Page 30 of The Storm of the Empire

I shook my head in utter disbelief. “I just can’t fathom the priests being involved in trading Dragon’s Bane.” I knew what they did for my kingdom and the Twelve.

Luka blew out a deep breath. “I delivered it to them myself on many occasions.”

My brain wouldn’t process his words. Surely, I’d misheard him. He couldn’t be saying—but it was there, written on his face. I found the ability to pull my hand away at that. “That’s another thing. You were involved in the trade yourself, and I’m supposed to trust what you say? That sacred herb of yours has been killing off dragons for centuries.”

“You throw accusations without knowing anything about me. I knew not what I grew or what it was for, only that my people believed it to be our divine work. You cannot even begin to understand where I come from or how I was raised. I knew nothing of dragons or magic. Only whispers when I left the compound. Yes, I did harm, and for my small part in that, I am sorry. But you have to understand, we were lied to.” His hands clenched into fists, and he stopped himself, fighting with a demon I did not know, but he was calmer when he spoke again. “I have done a lot of things I’m not proud of in the past in order to survive. But I swear to you and the Goddess herself that I only want to do good. I will help Nyx bring safety and peace to the kingdoms if it’s in my power to do so.”

My head reeled. I didn’t know what to believe. My faith had always been a deep part of me. Without the Goddess we would not be alive or prosperous. She gave us the gift of storms and the knowledge to survive them.

I studied him. He seemed sincere, but it was all so confusing.

He lifted his hand and gently rubbed his finger over the crease between my brows. “You’ll make your head hurt, scowling at me like that.”

I scoffed. “Forgive me, but I feel like I have plenty to scowl about. If what you say is true, then everything I hold dear could be in question, and I’m afraid of what that means.”

“It is true. But it’s not all the priests, and it’s not just in Storm. It’s threads woven through the core of the kingdoms. As I said, it may be that it’s only a small group within the priests and the majority are not involved. But everything I have discovered so far has brought me here, and I am determined to get some answers for Nyx.”

He seemed so loyal to Nyx, and vice versa. But even that seemed strange to me.

I grounded myself in his words and realized both things could be true at the same time. Priests were not the Goddess, and rot could taint even the most closely guarded harvest. It only took one spore or overripe fruit, and it would spread overnight. She was still good and all powerful, but fae were fallible.

“I just don’t understand why Nyx sent you and not one of his lieutenants—or better yet, a whole flight if this is what he suspects?”

“Because whatever is happening here is underground. It requires infiltration, which can’t be done by flyers or known figures in his legion. He has no one else like me because I do not belong, nor do I have a place others would miss me. I am no-one. I blend. I’ve been doing that to survive for as long as I can remember, and I have nothing to risk or lose. And if I can do some good, even at the cost of my life, then it will be worth it.”

I gasped before I could stop myself. He really couldn’t think so low of himself, could he? But he was right. Nyx couldn’t send a dragon without drawing everyone’s attention to it. His story made sense.

“You can’t speak of yourself that way.” I scrambled to find a way to combat his words. Every fae was valuable to the Goddess. She breathed life into each of us at our birth, sealing our name in her heart for she was all love.

He looked at me with understanding, like he well knew the position I was in. “It’s true. I’m tired of merely surviving. I was born into a lie, and I’ve fought every day to find a place for myself among the ashes of my past. I would rather do some good and be part of something important than have stood for nothing in this life.”

I cupped his face. “You’re talking like your life is over. It’s merely in peril.”

Luka smiled softly. “Only peril, you say? Well, that’s nothing then.”

I felt tears sting the backs of my eyes and was so taken aback by the emotion, I didn’t realize Luka was moving in.

His lips parted mine hungrily before I caught up, but need was raging to the surface in me just as fast. All the unthinkable revelations were just too much, and all I wanted, all I needed right now was to push that aside and feel.

Without a thought to where we were, I met his kiss, tongues tangling as we fought for more.

I pulled at his damp robes, trying to find a way in, while he tugged at my tunic. We fumbled for too long, not wanting to break our connection until we had no choice but to break away.

Breathing hard, I tried to look at where my hands were working to make sense of these damned robes. Then, I realized Luka was still.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, suddenly second guessing everything.

“Is this what you want?” He sounded almost patronizing, like I was incapable of thinking clearly.

“If you’re asking if I want to forget that nothing is what I thought it was and pass the time during this storm, then yes, it’s what I want.” I started back in on the robes, but he stilled my hand.

“Hazel.”

“Yes?” I asked, frustration bleeding through my tone.

“I’m not sure your head is in the right place for this,” he said with such sincerity it annoyed me.

“In the right head space for what exactly? A bit of light relief? Because I’m pretty sure I can handle that—thanks for your concern.”

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