Page 31 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

“It’s alright, Ernie. We won’t be here long. Please have rooms made up for each of us.”

“Prince Caiden. A message came for you.” He handed Caiden a small roll of parchment.

Caiden examined it before handing it over to Lucius. “For you.”

Lucius’s eyes widened at the sight of the script. “Excellent.”

“Thank you, Ernie,” Caiden said.

The hob bowed and returned to his duties. His long ears dragged on the floor behind him.

We filed into the large dining room, where Caiden laid out amap of the palace at the Court of Sorrows on a dark mahogany table.Glass lamps painted the room in a warm golden glow. Their flickering light danced off the ornate wallpaper decorated with flowers. This house must have cost a fortune.

“Your target will be Tharan Greenblade. The infamous bastard son of the Alder King,” Lucious said.

My skin tingled. “Sounds exciting.”

“Don’t get any ideas, Springborn.” He tapped a painting of an empty chair on the wall. “Show us Tharan Greenblade.”

An image appeared in the chair. Tall, handsome, with cutting features. Lord Tharan Greenblade stared back at me. A jagged scar split his face in two. One eye clouded white, the other a piercing green. High cheekbones shadowed hollow cheeks, and a curved nose added to the elegance of his look. Sloped ears peeked from underneath a blanket of burgundy waves.

Terrifying and beautiful at the same time, my heart fluttered at the sight of him.

“Close your mouth, Aelia. You look like a fish,” Caiden snapped at me.

Amolie whistled at the sight of him. “Where has he been hiding?”

“He rarely leaves the Woodland Realm, but once he was known throughout the land as a fearsome warrior before fading into obscurity. Now, I hear he’s a lush playboy, amusing himself with pleasures of the flesh,” Lucius said, a warning in his tone.

“I can work with that.” I tapped my index finger on my lips, staring at the painting. “Do you think he has training against telepaths?”

Lucius shrugged. “If he did, it’s probably long since lapsed. Everyone thought telepaths had been erased after the war. I’m surprised Erissa found one.”

“Think you’re charming enough to catch a prince, Springborn?” Caiden picked at his nails lazily.

“I caught you, didn’t I? I’m sure I can hook another one.” Years of trial and error taught me you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

Caiden rolled his eyes.

Tension filled the space between us.

“I’ll need to get him alone. You will have to provide cover for me. Planting an idea is like threading a needle. You don’t always get it on the first try.”

“Of course,” Lucius turned to the map on the table. “This is the Nightmare Palace.”

I stared at the map—a maze of corridors and doors leading to nowhere. “This is… complex.”

“It’s chaos.” Lucius sighed. “But we can use that to our advantage. It’s the perfect place for getting lost with someone.”

I lit a cigarette, took a long drag, and leaned back in my chair. “Easy. I’ve done this job a million times.”

“Are you sure you can do this, Aelia? There will be a lot of temptation there.” Caiden gave me a condescending look.

“I’ve been clean for weeks.” I held out a steady hand. “I think I can handle one night.”

“I guess this will be a test.”

Ernie entered the room, wearing a black suit with silver trim. “Dinner is served, Your Highness.”He wrinkled his furry nose at me, and I abruptly took my boot off the table.

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