I am sure a mating mark will appear any day now, and when that happens… gods help us all.
Breakfast meats, fresh bread, soft-churned butter, and of course, pitchers of fresh blood from the donation banks are piled down the center of the dining tables. The aroma in the air makes my fangs tingle.The answers I seek are interwoven into morning gossip.
I spot Tristen as he raises a cup and drinks. His eyes lock on mine as I approach.
“Morning, Thomas,” I say as I join Tristen and some of the other men.
Thomas served under me; he was smitten with Ember but lacked the courage to pursue her. He’s proficient with a bow, preferring it over his sword, which is why he is usually stationed as an archer.
“General.” Thomas and the others dip their chins as I join them. Leaning forward, he confides, “You finally got a day off.” He grabs the closest pitcher of blood and pours me a cup.
“Day off?” I question, raising a brow.
“Don’t tell us you’ve gotten lazy since you follow a fae around all day,” Roy jokes bitterly. He replaced me as Commander, and I can’t stand him. He thinks the louder her shouts, the more powerful he looks. “What’s it like guarding her? Do fae womengossip, drink tea, and eat cake all day long, too? Must be nice to have a laid-back position now.”
“She is not a woman; she is your queen.”
“She’s a fae,” he spits under his breath.
I press my tongue against my fangs. “Jealousy makes you see red, Roy, and in battle, you need to see every color. The most dangerous enemy is usually lurking in the spectrum, not just one shade.”
The air shifts as Roy and I lock eyes.
Tristen clears his throat. “Thomas was telling me King Galen and Queen Selene are just returning. A mage portaled them in and out of the kingdom this morning,” he adds as he stabs a pork sausage and slaps it onto his plate.
“Where?”
“Shouldn’t you be there as her guard?” Roy counters.
“I’m sure the king can handle his wife, Roy.”
“I wonder if he handles them both in his bed? Imagine twins! Fuck, that’s hot,” Carter joins the conversation. He chews his eggs so loudly you’d think he was grinding down a leathery steak.
“They're fae,” Roy grunts in revulsion.
Carter shrugs. “I see a woman with legs that can open.”
Thomas rolls his eyes as he adds, “As if either one of you had a chance with Princess Sable.”
“Please,” Carter spits. “Sable fucks like a man. I’ve heard the gossip.”
“She fucks men who can give her something in return,” Roy barks. Sounds like Sable turned him down. “All you can give her is a limp dick and a headache.”
Carter smacks Roy, who gets the last laugh.
Tristen’s knee nudges mine. “Princess Sable is returning home with the ashes of the nobles who tried to kill you.”
My blinks are rapid as I decode his words. Sable being gone is a great thing. One less snake. “Ashes?” I repeat.
“Burned them to a crisp.” Roy laughs as he licks the blood off his lips.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
Tristen kicks me from under the table.
“Ashes are easier to transport.” Thomas scrapes butter over his toast; the sound is like a tormentor’s violin, a prelude to pain.
“Galen burned the nobles,” I murmur. The facts are like thunder clouds on a day you wished for sun. It takes my mind time to allow them to penetrate.
