The familiar, beloved voice nearly makes me leap from my seat.Raz! How are you feeling?
Ready for war, little queen.
I blow out an anxious breath.Maybe you should sit this one out.
And maybe you should go—how do you mortals say it again?—kick a rock.
Ouch, Raz. Solid burn.I laugh out loud, drawing a few angry looks as whoever was speaking thought I was laughing at them.I better go. Things are getting wild here.
By the time I finish talking to Raz, the noise in the war room has risen to a loud pitch as the Aspacana leaders argue about how to handle Anahima and her revenant army. Karânî and Zahre are not letting any rais or nobleman silence them. I try to listen as Zahre argues with the new rais of Rakh that he should focus his forces on any attacks that might come from the sea.
He’s shouting back that he doesn’t want Rakh to be cut out of the battle. I rub my temples when Karânî argues that it’s not a matter of being left out, it’s a matter of covering all points of entry and vulnerability. He roars at her for Shabra to do it, and she bares her teeth at his aggression.
Darrius clears his throat, his shadows flaring out. Ink crawls up the walls, blanketing everything in darkness like a violent tide before receding and leaving silence in their wake. No one makes a sound, no one even moves, but every cell in my body comes furiously alive.
“You will be respectful, Batis,” he says softly, coldly.
The rais bows his head. “Of course, Your Majesty. Raissa Karânî, I apologize.”
The king’s shadows settle back into his skin and creep over his thick throat. I want to lick them. I want tobiteinto that strong cord of muscle, trace my tongue over those collarbones. Another stab of arousal makes me nearly swallow my tongue as I envision those tendrils writhing over every needy inch of my skin.
Gods... what is wrong with me? I close my eyes and fight for calm.
Concentrate, Sura,I growl at myself.
“I agree that we should defend any potential access to Everlea,” the king is saying, and I try hard not to notice his deep, smoky baritone. “Princess Anahima is one of, if notthecleverest minds in the realm. She will use every avenue to her advantage.” He glances at Roshan. “How many men are in that Scav army?”
Roshan frowns. “Several thousand, maybe more. But she has been planning this for months. There are already infiltrators in many of your cities.” He nods to the Aspacana. “Your hordes, as you saw with Masišta.” Zahre flinches at that, but composes herself as Roshan continues. “You will have the swords of my royal army, loyal to me.”
Darrius glances at his nobles, representatives from Pix, Lora, Morien, and Solis. “Tend to your houses, root out any treachery, and fortify your borders.” They all nod somberly as he repeats the same to the hordes. “Morien makes the most logical sense for a larger-scale assault since she has likely circumvented the wards there already. Anahima will leverage the forest beyond Pix for cover, but that valley is where she will make her stand. It’s where I would.”
“She needs a portal between the two realms,” I say, drawing every eye in the room. “That is what she wanted me to do for her.”
Darrius’s mouth tightens. “With Fero’s power, it may be possible for her to create it herself, but she will need a conduit and constant energy to keep it open.”
“The azdahas have said they will fly with their riders,” I say, passing on Razulek’s message. I don’t miss the relieved looks on some of the faces. We won’t stand a chance without them.
Darrius exhales with a grim look. “You all have your orders. Post extra guards in Morien and Pix. Report back on any activity. I’ll reinforce the wards while we amass our legion. Make sure the young and elderly are in the castle or any strongholds. And prepare yourselves for war.”
***
DINNER IS SUBDUED,given the circumstances.
After the earlier chaos, we opt to take it in Darrius’s private dining room. On a whim, I decided to invite Roshan, which I’m now thinking was a mistake, considering the two men have done nothing but stab at their plates and try to glare each other into submission. In public, they are united. In private, however, their mutual enmity over the elephant in the room is evident.
The elephant being me.
The tension is so thick it would take an ax to cleave through it, but I am determined to find some common ground before the blades make an appearance.
Darrius had reluctantly promised not to put his magic on display, but that doesn’t stop him from sending his wicked shadows to wind around my ankles and calves under the table as if to remind me of their—and his—claim. I almost moan when one of them grazes the overly sensitive skin behind my knee, and admonish him with a glare.
Stop,I tell him.
I can’t help it. They love you.
He knows I’d never reject them. So I resign myself to ignoring their little caresses and touches, warning Darrius with my eyes not to allow them to go higher. The mutinous, possessive look in his stare makes me sigh.
“How is the food?” I ask. “I had the royal cook prepare some dishes from Kaldari and also from Coban, as well as some authentic to Verisia.”
