“I thought you forbade my finishing a sentence. With you being heir apparent and all, I didn’t want to push my luck.”
“Don’t you start on that,” she stalks forward, fire playing like bracelets around her wrists as she pokes her finger into mychest. Behind us, the command tent’s canvas flap is still hissing open and closed. No doubt Autumn, our aunt, is evicting all the courtiers so she can have a real chat with Theron. Or knock Theron's head into a pillar of reality. Either will work. Aunt Autumn is the most petite fae I’ve ever seen, and one of the most quietly powerful ones. Anyone stupid enough to underestimate her deserves what they get. She is also the only member of my perfect family I connect with.
Other than my twin. But that’s more of a love vs rip you entrails out and stomp on them kind of relationship.
“Let me know when you are done ranting, Auri,” I tell my sister. Her real name Autumn—after my aunt—makes for two Autumns in one court. A problem my parents really should have predicted. So by the time we started walking, Young Autumn became Auri, a golden twist on the season’s name. And apparently the one that I could pronounce at the time.
Rocking back on my heels I wait for Auri to finish her tirade of listing my deficiencies. At least I think that’s what she is doing. She is pacing and I’m not really listening. Auri is all fire. You are best off letting it burn blazing hot before trying to touch it. Plus, it annoys the shit out of her when I give no reaction.
“Are you even really engaged?” Auri asks, her voice finally reclaiming a caliber that’s compatible with life. “Like to a real breathing person?”
“Yes.”
She cocks a brow.
“Yes. Rowan, my fiancée, matches all your criteria.”
Auri’s eyes narrow.
“Real. Breathing. A person.” I unbend my fingers with each word for emphasis. “All there. All true.”
“What are you not telling me?”
“Your fiancée is unconscious?" Autumn demands, stalking up to me from Theron’s tent. The top of her head is well belowmy shoulder level, which makes her no less frightening. Frankly, I consider it a miracle the command tent still stands.
Auri grabs my arm, her nails angled to dig into my flesh. A dirty trick she’s used since childhood. “You said?—”
“-Real, breathing, a person. Those were your criteria, not mine.”
“Let’s take a walk.” Autumn links her arm through mine and offers the kind of smile that lays your choices out clearly: do as you are told, or be eviscerated. “I’m thinking of some place open and airy. Like your tent on the draken flight field.”
“Why would Kai set up a tent on a draken field?” Auri asks. “Even he knows that’s suicide.” Her voice flips suddenly from indignant to concerned. “Wait,areyou trying to get yourself hurt? Did something happen? Are you alright? Do you need help? How can I help?”
My jaw tenses, shadows wrapping around my knuckles. There it is. My family’show can we helpthat keeps hanging over me like a black cloud. It was there when my magic failed to manifest in adolescence, and every time since—whenever I fucked up.
And I always fuck up.
“Relax. The draken won’t eat me.” I tilt my head. “They might eat you though. So maybe stay here and negotiate a peace treaty, or save kittens or whatever it is you do.”
“Asshole.”
“Cool off, both of you.” Autumn taps her hand against her thigh, sparks playing casually over her finger. "Auri, go inspire Prince Cowardice to pack a bag and send him off somewhere. From what I can tell, Kai was acting like a blunt imbecile, but he wasn’t wrong—Theron’s foremost concern is getting his own ass clear of danger. A properly desperate request from the Slate heir apparent should provide all the excuse he needs to get out of everyone’s hair here.”
Auri sighs, but gives me a vulgar gesture and strides off toward the prince.
Before I can find somewhere else to be as well, Autumn’s arm tightens where it's linked with mine. “Keep walking. Let us see if we can make it from here to your Rowan without setting off a war.”
We keep quiet until we leave the noisy parts of camp behind, exchanging the rows of tents and soldiers for a wide swath of trampled grass and churned earth. It’s actually beautiful, as far as fields can be. Especially with the way the sun’s rays pattern the windbreak and shimmer off the drakens’ scales.
“Don’t make eye contact with any of them,” I warn my aunt. “One of the dams laid an egg yesterday, so they are in kill-first-ask-question- never kind of posture.”
“Delightful creatures.” Autumn studies her nails. “Can give their dragon shifter cousins a run for the hospitality award.”
I snort. “As if your best friend isn’t a dragon shifter.”
Quinton. A Massa’eve prince and one of Lilith’s fathers. He’s also the only other shadow wielder I’ve met thus far. After I completely exasperated my own kingdom, my mother had made arrangements for me to stay at the Massa’eve court and train with him.
I repaid them by paralyzing their daughter.
