I stiffened.

There wasn’t a single part of me that doubted the sincerity of his threat. It was in the shadows of his voice, and I…well, I was still torn between wanting to strangle Nyktos and maybe kiss him.

He obviously hadn’t forgotten what I’d said about his guards. This speech accomplished two things. It gained favor with those displeased with me and, in the process, checkmated me in a rather impressive way.

Because Nyktos had just ensured that all in the room would be highly unlikely to aid me in any future attempts to go to Kolis. Something Nyktos may have never considered if I hadn’t opened my big mouth and told him how his guards would’ve been happy to see me gone. Not only that, they’d be watching me even closer now that they knew what I was capable of attempting.

I looked over my shoulder at him, my eyes narrowing. “Clever bastard,” I whispered.

One side of his lips curved up. “I know.” The essence brightened in his eyes as he tipped his head down to mine, bringing our mouths so close I thought for a moment he might actually kiss me. “But I meant every word I said. You are brave and strong. You will be a Consort more than worthy of their swords and shields.”

Dampness rushed to my eyes, and I quickly looked away. I had to. Ragged, raw emotion swelled. What he said meant the realm to me, because every word he’d spoken had been about me and my actions. Not what he believed about me. Not what I or the embers could do for him, but what I had chosen to do. And for the first time in my life, I felt like I was more than a destiny I’d never agreed to. More than the embers I carried within me.

I felt like…more.

Chapter 9

Orphine had led me off the dais, through the war room, and into the narrow corridor that led to the east wing and Nyktos’s office, then left me standing in the shadowy alcove, still dazed by Nyktos’s actions. Doubting that I was being left alone, I opened the door and halted mid-step.

What I saw was not at all what I’d expected.

Nektas sat on the settee across from a small table with a covered dish and a pitcher of juice, his long legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles. His arms were folded across his chest, stretching the material of his black shirt. His eyes were closed and his head tipped back, exposing the coppery flesh of his throat. His long, dark hair streaked with red fell over one shoulder where…

In her draken form, his daughter lay on her back beside him, her hind legs pressed into the cushion of the settee as she batted at the strands of Nektas’s hair with her front talons.

Jadis turned her oval, greenish-brown head toward me. Her crimson-hued eyes widened as she let out what I could only surmise was a squawk of surprise. A happy surprise?

“Morning,” Nektas’s deep voice rumbled.

Jadis made that sound again as she pulled her talons from her father’s hair, jerking his head several times before freeing herself. He gave no reaction, his eyes remaining closed. The tiny draken rolled over onto her belly. Thin, nearly translucent wings unfurled as she jumped down from the settee, landing with a soft thud.

Scurrying across the floor on two legs and then four, Jadis ran straight into me. Clasping my leggings, she hopped as she yipped once and then twice, tugging on the material.

“She wants you to pick her up,” Nektas commented. “If you don’t submit to that, she’s likely to throw a temper tantrum.” One wine-red eye opened. “You do not want that to happen. Trust me.”

Considering she was starting to cough up smoke and flame, I really didn’t want that. I hesitated, though, glancing at my hands. I swallowed thickly. “Are you sure you want me to pick her up?”

“Why would I have a problem with that?”

“You saw what I did to Nyktos.” I cut him a sharp look.

“What you did to Ash was an accident. One I don’t fear you repeating with my daughter.”

I really hoped his confidence wasn’t misplaced as I bent at the waist, extending my arms like Nyktos had shown me. Jadis didn’t hesitate. The touch of her scales was cool against my skin as she latched onto my arms without using her claws. I lifted her, and she immediately plastered herself to my chest, wrapping her arms around my neck.

“Watch out for her—”

A wing smacked me in the face.

“Her wings,” Nektas finished with a sigh. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” I leaned my head back as Jadis wiggled closer, her taloned fingers sinking into my hair. Her breath tickled the side of my neck as she made a soft, chattering noise. “Just don’t breathe fire on me.”

Wide, bright red eyes met mine. Jadis chirped.

“I hope that was an agreement,” I told her.

“She likes you,” Nektas said. “So, if she does happen to breathe or burp up a little bit of fire on you, it will be purely by accident.”

“Good to know,” I murmured, patting the center of her back. I glanced around the office. “You weren’t in the throne room.”

“I didn’t need to hear what I already knew.”

Because he already saw me as brave and daring? Warmth crept into my cheeks. Or because he was already prepared for me to attempt another escape? Probably the latter.

“Ash should be here in a few.” Nektas gestured to the table. “He had food sent in for you.”

Ash.

Nektas was the only other person who called him that. My appetite was nowhere to be found at the moment, but I went to the one chair placed at the table and sat while Jadis continued her low chattering. I glanced at Nektas. He watched me as he had after I’d been wounded in the Red Woods. Curious about what he seemed to see. I didn’t allow myself to think about how I’d seen him naked or how he’d borne witness to my utter failure of an escape.

Giving my head a shake, I shifted Jadis slightly as I reached for the pitcher of juice, pouring myself a glass. “Are you now tasked with watching over me until Nyktos or someone else is available?”

“I’m here because I chose to be.”

I arched a brow. “You don’t have to lie.”

Nektas cocked his head. He appeared relaxed as he spoke, but an undercurrent of energy brimmed beneath his flesh. “Why would I lie about something like that?”

I shrugged, wanting to believe that Nektas was here because he wanted to spend time with me instead of with everyone else.

“Orphine would’ve stayed with you if I were needed elsewhere, but I wanted to keep you company until Ash arrived.” Nektas’s head straightened. “Anyway, I figured I’d be better company than Orphine.”

I snorted as I picked up my glass, narrowly avoiding having Jadis’s wing knock it from my hand as she swung them down. “A carpet would be better company than Orphine.”

His chuckle was deep and raspy as I lifted the lid from the dish. Jadis’s little head immediately whipped around, her chattering growing louder at the sight of the bacon, the mountain of eggs sprinkled with sliced peppers, and the buttery bread. There was also a hunk of chocolate.

I glanced over at her father and thought of Davina. “Did…did Davina have family?”

“She had an older sister, but she died years ago,” Nektas said after a moment. “But other than her, none that I know of.”

“Will there be a burial rite? Or has it already taken place?”

“We do not hold ceremonies for the dead,” he told me. “We believe that forcing those who cared for the deceased to see them in their death does nothing to honor the dead. We know they know the soul has already left the body to enter Arcadia. When possible, one who was not close to the deceased burns the dead within hours of their death, and each one mourns how they see fit—either together or alone.”

Having not known that draken entered Arcadia instead of the Vale, I took a sip of my juice. “You know, I kind of like that. I wouldn’t want those close to me watching my body burn.” I thought about seeing my old nursemaid, Odetta, wrapped in linen and placed on the burial pyre. “Burial rites are more for the living than the dead anyway. And, sure, I imagine it brings some closure. But I imagine it also creates more pain in others.”