Page 115 of A Flame of the Phoenix

Kyleer choked. Zaiana hadn’t realized what she’d done until trickles of his blood spilled over the hilt of the blade she’d lodged into his side. Pain twitched his expression, and surprise filled his eyes.

“That look right there…that’s why you’re a delusional fool.”

Yanking the blade free, Kyleer’s bound hands put pressure on the wound. The blade was small, but his fae healing was nullified with the Magestone around his wrists. His groans of pain disturbed her, but her resentment was stronger, and she tunneled away to feel nothing at all.

She would not be dining with them all tonight, and no one had given her instruction over the state he was to arrive in either.

“I’ve been waiting for that,” he said, strained.

“That’s just a scratch compared to what I’ll do if you keep pushing, Ky.”

His green eyes found her, and there was a glimmer in them as he said, “I like it when you call me that.”

He was impossible.

Zaiana snatched ahold of the chain between his hands and yanked him without care down the hall.

“Where are we going?” Kyleer asked. She felt nothing for the faint labor in his voice, forcing him to move with his wound.

“I’m hungry.”

“Good call. Me too.”

They hadn’t eaten in days, and it was the only thing on her mind right now, turning her mood even more volatile.

Kyleer said, “Wouldn’t it be quicker for you to feed on human blood?”

“Have you ever tried it yourself?”

“Absolutely not.”

“You might enjoy it.”

“It’s barbaric.”

Zaiana huffed a laugh. “Some ofthemenjoy it.”

“I’d much rather sample yours.”

She didn’t allow the temptation of a shiver to break at that suggestion. “Keep that fantasy to yourself.”

The kitchens were bustling, with bodies at work, preparing many dishes she assumed were for the queen’s ridiculous welcome feast. They regarded her intrusion with wariness, but she marched past them all, scanning for something that looked appealing.

“That meat looked nice,” Kyleer commented.

She let go of his chains. “Take what you like. Might be the last good meal you get for a while.”

He didn’t hesitate, but he didn’t take without asking the staff, and it was annoying how easily people warmed to him. A few of the fae even began to help him, holding his plate and filling it with anything he asked for. She watched all of them with bitterness growing in her chest. They wereflirtingwith him.

Zaiana had picked up a piece of bread and dipped it into some sweet but spicy oil that danced over her taste buds. It was delicious, and somehow that annoyed her more. Her sight could hardly be torn from the commander. He was smiling with them. They examined his chains with sympathy. Occasionally, one of the fae around him would cast a look in her direction but quickly averted their gaze the second her dark stare was met.

She found a perch on a counter at the far end that wasn’t being used. After a few minutes, Kyleer headed toward her. She didn’t fail to notice how his bright grin for the others fell the moment he gave them his back. Not because his infectious brightness wasn’t genuine toward them—it just wasn’t within him. Zaiana also noticed the discomfort in his walk. He needed to use both his bound hands to carry the plate, and his clothing had to be grazing angrily against his stab wound.

Now she was feeling mildly guilty for that impulsive trigger.

“They said the tiny fish pie things are the best you’ll eat across the seven kingdoms,” Kyleer informed her, setting the plate beside Zaiana. “Something about wine and goats milk and the best fish you could ever hope to sample.”

She surveyed the mountain of different foods he’d gathered.

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