Page 20 of Daman
At least someone is having a good time.
“Daman,” Nikolai said once spotting me. “Have a seat. Warrin should be down shortly.”
“Lovely,” I mumbled. I was about to sit in the chair a few seats down from them when Alastair narrowed his eyes at me.
“Don’t be rude,”he said in my mind.“The king won’t tolerate your attitude, and neither will I.”
Refraining from flipping him off, I pulled out the chair beside his and sat down. The queen joined us minutes later. Her blonde hair was braided on top of her head with some ringlets cascading down, and her greenish-blue eyes had an ethereal glow to them, much like many of the dragons. Their non-human gazes had no reason to be hidden there.
Laughter sounded from the corridor outside the dining chamber as Bellamy and Princess Milena arrived. The girl seemed smitten by my brother, and I rolled my eyes. She greatly resembled her father—and uncle—same shade of silver hair and light blue eyes. Her pixie cut framed her heart-shaped face, and her lips curved into a smile as her focus shifted to me.
“Dobroye utro,” Milena said.
“Good morning,” I returned her greeting.
“You speak Russian?”
“I do. I’m fluent in most languages.”
Bellamy thanked Armen as the boy poured him some coffee. “When you’ve lived for as long as we have, what better way to pass the time than to learn as many languages as possible?”
“You only wanted to learn them all so you could seduce people in their native tongue easier,” I said.
“Guilty.” Bellamy shrugged before taking a drink of his coffee.
Milena propped her chin up on her hands and smiled at him. She looked like an excited child. “You must’ve seen so many places in your lifetime. I’ve never even left Russia.”
Jealousy came off her. It stirred in my chest, and her envious thoughts filled my mind. She wished to leave the kingdom and travel the world. I drank my coffee and tried to shove her feelings aside.
Warrin never showed up for breakfast.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have been a bitch to him last night,” Bellamy said as we exited the dining chamber. “You said you didn’t want anything to do with him. Which we both know is a lie. But he doesn’t know you well enough to see through your shit like I can.”
“It wasn’t a lie.”
“Okay. Sure.”
I glared at him. Deep down, I knew he was right. Sometimes, Envy made me act irrationally and say things I didn’t actually mean. Out of jealousy. Out of spite. The smallest things could get under my skin. It was one reason I liked keeping to myself.
I was miserable to be around.
Up ahead, Armen carried in firewood and placed it in a pile beside the large hearth in the main sitting room.
“Oh,” he said to me, giving a quick bow. Wood chips stuck to his coat, and his cheeks were rosy from the cold. “What can I do for you, sir?”
“Can you tell me where to find Warrin?”
“He’s on the field training with the others. Would you like me to take you to him?”
“That won’t be necessary. If you’ll just tell me where the field is, I can find it on my own.”
“Of course, sir.” Armen told me where to go and added, “I suggest bundling up before you go. It’s cold out there today.”
Coldwas an understatement. Even in a thick coat, gloves, and boots, I was freezing my ass off. I tolerated extreme weather better than mortals, though I wasn’t completely immune to the effects.
The path to the field took me down a small hill and through part of the forest. As I walked, I glanced up at the wintery sky showing through the branches of the trees. Thousands of years had passed, but I missed the forest I’d once called home. It had been misunderstood. Just like me. The spirits were my friends and the bent, crooked trees my playground.
I’d never been able to bring myself to return.
