Page 535 of Flirting with Darkness

“Doesn’t mean we should trust him, though,” Kyllen warned. “Just because a king possesses a character doesn’t mean he wouldn’t plot against you if he found it beneficial for him or his kingdom.”

I hugged my teacup in my hands. “You said three kings. Is the King of Sarnala not coming?”

“No. It’s too close to the full moon for the werewolf’s comfort.”

The night of full moon was when werewolves shifted to their beast forms to roam wild and free on the Plains of Sarnala. As that night approached, their wild side gradually took over, making them more impulsive and less in control. I understood why the werewolf king chose to avoid the Summit. What puzzled me, however, was why King Aigel would call the Summit on the day when he knew the King of Sarnala would likely decline to attend. It felt as if he didn’t want him present.

“And that leaves us with King Aigel,” Kyllen said. “The all-powerful ruler of the Sky Kingdom.”

“What do we know about him?”

“Not much. The Sky Kingdom likes to keep apart from the rest of Nerifir, much like the World Beneath.”

The world of Nerifir expanded not just wide but high and deep. The Sky Kingdom lay high above the clouds. Its inhabitants almost never came down to the ground that they called the Bellow.

The World Beneath remained equally largely unknown. I couldn’t even find confirmation of whether there was a monarchy or any structured government in that world located deep underground. Its inhabitants never came up into the sunlight. And no one from the surface ventured down there, either.

“Since we don’t know what to expect from King Aigel,” Kyllen continued. “Be prepared for anything.”

“All right.” I chugged the rest of my tea, feeling ready to face whatever the day would bring. “Let’s do this. Let me get ready, then call the High General in. We’ll go over the logistics one more time.”

I climbed out of the nest.

“Amira.” Kyllen got up, too. Placing his hands on my shoulders, he turned me to face him. “Would you reconsider wearing the cuff, please?”

He gazed at me imploringly. I knew he was worried, but wearing a cuff on my hand that would be attached by a chain to the identical cuff around his wrist was too much for me to accept. He designed it years ago, to protect me. I appreciated the effort, but I couldn’t wear it.

“Kyllen, darling, I know you’re worried, but I can’t possibly show up at the Summit of Kings, while being led on a leash by my husband. I’ve been working hard to make fae accept me as a person and to take me seriously as a leader. And that chain…”

“The chain is not a leash.” He pouted.

“You know what I mean. It would look like you lead me.”

“Not necessarily. I can walk a step behind you. That way it’d look likeyouhavemeon ‘a leash.’” He flashed me a smile.

“And you wouldn’t mind that? What would the kings think?” For a proud, confident man like my husband, it couldn’t be easy to agree to something like that.

He shrugged. “As long as you’re safe, I don’t give a damn what they think.”

I rose to my tiptoes to place a kiss on his mouth. “Thank you. But no, let’s keep the chains out of it.”

His wide chest expanded with a sigh of clear disappointment.

“Fine.” He circled my waist with his arms, hugging me to him. “But you’ll stay close. And I’ll hold you. Tight. At all times.”

Leaning into the safety of his body, I didn’t object to that.

4

AMIRA

“We’re ready, Your Majesty.” My High General stepped aside, letting Kyllen and me pass through the corridor of armed gorgonians that led to the shore of Olathana Ocean. My hand in the crook of Kyllen’s arm, I was supported and escorted by him, not led by him.

The turquoise rocks of the shore replaced the grass and the fertile soil of the Lorsan Wetlands under our feet as we walked onto the shore. Foamy surf beat against the sharp cliffs, the sound of crashing waves spreading far and wide.

The train of my silk, hunter-green gown trailed over the semi-transparent rocks of the shore as we approached the Summit Peak. The wide pillar of shimmering blue-green rock jolted high into the sky on the very edge of the shore. The ocean crashed relentlessly into one side of it. Sharp giant crystals crowded it from the other side.

My gorgonians were joined by gargoyles at the foot of the Summit Peak. The gargoyles had abandoned their dragon form for the occasion, looking like regular men—devastatingly handsome, of course, like all fae were.

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