His arm draped over the back of my chair, and I stiffened. The unwelcome closeness sent a shiver crawling up my spine, but I resisted the urge to recoil. Instead, I adjusted my posture, maintaining the illusion of poise while inching away from his touch.
“The ink is barely dry on the treaty,” I replied, my voice steady though my jaw tightened. “Radaan will need time to adjust. Surely, you wouldn’t allow Radaanians to roam Velli soil unchecked.”
Egath’s grin widened, sharp and too knowing. “Then the blood on your marriage oath must be ready to drip off the page!” His laughter boomed, Tallon’s joining in. “And I daresay we’d welcome any Radaanians on our soil. In fact, send them.”
The undertone in his words prickled at my awareness, a veiled threat I couldn’t quite decipher. Frustration simmered under my skin, my ignorance gnawing at me. Before I could respond, the servants arrived, carrying bowls of steaming tomato soup laced with delicate noodles and fresh basil.
Tallon waved a hand over my bowl, his tone too light to mask his eagerness. “Show me your magic now.”
I glanced between them, suspicion curling in my chest.
Egath inclined his head, his movements fluid and deferential, though the smugness in his expression betrayed him. “I was waiting for Princess Nienna’s arrival. She wouldn’t want to miss such a spectacle.”
His outstretched hand hovered in invitation, pale and steady. “May I?”
My gaze fixed on him, narrowing as the weight of unspoken warnings pressed against my thoughts. “I’m unfamiliar with Velli magic,” I said, my tone cool. “Perhaps another time would be more appropriate.”
A polite refusal. No, I would not offer him my hand or let him work his magic on me. My bond with dragons made me a poor vessel—I dreaded to imagine what this man’s magic might inflict on my body.
“What are you so afraid of?” Tallon’s voice curled with mockery as he draped his arm across the back of my chair.
The sudden weight at my shoulders had me wanting to bolt. Panic swelled, but I forced myself to sit still. I was a princess. Even if my insides twisted with dread, I wouldn’t let them see me falter.
“Egath has had a long day. I’m sure he–” The words choked off as my throat tightened.
“Raised among dragons—don’t you remind me of that constantly?” the prince jeered.
The ambassador leaned forward, his sharp grin glinting like a blade. “Gracious! And now you fear a touch of Velli magic?”
My gaze dropped to my soup, steam curling from the surface. Noodles bobbed in the broth, taunting me with their stillness while rage churned within.How dare he.Tallon’s lack of tact, his audacity to side with this smug foreigner against his future queen, and he plays the fool.
Heat scorched my cheeks as I bared a vicious smile, pushing back my chair just enough to extend my hand. “You’re right. Compared to dragons, you’re hardly worth fearing.”
Egath’s grin spread like rot, slow and vile. His cold fingers brushed mine as he rolled my palm upright, his touch dry and unsettling. My instincts screamed to pull away, but I held firm.
His voice dipped into a measured hum as his fingertip traced the delicate skin on my wrist. “You know so little about Vellos, don’t you, Princess?”
“Easily remedied,” I murmured, my gaze flickering between his eyes and the pale finger gliding over my veins.
“I take it upon myself to teach you,” he continued.
A faint tickle built beneath the surface, a sensation that sank deeper with each pass. The itch crawled inside my bones.
“The Velli wield magic granted by Baenfior, God of the Abyss,” he explained, his tone rich with reverence. “In a land where survival demands sacrifice, he gave us blood magic. All possess it, but not all can wield it.”
His finger moved faster now, a hypnotic rhythm. My stomach turned as I watched the vein beneath my skin writhe, slithering toward his touch like a living thing.
“Some of us,” he continued, “draw power from blood—strength stolen at the cost of another’s life. Others control beasts with a single taste. Magic always demands a price, does it not?”
The vein squirmed, and my breath caught. I jerked my hand back, but Egath’s grip tightened, his forest-green eyes gleaming with malice.
“If only I had a drop of your blood—the things I could do.”
“Ambassador Egath—”
Kallias’ voice cut through the tension, steadying me. Without thinking, I leaned toward it.
“—would you recite Article Thirty-One of the treaty?”
