Page 84 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

Caiden sighed. “I’m sorry, Aelia, maybe the Hunt spooked them.”

Shrugging, I downed another glass of champagne. “She’s not my sister anymore.”

Caiden gave me a knowing glance. “We can regroup in the morning. Let’s not waste tonight.”

We danced until sweat dripped down our bodies, and my dressstuck to my skin. I had not been this free in a long time. I pulled Caiden in close for a kiss. He tasted like spring rain. His greedy mouth enveloped mine as if I were a delicious desert he could not get enough of.

A hand tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around to see Ursula; her sea-glass eyes glowed in the dim light of the dance floor.

“Save some for me,” she said, pressing her lips against mine. This time, I did not hold myself back, pressing my body into hers, letting my hands wander.

Caiden joined us in our lustful embrace, snaking his tongue up my neck while his hands went to Ursula’s hips.

The room spun as Caiden and Ursula pulled me off the dance floor toward a more secluded hideaway where we could fully explore one another.

Before we could make our escape, the door to the throne room swung open, and a male guard stumbled in, holding his neck, blood stained the pale wood floor beneath. The music stopped, and the crowd parted as the young man fell to his knees before Tharan.

“Goblins,” he said before collapsing into Tharan’s arms.

The crowd erupted into chaos. Creatures fled. Lords called for their armies. The Alder King stood, directing his Wild Hunt to defend the palace.

“We need to go,” Caiden said, dropping my hand and signaling for Roderick to follow him. Roderick pulled the earring from his earlobe, the chain transforming into a whip of pure light.

I tried to shake off the liquor coursing through my veins.Focus, Aelia, focus.I stumbled over my feet, falling into the door, knocking my head on the brass knob.

My head throbbed.

Tharan’s voice thundered in my ears, “Aelia, look at me.”

His face came into view.

“What happened?” I felt the sore spot on my head.

“You hit your head. We need to get you out of here.” Amolie held a piece of Tharan’s shirt to the bloodied bump.

“It’ll heal shortly. Let’s go,” I said, kicking off my glass slippers.

We returned to the throne room, where the Alder King consulted with two of his warriors. A woman, the height of a giant with deep umber skin and black hair, stood beside a slender male with amber eyes and skin the color of pea soup.

Tharan sat me down on the steps to the dais. “Just wait here a moment.”

“Aelia, I’m scared,” Amolie said, taking my hand in hers.

I patted her hand reassuringly. “It’s nothing Roderick can’t handle.”

A blinding pain blasted through my head, while a hot scream burned in my chest. Had I not already been sitting I would have been brought to my knees.

“Apologies for our tardiness,” Gideon’s voice echoed through the now-empty hall.

I forced my eyes to open.

Gideon, Erissa, and Baylis stood at the far end of the throne room, dressed in the red battle armor of the Highlands. A hawk etched into their breastplates.

“What is the meaning of this?” The Alder King’s thunderous voice rattled in my aching head.

“I’ll make you an offer,” Gideon said as he approached the king, his black cape swaying behind him. Picking up an apple drenched in sugar, he ran a callous finger along the desert before tasting it and grimacing. “Disgusting.”

Amolie and I exchanged glances. The smoke bombs were stillset. Amolie could use her magic to explode them, but we had to time it correctly.

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