Page 87 of A Sky of Emerald Stars

“The bounty,” Navin pushed, looking past Tadei’s lingering gaze on me and up to the King.

“Ah yes,” King Luo said. “A million gritas, I believe. You will be a rich man—”

“I don’t want it,” Navin cut in, and the room broke out into frantic whispers. “Your Majesty,” he added hastily. “I am a musician, an artist. I would rather possess some pieces of beauty than coin, relics I can show off on my travels. I know Your Majesty is quite the collector.”

Luo arched his brow. “Relics, you say?” He didn’t seem at all surprised, only vaguely amused. Dread pooled in my gut. Something about his reaction felt terribly wrong.

“If it pleases you, Your Majesty, I would like to pick three pieces of art from your gallery.”

More murmurs of intrigue sounded behind us.

King Luo let out a long sigh and looked at his brother. “Artists,” he said with a flippant roll of his eyes. He rose from his throne and waved a beckoning hand as if Navin were only aminor nuisance. “Fine. I agree to your request. Let’s get it over with.”

Tadei grabbed me by the upper arm and pulled me along, seemingly enjoying my discomfort as my arm tugged to the side. A prince who liked his betrothed’s hands tied—that told me plenty about what kind of Wolf he was.

We followed Luo and Navin out the side door and into the hall, my eyes frantically searching for Maez. As soon as Navin got the vase, I wanted to get the fuck out of here.

Tadei squeezed me to his side with enough force to make a guttural warning escape my lips. That only made him grin.

“I like a bit of bite,” he said, dropping his lips to the side of my veil. “It wouldn’t be any fun otherwise.” His foul breath wafted over to me, and I screwed my face up in disgust, wishing my veil was thicker.

“Someone’s been licking their own asshole again,” I muttered.

Tadei threw his head back in a hearty laugh while his fingers dug into my flesh so tightly I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from crying out in pain. “Come, bride, let me show you your new home,” he said loud enough for everyone to hear. He lowered his voice just for me as he added, “I can’t wait to see how many times I can snap these bones before shifting won’t heal them.”

I searched for Maez again as bile rose up my throat. Maybe I could kill this sick son of a bitch first, and then Maez could swoop in and escort me off the premises the second the vase was in Navin’s hand. Someone really needed to kill this guy.

Each step down the long hallway made my stomach plummet further. Everything was going according to plan, I tried to reassure myself. Luo produced a key from around his neck and unlocked a set of heavy bronze doors. I could feel the excitement of the crowd behind me as the wood groaned and the doors opened.

We passed through an echoing atrium and into the gallery covered in floor-to-ceiling paintings and twin rows of pedestalsbisecting the room upon which sat everything from golden plates to crowns and scepters.

The gaggle of onlookers followed close behind Tadei and me, whispering to each other about “the Silver Wolf bitch.” I whipped my head around, though my glare was lost on them through the veil.

“You’ll get used to it,” Tadei said. “They’ll respect you more once you’ve provided some sons for the crown.”

It took everything within me not to give him a swift kick between the legs. Yeah, I couldn’t let this prince live.

I found Navin up ahead, two paces behind King Luo, and tried to focus on their conversation rather than the malodorous beast beside me.

“This one?” Navin asked, gesturing to a landscape painting of the floating mountains of Upper Valta.

Luo shrugged. “I thought you’d pick something more... grand.”

The crowd tittered as if he’d told a joke.

Navin nodded to one of the portraits on the far wall that was taller than me. “I’m afraid anything larger would be harder to travel with.” He turned to the pedestals. “Perhaps something smaller.” He paced down the row of precious relics, his footsteps slowing and then faltering as he reached the far wall. Then he halted.

In front of him was an empty pedestal.

“Looking for something in particular, human?” Luo asked, cocking his head at Navin in curiosity, but his smile filled my veins with ice.

Navin’s eyes grew wider, and I prayed he kept his composure, even as I was itching to shift. I forced my Wolf back even as every alarm bell started ringing in my mind.

“I heard tell of a piece of art made by those in Lower Valta... It’s a green stone vase, inlaid with gold...” Navin’s words fell to silence as the door to the atrium opened again.

I twisted my veil to see who moved through the doorway as Tadei’s hand regained its death grip on my arm. The green stone vase was proffered out. My entire body was doused in ice as my shaking gaze tracked from the beautiful vase up to the familiar eyes of the person holding it.

“You mean this vase, husband?”

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