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“To what do I owe this pleasure so late in the night?” Lord Idril asked. “Or early in the morning, I should say,” he amended, glancing at the promise of sunrise outside the cavernous window that covered the north wall of his chambers. “I might have been retiring to bed, but the party is still going strong downstairs, my prince. Perhaps you might grant me a few hours of sleep while you can enjoy all that my castle has to offer you?”

“You and I both know by now that what your castle canofferis of no interest to me.”

“Pray tell me, then, why are you here?”

“You know why I am here.”

Idril cocked his head. “Is the king’s beast here to kill me?”

Arrik allowed himself to smirk. “In not so many words. Totake care of youwas the order. How I proceed is up to you,” he said without feeling. It gratified him to see the elf begin to squirm.

“I should have expected that. So what do you want from me this time in recompense for my actions? Gold? Women?” Idril studied him. “A kingdom?”

“A kingdom?” Arrik mused, touching his chin in thought. “Did I miss you becoming a king in the last few months?”

The elf arched a brow. “One doesn’t have to be king to rule a kingdom.”

Those were true words. Idril held much power in Verlanti because of his gold and the slave trade.

“Tread carefully. What you’re saying could be construed as treason.” A pause. “And treason always means death.”

Lord Idril was hedging his bets and—being a clever, careful person—he more often than notwonhis bets. But he’d stepped over a line that needed to be punished or Soren would kill both Idril and Arrik.

Slowly, purposefully, he pulled out a dagger and pointed the tip of the blade to the cut on Idril’s face. The elf blinked slowly but didn’t move.

“Who gave you this?” Arrik asked, simply to see what Idril would say.

“…let’s just say one of my revels got out of hand and leave it at that.”

“Hmm. Daring of someone to do this to you. I know how much you value your pretty face. That will scar.”

At this, Idril scowled, his pupils turning to slits in his anger. “The woman got her punishment. Now get to the point of the matter, my prince. I hardly think you came all this way to mock me. What do you want? It’s not my life or you would have already taken it.”

“That’s a bold gamble. You know I like to toy with my prey.”

Fear flashed though the elf’s eyes, but it was gone a second later. “I always win.”

Not this time.

Arrik leaned into Idril’s space. “Do you deserve to live?”

“You can’t kill me.”

“Why ever not?”

The elf lord smiled. “Because you need me.”

“I don’t think so. I’m sure if I dispatched you right now, my father would give me your lands if I asked.”

“Do you do everything your father commands you? Are you really his pet?” A dark smile curled the elf’s lips. “I don’t think you’re nearly as devoted as the court says you are. I think you hate your father as much as me.”

An actual guess, or does he have a spy planted in your retinue?

That didn’t seem right. Only Josenu, Shane, and Ronan knew how Arrik really felt toward his father. He’d kept that secret for years.

Your wife could have betrayed you.

His gaze strayed to the cut on the elf’s face once again. He knew in his soul that Wren had given Idril that cut. There’s no way she was allies with this snake.