AllFreeNovel
Share Us
One of the guards stepped forward, forgoing a bow for a shallow nod.
I just smiled coldly, allowing him to see I’d noted the disrespect.
“His Majesty Eryndan Marovier awaits your presence.” The guard shifted, his gaze flicking to Lorian. I glanced at the fae prince. But he was simply standing next to us, a mild expression on his face.
“By all means,” Lorian said when I didn’t speak. “Escort us to him.”
The guard nodded. And just like that,Iwas one ofLorian’scompanions.
I chewed on that. To get a reputation like Lorian’s—to strike fear in the hearts of men who’d never met me—I would need to spend years doling out the kind of brutality Lorian had.
So I would take advantage of the fact that my potential allies—and my enemies—were wary of the Bloodthirsty Prince.
Perhaps I was just as bad as Conreth after all. The thought made my stomach twist.
The guard swallowed. “Please follow me.”
We fell into step behind him, walking into the dimly lit entrance. A strategic move by Eryndan, as it took several seconds for my eyes to adjust to the change in light. Anyone who managed to get past his guards would need those same seconds.
At least, anyone human. Who knew what Lorian and Cavis needed?
The guard led us into the throne room, where the Gromalian king sat, waiting. He was a large man, but his build was the kind of hard fat that said he trained with his men each day. His beard was trim, interspersed with gray, and his bushy brows lowered as he watched us approach.
Next to him, his son sat on a throne of his own. His hair was red, brighter than Madinia’s, and fell past his shoulders. But his green eyes gleamed with curiosity as they met mine.
I bowed—just low enough to show respect, but not low enough to imply Eryndan ruled me. Telean had made me practice that bow over and over last night.
“Your Majesty,” I said. “Thank you for seeing us.”
He raised one brow, the picture of languid indifference, but I caught the way his hand tightened on the arm of his throne. “You managed to get the pirate queen on your side. And then you swaggered through my kingdom without even a visit.”
“A simple bargain.”
He shook his head. “Nothing with that woman is simple. Your second mistake.”
I raised a brow. “And what was my first?”
“Working with the fae next to you.”
“Lorian and I both had separate tasks to achieve in Sabium’s castle,” I said carefully.
“Yes, I know all about how you freed the hybrids.”
He saidhybridslike it was a dirty word, and I stared him down.
“Tell me,” Prince Rekja said, his gaze on Lorian. “Did you enjoy pretending to be me?”
Lorian sent him a feral grin.
This wasn’t going well. I cleared my throat. “We came here to talk about the threat Sabium presents to all of us,” I said.
Rekja’s eyes met mine. They were surprisingly clear, and they glittered with good humor. He wasn’t what I expected.
Eryndan snorted, and I returned my attention to the king.He, on the other hand, was exactly what I’d expected.
“Sabium presents no threat to me and mine,” Eryndan said. “And neither do you.”
“My people are hidden across this continent,” I said. “They’re powerful, and they’reangry. If you don’t think that makes them a threat, you’re about to see just how Sabium underestimated them.”
