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“There’s nothing the elves have that you want? We have gold.” He smiled at that. If the overflowing vases of gold coins and precious jewels were any indication, they loved treasure.

“So do we.”

“I’ll be honest.” He pressed his lips together a moment, considering the only thing he had left. “I’m here for selfish reasons. I want the maiden I love to be free from being hunted,” Thane said. “I want to marry her and have babies with her and live in peace.” If she agreed to help, maybe he could simply ask for the scepter. And every word he said was true. As much as he wanted Palenor to be safe, and for the war to end, and no more elves to turn, Layala changed everything. She was the real reason he was here.

She stared at him a moment, eyes glistening in the torchlight. Her grip on his shoulder tightened ever so slightly but then she tugged her gaze away and he felt her decision before she even spoke. “I do feel for you. I know what hunts her, but we will not join you in this plight nor open to trade. The risk is much too great.” She tugged out of his grasp. “You’re welcome to stay, dine, enjoy the luxuries we have to offer for as long as you like. Escape from the horrors of war for a while, make love to your betrothed without worrying someone will come for her, but there is no alliance between dragons and elves,King. We will not risk the curse being brought on our people to fight beside you.” She lifted her chin and swept away with her crimson gown trailing behind her.

He sighed, standing alone in the middle of the dance floor. They’d have to do things the hard way then.

Before Prince Yoren could get Layala to say something they all might regret, and that could truly be anything. She had the mouth of a front-line soldier, not a lady. He trudged across the floor, only to find her gone. Prince Yoren wasn’t there either, Thane realized, and found him on the dance floor with a tall female wearing a diamond tiara.

Where was Layala then? He turned in a slow circle, heart beating a little faster the longer he looked and didn’t find her. In the far corner, hidden partially by shadows, three males blocked someone in, someone in a silverish-blue gown. He swore under his breath and rammed his shoulders into several people on his way across the floor.

When he heard her say, “Don’t touch me.” He moved like shadows invading the land when the sun went down. His fingers dug into the shoulder of the shifter in the middle and jerked him back, sending him to the ground. The one on the right dropped her wrist and tucked his hands behind his back, like he could hide what he did. Thane grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall.

“You messed with the wrong maiden.” Thane slammed his head into the wall again but this time it cracked.

“I’m sorry,” he wheezed.

“Hey, back off,” a deep voice said behind him. “You came to our party, elf. And you left your lady alone. That’s fair game around here.”

Heat flared in him like a lightning strike to dry grass. He dropped one offender and turned around with wild eyes. Before he could do anything, Layala threw her full glass of wine in his face and said, “Prick. I’m nobody’s game.”

The dragon shifter’s backhand struck Layala in the face and knocked her into the wall. The thud of Thane’s heart pounded in his ears. With a snarl, he stepped forward and shoved his hand straight into the dragon shifter’s chest, through flesh, through bone, and gripped something soft, warm, and round. His skin shifted to shiny silver scales that might have saved him, and back to soft flesh several times within seconds. “Too late, dragon.” His heart hit the ground with a wet plop, but no one screamed. Many in the room observed and whispered, and to Thane’s surprise, the shifters kept sipping their wine and indulging in their company. His Ravens however, carefully made their way over.

Guards with scales covering their bodies rushed over and formed a half circle around them. Thane stood in front of Layala, body tense, hands curled into fists as the uncomfortable sensation of his magic biting to get free, pulsed with wave after wave. He had no swords, no arrows, but he never needed them. “Come at my mate, my people, or me, and you’ll never see another sunrise.”

The half dozen guards looked amongst each other, unsure, hesitant. They should be.

Prince Ronan pushed between a pair of guards and said, “I got to hand it to you, High King.” He barely even glanced at the dead shifter on the ground. “You know how to liven up a party.”

Thane’s chest rose up and down with heavy breaths, he clenched his jaw and waited for what the dragon prince would do. Ronan nonchalantly tugged on his suit sleeve and then shooed at the guards. “Do something useful and get the body out of here. You act like this has never happened before.” He turned and said loudly to the room, “The elf king just set the precedent. Don’t trifle with him or his crew, and especially not his lady.” He smiled at Thane. “I think we’re going to have a lot of fun in the next few days.”

Relieved he wouldn’t have to fight a room full of dragon shifters, Thane wiped his bloody hand down the front of his suit then turned and scooped Layala into his arms. She held her red, already puffy cheek and leaned her head against his shoulder. In a world less cruel Thane might have been a saint, but this one required a monster.

Chapter33

The fire crackled and popped in the hearth set in the sandstone wall. The open balcony doors let in a cool breeze through the bedroom Layala and Thane were given. After Thane killed someone, Layala thought for sure they’d have been tossed into a dungeon or at least outside the walls but instead, they’d been given a suite and room service. At the party she’d drunk too much and tried to leave to find somewhere to use the toilet. Those dragon shifters easily herded her into a corner and started interrogating her about the real reason she and the others were there. Bastards. She wasn’t sure if they were sent by the royals, or if they had acted on their own. But it didn’t matter now. Three days passed since the queen’s birthday ball, and while the time since then was full of leisurely walks through gardens and exploring huge libraries, watching sanctioned fights in the courtyard with Prince Ronan as their escort, being in a foreign place left her worried and restless most nights. The snarls of the fighting in the courtyard below went on for half the night. That was how the dragons settled disputes of any kind, with their claws and teeth, not usually to the death but she’d witnessed a few bodies dragged away, bloodied, and not breathing in the last couple of days. It was no wonder no one batted an eye when Thane tore out a heart. This place was unsettling, and she felt like she hadn’t slept since they arrived.

Yet, the muffled deep voices of Thane and the others in the adjacent room soothed her already tired mind. She should be in there, talking with them about the plan they had in the works. But this bed was soft and the crackle of the fireplace, comforting. And with no fighting dragons in the courtyard, she tugged up the soft, silk blankets, turned on her side and let the night claim her…

Crickets chirpedand sweet jasmine swirled in the air. She walked in a lush garden gliding over a white cobblestone path. The silver gown she wore sparkled like the moonlight and stars above. It was so bright here she marveled up at the sky for a while. It took her a moment to notice but did the stars look different? Layala knew them well, it was the best way to navigate the land, but she couldn’t find the three bright stars of the north shaped in a triangle… There were only two.Odd, she thought but kept walking. The fabric of her dress dragged lightly behind her until she spotted a blooming night lily. She squatted down and grabbed hold, snapping its stem and then brought it to her nose. It reminded her of home, like this is what it should smell like. Although she and Aunt Evalyn tried to grow the flowers that only bloomed at night, they hadn’t had much success.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” said a deep voice.

A chill ran over Layala’s skin, and she slowly lowered the lily. That wasn’t Thane, though they sounded similar, a trick she’d decided. Layala blinked, suddenly aware that she was dreaming. She knew who waited there. She didn’t want to run this time, didn’t want to be afraid of the mage who tortured her sleep.

Standing, she turned to face him, chin raised high. The hooded, broad-shouldered male waited a yard away. His presence didn’t seem as menacing this time, perhaps because she expected him.

“You’re not running.” He sounded surprised.

“No.” Layala even took a step closer. A long dagger appeared in her hand. “But maybe you should be.”

The sliver of light under his hood revealed a smile, a small scar across his chin, and a dimple. A breeze picked up pieces of her hair and made the fabric of his cloak float around his ankles. “You can’t hurt me here.”

“What do you want?”

“You must find me. I’ve waited a long time.”