My father had one, and the wolf stood nearly six feet at the shoulder, seven if you asked him. My father called it Shadowkiller, but the rest of the clan called it Spoiled Brat because of his tendency to whine and complain if he didn’t receive enough belly scratches or wasn’t given his fair share of the hunt.
Then there were the other borealis wolves, the wild ones, untamed and living in the forest. Brat had once told me never toturn my back on any of them. They looked for opportunities to strike, even on foes stronger than them.
“Especiallyon foes stronger than them,” Brat had complained.
That was the feeling I got with one of the Emperor’s Dogs at my back. He was escorting me, but his life existed to protect one man in the entire Imperium. Even from me. Especially from me.
“Thank you for watching out for her,” I said. Sagam’s eyes went wide, just the slightest flick. Then, he bowed his head low, lower than an acknowledgment, nearly a sign of respect.
We ended up in a small receiving room off of the main throne room, where I had met Emperor Tallu the day before. When Sagam opened the door, I stopped just inside. Aside from his Dogs, the emperor was alone.
There was no denying how attractive Tallu was, the silk of his clothes like the frame around a masterpiece. It was not what made the painting stunning, it merely framed it so that when you stopped in front of it, you couldn’t look away. Tallu’s copper skin was brought into stark beauty by the gold circlet at his brow, a different one from the day before. His eyes were slightly distant, considering one of the tapestries, although I doubted he actually saw it.
He looked up when I entered, the thoughtful expression disappearing off his face. Without speaking, he stood, walking across the room in measured steps. Sagam and his companion melted into shadows, going nearly invisible against the plain wall.
Across the room, I saw another pair of Dogs, their expressions unreadable behind their masks. But then Tallu was upon me, and I had to look up again to meet his eyes.
I knew I was not as broad or large as other northern men, but I still stood a good few inches above most of the men I had met in the Imperium. It was disconcerting to be faced with someonelarger than me, his eyes looking me over as though I was his thing, his possession.
“Better,” he said finally. Then, he raised a hand, brushing his thumb across my cheek before turning his hand to the light. “No powders.”
“You said you wanted me as I am.” I couldn’t help the small smirk. “All of my sparkle comes from my sharp wit.”
Tallu’s eyes crinkled again, although his mouth remained a flat line.There. That was going to be my in: teasing, worming my way into his heart and under his skin until he wanted me in his arms. Then, I would strike.
I swallowed the hot emotion that rose in my throat.
“You asked for me?” I raised an eyebrow. Delicate, delicate, I had to be careful, even though part of me wanted to say, “I’m not the sort of man people usuallysummonunless you want to lose a hand.”
“We must visit the soothsayer before we decide on a wedding date.” The hint of a smile on Tallu’s face vanished, and the loss made him look unhappy.
“The soothsayer?” I must have looked as confused as I felt.
“Yes. Although my great-grandfather abolished the rule of the dragons, there are still protocols that need to occur before a wedding.” Tallu’s face showed no expression, and the complete blankness was disconcerting when he was discussing the extinction of an entire species.
In the rabbit skin pouch tucked into one of my pockets, I felt the weight of the dragon egg I carried. It reminded me that I needed to be even more careful, even more cautious than I was already being.
“Of course,” I said. “Whatever you desire, Your Imperial Majesty.”
Tallu’s lips went pale, the slightest tightening draining them of color. Then, he relaxed, raising his chin.
“We leave at once.” He turned, and I caught his scent again. There was something in him that was electric, as though the magic he practiced was coming out of his skin.
“Prince Airón,” Sagam murmured. I shook myself, embarrassed to have been caught mooning over the emperor, like I was some lovesick boy in an epic story, holding his lover’s furs to his nose as he waited for him to return from the hunt.
Emperor Tallu disappeared between two tapestries, and I strode the few steps to cross the room. Reaching out, my hand encountered nothing, and I blinked in surprise, squinting as I realized the optical illusion. The dark walls masked that there was an open passageway. I stepped through, turning to see Sagam and one of the other Dogs following behind me.
I watched as they both touched the wall of the passage, electricity dancing off their fingers. The doorway shut behind them, moving jerkily on silent hinges.
The electricity left an afterimage on my eyes, and when I turned back to the darkened hallway, I saw Emperor Tallu standing ahead, looking back at me. Light raced along the walls, electricity lighting small bulbs set into the stone. It cast deep shadows on Tallu’s face, making it impossible to see his eyes.
With a pit in my stomach, I followed him down the long corridor.
We came out in a garden that hadn’t been on Velethuil’s tour. Fern fronds spread wide, wider than the stretch of my arms. Massive trees towered above us.
“Is this still inside the palace?” I asked, finding it impossible to believe that any of this had been planted since the Mountainside Palace had been built only four generations ago. “I thought Emperor Wollu destroyed all the trees the dragons favored. How do these remain so close to the palace?”
“Let’s go,” Tallu said, not answering my question, and I felt his disapproval like a cold wind at my back, a warning that I had become too familiar with him.
