Page 174 of Once the Skies Fade

Sasha eyed me coldly and spoke in a matter-of-fact manner. “We did not agree to anything…but, as your parents died while traveling home from our island, we will at least hear your plight.”

“However,” Niko said. “We do not guarantee our approval or aid.”

They did not wait for us to answer but rather pivoted on their heels to march through the doors, which swung open for them as they neared. Asher nudged me, nearly toppling me over. He gestured to the buckle for the saddle, and I quickly released it. I’d barely slipped it free from his back when he shifted back into his human form.

“Should your brothers shift too?” I asked him quietly, but he was already shaking his head.

“They’re not a fan of nightwalkers. Or meetings,” he said around a smirk. “Plus, it’ll be better to have them here ready to leave in a hurry if needed.”

Niko and Sasha had paused inside the door. Half-turned toward us, they waited with those same bored expressions on their faces. The three of us hurried across the terrace, leaving Dax and Kai to stand guard outside. The doors shut ominously, throwing us into near total darkness.

“Come,” Sasha said from somewhere in front of us.

“One moment, please,” I requested. “Our eyes could use time to adjust. I’d hate to step on you.”

Someone chuckled in the darkness, but a snap echoed through the chamber, and flames flickered to life as torches ignited, lining the walls of the grand cavern. We stood in an antechamber of sorts, unfurnished but decorated with ornate tapestries and plush rugs that made the space warmer than expected given the location.

Several guards stepped in front of us, and from behind them Niko said, “My guards will take any weapons.”

Isa cast a wary glance my way as she complied, slipping her sword and daggers from her waist, while Asher and I each handed over a small knife. We followed the royal couple down a long, winding corridor and into a more intimate circular room dominated by a round table of rich wood that seemed to be made from a single slice of an ancient tree trunk. Wooden armchairs, upholstered in a deep red velvet, surrounded the table. Similar to the first room, rich tapestries adorned the walls with torches encased in iron and glass hanging between them.

Niko and Sasha each took their seats, motioning for us to do the same.

“What is this emergency that brings you to our isle, Your Majesty?” Niko asked.

Sasha lifted a brow as she added, “And with dragon escorts, no less.”

Clearing my throat, I folded my hands in front of me on the table to steady myself as much as my shadows. “My former advisor has betrayed me and fled to your shores. I need to find him immediately.”

“Why the urgency?” Sasha asked.

“He has my mate,” I stated, surprised that the word didn’t taste quite as bitter and wrong as it used to.

Niko and Sasha shared a knowing look, both sighing as if endeared by the news I had found my mate. “What do you need from us?”

“Permission to hunt on your island.”

“And where do you think he is?”

“I believe he is with the humans, though I cannot be sure.”

The pair stiffened, and tension rippled through their shared glance.

Niko pursed his lips before asking, “What do you intend to do?”

“Kill anyone who gets in my way,” I said, unblinking.

“We can’t allow that,” Sasha said quietly, and I snapped my attention to her. Her features softened, seeming almost sympathetic—the most emotion she’d shown during this visit.

Asher dropped his clasped hands on the table and leaned forward. “Why not? I thought there was no love lost between your kinds. Or am I mistaken?”

Another anxious look passed between the couple. Niko spread his hands in front of him as if physically offering his explanation. “You are not mistaken. We are indeed at odds with the humans here, and have been for some time, but the situation is…delicate.”

Sasha touched a hand to his forearm but kept her gaze locked on mine. “There are two individuals of importance among the humans, and we cannot risk their lives for your vendetta.”

Shrugging, Asher said, “Easy. Tell us who they are, and we’ll be sure to spare them.”

Sasha’s throat bobbed as she swallowed hard.

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