Page 76 of Court of Winter
“You shall be safe, Ilara.” Haxil drew closer to my side. “But be wise and do as Prince Norivun commands. Don’t drift away from us.”
I swallowed the dryness in my throat as my eyes adjusted more to the night. Unlike in Barvilum, there were no fae lights illuminating the way. Here, inky darkness and dim moonlight fogged my vision despite the stars twinkling brightly in the galaxy.
“I know you’re there!” the prince called out. “Show yourself, Drachu.”
I nearly shrieked when a Lochen fairy appeared from behind a tree. He glided toward us, curving around the rocks nearest to where we stood. Four more Lochen emerged from the forest, then a dozen more until they surrounded us. All moved fluidly even though they walked on two legs, and their skin shades varied from the palest of white to the blackest of night and everything in between.
My eyes widened at how closely they stood before us. I instinctively took a step back and bumped into the prince’s chest. His arm locked around me protectively.
As soon as I realized that, I forced myself to put several inches of distance between us, but even my hatred for the prince wouldn’t allow me to do anything stupid. I was definitely staying close to his side as the bright-green eyes of the Lochen fae shone from the darkness.
“Prince Norivun,” the one in the front said in a deep, commanding voice. An intricate necklace hung from around his neck that held shells, gems, and teeth from predators in the Tala Sea. A large center stone throbbed with an emerald light, illuminating his brown skin. “Why have you come to my shores this time?”
“I think you know exactly why I’m here, Drachu. Your raids have become too often. The Solis grow weary of your thievery.”
Drachu shrugged as his lips peeled back in a smile. Rows of straight teeth and two pointy incisors appeared in the moonlight. “It’s not my fault if the Solis are too weak to guard their shores.”
“I think you know we’re anything but weak.” A rush of the prince’s affinity undulated from him, just enough for everyone in the vicinity to feel the depths of his power latch onto our souls and give a slight tug before he released us.
I gasped as all of the Lochen hissed and crouched. The prince’s four guards bent their knees and widened their stances as their swords raised. Nish’s wings flexed as Prince Norivun’s hand again brushed against my back when he moved closer to me.
Drachu made a clicking noise in his throat, and the Lochen around him all fell back a step. “You dare try to intimidate me on my shores?”
“It’s only a reminder of what I’m capable of.”
Drachu’s gaze drifted to me, then to the close way the prince hovered beside me. He cocked his head and took a step closer.
I tensed, and a low growl rumbled in the prince’s chest when Drachu stopped right in front of me.
The Lochen leader straightened more. His chest was bare save for the necklace, and like the prince, he was heavily muscled and had the build of a male seasoned to fighting. A strip of fabric covered his legs. It was all he wore as his hair fell in artful tangles to his shoulders. He looked fierce and proud. He looked like a king.
“Who is this female?” Drachu asked.
Another rumbling warning filled the prince’s chest, and he stepped around me, putting himself between me and the Lochen leader. “She is not of your concern.”
“She carries power.” Drachu cocked his head, and a flash of green light filled his eyes. An answering hum of light flared in the stone around his neck. “Power unlike I’ve felt in the Solis fae.” He sidestepped the prince, but Prince Norivun moved just as fast.
“As I said,” the prince replied on a low growl. “She’s not of your concern.”
Drachu’s lips ghosted in a smile as he fixed his attention on my face, his gaze skimming over my features. “A wingless Solis with strange power and unrivaled beauty. A true treasure.”
The prince snarled. “She’smine, Drachu.”
My heart jolted at that fierce declaration.His?
But I didn’t have time to show my surprise before Drachu inclined his head at me. “Should you tire of the death warlord, my shores are open to you.”
My chest rose and fell as his strange declaration left a whispering confusion swimming through my veins.
“Sandus?” the prince seethed. “Get her out of here. Now.”
Before I could protest, Sandus’s arms were around me, and we were shooting into the sky. I let out a breath of shock, but the guard didn’t stop.
Sandus ascended quickly, and the ground disappeared until only rolling ocean waves were beneath us.
I clung to the guard. “What’s going on? What did Drachu mean, and why did he say those things to me?”
Sandus’s grip tightened. “I don’t know, Ilara. I don’t know.”