Page 22 of The Death King

But he stood there and stared at me. His eyes were angry and guarded, but he didn’t move an inch. Didn’t react whatsoever.

That made me more uncomfortable because I didn’t know what he might do.

After another long stare, he walked to the door to exit my bedchambers. But before he left, he turned back to look at me, those midnight-black eyes terrifying, a drop of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. “You will serve me.”

4

TALON

I stood on the ramparts of the castle, looking over the kingdom I’d claimed as my own, seeing the mountains in the distance, the peaks covered in white snow. A gust of wind blew into my face, the cold swiping across my skin with a subtle sting.

Her name is Calista. I stared ahead and waited, waited for the dark scales to appear in the sunshine. And she’s…difficult.

As are you. His deep voice spoke in my mind, diminishing the sound of the wind, diminishing the flap of the flags as they waved proudly in the sunlight. He suddenly appeared from below, his vast wings visible first before the rest of his enormous body came into view. With grace, he folded his wings as he landed, making a solid thud that the entire castle could feel. He craned his neck down, bringing our faces level with each other, his dark eyes like the sea on a moonless night.

I know her face.

But you can’t recall.

No. There was a familiarity to her face, to the harshness in her eyes. Our paths had crossed, but I didn’t know when or where. Or perhaps they hadn’t crossed at all…and her appearance simply unnerved me.

Does it matter if your routes have been intertwined in the past?

Probably not. But I can’t stop thinking about it.

You’ve been to the Arid Sands many times.

I would remember her face if I’d seen it before.

Then you’ve never seen her.

I would agree…but I know I have.

Perhaps it’s her beauty that deceives you.

The first thing I’d noticed about her was her stupidity, approaching my dragon like a woman with a death wish. When Khazmuda warned me about her approach, I expected him to have eaten her before I could arrive, and if she was still alive, I would behead her myself.

But then he told me the news—that she had the gift.

A gift I needed for the war to come.

Have you told her?

No.

Tell her.

That can be dangerous. Our minds were connected by magic, creating the most intimate relationship I’d ever known. Everything we said was spoken in secret. Every conversation happened in the presence of others who couldn’t hear it. It was the only real relationship I had, the only one I’d had in a long time.

You have no other choice, Talon.

I sat in the armchair by the fire, naked with my knees spread far apart, my elbow on the armrest as I dragged my fingers across the hard grooves in my jawline. My fingertips pricked the stubble as they moved across, my jaw covered in shadow because it hadn’t seen my razor in a few days.

Natalie had fallen asleep in my bed—to my annoyance.

All I did was blink my eyes, and there he was.

Bahamut.

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