Page 54 of Fate of Draga

Adelina looked to Veri and the hunt came to mind. How Veri had been trained to listen for prey, sense where it was headed, follow its tracks. It wasn’t in her DNA as it was the Neprijat’s. Not in the same way, but the wolves were excellent hunters as well.

Like called to like.

“It’s how they knew where I was in Kaiden’s floating palace,” Adelina murmured, brushing invisible dust from her skirts as she took another sip of tea. “I was in a dark wing and saw the Neprijat arrive. I was inside a building and they had to be at least three or four kilometers away, maybe more. But one of the Neprijat warriors turned to me and lookedrightat me, as if he knew exactly where I was.”

The story sent chills down Veri’s spine.

Then a thought occurred to her. “Do you swim?” she asked Sozav. “Like the sharks did?”

The Neprijat shrugged. “Better than any other human factions I assume. We can hold our breath for two hours if need be, but I wouldn’t say any of us wants to live in the water. Do you want to live in the forest in nothing but your skin eating rabbits raw, fur and all?”

Veri couldn’t help her smirk. The male was amusing at the very least. “Sometimes,” she admitted.

Sozav chuckled, showing off his sharp teeth.

But Asher didn’t tense this time, he simply looked contemplative. “So there are entire factions of the Neprijat who want to go back to their old ways? And we’re going to accept their help?”

Adelina didn’t look away from Veri when she replied. “We cannot afford to decline their offer. We simply have to hope that our instincts are right and they aren’t all monsters – that they won’t betray us. Because…I would very much like to trust him.”

The queen wasn’t speaking to Asher at all. Veri knew—if Adelina could convinceher,then Veri would convince Asher.

Crafty.

And if she were honest with herself, Veri wanted to trust him as well. Never had she seen a Neprijat so calm and docile before.

“Why aren’t you trying to slit your own throat?” Veri asked. “I’ve tried to capture dozens of your kind. At the very least you should be trying to kill Nash and Kaiden.”

Neither of the consorts released their hold on the Neprijat, but Veri had a sneaking suspicion they could let go and still Sozav would remain still and well behaved.

“It has been a long time since I’ve been in a room with a strong female presence. It has helped settle much of my volatile nature. And now you’re here as well.”

It wasn’t the whole truth though. She tilted her head in the other direction, studying those black eyes that held real emotion for the first time since she’d seen one up close.Humanemotion. Veri waited patiently for the rest of his answer.

Sozav huffed, but his lips twitched like he was trying to hide a smile. “I also am under the impression that my queen will not send me back to the Neprijat king. I have no reason to believe otherwise as she has always kept her word to her people. And as such I have no reason to end my own life. Not when all my hopes and dreams are on the cusp of finally coming true.”

And there, light blazing in those black depths.

Sozav was speaking the truth.

Veri nodded then and looked back at her queen. “I think we should trust him.”

The Goddess help her, but that was no monster before her. That was a brother – all of them born of the same race long ago. And Veri would never be able to live with herself if she didn’t take this opportunity – if she let doubt and fear ruin any chance for their survival.

She smiled wide at Asher. Now it was time to do the job the queen had silently ordered her to do. “My love, don’t you agree?”

Chapter Fourteen

Asher

The Jasmine

Khara/Hai/Draga Border

The Hai System

Of course his crazy fiancée would think this sort of thing was a good idea. Veri was nothing if not wild and impulsive. The chances she took left him breathless on occasion, but Asher wasn’t sure this particular risk was worth it.

Even if this monster was surprisingly well behaved—almost normal.

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