For the first time since they stepped into the courtyard in preparation to leave, Caelian spared Kjeld a glance. The faintest shadow of concern flitted across her eyes. “What makes you say that, Your Majesty?”
“Only that I imagine you will learn plenty on your adventure.” The queen clasped Caelian’s shoulder, squeezing once, her lips turning up into a small smile of encouragement. “Do not be afraid to ask the difficult questions, Lady Caelian. Now, or ever.”
Sound advice, Kjeld thought, shuffling away from the group to prep Odryss for their flight to Wenfyre.
He busied himself with tightening the straps and double then triple checking the satchel containing the dragon eggs while Caelian bid Queen Viktoria and Lothaire goodbye. Once Kjeld was satisfied the eggs were secure, he ran one hand along his dragon’s scaled shoulder. The sharp, rough ridges were the color of an approaching storm, a cloudy slate gray with a faint sheen of deep blue. Odryss snorted, steam pouring from his nostrils as he swiveled his neck, his keen eyes tracking Kjeld’s hand. He grabbed a raw slab of meat from the feeding sack and tossed it high, watching as Odryss snatched it out of the air, swallowing it whole. The dragon grunted, shifting his massive weight against the slick ground, his gaze swinging back toward the sound of Caelian’s feathery voice.
He huffed a mist-filled sigh.
“I know.” Kjeld gave Odryss another sound pat. “Trust me, I know.”
“Are you well, General?”
The rich, honeyed words came from directly behind him, and Kjeld jerked, twisting around to see Lothaire standing less than a stride from him. His gaze darted to where Caelian stood with Queen Viktoria, then back to the vampire right in front of him.
“How the hell did you do that?” Kjeld demanded, pointing to the ladies on the opposite side of the courtyard. “You werejustthere a moment ago. I saw you. Yet I didn’t even hear you approach.”
If there was one thing Kjeld strongly disliked, it was being caught unaware. Or outsmarted. Or outmaneuvered. Or basically anything that put him at a disadvantage.
Lothaire shrugged, rolling his shoulders as though nothing was amiss. “Perks of being a vampire, I suppose.”
Kjeld scowled and folded his arms over his chest. “What do you want?”
“Merely inquiring as to the state of your health. You seem a bit…tense.” Lothaire glided closer and Kjeld took an instinctive step in the opposite direction, his hands curling into fists to keep from reaching forKaldflam.
“I’m fine.” He gritted out the words from a locked jaw.
“You’re also a terrible liar. I can see the strain in your shoulders and neck. You appear as though you’re ready to grind your teeth to dust. Your muscles are coiled so tightly, wound so snugly, they could snap at any second.” Lothaire clicked his tongue, inspecting Kjeld from head to toe. “I can help, you know. One bite could ease all that built-up tension. I can give you the relief you so desperately seek.”
Kjeld spat on the damp ground. “Keep your fangs to yourself, bloodsucker.”
A dark rumbling laugh filled the air between them, and Odryss growled in warning, his mighty claws sinking into the earth, ready to defend.
But Lothaire was unfazed by the dragon’s show of strength. “I think the reason you look as though you might combust has everything to do with a pretty little faerie.”
“You leave her out of this.” Kjeld took one menacing step forward, his nails biting into his palms until he was certain hewould draw blood. At his back, the wind whistled against cold iron andKaldflam’sblade sang.
“But why? She is of no consequence to you, given how poorly you treated her the other night.” Lothaire nodded in Caelian’s direction as she and the queen approached them both. “Therefore, one can only deduce that she is available to be wooed. And I, for one, would grovel for the opportunity to be on my knees with my head between her thighs.”
Kjeld saw red, then black.
Blood then death.
He lunged for Lothaire, snaring the vampire by his throat and hoisting him high in the air. Ready to crush and kill. “If you so much as even look at her again, I’ll snap your neck.”
“Kjeld!” Caelian screamed, her footfalls clicking quickly across the slick stone. “Put him down!”
Lothaire only laughed, wicked and cold. “Perhaps you should heed your own warning, General. And be careful what you wish for.”
There was a brief shimmer and then the vampire disappeared completely. Kjeld’s fist was closed around nothing at all, Lothaire’s mocking laughter ringing in his ears.
Bastard.
“What…” Caelian pressed her hand to her chest and glanced around them. “How? Wh-where?”
“Being a vampire fae comes with certainabilities.” Queen Viktoria’s mouth was pressed into a thin line, the face of someone with too many secrets. “Some are subtle, others are more impressive.”
“Like the fact that he can disappear at will?” Caelian asked, continuing to search the courtyard, and Kjeld found it irksome that she always seemed rather taken by Lothaire and his dramatic flair.
