Page 183 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

“No way,” Teren muttered, stepping closer. “Is the Sentinel flying with you?”

“She’s mine,” I said.

“You bonded the Sentinel?” His eyes widened with something close to awe. Then his gaze raked over me, his grin turning lazy and full of confidence. “And I didn’t think you could get any sexier.”

The tip of Zander’s sword pressed against Teren’s throat before I could respond.

Chapter

Thirty-Eight

Teren froze with his eyes narrowing.

“She is a prospect,” Zander growled, voice low and dangerous.

Teren lifted his hands in mock surrender. “Relax, Prince Rayne,” he drawled. “I was just paying her a compliment.”

“I don’t need compliments,” I said, stepping forward until I was beside Zander. “And I don’t need you starting a fight over me,” I added, my gaze flicking between them.

“You have no idea what you need,” Zander muttered, lowering his sword but keeping his stance tense.

Teren chuckled again, but it was quieter this time, like he knew better than to push.

“Let’s go,” Luthias ran a hand over his bald head before he cut in, his tone serious. “We’ve got a trail to follow.”

I called Kaelith closer and brushed my hand down her scales, her warmth grounding me. Zander’s gaze lingered on me a moment longer before turning back to Hein.

I couldn’t tell if I was annoyed or... something else.

Kaelith snorted in my mind.If you want him, take him. Males like that need to be claimed before they get themselves killed.

I bit back a laugh.Which male are you referring to?

Both,she replied smugly.

We mounted our dragons, leather ropes looped and tied with precision. Luthias led the combined squad down the coast toward Caston, his green Clubtail gliding low over the surf. The cool air nipped at my face, but the view below held my attention. The coastline stretched in a winding ribbon of sand and jagged rock.

I recalled the reports—Caston had barely recovered from the last assault, and if another shipment of supplies had been stolen, their people would suffer. The Blood Fae didn’t strike randomly. They knew exactly how to hurt a kingdom, cutting off food and resources when they were most vulnerable.

“There,” Luthias pointed to a trail winding near the beach. We adjusted our flight path, dragons angling lower. Even from the air, I could see the wagon tracks pressed deep into the earth.

We landed in a wide clearing littered with signs of recent movement—wagon wheels gouged into the dirt, boot prints scattered in all directions.

“They never made it to Caston,” Teren muttered, walking the path and tracing the marks with his fingers.

“It looks like they just disappeared,” Jax added, scanning the area.

Tae knelt beside one of the ruts. “This doesn’t make sense. I’d say they met a boat, but the tracks don’t run all the way to the beach.”

Zander’s gaze flicked toward the ocean, narrowing as if he could see something none of us could. “Dragons,” he said grimly. “Dragons picked up the wagons.”

Teren’s eyes widened. “You think the Blood Fae intercepted them? Their island is too far away. That’s a long haul for a dragon to carry a wagon.”

Zander’s face darkened. “The Blood Fae have little regard for their mounts’ comfort. They’ll push them to the brink of exhaustion if it serves their purpose.”

I swallowed hard, my stomach twisting. “If the fae are moving supplies that far, they’re not just raiding. They’re planning for something.”

“A full-scale attack,” Zander said quietly.