“The Temple concerns itself with Holy Law,” Titus said. “Not my personal affairs.”
“Everything involving the High Lord is the Temple’s affair,” Caddver replied softly.
For a moment, the lantern flames flickered violently in the breeze between them.
Then Caddver bowed once more.
“The Great Flame sees all truth eventually.”
His crimson robe swept behind him as he disappeared back into the feast.
The silence between Titus and me felt heavier than ever. He did not look at me immediately.
“Enjoying the company?” he asked coolly. “I was handling it,” I replied.
His gaze finally shifted to mine—searching, unreadable. There was a flicker there, brief, and unguarded, like a crack in tempered glass. Then the cold cruelty slid back into place, deliberate and precise.
“I heard enough,” he said quietly, then disappeared into the crowd.
And for the first time since Caddver approached, I wondered if I had just protected Titus…Or wounded him.
Just then, excitement erupted from the doors and rolled over the heads of the guests. I caught a glimpse of the feathered, dragon-horned helmet.
Aurelius had joined the party.
For a moment, the crowd parted, and he locked eyes with me. I leaned on the stone railing of the balcony, twirling the rose in my hand. I could tell he was trying to make his way over to me. Finally, he was within arm’s reach when Titus stopped him—as if he didn’t want Aurelius talking to me.
Aurelius turned his focus to the High Lord.
“Still doing the same old trick, I see,” Titus taunted haughtily.
Aurelius responded respectfully, but with just a pinch of superiority. “I switched it up at the end a little.” He looked to me and winked.
They both saw me blush uncontrollably. I couldn’t help it. I looked away and pretended to be distracted by the stone’s veining on the ledge.
I leaned against it when sparks grabbed my attention. They flickered around the High Lord for several moments, then disappeared. He placed a hand on Aurelius’s shoulder, congratulated him on his performance, and continued mingling with his guests.
To my dismay, Prisca had returned and stepped into Aurelius’s path, directly blocking my view. She forced him into what looked like a long, heated conversation, and a line began to form behind her. It seemed many guests wanted to congratulate the Master of Dragons tonight.
Annoyed, I checked on my friend, but I could no longer spot her on the dance floor. They must’ve given up on dancing. I’d witnessed her face pinch in pain a few times when the General stepped on herfeet. I watched them cross the balcony to a sitting area with a bonfire. She cuddled up close to him, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. I’d never seen him smile so much.
Titus must have been nearby because his loud, ostentatious voice cut through other conversations as if his was the only one that mattered. I overheard him speaking with captains about leaving in the morning for the Kingdom of Terrain—with the mortal.
I furrowed my brow and dropped my jaw. The nerve of that male!
It didn’t take me long to weave through the guests to find him. I tapped his hand for attention. He flinched and pulled away as if I were a rabid dog. He stepped back too fast, like closeness was a trigger.
“Excuse me? When were you going to tell me about leaving? And what about the mission—getting me home?” I demanded.
He glared, implying his disapproval of my disrespect. “Would you excuse us for a moment, captains,” he requested smoothly.
The captains nodded and walked away. He placed his hand firmly on my shoulder and pushed me to the balcony railing, then turned my body forcefully to face him. A wicked darkness came over his expression.
“Listen here, human,” he said. “When males speak, you don’t interrupt. Do it again, and I’ll cut out your tongue.”
His words were violent and heated, yet I found it odd that no flames spewed from him. I decided not to cower. I had a feeling his behavior was for show.
“You were talking about taking me somewhere without even asking me,” I shot back.
