Page 40 of A Trial of War
He deserved to feel every wince of the pain he had inflicted on her, every scream, every drop of blood spilled.
“Blade was mine to kill, Daxton! His life was mine to—"
“I’m sorry, Spitfire,”I cut in.“I’m sorry his death was far too quick. But I could not allow this creature to draw another breath in your presence or utter another word to you in life or the next.”
Her silent fury radiating through our bond was answer enough.
Standing tall, I inhaled deeply, scanning my surroundings as the familiar clang of swords springing free from scabbards filled the room.
The princess was right. This hall was never meant for peace.
It was meant for blood.
Chapter Fifteen
Castor Aegaeon
Well, isn’t this a lovely disaster?
You could practically taste the fear in the air, thick enough to chew on. Humans didn’t wear terror well. It made them pale and wide-eyed, like sheep realizing the wolves had been in the room all along.
And wolves, well, thankfully, we had two of those on our side.
In a flash, Rhea and Talon shifted, I freed my blades, and Skylar’s flamesraged.
Daxton pulled his blade free from the human mage’s skull. A soft, wet click echoed far louder than it should have in the sudden quiet of the throne room. Dozens of guards entered the hall, every sword half-raised. Thankfully, none of them were foolish enough to attack yet.
“Now this,” I said, my voice low and dripping with sarcasm, eyes darting around the room, “is what I call a royal gathering.”
Daxton stood before the throne, his expression unreadable save for that faint, dangerous calm I’d learned never to mistake for mercy. Gods, even in the ruins ofdiplomacy, he held the terrifying stature of my high king—a glorious yet humbling sight to see.
One of the guards beside the human king twitched, and Daxton’s head snapped toward him in a movement so sharp it could’ve cut glass.
“The mage’s death was a mercy he did not deserve,” Daxton said with cold lethality.
“This is an outrage!” King Taran said. “Bring the fae male to me.”
Yeah, good luck with that.
Despite the overconfidence of the human king’s command, the guards closed in. Steel rang loudly with the marching echo of boots, like a slow drumbeat as they surrounded us. Their blades were drawn at my brother’s throat. Daxton held his ground, for once using his head, understanding that unleashing his magic to retaliate would not force the king’s hand. He needed to bide his time.
A lick of heat forced me to step aside, giving Skylar room.
They made a grave mistake trying to take him. If you think our king is lethal, well, here comes our queen.
Skylar called her magic to her palms, face hard and eyes bright with a dangerous calm. I watched the bystanding humans in the throne room scatter, and then everything started to unravel.
“Drop your weapons and step away from my mate,” Skylar said, her tone absolute and deathly chilling. “Or burn.”
There was a collective intake of breath so loud it might have been mistaken for a second heartbeat. A fewfoolish guards held fast, faces pale, thinking their courage would shield them.
Pride was a poor hill to die on against a female who looked at you like you were already ash.
I quickly sheathed my weapons, stepped forward, and held my palms up in the most theatrical surrender I could muster. “Bravo,” I called out, my voice echoing across the stone. “You always did prefer the dramatics, Skylar. I believe they get the picture.” My voice rode over the crackle of her flames.
Daxton’s jaw flexed. Yet he stayed composed while the remaining guards held fast, their blades still at my brother’s throat.
A lick of heat forced me to take another step back. Skylar’s fire coiled higher, an inferno caged only by her will, flickering dangerously close to the throne’s golden frame.
