Page 65 of The Death King
He looked down at me with darkness in his eyes and crowded me until my back hit the door. “Like I said, don’t take it personally.” His hand remained against the wood as he looked down at me. “My preference for solitude has nothing to do with you.”
I looked into the same eyes I’d already stared at so deeply—and the fleck of gold was missing. They were all darkness and shadows, all endless abyss. “Were you talking to someone?” My eyes flicked back and forth between his, seeing a different man than I saw a few hours ago.
His eyes mirrored mine, regarding me with the same scrutiny. He grabbed the doorknob and started to open the door, forcing me to move out of the way. “Goodnight, Calista.” He gestured to the quiet hallway outside his chambers. “Sleep well.”
13
TALON
I sat in my study, a pile of scrolls on the desk requiring my attention. But I looked at the fire instead, the sunlight coming in through the open window behind me. It was another cold day. I could feel the subtle draft against my back.
It’s been long since we last spoke. Khazmuda’s powerful voice entered my mind, the baritone like the marching drum of an oncoming army.
I’ve been busy.
Yes, I could tell.
He felt the emotions I didn’t want him to feel, so he must have felt all the desire that had been hot in my veins the last few days. The bursts of passion. And then the sorrow that followed shortly afterward.
We haven’t flown together. We haven’t hunted together.
It wasn’t my intention to neglect you.
You’ve never been this distracted by a woman before.
Because she’s no ordinary woman…
I agree—but I remain displeased, nonetheless.
When I’m finished here, we’ll fly together.
I’d like that. His mind retreated and gave me peace.
A moment later, Commander Navarrese entered my chambers. “Your Highness, I just received a message from the Arid Sands.” He approached my desk and extended the scroll with the broken seal. “It requires your attention imminently.”
Noteworthy news never came from the Arid Sands. It was a barren desert with laborers. Sometimes a black diamond was discovered, but it was a rare occurrence, and most of the time, the size of the diamond was negligible.
I rose to my feet and took the scroll from him and scanned through the words written with a sloppy hand. “General Titan has abandoned his post…” I read the words out loud because they made no sense in my head. “What the fuck is this?” I lifted my head to look at Commander Navarrese like he would have all the answers.
“I’m just as bewildered as you are, King Talon.”
My chin dipped to read the scroll again, as if I’d somehow missed something. General Titan had served me since I’d conquered this land. He’d been my right-hand man, had risen through the ranks and earned the esteemed title of general. I delegated my most important tasks to him and no one else.
What was so important for him to walk away from his post?
It only took me a second to figure it out.
I let the scroll roll back into place before I crushed it with my fingers.
Commander Navarrese waited for orders.
General Titan technically had done no wrong by leaving my service. But the reason for his abandonment was punishable by death. “General Titan is to be killed on sight. He’ll approach the castle—and we’ll have the soldiers ready when he does.”
“Yes, King Talon. But why do you assume his advance is hostile?”
He’d come all the way here to reclaim Calista. I’d spared his life because of his service to my regime—but he chose to abuse my mercy. He couldn’t get her out of his head. Couldn’t forget about the woman he’d enslaved for a year. So he spat on my generosity and chose to defy me. “Because it is.”
I let myself into her bedroom.