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Alisdair leaned over a slanted desk, speaking in low tones to Bradach.
My lips pressed into a thin line seeing Bradach’s hand on his shoulder.
“See to it,” Alisdair said.
“My lord.” Bradach bowed, then left as quickly as I came in.
Alisdair hadn’t raised his head from the map. I took that chance to study him.
The large, heavy black coat he always wore was nowhere to be seen. Lunch must’ve given him the magical energy he needed, because he never looked more fae. No lethal points tipped his nails. No fangs poked his deceptively soft lips. Even his horns were the smallest I’d ever seen them, giving the briefest hello from their nest of dark, pine-scented curls.
Outside the cloak, everything was on display. Of course, he’d already given me a rough and vigorous tour of his body, but without that, I still could’ve traced the outline of hisshoulders and hard, stony muscles through his white linen tunic—buttoned barely above the belly button.
His pants were loose too, and that meant nothing to the large bulge between his legs. If I wanted to know why I still had a slight limp, it reminded me.
Alisdair lifted his head and I was already flicking away, narrowing in on a map of Lyrica before our eyes could meet.
“What is all of this?” A smile rose unbidden to my lips. “Seems you lied to me once again. Lyrica and its silly, old fool of a king are more of a threat to you than you let on.” I motioned to the walls. “Why else do you and your spies keep such a close eye on all of Elva and beyond?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, woman.” The same cold dismissal. “This room isn’t for defense. It’s for planning. The time draws near for the first strike that begins our conquering of Elva. We, and therefore you, must be ready.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, beast,” I breezed just as cooly. “We, and thereforeyou, will be doing no such thing.”
I couldn’t be certain, but I thought I saw the barest quirk of his lips. Ah, so the king found his pet amusing. He wouldn’t be laughing for long.
“Besides, you won’t get far until you hire a new mapmaker.” I pointed to a map of the Stella Darna Sea. “There’s no island there.”
“There is, but it moves. That’s where it was as of a month ago,” he replied, as if he wasn’t speaking total nonsense. “I sent my flying infantry to stake our claim, but it moved again.”
“Oookkkkaaaay,” I drew out.It’s so sad when a mind starts to go.“So why am I here? And don’t say it’s for an invasion that will never happen.”
He crooked a finger. “Come.”
I planted my feet. “Why don’t you try that again with a please, then—”
Alisdair snapped his fingers and I flew to his side, yelping as I collided with a wall of muscle. He put his arm around me instinctively, stopping me from falling. I swatted him for the magic-handling, but it was like hitting an actual wall. He didn’t give my hit a lick of attention.
“This is why you’re here.”
I glanced down at the map before us. This one, I’d never seen before. Or more to say, I have, but all the times I did, it was nothing but a black, blighted spot on our great nation.
“The kingdom of Wind and Wild,” he confirmed. “Its capital, its villages, its outer-lying territories. Familiarize yourself with it all.”
“Why must I?” I asked, though I brought the map closer.
I couldn’t help myself. I loved learning new things. If university wasn’t wholly off-limits to the likes of me, it’s where I’d be right then.
“Why are you teaching me any of this? You’re using me for my position and power.” I was nothing if not blunt. “Surely alittle birddoesn’t need to be taught to run a kingdom.”
“You’re correct, you don’t,” he bit back, glaring.
I rose a little higher, glaring right back. It was then I noticed his arm was still around me, and my chest still pressed to his.
We broke apart in a blink, staring down each other from opposite ends of the table.
“All things being what they should’ve been, you wouldn’t need to know these things,” he repeated. “Because you’d be dead. But since our plans have changed—”
I hated that he kept sayingour—casually including me in his treason.
