Page 43 of A Kingdom of Death & Darkness
“Powerful, you mean?” she asks, and I can physically feel the coyness of her smile along her praising words.
My lashes lift slowly. I level her with a tired look.
I know what she’s doing. I’m not some stupid fae boy who can be appeased with pompous pretty words.
“Handsome?” she asks before rapid firing even more pretty words. “Cunning? Magnetic? Big-dicked?”
At that, I do smile. Hard.
“You’re maddeningly adorable. Do you know that, pet?” I ask as I pull her closer by just the small of her back.
She falls into me with ease. I meld her against me, wrapping her tightly in my arms and letting her energy calm my own.
A wave of magic cools against my racing emotions, and when I turn slightly, I already know he’s there.
Seven’s jewel-like eyes meet mine from over her head.
“You have to give it to her. She’s right about that last one.” He smiles slowly, and where there was once carefulness in him, there’s confidence.
For a single shaking moment, it feels like maybe... just maybe, everything will be alright.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Crymson
Dinneramong powerful fae and conniving vampires is a careful task in itself. One I’m finding my way through little by little. Part of me is enjoying it all, to be honest. Because time is ticking. Soon, they’ll have to go.
And if I have to watch the dust of the Dark Lands sweep these men away from me once again, I don’t know if I’ll survive it.
I’ve taken a strategic seat between Thorn and Christian at the candlelit dinner table, feeling like the peacekeeper in a realm built from conflict. Seven and Rorrick sit on the other side of the table. Carver has curiously chosen to sit at Rorrick’s side, asking him odd but interesting questions about his diet.
“Do you drink wine or just the strong stuff?” he asks while swirling a glass of champagne loosely in his palm.
“Jus’ blood mostly.” Rorrick’s brows are heavy across his pretty eyes as he considers the Fae Prince and the apparent lack of space between the two of them.
“What if I was drunk? Would my blood level intoxicate you?” Carver shoots back before emptying his glass in one large gulp like he’s ready to test the theory right here and now.
“Have to be drunk’r than a pixie on perrie petals to affect me,” Rorrick murmurs proudly.
“We do have some of that in the gardens,” Carver says a bit too excitedly.
Rorrick glances to me for help.
“What will you do if the Dead invade your lands?” I ask Thorn instead.
“That’s never happened.” He shakes his head solemnly. “The dead are the Blood Kingdom’s curse. Not ours. I don’t think they’d harm us.”
Christian chuckles low under his breath as he takes a long drink of red wine from his glass.
Thorn chews his food slowly as he eyes the Blood Prince.
I push a pile of hot sugary carrots back and forth on my plate, but my stomach is in knots. I haven’t taken a real bite of food since we sat down nearly half an hour ago.
“After dinner, would anyone care for a game of backgammon?” I ask with a small hopeful smile.
That would surely bring us together, right? Force us to find some normalcy in these very abnormal men.
“Has Aerin returned?” Thorn asks absently, and I can tell he’s in no mood for board games.
