Page 16 of Of Blood and Banes
“You will not refuse.” His voice borders on condescension.
“You know nothing of what I will or will not do,” I snap.
“As I said before—you rule out of necessity. And whether that means fear or respect, it must be done all the same.” He stands up from his seat, looking down his nose at me. “My patience wears thin. We do not have time for your juvenile antics. The King is plotting to invade the Dragon Lands, and he will stop at no end to gain power. So, if you will not agree to help us out of mutual respect, then…”
I push up out of my own seat, resting my fingertips on the table as I lift my chin to look him in the eye. I will not be a fucking pawn. “You’ll what?”
He blinks at me. Letting the threat simmer.
I lean forward in a silent challenge. “What will you do?” He’s already proven he can’t hurt me or Daeja. We are far too irreplaceable, if he truly believes in the prophecy. He won’t hurt his daughter or Archie—if he knows it’ll crush Melaina. He’s having secret conversations with Cole. Marge would likely whoop his ass if he even looked at her the wrong way.
But…he has Darian.
The prince of Arterias. And as far as I know, if King Aaric’s son Jurrock is dead and Darian only has sisters, it means Darian is the only male left to inherit the throne. Sethan can potentially use Darian as a bargaining chip, depending on King Aaric’s feelings toward his grandson and the plan for succession. Unless…he knows King Aaric won’t give up anything to get him back. Then Sethan can use Darian’s pain against me.
Witnessing last night’s brutality was more than enough proof to Sethan that some part of me cares. Or at least I have some moral compass. And it proves tomeSethan won’t hesitate to force his desired outcome. And if I show a lick of hesitancy on the behalf of Darian, it may only fuel the fire.
My eyes narrow. I will not be manipulated into something I don’t want. Especially because the trust I have in Sethan is equivalent to the width of a grain of rice.
He holds my glare. “If you leave me no room for respect…then…”
“You’re mistaken if you assume I will respectorfear you, Sethan. So, if you think you can strong-arm me into getting what you want,” I growl, pushing off the table, “think again.”
I stalk out of the room.
On my way out of the community hall, I grab a full chicken from the servants. I leave the bustling town of Midkeep for the tranquility of the forest. Still, no guards follow me. I search near the river where Daeja has resided the last few days and find a massive dent in the grass where she’s been laying.
Odd.
Considering how quiet she’s been since we parted ways, I figured she was dozing. Midday is her usual napping time. I’ve always assumed she’s a nocturnal creature as she became accustomed to traveling through Arterias by night. Another hint toward her being a moon dragon.
Checking my surroundings, I remove a glove and crouch. I press my hand to test how warm the flattened grass still is. Closing my eyes, I reach out for her presence and begin following our magnetic thread south.
My eyes flash open, and I stare out into the forest, waiting for her shadowy figure to flicker through the trees. When I find nothing but stillness, I stride south through the forest, keeping the river to my right. Perhaps she moved spots to nap in the sun instead?
A chuckle bursts through the chirping birds and gurgling water, and I pause. Swinging my attention to the left, I spot Daeja farther in the trees nudging Archie’s torso with her snout, her heavy breath audible even from this distance. Archie laughs again—this time a belly laugh—and pats her nose.
I walk to them and stop a few yards away. “What…is going on here?”
Both of them swivel into my direction. Eyes round as if they’ve been caught doing something they shouldn’t, before they exchange a look. Daeja bumps his lower back with her nose, sending him forward a few steps.
Archie ducks his head with a half-smile. “Hey, Kat! We were just uhh…”
Daeja reaches forward to grab the edge of his jacket near his hip between her teeth as delicately as she can and tugs. Though, she is anything but gentle. The motion jerks Archie off his feet, lifting him overhead as he tosses out a surprised shriek.
I drop the feathered chicken to the ground and dash forward, ready to catch Archie. “Daeja! Put him down?—”
“It’s alright, it’s alright. Here!” Archie fishes into his pocket while suspended in the air, his feet kicking out in a half-hearted attempt to balance himself, before he pulls something out.
Daeja sets him back down and slurps the item clear out of Archie’s fingers.
Archie laughs again as he scratches her neck. “I’ve been bringing her snacks ever since you passed out from the battle in Arterias. Figured she’d be hungry. You know…she’s actually really friendly.”
Daeja freezes, her pupils dilating to the size of round dinner plates before she leans into Archie’s touch and kicks one of her hind legs into a frenzy.
“You’re…you’re not afraid of her?” I tilt my head, perplexed.“I suppose I didn’t need to bring this…”I whisper to Daeja, then toss the limp bird into her direction. She snaps it out of the air gracefully. Ever the bottomless pit.
Archie’s eyes are still settled on Daeja, a warm smile on his lips as he answers, “I mean, of course I am. But that’s the thing—you can still fear and respect something at the same time.”
