Page 57 of Bite The Terror That Feeds

She shut her mouth, but her eyes were fiery like she wanted to smack him.

Aurelias approached Rancor. “Tell us exactly what you want from us, so I can consider the proposition.”

Rancor lowered his hand from his face and drummed his fingers on the armrest. “King Rolfe has something that he loves dearly. If we were to take it, it could provide all the leverage we need to get him to vacate HeartHolme. The humans will depart our lands, and then everything at the bottom of the cliffs will belong to us. Then we make our move and take the northern kingdoms.”

“What’s the thing he loves dearly?”

Rancor smiled. “His daughter.”

“You want me to kidnap a kid?” he asked with disdain.

“She’s a woman, not a kid.”

Aurelias stood there for a while before he turned to look at me.

I couldn’t read minds, but I knew he was annoyed by the request.

He looked at Rancor once again. “I bring her here, and then what?”

“We negotiate.”

“What if he refuses to negotiate?”

“Trust me, he will.”

“I still don’t understand why one of you can’t do this.”

“Because.” He sat forward slightly. “Look at you.”

“Look at me?” Aurelias said coldly.

“You’re a very handsome man—and your true nature is hidden. She needs to be captured in secret so her father will have no idea what has befallen her. It’ll give us the advantage in the negotiations.”

Aurelias said nothing, bottling his annoyance as best he could. Kidnapping women wasn’t exactly in his job description. “These are our terms. You’ll supply the location of the Golden Serpents, and Kingsnake will return to our lands and the war. I’ll remain behind and fulfill our end of the deal.”

Larisa’s head snapped in my direction, her eyes wide.

Rancor considered the request, his fingers drumming on the armrest once again. A slow smile crept on to his face. “We have a deal.”

“And you’ll supply me a ship for my return voyage.”

“Done.” Rancor rose from his seat and approached Aurelias, his hand outstretched.

Aurelias reciprocated, and they shook on it.

Larisa whispered to me. “Did you know about this?”

I said nothing.

“We can’t leave him here.”

“Larisa.” I scolded her like a child just by using her name.

She looked furious but said nothing more.

“Where are they?” Aurelias asked.

Rancor moved down the steps, his cloak blowing behind him. “South. We’ll escort you there.”

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