AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Then I realized most of those present for the meeting had vanished. Heat crept up my chest and dusted my cheeks. Glancing around at my friends, my family, who remained behind, an idea sparked in my head. “Can we all eat together tonight at Ryza?”
“Would that make you happy, sprite?”Ruslan spoke in my mind.
“Yes. I didn’t realize what Xorrek and Gozzak were actually doing for me. I want to show them how much I appreciate it.”
“Then we shall all dine together.”
“I don’t see why not,” Ruslan commented, glancing around the circle. “In fact, why don’t we have a larger gathering? We haven’t had a night of celebration since Béke, and I believe we all deserve a small break. You know, the calm before the storm.”
Drazen snorted a laugh. “Are you the storm, Ruslan?”
“The fire storm,” he pointed out, flicking black flame into his palm. “Alongside the other Dragon shifters, now that Rares has found a potion to assist our transformation.”
Images of Ruslan and the other Dragons raining fire on the Night Fae army flashed through my mind, curling my toes with wicked delight. I pushed the images into Ruslan’s mind, and he shot me a heated smile.
“Don’t tempt me, sprite. You wanted to dine with our friends.”
I offered him a lascivious one in return.“It wouldn’t be as fun if it was all pretend. It will be much better after we make it happen.”
“You make a fine point. We cannot marry until we see it through.”
“Agreed. Otherwise, what would be the point?”I teased back.
“Are you two speaking mind to mind again?” Liliana groaned. “Every time, it’s something sexual. You two are terrible.”
A laugh slipped free, and I looped my arm through hers. “Your jealousy is showing.”
“Ugh, I don’t even care,” she giggled back. “But I do care about food. Ruslan, you better have the servants bring the good wine tonight too, or I’ll never forgive you.”
“Anything for the best friend of my mate and future empress,” he drawled, stealing me from her. Amusement flitted through our gathered group, and then we were whisked away by Ruslan’s magic, landing in the dining hall at Ryza Citadel moments later. The males divided and conquered the tasks while Liliana and I made ourselves comfortable around a long table, mocking them and earning playful jabs back.
The moment was so peaceful, so light, and exactly what I needed after so many days focused on vengeance. I clung to every drop offered to me, because I knew without a shadow of a doubt that it wouldn’t last.
15
The Crystal Fae deserted us at the border of the Day Realm like they couldn’t extricate themselves fast enough. How the soldiers hadn’t cracked under Kazimir’s erratic madness was beyond me. From his taunting about adding their wives to his harem, to trying to befriend them with promises of wealth and positions of power, I was shocked we were still alive. Most days, I was constantly on edge, ready to reach for my magic and sword at a moment’s notice. Fates, I was close to cracking, and he was my fucking king. We’d been friends for our entire lives, and with each passing day, I knew the male in front of me less and less. The binding magic was eating away at who he was, and though the loss of Kriztof, Zekari, and Kirigin was acute, the loss of Kazimir was like a slow march to death.
But I couldn’t abandon him, or the Night Realm, not when I was the only one still able to break through to him on his worst days. Unfortunately, as we entered the Day Realm, those skills were again necessary.
The white haunches of the Crystal Faes’ mounts bunched and flexed as they galloped in the direction of the lakelands, leaving us on the precipice of the grassy plains.
“Kazimir,” I warned as they rode away, “Don’t do anything rash. They’re leaving now, and we don’t have an escort in the Day Realm. We can relax and enjoy the rest of our ride. Maybe we’ll even see some of those elusive savannah cats this time.”
I really did want to see the predators that lurked among the tall stalks, and since it was only Kazimir, Viktor, and myself traveling through the Day Realm this time, the shy beasts might show themselves.
Kazimir snorted, though not in a condescending way. “You and your animals. We’ll relax and stay as quiet as possible so you can hopefully see one.”
For the first time in weeks, a grin tugged at the corner of my mouth. “Thanks.”
“What did we see last time the Nighthounds went to the Day Realm?” Viktor asked, knowing I would remember.
“Savannah cats, an olyphant, a pack of kutya, and a lot of szarvas,” I replied. The olyphants were incredible, though they mostly roamed near the coastal plains, far from Zheka, where we were headed.
The deeper we delved into the Day Realm, the hotter it became. The cool air drifting down from the glaciers was gone, replaced by the brilliant sun beating down and spots of shade that were few and far between. For miles in every direction, there was only grass swaying in the light breeze, and the sound of birds cawing as they flew overhead. Occasionally, the lazy smoke of a fire drifted into the air in the distance, signaling a small village on the plains.
By midday, the three of us had stripped out of our leather chest plates and untucked our tunics, unbuttoning them to allow the weak breeze to cool our overheating skin.
“Fucking Fates, it doesn’t ever cool off here does it?” Viktor swore, finally giving up and laying the sweat-soaked fabricacross his mount’s back. Not that it helped – our horses' hides shone along with our skin.
