Page 86 of King of Serpents

“Purpose?”

The male’s smile widened. “You will see. And then you will lose that which you believed you have kept well-hidden.”

Therxian’s gavo shot up threateningly, but he tensed as a shout rose, drawing his attention to a pair of guards at the end of the hall.

“Therxian! Remain where you are.”

His gavo rose in surprise, but Dehv’s eyes flicked knowingly in the direction of the commotion, his smile growing.

“And now, it is too late for you,” he rasped with one last giggle as he spread his wings and dropped from the parapet that he had once led him across.

Therxian lunged forward, his own wings spreading, determined to capture and ring the life from the male but drew up short as a velkat whipped past his ear. It hit the crevice between two stones of the parapet wall with enough force that the blade buried halfway into it. He stared at the quivering velkat in shock. His tail thrashed, and he whirled away, intent on finding another way around to continue his pursuit, but was immediately blocked as guards descended around him, their wings creating a chaos of confusion, preventing him from taking to the air. A guard straightened in front of him, her velkat pointed menacingly at his throat.

“Do not move, Therxian,” she hissed. Her eyes flicked to the body of Gareiia, her expression hardening. “It seems that our informant was correct. This is what allowing an unmated hunter loose within our shinara comes to: you will not cease to control females without violence. Murderer!”

Another female joined her, her expression hard as she peered at him. “Your freedom within the shinara is over. You are wanted for questioning by the Council of Noble Matriarchs. And not even your mother can save you now, Vehal.”

Wings snapped violently, the acoustic sound breaking the air anew and distracting the guard as three females dropped to the parapets to join them, their velkats raised and dwarfing the other guards present as they straightened regally. Therxian had never been so grateful to see Jathella and her sisters.

“Dioya, move aside,” Jathella barked.

Dioya sneered. “I think not, Jathella. Look at the evidence of what he has done with your own eyes.”

Jathella’s gaze flicked to Gareiia’s body, and her jaw tightened. “This proves nothing. Therxian had no reason to kill Gareiia.”

“Unless she had proof that he was lying about being mated,” the female at Dioya’s side sneered. “We have a witness who overheard everything. A male promised to the second family by the name of Dehv. He was privy to everything that happened. Gareiia’s vengeance—and Therxian’s sinister invitation to meet privately. He knew everything—even down to when and where they were meeting.”

Therxian trembled with fury. “That creature! You would so easily believe him? By what evidence? What proof did he have beyond his word?”

Dioya regarded him. “What reason would he have to lie?”

“To cover his own crime,” Therxian hissed. “He killed her! His scales were stained with her blood when I came upon him here.”

The other guard scoffed. “Do not be absurd. He has no reason to harm Gareiia, or anyone in the family he was already being bonded into. While we do not condone the methods, it is a common practice within the noble families and creates certain fail-safes. He absolutely could not have harmed her.”

“Unless he was not truly bound,” Therxian rebutted, to which the other guards around him glanced at each other doubtfully. That was a start. “You are assuming he was bound without real evidence of it. And where is he now?”

An uneasy look crossed Dioya’s face. “Perhaps this requires further investigation before we present the matter before the council. But he cannot go with you,” she continued when Jathella began to move forward. “While the queen’s tenderness for her offspring is admirable, our duty is foremost to the shinara, and we are likewise answerable to the council itself. He must be confined while we investigate the matter and locate our informant.”

“There is no reason to place him in a cell on the accusation of a possibly unstable male you do not have within your custody,” Jathella countered. “Did he even report this in person?”

Dioya’s tail twitched uncertainly. “No, he did not come in person, or else we would have insisted that he remain within the guards’ compound. That is procedure. But so is confining the suspect,” she added meaningfully.

“Then at least allow him to be confined within his nest, for the sake of the queen.”

Dioya inclined her head, and she peered over at Therxian doubtfully. “Very well. Come along, Therxian. We will get to the bottom of this.”

Therxian’s tail whipped restlessly. They were really confining him. And his mate was out there, vulnerable. He wanted to fight his way out and rush to his mate’s side, but he also knew that ultimately such actions would not protect her but would bring the wrath of the entire shinara down on both of them. Though he trembled with anger, he fell into line between the guards, his head held high. The guards still held their velkats pointed toward him as they moved back toward the residential corridor.

His eyes dropped briefly to Jathella as he drew parallel to her. “Send Buosoa,” he hissed in a low voice. “She is in danger. The threat is imminent.”

The captain’s gaze swung to him and widened in horror. He averted his gaze, but he heard the gentle snap of her gavo as they departed the corridor.

Chapter 58

Alex looked up, her brush poised mid-stroke as she paused in the middle of practicing the Seshanamitesh characters to listen. The sound was back, but accompanied by an urgent sort of tapping that was riding her last nerve. They were really taking it to the next level in their attempt to get a reaction from her—or perhaps to lure her out of the safety of the palace. She wasn’t entirely sure which, but she did know that she wasn’t born yesterday.

“I’m not falling for it,” she muttered as she refocused on the page in front of her. “You’ll have to go find someone with a death wish to be your victim.”