Page 28 of A Flame of the Phoenix

When she slipped the next book onto the shelf, Tauria stiffened at the presence that had crept in silently. Mordecai had gotten so close before she’d even detected him, and he took the last book in the pile out of her hand. She held her breath when he leaned in, her instincts screaming for distance. He fixed the book back onto the self, his front brushing her back.

“You missed supper,” he said, so calm, but with an edge of discontent.

“I wasn’t hungry.”

“Still, I expect you to join me when I ask. I do not like to be left waiting.”

“That was not my intention.”

“It matters not. When I call, you come, princess.”

Her nails dug into her palms with the title.

I am Queen Tauria Silverknight.

“My apologies,” she said tightly.

With Mordecai, she had to choose her battles. Provoking him over a missed supper would only set her back with him.

Tauria didn’t want to turn around, wishing he would leave now he’d had the chance to chastise her.

“Don’t you want to know why I invited you to dine with me?” he asked with a note of impatience.

“It wasn’t simply for my company?”

“While it is cold and empty, your company has not been desirable to seek thus far, no.”

After what had happened in Olmstone, she’d hardly left her rooms in her turmoil. Nik had suffered a near-fatal wound…and she’d left with the enemy before she knew if he’d pull through. In all his Nightwalking to her since, she’d awoken with impressions of Nik’s unwavering love and devotion. It had slowly been killing her that she couldn’t give it back in the same way.

She missed him so terribly. A piece of her soul was decaying in his absence.

“It’s been a lot to process,” she explained. “I didn’t know what to expect, being back in Fenstead.”

“Which is why I have been gracious enough to give you time and space, but I cannot wait much longer.”

Tauria’s teeth slammed together when his hands on her arms guided her around. She couldn’t look anywhere but at his depthless onyx eyes. His firm jaw had grown a darker shadow, and his black hair was longer and unbound.

Dread pooled in her gut.

“Wait for what?” She put every effort into keeping her voice from wavering.

“I have long set aside a needed visit to my kingdom—Valgard.”

The air released from her lungs. It wasn’t what she’d expected him to say.

“Was the supper your farewell for a while?”

“No. I wanted to ask you to join me.”

Tauria didn’t know what to say. The suggestion shocked her, only because in all her life, she’d only known their eastern neighbors across the sea in the whispers of nightmares. The kingdom responsible for the Dark Age that wanted to suppress humans and have the dark fae dominate. Then, in this age, they were the face of the centuries-old war still waging.

Now there were new truths to their current war. Mordecai was the resurrected dark fae king of nightmarish legend, but it was Marvellas who’d brought him back. The Spirit of Souls and the Goddess of the Stars had been behind the war this time, and Mordecai was as good as her puppet.

Tauria wanted to figure him out. She was here by his side and playing a very risky game in getting close to him. But she couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to him. How could one as powerful and legendary as Mordecai be content as the foot soldier of someone greater? He had a child in this life—something that sparked her curiosity wildly. They could be a weakness to exploit, or if that wouldn’t work, she could at least discover who the child was, so they could eliminate the threat of his spawn before it became one.

“I only just got to come back to my kingdom,” she said.

Tauria weighed the options in her mind. Staying in her kingdom while Mordecai was preoccupied across the sea would give her freedom to start strategizing here. Find weaknesses inthe dark fae forces, go out to speak to what was left of her people, and get all of this information to Nik.

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