Page 8 of A Hunt Bound in Blood
With every word, my stomach tightened, and I stared harder at his fingertips as they made the trek and tapped lightly over every region.
“Whoever goes on this trip will be lucky to survive the first leg, let alone make it home intact.”
I’d known that without him telling me, but surely it couldn’t be as bad as all that. After all, he’d done it often enough on his own. But fine, I could admit that maybe—maybe—the idea of facing some of these trials had made going by myself a little daunting. But I would have figured it out, I was sure of it.
I stared at the top of his head when he refused to look up. “That’s why you were recommended to His Majesty.”
“You seem capable enough. Why doesn’t he send you by yourself?”
Although his tone was flat, I registered the mockery in every syllable. If he hadn’t schooled his expression, those flawless lips would have curled into a smirk.
The urge to snatch my map away from him and walk out made my toes twitch, but I forced myself to remain still. I was here under orders. If I obeyed those orders, I would get everything I wanted. Putting up with this ass was a small price to pay for my dream.
Burying my pride, I said, “I don’t have the… skills required to make the journey alone.” Despite his best efforts, those lips ticked upwards, and I barrelled through, needing to get the words out before I changed my mind and kicked him in the testicles instead. How dare this man dismiss me so easily? Dismiss my work? “I would have preferred it, believe me, but His Majesty insisted you accompany me as someone experienced in this sort of matter.”
I allowed myself a moment to assess the demon, arching my eyebrow in an expression of blatant disapproval.
Cammon sank back in his chair, resuming his infuriating slouch. “I am most certainly experienced, and I am the best at what I do. Alone. Let me know how much your king’s willing to pay, give me the map and the journal, and I’ll go myself. Given my track record, I’m sure Evaniel won’t object.”
A laugh burst out of me. “Oh yes? Do you read Ancient Folish? Do you know the legends of Argatha and Klaytol to help us follow the clues that will take you to the amulet?”
“No,” he admitted, but before I could grace him with a smug grin, he rushed to add, “But I’m the best for a reason. I can figure it out with enough information.”
This man! No wonder his estate was so big. It had been built to house his arrogance.
I did my best to dispel my frustration, knowing he could taste every bit of it, but I couldn’t sand down the sharp edge to my voice as I said, “King Evaniel has given us a deadline of four weeks to walk to the heart of dragon territory and sail home. We don’t have time for you to poke around and hope you ‘figure it out.’”
I brushed away the fact that, not too long ago, I’d sworn I could do the same thing by going on my own. I was the one with the knowledge.
The lines around Cammon’s eyes hardened as his stubbornness kicked in. I’d seen a similar expression on the king’s mules. “I don’t work with other people. So you can tell His Majesty I’m sorry about his lover, best of luck finding a solution, but I’ll have to pass.”
We glared at each other across his desk. Oh, how I wanted to tell him I’d send the message along and walk out. It would be the safer choice. My secrets would be too difficult to keep in close quarters, and that was if we managed to go a single day without driving each other mad.
Think of the library. Think of the new position. The title of royal researcher and that tiny, tucked-away office are yours if you do this. Anything is worth that.
I breathed in slowly and reached into my satchel once more. “Your reputation precedes you on that score as well. That’s why His Majesty told me to offer you this.”
I handed him the second envelope Segrew had given me. I had no idea what the letter contained, but I also didn’t care. What passed between King Evaniel and Cammon Ruxo was their business.
Though I had to admit to a certain curiosity when I observed Cammon’s reaction to the king’s words. A light flush crept up his bronzed neck, and his nostrils flared with the slight quickening of his breath. I might not have noticed except that, with my senses heightened thanks to my awakened bloodlust, I was all too aware of his heart rate quickening, pumping extra blood through those thick, delicious veins. As the spiced scent from the foyer spilled throughout the room, I realized this demon was the source, and of all the temptations in this house, it was by far the strongest. My teeth ached, and I pressed them into the inside of my bottom lip to keep them in place. It would hardly do to reveal myself before we’d even left the capital.
Cammon pursed his lips and folded the letter along its crease. “Very well, Mage Dolan, we leave tomorrow. I’ll meet you at The Wandering Mare at sunset.”
Cammon
IV
As soon as the door to my office closed, taking the mage and the stick up her ass out of my personal space, I toyed with the king’s letter. Flipping the thick paper through my fingers to reveal the words within, running my thumb over the wax seal, I considered the contents in blessed silence.
Cammon Ruxo,
I am aware you may be reticent about accompanying Mage Dolan to retrieve the amulet. Perhaps it would interest you to know that my spymaster, Matthew Segrew, is in possession of certain documents that he’s gathered through his contacts in the Karhasian records room. Should you agree to offer your assistance—and succeed—he will hand over the evidence you require to clear your name and reclaim your position as heir to your father’s throne.
His Royal Majesty
Evaniel Duary, King of Golthwaine
The man had written those words as if they meant nothing. Just another document for him to pen.