I had expected anger, rage even. Or a furious silence. Instead, King Goll laughed.
“I knew he’d send assassins at some point. But his own wife?”
“They arenotbound in marriage,” Redvyr clarified, a note of danger in his timbre. “She is not his wife.”
“Jessamine, who is your family? For I know this Lord Gael, and he would not ally himself in marriage to just anyone.”
I cleared my throat. “I am Jessamine Glenmyr, daughter of King Darian of Morodon.”
His silver-blue eyes flared. “So the king of Morodon has allied himself with Gael against me.”
I should’ve felt remorse or shame for outing my own father, but he had never been the kind of father, or king, that inspired my loyalty. Or my love.
“Yes, my lord.”
“And now he is burning seers with magick who refuse to help him?” He turned to Redvyr.
“She and Tessa witnessed it in Hellamir. We were there just two days ago when it happened. They were able to free the seer before she was executed.”
“Good.” King Goll sighed, glancing back at his dragon, whose silvery eyes scanned the meadow and woods beyond as snow piled in drifts on his snout and along his spiked tail. “Jessamine. You are most welcome to return to Windolek with me. I can protect you there, and it would please my wife to have some female company.”
“No,” Redvyr snapped before I could even reply. “She ismyresponsibility. She is ours to protect.”
King Goll smiled, his fangs showing. “I see.”
“Might I have a word with you in private?” Redvyr’s tail slid from around my leg as he stormed away toward the dragon.
The wraith king gave me a slight bow. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Jessamine. You are in good hands here.”
He gave a respectful nod to the other beast fae and turned to meet Redvyr, who had stopped within biting distance ofthe dragon. I found it amazing that he wasn’t terrified of the creature. The dragon may have allowed King Goll to ride him but he didn’t appear tame in any way, his predatory gaze fierce as he scanned the distant woods.
I watched Redvyr speak to King Goll in hushed, but harsh tones. The king seemed just as grave as they spoke back and forth.
“I’m surprised Lord Redvyr didn’t claw the king with his suggestion to take Jessamine,” said Leifkyn behind me in a low voice, but not so low I couldn’t hear.
“King Goll was taunting him. Lord Redvyr knows it.”
“But why?”
Dayn snorted. “That is always the way between these two.”
I turned to Leifkyn. “Why would Lord Redvyr claw the king for offering to take me off your hands? He denied the request before I could even give my answer.”
Though I had no intentions whatsoever of leaving, unless Redvyr wanted me to go, I was a little shocked.
Dayn and Leifkyn shared a knowing look.
“What? You’re not going to give me any kind of answer?”
“Why don’t you ask him?” Leifkyn nodded over my shoulder.
Redvyr was marching back toward us while King Goll climbed up his dragon’s arm to the saddle on his back.
“Let’s move,” Redvyr growled, not even sparing me a glance as he walked past me and back onto the path we’d been traveling.
With a chortling call, the black dragon beat its wings and lifted off into the sky. I could do nothing but stare. What a magnificent creature.
Wolf nudged me, so I fell back in line, marching on toward the winter camp, hoping we’d arrive soon. With the snow, I longed for the warmth of a tent over my head. The temperatures seemed to drop further as we continued, perhaps not simplybecause of the snow, but from the cold beast lord leading our way.
