Page 10 of Lady of Ashes

“I will help in whatever way I can,” Callan said swiftly, taking a step towards her.

“Then you will ?nd yourself planted against your own kingdom and your own people,” she spat, her grey eyes wild with challenge and bloodlust.

Callan went rigid at the words. “My people have nothing to do with this.”

“Your people may not, but your crown does, Princeling,” she sneered.

“You are blaming my throne for the actions of a few men who desire power? My family, my people, are innocent in this,” Callan argued, feeling anger rising in his veins.

“Sorin will not care,” Eliza hissed. “Sorin will not stop until his queen and wife and mate are back at his side. Hewill rip this entire godsdamn world apart to ?nd her, and we will help him do it.”

“Then you are truly the savage Fae bastards we all believe you to be,” Callan spat back. Eliza bared her teeth at him and had him shoved against a wall in the next breath. And Callan found himself not afraid at all of those elongated canines so close to his throat orthe deadly female that had him pinned to stone. Not as that fury that had been slowly making its way to the surface burst forth.

“My people are innocent,” he snarled at her. “Those who are involved in this? Yes, punish them, General. Make them suffer in ways only the Fae can do. Get Scarlett out and save those children in the Black Syndicate, but you touch any of my innocent people, and I will use the secrets I have learned in my months here. You will ?nd armies at your doorstep making you pay for every single innocent life you take, even if it takes my bloodline centuries to accomplish it.”

Eliza’s breathing was ragged as she stepped back from him. Callan straightened his tunic, staring down the general. “Tell the Fire Prince that how this is handled will determine whether we are allies with Queen Scarlett or enemies. As for my decision about where I will stay when she is out of my kingdom, I will be staying with my people.”

Callan did not wait for Eliza’s response as he turned from her to stalk back to his suite, but he found Sloan and Finn waiting for him several yards away. Their faces were unreadable as he approached, but they both straightened.

“What?” he demanded, coming to a halt in front of them.

A long silence fell between them, until Sloan bowed at his waist before him. “Well done, your Majesty.”

“I am not the king,” Callan snarled at him, fury still burning through him.

“That was not a Crown Prince who just tore into a general of the Fire Court,” Finn said quietly. “That was a King.”

Callan looked his friends in their eyes, his rage beginning to subside. “Let’s go pack,” he ?nally replied. “We are going home tonight.”

CHAPTER 5

SORIN

Sorin stepped through a ?re portal into the receiving area of the desert palace in Siofra, the capital of the Shifters territory. Gauzy curtains lined the open terrace walls as waterfalls cascaded among the rocky dunes surrounding the building. The palace sat in an oasis in the middle of the desert lands that they’d been sequestered to. The sun glared down brightly outside, and he watched as various animals moved about the grounds. With so many of them, it made it dif?cult to discern which were actual animals and which were Shifters in their animal forms.

He had come alone, leaving the others to pack and prepare for their departure tonight. He would not need backup in Siofra. Not with her. Not with their history.

He’d sent Eliza to deal with Callan and prepare him to return home. He didn’t have the time or the patience to coddle the mortal prince right now. Although, now that he was thinking about it, perhaps Rayner would have been the better one for that task. He had never witnessed his general so on edge. But Rayner was off doing some ?nal scouting before they left for the mortal lands, and Cyrus was getting other things together and ?nalized.

“My, my,” a sultry voice purred from behind him, a hand landing on his shoulder. “This is a very pleasant surprise. The Prince of Fire again in my company.”

That hand trailed along his sculpted back lower and lower, stopping just before it grazed across the upper swells of his ass. Sorin turned to address the owner of that voice, but a golden cobra was now winding its way up his leg. It slithered around his torso and along his chest. It stopped near his neck, hissing, and its forkedtongue brushed the area beneath his ear. It continued moving across the back of his shoulders, winding down his other arm. Until it stopped and lifted its head when it reached his left wrist.

The cobra hissed again before there was a ?ash of soft golden light and a woman stood before him. She possessed effortless beautywith her dark skin and olive, almond-shaped eyes. Her long, black hair was braided into several small braids and gold beads adorned the ends of all of them. The thin, gold, silk dress she wore sported a plunging neckline, reaching nearly to her navel, and the slits up the sides revealed ample amounts of herlong legs. She reached for his left hand, the gold bangles at her wrists tinkling against eachother.

“You have a marriage band on your ?nger, Prince.” She brought her eyes to his. “You have a wife.”

“I do,” Sorin replied. “That has only been the case for a few days.”

“You have also started the Trials. Wife and twin ?ame then,” she continued, her gaze back on his hand.

“Yes,” Sorin answered, a small smile playing on his lips.

The woman dropped his hand, a pout forming on her full lips. “Pity,” she said. But then those lips tilted up sensuously. “Unless she is with you, and you are both here for fun?”

Those olive eyes scanned the room, presumably looking for his wife.

Sorin cleared his throat. “She is not here, Arianna. She is also not one to share.”

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