“Fuck. It’s not my fault.” I wiped the blood from my lips. The taste of my own blood was bitter compared to the scent of hers. “She fucking broke my nose.”
Caspian laughed so hard a tear escaped his eye. “You should know better than to grope an unconscious woman.” He gasped for air, still chuckling. “Did your vamp mother never teach you manners?”
“I wasn’t—” I glared at him. My nose was already healing, the cartilage shifting with a sharp sting. “You asked me to conduct an examination.”
Pointless. I shook my head.
“I can’t believe she still had that kind of strength.”
“She’s a girl.” He looked at the crumpled figure on his shin, suspicious eagerness sparkling in his green eyes. “It changes everything, doesn’t it?”
“We’ll see.” Aelindor’s expression had cooled to its usual detachment, as if he could erase his stunned reaction through sheer will. But I’d seen it. The shock in those ancient eyes. Nothing rattled the Fae heir. Usually. “It might change nothing, whether she’s a girl or a boy.”
“But the prophecy said both.” I touched my nose gingerly. It was already straightening. “‘He walks in shadow, she in flame.’And this girl came disguised as a boy.”
“We can’t assume she’s the one,” Aelindor said dismissively, but a brightness flickered throughhis winter-blue eyes. The look he got when puzzle pieces started falling into place. “Let’s move. Who carries her now?”
“I will.” I moved toward the girl. She’d punched me. We were even.
Caspian moved like lightning. In half a second, he had her cradled in his arms—bridal style, held carefully against his chest. The contrast to his previous rough treatment was almost comical.
“She’s my charge.” He strode after the Fae heir with renewed energy. Now that the boy had turned out to be a pretty girl, his steps were lighter, swifter, and eager. “She’s clearly not safe with you, Nikolai.”
“Why the fuck would you say that?” I glared at the back of his head, resisting the urge to knock him down. I didn’t like him carrying her.
“She called you a red-eyed pervert.” He didn’t bother looking back. His voice dripped smugness. “That was her first impression of you. Hard to recover from that. And earlier, you promised to bite her. I won’t let that happen. Not under my watch. Soon as she wakes up, I’ll tell her exactly what you are. Vampire. Prince or not. And I’ll make sure she knows she’s under my protection.”
“She didn’t call me a pervert,” I growled.
And I wished, with a burning sense of regret, that the girl had woken up when Caspian’s fucking hand was on her breast instead of mine. Just my luck. That wolf always had better luck with women.
“The girl intended to pass as a boy,” Aelindor observed, breaking into my bitter thoughts.
We lined up in a column—the Fae heir in the lead,steps sure and silent. Caspian and the girl in the middle. Me at the rear, watching our backs.
“You mean we shouldn’t blow her cover?” Intrigue laced Caspian’s voice.
“The girl might have a good reason for the deception,” Aelindor said, his tone measured.
“And we gentlemen should respect a lady’s wish.” I saw where this was going and backed him immediately.
“But what about Drakken?” Caspian asked.
“What about him?” I countered, though I knew.
“Should we keep secrets from him? We’re in an alliance.” Caspian’s hesitation bled through. Vampires handled guilt differently—we never let it touch us. “What about honor?”
“Honor is perspective.” I snorted. “Has the dragon shared all his secrets with you? With us? He hoards his own like fucking gold.”
Caspian’s steps faltered for half a second before he resumed pace, adjusting the girl’s weight. “Drakken is our brother in arms. But he’s an asshole. Thinks he’s our alpha.”
The dragon’s arrogance had no bounds. He wore his superiority like armor.
“Except to Aelindor,” I said.
Rivalry was a constant among the three younger heirs. We competed for dominance, recognition, and respect.
I dropped my sneer and called ahead. “What’s your stand, Aelindor?”
