Page 78 of Clash of Kingdoms
“I—I can’t.”
Huntley stared at me before he came around the desk. He stood directly before me, and instead of wearing a heavy scowl, he regarded me with gentleness. “It’s because of your fiancée…”
Alarm shot through me. He’d figured out my secret…and he couldn’t even read minds.
“I’m sorry.”
My eyes avoided his, the shame so heavy it made me sink into the stone floor. My breathing had picked up, and flashbacks of that horrible night came back to me, the blood on her white dress. “I—I would never…” I shook my head because I couldn’t get the words out. “Harlow…”
His hand moved to my shoulder, and he squeezed me, squeezed me the way he did with his own son. “You need to tell her, Aurelias.”
I avoided his gaze. “I’ve never told anyone…” My brothers knew because they were there. We never spoke about it because any time they tried, I shut down.
“She needs to understand.”
I shook my head, like a boy disobeying his father.
“This isn’t how you want to leave things.”
I missed her so damn much. She took one look at my stone face and assumed I felt nothing…when I felt far more anguish than she did. Not only did I feel my own, but I felt hers too. “I can’t do it.” My voice came out as a whisper, not strong enough to remain steady. “Keep this to yourself.” My eyes lifted to meet his, hoping his integrity was as strong as I knew it was.
His hand was still on my shoulder, his look and touch giving me more affection than my own father ever had. “I would never betray your confidence, Aurelias. And besides, she needs to hear this from you—not me.”
I was alone in my cottage, drinking in front of the fire with the cards left on the table, when the guard came to the door. “King Rolfe requires your presence in the castle.” It was late into the night, a couple hours after dinnertime. I hadn’t fed since Harlow had caught me, and the hunger had started to tug on my limbs. But I hadn’t sought out Annabella because the guilt was too strong.
“I’m coming.” I set down the bottle and walked out, making the long walk to the castle. It was a cloudless night, the stars bright up above, the air frigid without the cloud bank to trap the heat to the surface of the earth.
I entered the castle and the great room, finding Huntley and Ivory there. Huntley wasn’t dressed in his uniform, just his trousers and a shirt, as if he’d been retired in his bedchambers. The news must not be urgent. Otherwise, he would be dressed for war. I approached the table, and Huntley held up a scroll.
“A fleet of ships approaches the coast. They would have already landed by the time I received this message.”
My heart dropped into my stomach. “My father…”
“That’s my guess as well. And it’s also my hope—because we can’t afford another war.”
In all the chaos, I’d forgotten about my initial request for aid. Their support would have been helpful days ago when the demons attacked us, but if we were attacked again, we would fall without help. “I’ll fly out to meet him.”
Huntley tossed the scroll on the table. “And I’ll join you.”
I rode Pyre, and Huntley took Storm. We left HeartHolme and flew through the darkness because the dragons could see in the dark even if Huntley couldn’t. After a few hours, we saw the bonfires across the ground, the campsite for my father and his soldiers.
The dragons landed, and we walked to the camp, tents erected because the vampires didn’t want to spend another moment on their galleons. They’d probably taken their slaves off the ships and kept them close so they could feed.
It was exactly what I had done when I’d traveled here, had a ship full of women who would receive my bite whether they wanted it or not. A flush of guilt moved through me at the memory.
We walked into the dark camp, and it didn’t take me long to locate my father’s tent. It was a tent large enough to accompany ten people, with guards stationed at every corner and the opening flaps. There were also flags posted outside, showing the Golden Serpent.
When I approached the tent, the guard recognized me instantly. “King Serpentine, Prince Aurelias has arrived.”
It took a few seconds for him to emerge through the closed flaps, dressed in his black armor identical to mine, the golden serpent across his chest, brilliant in comparison to the dark colors. His eyes were only for me, not for Huntley who stood beside me. My father’s eyes were as formidable as I remembered, dark like mine and irritable. Of all my brothers, I looked the most like him. Another reason he preferred me to the others. His emotions matched his stare, endless in their depth with a note of desperation.
“Son.” He didn’t embrace me with a bear hug the way Huntley did with his children. Instead, he came close and pressed his hand against my shoulder. Affection burned in his eyes, and then there was an emotional pull inside his chest. “I’ve been worried.”
Then what took you so long? “Thank you for answering my call for aid.”
He gave a slight nod then shifted his gaze to Huntley.
I knew my father had a lot more to say, but with a human in our presence, he held his tongue. “This is King Rolfe, King of HeartHolme and the Kingdoms.” I gestured to Huntley beside me. “We’ve been fighting this war together.”