Page 45 of Kiss of Embers
She curled her hands around her mug. “Did you worry the Blood would choose you as the next prince?”
It was a wise question. And from the look in her eyes, she understood how much I would have despised such an outcome.
“At the time,” I said, “I was too blinded by grief and anger to care. But it was never a concern. The Blood chooses the person most capable of leading the territory. And I never had any interest in leading vampires. On the contrary, I would have done whatever I could to destroy them.”
Zara appeared to absorb this. “What about the other nobles in your grandfather’s territory? Non-relatives. Do you think they would target you now?”
I knew my smile was more of a grimace. “After my grandfather and his kin died, the Blood chose a minor noble to sit on the throne. The new prince was pleased to be elevated. He’s no threat to me.”
Struan snorted. “He also knows you’ll roast him like a pig on a spit if he so much as looks at you.” He turned to Zara. “Or anyone Finn holds dear.”
She tensed, and there was no question she understood his meaning.Shewas dear to me—and I would protect her with my life.
Distant noises drifted from outside. The sounds seemed to startle Zara, as if she’d temporarily forgotten we sat on the outskirts of a camp with competitors around us.
She pushed her mug away. “I should get going. Drute will be looking for me.”
“I thought you were looking for him,” I said.
Zara paused. “I am. I mean, I was.”
“Did you tell him about the doppelganger?”
“Yes, of course. Drute is my closest advisor.”
Struan arranged his features in a polite expression, and I could have laughed at how ineffective he was at masking his dislike of the gargoyle. “How long has he served your pack?”
Zara’s gaze sharpened. “Why are you asking?”
“You’re my mate. I want to know everything about you.”
She held Struan’s stare, a little frown between her brows. Then her demeanor changed. She sat back in her chair, a cool note entering her tone. “If we’re really fated for each other, it makes sense that I should know everything about the two of you, as well. Right?”
Lachlan MacKay’s words of caution slid through my mind.She’s an alpha werewolf. Underestimate her at your peril.
Challenge swirled in the air. Struan and I exchanged a look. I knew without asking that he’d already guessed the direction of Zara’s thoughts.
“Absolutely,” I told her. “Mates have no secrets from each other.”
“All right. Why do you want the elixir?”
Struan and I shared another glance. This time, he answered.
“Our queen is gravely ill. She’s with child, and the pregnancy is failing.”
Zara frowned, some of her icy reserve fading. “I had no idea.”
“No one does,” I said. “And no one can find out. This has the potential to destroy our race. If the queen dies, Cormac and Niall will follow.”
Struan’s expression was sober as he added, “We’re competing for the future of our people. That’s why we want the elixir.”
Zara’s frown deepened. “Your stakes are just as high as mine.”
“Aye,” I said. “Wemusthave that elixir.”
“And you’ll stop at nothing to win it.”Even if it means defeating me.She didn’t say it, but it hung in the air all the same.
Struan said nothing. He held himself rigid in his chair, his jaw tight with displeasure. But his gaze was steady, the answer to Zara’s unspoken question gleaming in his eyes. I knew the same answer shone in mine.