Page 21

There wouldn’t even be a palace to invade. All of that was wiped clean when Des rescued me from Karnon.

“The Kingdom of Day has defeated its foes for the time being,” another advisor adds.

My gaze moves to the table in front of us. Painted onto it is a map of the Otherworld.

The mainland has been completely captured. The only places left unconquered are the Kingdoms of Day and Night, those that float in the sky.

Temper leans forward. “How did that pretty boy king manage to defeat them?”

Malaki frowns, and it might be my imagination, but I’m fairly sure it bothers him that Temper thinks that Janus, the King of Day, is in fact, pretty. Particularly when it’s so obvious that Malakiisn’tpretty, with his eye patch and scar.

Clearly, he doesn’t realize that his ferocious beauty is just as appealing.

But now’s not the time to tell Malaki thatprettywas never Temper’s type, or that Des’s general should be more worried about Temper ravaging his man bits to death than her having a wandering eye. She’s loyal to a fault.

“I imagine we’ll find out soon enough,” Des says, tapping his fingers on the table. His gaze moves from person to person. “The conquered kingdoms will regroup, and then they’ll turn their sights on us,” he says grimly. “My mate’s glamour can’t save us all. We need to figure out another strategy. This time, I want to be ready for them.”

After Des dealsout official orders, he dismisses his advisors, leaving just himself, Malaki, Temper and me in the room.

“If we’re going to defeat the Thief of Souls,” the Night King says, “we need to do more than simply have a good defense against his forces. We need to figure out once and for all who and what he really is and where he’s hiding.”

“What if we went after Galleghar?” I say.

Galleghar Nyx, the formerly dead Night King is somehow decidedly no longer dead. Back in the Flora Kingdom, he’d been responsible for luring soldiers into the woods, and he’d been there the night I nearly lost my life.

“If we find him,” I continue, “we might find the Thief.”

Temper swings her legs off the table. “Girl, one problem with that little plan of yours: we don’t know where he is either. I mean, it ain’t like he’s standing outside, flashing his titties and begging us to capture him.”

I give my friend a look. “I guess it’s too bad we aren’t PI’s who specialize in finding people.”

Temper harrumphs.

Des stands, leaning heavily against the table. His eyes meet mine and he gives me a slight nod. “We should check Galleghar’s crypt at the very least.

“Cherub,” Des says, his silver gaze raking me over, “care to pay my father’s tomb a visit?”

So I can kick that fucker’s corpse in the balls?

“Love to.”

We don’t visitthe tomb right away.

Instead, the two of us return to the King of the Night’s chambers.

I can feel the weight of this long evening settling on my shoulders.

Silently, Des comes up behind me and begins to unfasten my battle leathers.

“I’m sorry,” he says softly, loosening buckles and untying straps. “For this war, for putting you in the Thief’s crosshairs, for making you endure last night.”

“None of that is your fault,” I say over my shoulder, my words quiet.

“Maybe …” he muses.

His quick wit is gone for the moment, and I get a taste of another side of Des, one that feels old and wise and battle-weary. He pulls my leathers off my shoulder and places a kiss there.

Despite the solemn circumstances, goosebumps break out along my skin. He removes my top, and his hands skim down my arms.