Page 47 of Empire of Death
Then he was there, my leg hiked over his hip, his hand deep in my hair, before I took my next breath. His mouth kissed mine like he’d been thinking about my lips the entire time he’d stood at the campfire.
When he had his fill of my lips, he pulled away to look at me, fingers still deep in my hair, regarding me like I was a brand-new painting every time he saw me, like there was a new detail he hadn’t noticed before. I was used to getting the attention of men whenever I walked into a room, but that attention was fleeting. Another woman could replace that fascination so quickly. Men I brought home for the night were sometimes enthralled with me, but it was never at this level of deep adoration. “Xivin.” That was all he said, the single word encompassing everything he felt.
I’d never seen a more beautiful man, but he looked at me like I was the special one. We continued to stare at each other with eyes that never tired. Like we’d been separated for days when we hadn’t been separated at all. “Should I reject King Ithaca’s invitation?”
“No. But be prepared for the worst.”
“You think he will ambush me?”
“His intentions are unclear. Perhaps he simply wants something from you. Or perhaps he thinks he sees an opportunity to takeadvantage of a vulnerable situation. In either case, you’ll be prepared to show him how uninformed he was.”
“You have a lot of faith in me.”
His fingers slid a little deeper into my hair, almost possessively. “I believed in you the moment I laid eyes on you,Xivin.”
It was midafternoon when we arrived at the Empire Colonies. The stone of the castle reflected the bright sunlight cast down from the heavens. The spires looked magnificent as they reached toward the sky. A kingdom rich in many resources, they could easily rival the Southern Isles if we hadn’t had dragons in our ranks.
We made our way down to the grounds of the castle, acres of land surrounding it before the village began.Remain aware. Burn anyone who draws too close.
Same with you,Sunieth. I will rip that castle apart piece by piece if the king lays a hand upon you.
Like I’d ever give him the opportunity to get that close to me.
We came in for a landing in the courtyard like we did before, and Movack released a mighty roar to announce our arrival. “Rooooaaaaaarrrrr!”
Zehemoth landed with a heavy thud against the stone, but I was used to these harsh landings, and I gripped the horn and kept my spine straight so I wouldn’t roll forward down his neck.
Hawk handled himself just as gracefully and hopped down effortlessly in the heavy armor that he wore.
I joined him, and the lines of soldiers that protected the courtyard didn’t move—like they anticipated our arrival this time. The commander we’d met before was there, and he came forward to receive us. “Queen Lily Rothschild of the Southern Isles, we thank you for your return to the Empire Colonies.”
From my brief scan of the area, I didn’t recognize any dangers. No archers on the roof above, no cannons in the courtyard, no signs of imminent battle.
“King Ithaca is expecting your arrival. Please, come this way.” He escorted us into the castle and into the throne room where we’d met with the king before. There were two soldiers on either side of the throne, along with a few placed along the walls, identical to before. The glass ceiling showered the floor with sunshine.
King Ithaca was seated when we stepped into the room, wearing his uniform like before—except he wore his battle armor on top of it. He possessed no sword from what I could see, and when Hawk shared a quick look with me, I knew he’d noticed the same. It wasn’t exactly hostile, but it wasn’t inviting either.
After King Ithaca stared at me for several seconds, he rose to his feet and moved down the steps toward me. “Thank you for your quick return, Queen Rothschild. I’d only sent that missive a few days ago, and you’re already here.”
“My dragons informed me,” I said vaguely. “I thought our previous conversation was finished, King Ithaca. What other matters need to be discussed that couldn’t have been disclosed in a royal missive?” It wasn’t my intent to sound hostile, but itwas hard to conduct myself in any other way. My father wouldn’t appreciate another sovereign wasting his time, so I shouldn’t appreciate it either.
“I apologize, Your Highness. I know you’re busy preparing for war.”
“Then this conversation must be of the utmost importance,” I said sarcastically.
There was a little flick in his eyes, a subtle sign of irritation.
My own eyes hardened in response.
“You said these Barbarians attacked Riviana Star, and the Southern Isles came to their defense.”
It wasn’t a question, so I waited for the rest of the sentence, but it never came. “Yes?”
“And now the Barbarians want the Southern Isles for themselves, allegedly. We’re not allies with Riviana Star, and it was your choice to come to their aid, so I don’t see how the Empire Colonies need to be involved in this.”
I felt a twitch underneath my eyes, a small explosion of rage that ran like a spark of lightning through my veins. “You brought me all the way here to inform me you’ll be withdrawing your aid from this war? Is that correct?”
He continued his hard stare like he wouldn’t back down from a woman, even with a knife to his throat.
