AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I can’t believe you called him a rapist,” Viktor groused.
“You heard that?” I questioned with a defeated sigh.
“Oh, yeah, we heard the whole thing. As did half the room. It was not a good look for you, especially if you want to win Izidora back. We talked about this.” Viktor pinched his brow, then ran a hand over his dark hair to smooth it. He opened his mouth to admonish me again but was interrupted by Endre and Liliana bursting from the ballroom.
A breath of relief left Endre’s lips as he saw me slouched in the chair, guarded from repeating my earlier actions. “I told you not to piss him off.”
“Yeah, well, he pissed me off.” I defended my actions, even though I was fully aware that I had acted like an ass.
“I also told you not to get pissed off and kill him.” Endre glared at me from above like he was scolding a petulant child.
“Well, he is alive isn’t he?” I gestured toward the ballroom, where the revelry continued as if the King of the Iron Realm and a High Lord of the Night Realm hadn’t brawled in the midst of it.
Vadim snorted again. “Only because Viktor pulled you off him, so don’t make that excuse. You did in fact stab him.”
And I didn’t feel one ounce of remorse.
Silence stretched between us. I ran a hand over my face, wincing as I brushed over a bruise.
“You look like shit, Kazimir.” Liliana reached her fingers to my face, touching my aching cheek. When I jerked under her touch, she ordered me to hold still. Silver light caressed my face, and I let her heal me, though I probably didn’t deserve it. She was not a gifted healer like Endre, so the fact that she had offered to heal me at all spoke volumes.
The doors banged open behind us, and High Lords Slavian and Anton spilled into the hallway, both obviously drunk.
“There you are! Come on, Kazimir, let’s go find some willing females.” Anton stumbled over to me, grabbing my arm in an attempt to take me with him. I shrugged him off immediately, and Slavian took that to mean that they needed to try harder.
“Anton, you idiot, he does not want another female right now. What he needs is a strong drink and some herbs from Steel,” Slavian chided, hiccuping over his words.
Anton wagged a finger at his friend as he clung to his shoulder. “You’re right, Slavian. Some herbs will do him good.”
“Liliana! Make your friends come with us,” Anton exclaimed when he noticed her kneeling before me.
“I think we’ve had enough excite–” Endre started before I interrupted him.
“Lead the way, Anton.” Endre glared and I merely shrugged. Ruslan’s words still echoed in my head, and I wanted to drown all my thoughts in whisky. If Izidora went to his bed willingly – no, I didn't even want to consider it.
The drunk High Lords sang an off-key tune as they led us to the courtyard, a fresh layer of snow covering the ground. Anton whistled at a male leaning against a closed carriage. “Take us to Steel!”
The driver pushed off the frame, opening the door for us and waiting until we were all inside before closing us in. It was a tightfit, and Liliana sat on Endre’s lap, twirling her fingers in his dark locks while shamelessly flirting with the two High Lords. His hands twitched over her thighs, subtly bunching up the glittering fabric in his tense fingers. Beside me, Vadim and Viktor spoke in hushed tones, leaving me alone to witness the antics across from us.
Instead, I watched the capital of the Iron Realm pass us by, trying not to think about the noises Izidora made as Ruslan gave her all the pleasure she wanted.
5
Béke Day One
Izidora fussed over my wound as we pushed our way through the throng of Fae and Félvér to a quieter location in a room adjacent to the massive ballroom. The sweet taste of victory masked any pain I might have felt, knowing that Kazimir had made a fool of himself in front of the monarchs of the Crystal and Day Realms by fighting with and then stabbing me.
Convincing Queen Viktoria of the Day Realm and King Airre of the Crystal Realm to ally with me, to create a unified continent where all were welcome, pure-blooded or not, would fly along if Kazimir continued to act like an asshole at every turn.
There was no doubt in my mind when the group had arrived simultaneously that they’d already thrown their lot in with Kazimir and the Night Fae, yet his actions were the first slice I’d needed to tear their alliance apart. A small smile tugged at my lips until Drazen and Izidora’s raised voices caught my attention.
“...what did you expect would happen with the two of them in a room together?” Drazen hissed, looking down at Izidora, whose hands were balled into fists and planted on her hips asshe glared upward, not backing down despite the half-Dragon towering over her. Pride swelled in my heart as she faced him head-on, and even though I was beyond pissed that Kazimir had hurt her, I was proud of her for standing up for herself then, too.
“I expected both of them to behave!”
“Kazimir was the one who started it,” Drazen pointed out.
Izidora’s pink pout dipped into a frown. “Ruslan didn’t have to goad him.”
