“The situation has changed,” I growled, pushing my voice along our mental path. No point in denying the truth. It was no secret I once wanted her gone. But now? The thought of Serafina coming to harm did something strange to my insides, lighting a fire within me.
Before I could pursue the idea further, Alaric interrupted, barking, “And why is that?”
Flark. He knew. Somehow, Alaric knew I’d slept with her. The woman he’d practically dared me to seduce. Was this yet another one of his tests that I’d failed? Well, flark him. Serafina wasn’t some game piece he could push around, using how he saw fit.
“Enough!” Serafina snapped out loud, cutting through the rising storm. “I’ll not be dictated to like a brainless fool. I’m my own person and can make my own decisions. Using me to lure the creatures out is the best way to ensure our success and save Speck. I’m going.”
While Alaric and I glared daggers at each other, Drazen chuckled. “Love me a good family squabble, even if I couldn’t hear much of it. Been a while since I took part in one, now that my sister is queen. With that settled, let’s talk details. Since noneof us slept during the long flight here, I say we rest up, gather supplies, and head out early tomorrow morning. With Serafina,” he added, offering her a lusty wink that had my dragon stirring.
“Agreed,” Kronk rumbled as food arrived.
Myrna and two assistants dropped trenchers loaded with bread, meat, and vegetables on the table.
As we dug in, the infernus turned to Serafina. “Tell us, how did you end up in the company of two dragon shifters?”
“Yes, Sera.” I grated, still irritated at the turn of events. “Do tell us.”
Serafina cast me an antagonistic smirk. “It all started with a pile of dung.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
THORNE
“Where the hell is Serafina?”Drazen asked, leading his horse to the mounting block in the cavernous stable. “As much as this Speck fellow means to her, I can’t believe she’d be late to our noble death march.”
I adjusted the supplies in my saddlebags, avoiding his eyes. “Maybe she came to her senses and changed her mind.” Or maybe I changed it for her. “You know women.”
“Ah, yes, I know them well,” Kronk said beside me, tightening the cinch around his bula’s thick stomach. Athos preferred the large oxen-type beasts to horses since they were some of the few domesticated mounts capable of carrying their weight. “Females are fickle creatures, prone to bouts of emotion. It makes them unpredictable.”
I arched a brow at my obtuse friend. “And your sister, Runa? Do you consider her one of these emotional creatures?” I’d pay gold to see him explain the way of women to the firebrand who’d recently become Carcerem’s queen.
Kronk snorted. “Runa is no ordinary woman. She is my sister.”
“Who is also female.”
“Poor Thorne.” He shook his blocky head. “This is why you argue so much with your mate. You don’t understand.”
Mate. My inner flame flickered at the word. The horse I readied uttered an anxious whinny, spooked at my beast’s presence.
In the paddock, one of the horned lumox the trogg used to pull carts hung his head over his stall. The animal likely had better knowledge of the opposite sex than Kronk. Several of the beasts filled the paddocks. Flies buzzed, and the sweet scent of hay mixed with the nauseating smell of manure tainted my dragon senses.
“We should get moving, quickly,” I urged, swinging into the saddle.
Drazen chuckled. “You locked her in, didn’t you?”
“It’s an old castle.” I shrugged. “Doors have been known to stick.”
“It was unwise to deceive her. Your mate will not bump stones with you if she is displeased.” Kronk slung his thick leg over his saddle, the bula he sat on letting out a strained groan.
My partners led while I brought up the rear. We exited the stable, heading single file down a narrow mountain trail.
“Kronk and I tried to leave Runa behind once,” Drazen called over his shoulder, his voice bouncing off the steep rock cliff. “We’d planned to break into one of the local brothels and lighten the customer’s pockets once their trousers were off. It didn’t seem like a wholesome place for a young lady. Being responsible thieves that we were, we tied her to a tree so she couldn’t follow.”
“How did that work out for you?” I asked, though I already knew.
Kronk shuddered in his saddle. “I prefer not to speak of it.”
“Let’s just say, after that, one of us would stay awake so the other could sleep.”
