Page 30 of A Lord of Snow and Greed

“You’ll have to, but you should know of the latest news.” Vale told Luccan an abbreviated version of last night’s events. He then proceeded to the events of the morning when the king had whipped Sir Qildor and thenour skirmish on the vampire ship. When Vale was done, Luccan’s mouth was hanging open.

“It seems I have some things to cover with my father,” he said after Vale ran out of story.

“That would be wise, and now you understand why we need your training facilities.”

“Your wife will need to learn to protect herself.”

“I can’t be with her at all times. So yes. And we’d rather spend as little time at the palace as possible today.”

“Then let’s go.” Luccan waved for us to follow. “Thantrel, Arie, and Father are down there now.”

“Your father is here too?” Vale asked.

“He arrived a few hours ago. Why?”

“The guards didn’t mention him,” Vale replied.

Luccan shrugged and turned around. “He requests not to be spoken about.”

Vale shot me a look.

I was no mind reader, like the queen, but I felt certain that I knew what he was thinking about. Vale was recalling that his mother had neglected to mention Lord Riis when she told the tale of how I’d killed the vampire prince and our wedding.

Of course, she’d also left out the fact that I had been a blood slave. And the whores, Clem, and Anna, being present at the scene of the crime. Had she not seen those memories? Or maybe just because she hadn’t recognized the ladies, she had not seen fit to mention them? Or had there been so much going on in Vale’s head that some things slippedby her?

I wasn’t sure but omitting Lord Riis had felt pointed. I wanted to know why, and I suspected Vale did too.

We descended two floors, revealing that the manor house was five floors, not three, as it appeared from the outside. At the bottom, there was only one door. Luccan paused, pressed an ear closer to the door, and let out a soft chuckle. “Father convinced Arie to join in this time. Sounds like he’s enjoying himself!”

Vale laughed too, and Sian and Filip bore twin smiles. I wondered what was so funny but didn’t get the chance to ask as Luccan Riis opened the door.

The scent of sweat and metal billowed out. I wrinkled my nose and peeked inside, only to find a stocky male fae with curly red hair and the same lovely shade of wings as Luccan stumbling backward, straight for us.

“Bleeding moon, Arie!” Luccan held out a hand before the male collided with him. “Watch where you’re going!”

The male spun and narrow copper eyes blazed through Luccan. “I’d love to, but our ogre of a brother doesn’t fight fair!”

“Like that would matter,” another male voice, this one deeper than the other two, rang through the room. When I caught sight of him striding across the vast room empty of furniture but with many assorted weapons hanging from the walls, I sucked in a breath.

With deep red hair that trailed down his back and those wings seemingly made of fire, this had to be another Riis, though this male was the most stunning. He was tallbut lithe, unlike Luccan and Lord Riis, who were both barrel-chested, and rivaled Vale in size and stature. This male, on the other hand, struck me as ethereal with olive green eyes framed with the longest lashes I’d ever seen and . . . Was he wearing eyeliner?

“Even if I fought clean,” the stunning male jeered, “you wouldn’t stand a chance. Fates, Arie, you need to train more.”

Arie scowled. “Those in the House of Wisdom don’t need to fight with blades. Or savage maces.”

The other male swung the mace that Arie was looking so pointedly at, a huge smirk on his face.

“We fight with knowledge and words. Far more civilized,” Arie muttered. “I don’t need to have my arse handed to me to be of use.”

“Both knowledge and physical strength are important,” another voice boomed, and Lord Riis appeared from an alcove he’d been doing stars only knew what in.

I blinked. For the first time, the spymaster’s wings were not vanished or hidden beneath a cloak, and they looked exactly like his sons’ wings. Or rather, theirs looked like his. If I had such lovely wings, I’d never hide them. I wondered why he did.

Perhaps they draw too much attention. A spymaster might not like that.

“Welcome, Prince Vale. Princess Neve.” Lord Riis inclined his head, and his sons did the same, Luccan rolling his eyes as he did so.

We showed Lord Riis the respect due to a lord of theSacred Eight. Once the niceties were observed, Lord Riis arched an eyebrow.

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