Page 33 of Dark & Dreadful Brutes

“The trees were enchanted by elves when the city was built. Your fire won’t be able to hurt them,” Ravv said.

That made me feel better about my flames.

Considering that Loire was made of ice, I doubted it would have the same protective enchantments, but I supposed we’d figure that out when we got there.

“Why do we need to be here, anyway? You live in Loire, right?” I asked him, as he slid off Gleam’s back and pulled me to my feet with him. He’d wrapped his palm in fabric before we left the riverbed that morning, so the silver on it was hidden, and the long sleeves on my dress hid my handprint.

“We’re at peace for the first time in centuries. Kier is holding a month’s worth of violent competitions to promote peace.” Ravv grabbed me by the arm, nearly in the same place he’d grabbed me in the cellar when he gave me the handprint. “Walk by my side. Do not argue vocally with me.”

I raised my eyebrows at him as he started walking quickly. I nearly had to jog to keep pace with him, but he didn’t slow down.

Asshole.

“Why would violent competitions promote peace?”

“Our people are warriors; we enjoy fighting.” He didn’t so much as look at me.

We passed a few fae with idorr beside them, and I frowned when I noticed them lower their heads toward Ravv, almost like they were bowing.

That couldn’t have been right, though.

All of the fae were tall, and ridiculously strong. None of the women were built curvy, or soft at all.

I supposed centuries of war meant that the strong were the only fae who had survived.

A fae woman and a large male idorr fell into step with Ravv. Neither of them gave me a second glance, which made me feel sort of… small.

I despised the feeling, though I was certainly well-acquainted with it.

“Who else is back?” Ravv growled at the woman.

“No one. You’re the first.”

Ravv’s chin lifted a bit, his shoulders lowering slightly as he continued striding through the castle, dragging me along. “How many did we lose to fights?”

“None. I worked with Eisley, and we kept the peace well enough to avoid casualty.”

Ravv dipped his head. “Well done.”

“Thank you.”

We reached the end of a hallway, and Ravv and his companions strode into a room, giving me no choice but to enter too. The door was on strange hinges that swung open without a doorknob, revealing a simple room made of sleek, polished wood like the rest of the castle. There was a large bed against one wall, a bathroom and closet against another, and a small pool of sorts in one of the corners.

I was so damn confused that I didn’t even know what questions to ask.

“What’s your name?” the woman asked, when the doors were closed behind us and Ravv had released his hold on my arm.

It took me longer than I cared to admit to realize she was talking to me.

“Laeli,” I finally said, getting a closer look at her now that I wasn’t being dragged around. Her eyes glowed an intense shade of blue, and her hair was a vibrant purple at the roots that morphed into a gorgeous hot pink as the strands fell down her back. She had lightly-tanned skin, and looked strong enough to go toe-to-toe with any of the male fae.

Veil, she could probably kill me with the flick of a finger.

“I’m Elwynne.” She flashed me a grin. “Your magic is fierce, isn’t it? I can see the heat blazing off you.”

I glanced down at myself.

“Elwynne sees magic where most fae can only sense it,” Ravv said to me, before looking back at the other woman. “And Laeli’s power is uncontrollable. We need to figure out a way to prevent her from catching fire randomly.”

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