“You mean familiarize herself with her hunting ground.” Blaise no longer sounded human, his voice holding a dragon’s reverberation.
Not good.
Tate could feel the situation teetering on the edge of the abyss. She glanced at Thora, half expecting him to step in.
What she saw made her sigh. Looked like there was no help coming from that quarter. Thora stared at the woman like he was seeing his worst nightmare and didn’t know whether to attack or retreat.
Jacob and the children had already withdrawn to a safe distance, where Jacob regarded Ben and the woman with a wary gaze.
Tate’s shoulders slumped. It looked like if she wanted to make it past lunch without bloodshed, she’d need to step in.
