He laughed, stunned. “Kallias, I hold your capital.”
“And we have dragons.” My smile showed teeth, all threat.
“You ruin everything you touch,” Tallon hissed. “You would burn your own people for pride.”
“As dross in the fire,” Nienna’s words darkened with promise, “our dragons will leave Reem gleaming as freshly smithed gold.”
“All this trouble over a woman.” His stare clung to her, rage flushing his face.
“Surrender, Tallon,” I said. “Against my better judgment, I will offer you a fair trial.”
Egath chuckled, the audacity of it. “We’re not concerned with your beasts—we seek to end this peacefully.” His lips closed over his teeth, an attempt at an apologetic smile.
“It would be simpler to drag you both to the dungeon than meet you on open ground,” Tallon said. “Kallias, will you truly pit brother against brother? Let me rule. You’ve grown old. Soft. Admit you took Nienna to feel young again.”
“You spurned me!” Nienna barely kept her seat, fury blazing. “I would have married you at once—if you had wanted me. But you pushed me away. You hated me.”
“You admit you would have me.” Tallon laughed, slapping his chest. “Kallias, you’ve had weeks to bed her. What? Could you not satisfy–”
“Enough!” My fist tightened, hovering above my boot. “If we leave this tent without a truce, we meet in blood. Do you surrender Reem?”
His mirth died, and he cocked his head—too owlish—and studied me with green eyes so like his mother’s. Like Egath’s.
“I will not relinquish what is mine—”
His thigh tensed. My breath hitched.
“—And I will take what I am owed.”
Warm steel kissed my palm.
We lunged at the same time, but Egath slammed into me, and my worst fear took shape.
Tallon hadn’t gone for me.
He seized Nienna faster than my sight could track.
With the speed of a blooded Velli.
Chapter Seventeen
Nienna
He was sitting in his chair one moment. The next, his hand clamped over my mouth, steel pressing against my throat.
I gasped, hands flying to the arm around my neck, nails raking fabric like claws. Egath slammed into Kallias, and the two spun as Tallon hauled me upright.
My legs shot out from under me, stomach lurching. In a blink, I was on the wrong side of the tent, facing the men.
Blue sparks danced across Erwin’s fingertips, smoke curling from the scorched ground behind my chair. Kallias had Egath by the throat, Greaves standing between us, sword drawn.
“Out of the way!” Tallon shouted, then lowered his lips to my ear. “Call off your dog. My next jump might not be as smooth. Wouldn’t want my blade to slip.” His hot, sticky breath sent revulsion coiling through me.
“Release her!”
Kallias’ dagger pressed into Egath’s neck. His arm hooked under the Velli’s, gripping his collarbone. Even if he attemptedto use his power to move fast as Tallan had, Kallias wouldn’t let go.
He’d fought the Velli before.
