Page 26 of Lana Pecherczyk
River scoffed. “Yeah, you do. You’re the fucking Seelie High King. You do what you want.”
“I have responsibilities.”
“You used to be fun.”
“Fun? I’m still fun!” Jasper’s tone rose defensively. “Just last week, I organized a midnight feast for my family under the stars. Aspen loved it. He couldn’t stop laughing!”
“Yeah, I’ll bet he did,” River muttered. “A family picnic. How wild.”
“Hey! I still know how to party.”
“And by party, you mean host tea parties.”
“It was a feast!”
“Sure. Like I said, you’re no fun.”
Appalled, Jasper launched into a litany of ways he was still fun, counting each on a finger. River ignored him and scratched a message to Ash on his triad tattoo:Where are you?
Steel clashed against mana-enforced bone, followed by a grunt and Aspen’s shout of triumph. The scent of post-magic ozone drifted on a breeze. River glanced over to see Aeron hand-sign something to the prince and bow in acknowledgment of defeat.
River checked his tattoo for a reply. Nothing. He quickly scrawled words guaranteed to grab attention:Go and see Clarke. She has something to tell you.
He didn’t want to pull the Prime card, but screw it. If Ash skipped the Great Murder, River would get stuck with official Guardian shit, and he could kiss his revenge goodbye.
“Stop wasting time and stab my dad.” The prince’s voice, laced with humor, dragged River’s attention to where he sat on a stone bench beside Aeron.
Since River had seen him last year, Aspen had filled out with muscle, his voice deepening. But he was still a fledgling compared to Aeron’s bulk, never mind Jasper’s powerful form and veins rippling beneath his skin. His son had won the sparring match purely because of his inherited, spontaneous portaling ability.
“Unless you’re all talk,” Aspen taunted.
The prince had a death wish. River palmedPeacemaker’ssmooth surface. A glance to the right revealed Jasper’s hawk-like gaze.
Why coddle the boy? False victory would only lull him into a misplaced sense of security, leading him headfirst into danger when the real battle arrived. The last person River let win was his little sister, Lark, before she learned to fly over a century ago.
“Care to put your coin where your mouth is?” River quirked an eyebrow at the prince. “And your head?”
“No,” Jasper barked.
“Why not?” River shrugged.
“Yeah, why not, Dad?” Aspen jumped up. “He can’t hit me. I’m too fast.”
“I said no.”
Aeron hand-signed something to Jasper, who signed back. The secret exchange grated on River’s nerves. He ground his teeth and focused on Aspen, who’d already paced toward the lawn.
River supposed this was as good a distraction as anything else could be. Even now, Blake’s tumultuous emotions swarmedinto him through their bond. Maybe he should teach her to block her emotions. Maybe they’d all be happier without feelings.
He growled.
“Name your price, crow.” Aspen paced with natural-born predatory grace.
River cocked his head, contemplating. “One hundred red coin and a portal stone keyed to ‘up your fucking ass’ says I can slice off the tip of your pointy little fur-tipped ear from fifty paces away.”
“I said no!” Jasper’s voice cracked like a whip.
“Except for the portal stone, it’s a deal!” Aspen grinned.
