This has always been a safe, common place for her to retreat to; a safety she can’t find elsewhere. But now that Max is finally allowing this partnership to bloom, this bond to solidify, I can’t have my sister barging in whenever she pleases.
“Fee.”
She glances back at me, a dagger on one hip, a long sword on the other. She’s in her casual attire, similar to what she wore in the Eternal Night Forest; black leather pants and vest, arms bare so as not to get tangled. Her hair, the same as our mother’s, is pulled into a knot on her head and she has the balls to glare at me. In my own bedroom.
“What?” She raises a delicate brow.
“You’re not supposed to be here.”
“Don’t give me that tone,” she snaps, flicking her fingers. “You wanted me to train her. How was I to know you two made up? Last time I checked, she was plotting your death.”
“You’ll be happy to know she tried to slice my throat last night.” My fingers trace my throat.
My sister’s lips twitch. Of course, she’s amused. She’s taken to Max better than anyone else, better than Sose. She likes knowing my mate is not a wilting flower and is not afraid to pull a dagger on me.
“And what was that, exactly?” Her eyebrow raises, glancing to my marks. My chest is covered in scratches and bites from our tussle. “Foreplay?”
“You really want this conversation?”
She wrinkles her nose as if smelling something disgusting. “No, you already smell like her.”
Grabbing a shirt from the couch, I level a hard look on her. “You’re going to train her with a sword?”
She rolls her eyes, shifting her weight. “You wanted me to help her survive. She needs to learn how to use a sword. She can’t be expected to only twirl daggers all day.”
“Fee—”
“She’s going to be the future queen,” she hisses, stepping close. “These are traits she’ll need to learn. Especially in war.”
I curse under my breath. I hate how right she is. The Dark Queen’s role is more than just court politics. She’ll be expected to fight with the king on the front lines. With Griffin barricading and preparing for an attack, Max will be wanted at the front sooner rather than later.
And with how quickly her magic drains her, learning a weapon would be beneficial.
“No maiming,” I insist, holding up one finger. “If I see any blood, you’ll deal with me.”
She sighs, cocking her hip. “Cuts happen in training, Kaden.”
“Fee—"
“Do you know that she’s fast?” she asks, changing the subject. “Quicker than a Witch should be.”
Max moves around in the next room, and it takes me a minute to follow Fee’s thoughts. It’s almost domestic hearing her scuttle around. “You don’t think she’s a Witch.”
“Not entirely.” She glances over my shoulder, gauging her time to explain. “You’ve tasted her blood. Does she taste like a Witch? A Human?”
Thinking about Max’s blood heats my body, my beast stirring as if searching for her. It’s hard to forget how she tasted—the sweetness, the richness of her blood in my mouth. The way she gave it, willingly, with trust. I have to white knuckle my control back, and inhale through my nose to dispel the memories.
And she wanted to give it to me last night. I couldn’t take it—not when my control was shattered, not when the emotions were too high. ButFiery Bel’s Balls, I want it,needit again.
“No, she didn’t taste like a Human.” No one could compare to her taste. No one. “But she didn’t taste like a Witch either.”
There are subtle differences. Dark Fae had a smokey flavor to their blood, Witches more grassy. Max tasted like summer and life, a brightness I never experienced elsewhere.
She raises a brow, waiting for me to focus back on her. “We need to know more about her.”
“And how would you like me to do that, Fee?” I braid my hair, letting it hang over my shoulder. “Her village is gone, her parents dead. The only person who knows anything about her is a king readying to attack.” A king that I need information on.
He will not get my mate. Not again.
