Page 73 of The Death King

I rose from the log and loosened the spit from its position. I cut off my portion of meat before giving Khazmuda the rest. I sat on the rock and ate my dinner, and the dragon finished off the rest of the carcass.

A long stretch of silence passed—and it was welcome after our heated conversation.

Khazmuda finished his food quickly then flicked the bones to the side. A little burnt.

“You shouldn’t have talked so much, then.”

He gave a quiet growl that would make another man piss himself.

I continued to eat, taking my time instead of devouring my portion the way he did.

Does she know?

“No.”

She’ll be upset.

“That’s why I’m not going to tell her.”

Khazmuda watched me with his knowing eyes. She deserves to know her former tormentor is pursuing her.

“She’ll worry needlessly.”

I think worry is appropriate in this situation?—

“There’s nothing to worry about,” I snapped. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Once I know where he is, I’ll slay him myself.”

Khazmuda watched me for a long time, his dark eyes heavy with his swirling thoughts. He didn’t wear expressions the way humans did, so his thoughts were hard to read, but I could pick up on the subtle ways he moved his head and shifted his eyes. I knew you cared for her, but now I know you care for her deeply.

“Deeply is a stretch.”

You’ve become her protector.

“My general has decided to defy my rulership and pursue the woman I’ve taken for myself. It has nothing to do with her.”

I think it has everything to do with her. This is personal—for both of you.

My appetite was extinguished, but I continued to eat, just to have a way to deflect Khazmuda’s scrutiny.

That’s why you took her from the Arid Sands. He started to piece everything together, his mind finding that final page missing from the story. It wasn’t just the gift.

I tossed the remaining meat at him, feeding him like a dog because my lack of appetite had now turned into physical discomfort, an acid in my stomach that burned. “Just drop it, Khazmuda.”

You need to tell her, Talon.

“No.”

Tell her?—

“I said no.”

Khazmuda met my ire with his vicious eyes. Tell her—or I will.

14

CALISTA

Days had passed since I’d last seen Talon.