A beautiful monster with piercing wine-red eyes and black hair fluttering to his waist like shadows searching for me in a sea of rats and a mist of moonlight moths…
I shake my head to clear it of the Shadow Vampire who has been haunting me for months.
My brow furrows.
Lanlin is connected to me by the golden threads of fate, as firmly as I am connected to Aurelius and Daire.
These three enemy kings hate each other and would burn each other’s souls to ash.
Fuck a troll, being used as bait sucks.
This Omega is wriggling off the hook.
I scramble through the shelves on the side of the vast Aurum baths, hissing in frustration. “Petals, pots of oil… How many scents do these noble dragons need? Rose, lavender,frankincense, and myrrh. Is it too much to ask for a sneaky dagger to be hidden amongst the fluffy towels?”
I lift up a soft bath towel with a hopeful flourish.
Nothing.
I grit my teeth at the ache in my arms and shoulders, ignoring the flares of pain that run down my back.
My temples throb.
There are consequences when you’re hung by your wrists for hours, who knew?
My fingers itch, however, like they always do when I want to steal something. Every good thief gets the tingly feeling when they’re in the zone.
Daire is an assassin. Surely, he could use something on these shelves to kill with, right?
Golden sunlight spears through the windows in the domed ceiling of the gleaming baths. The walls and floors are made of marble, which is threaded with gold. The floor is a mosaic of red, metallic, and silver stones in woven knots, framing a cold-eyed portrait of Aurelius.
My cheeks itch with dried tears.
Naked, I shiver.
I touch the silky pinion feather, which is tucked behind my ear. It is woven into my damp, red hair.
The feather was Daire’s courting gift.
Pinion feathers are precious, only given to a fae’s soulmate, and the reason that Daire now can’t fly. As long as I keep the feather on me, however, Daire will be able to sense if I am in peril. Then he will be drawn to me by portal magic.
I am never alone.
My eyes smart, as I drop my fingers to the scars of the bond bites on both sides of my neck from Aurelius and Daire.
I remember the feel of my Alphas knotting me together and then lowering their sharp teeth to my neck…and biting.
I thought that we would become pack.
Naïve.
I avoid touching the golden dragon scale bracelet around my wrist, which Aurelius gave to me to hide the scar from the Prince Bard’s rejected bond.
I force myself not to reach out through my bonds and sense the golden threads, which rest like a collar around my neck, or Aurelius’ emotions.
What if I feel that Aurelius is happy?
What if there is no emotion at all, only cold indifference?
