Page 48 of The Kingdom of Flames and Ash

As soon as the guards landed, the Seelie surrounded the prisoners, and the Unseelie guards locked up the prisoners’ wings again. The entire time, Eldrin’s arms hung limply at his sides. Sweat had soaked through his gray tunic and covered his brow, but the vile man wore a humongous smile.

Acid burned my throat. I couldn’t wait for this man to die, and I could only hope that it happened at my hands.

He was thrilled about the dragons because he knew they threatened Tavish’s and my happiness. The very issue he proclaimed to know how to get me free of… for a price. His eternal freedom was potentially too huge of a price to pay.

I won’t let the dragons take you, sprite,Tavish reassured me as he reached behind me, brushing his fingers along my wing.

The sensation caused a shiver to race through me.That’s not what I’m worried about. It’s Eldrin gloating. He looks as if the dragons coming here are an answer to his prayers.

It probably is because, if giving him his freedom keeps you by my side, I will gladly make the sacrifice.His irises darkened as he stared into my soul.Because not having you as my mate, my wife, and by my side can’t ever happen.

My heart skipped a beat, seeing how much he loved me.

The sound of flapping wings had me looking straight ahead. The dragons would be here momentarily.

Eldrin doesn’t need to listen to our conversation with the dragons. None of the prisoners do.Tavish pointed to the right around the castle. “Someone fly ahead and check the prison cells while the rest of the guards follow and watch the prisoners until they’re secured once more.”

Finola, Lorne, and Struan tensed, but Tavish bit out, “Now. I need you three to handle this.” He didn’t have to tell them why; they knew he trusted only them.

Obliging, the three of them commanded the guards, and the prisoners began moving just as the five dragons landed.

The ashbreaths were at least eight times my size and were careful to land at the edge of the water, but not so much that they touched the liquid.

Water was their one weakness, which was why I was puzzled that they wanted me so desperately.

The black dragon stepped forward, its body shrinking right in front of my eyes. My jaw dropped. I’d never seen a dragon shift into human form. Its legs grew shorter and thinner, and its wings disappeared into its middle, which then elongated into a human form. The black scales faded, and long dark hair sprouted from its head. The body slowly transitioned into a breathtaking woman whose skin reminded me of the night sky and whose eyes were the color of stars. Thankfully, she wasn’t naked when she took nonbeast form.

Finnian inhaled sharply as the woman scanned us, pausing a little longer on Finnian, then Nightbane, and lastly, me before sliding over to Father. “King Erdan,” she said, bowing her head slightly. The four dragons behind her remained in beast form as they watched us.

“I’d greet you, but I’m not sure of your name and rank.” Father puffed out his chest despite being two inches shorter than the woman.

“Zyndara.” She straightened, oozing confidence in her flowy golden dress.

Mother clasped her hands in front of her chest. “Lovely name. Sorry for not already being here to greet you, but we weren’t notified you intended to visit.”

“Just as we weren’t aware that the Unseelie were being allowed to return to their homeland when our peoples made the decision to banish them together.”

I already hated the bitch. “This is a fae matter, so I’m sure your royals will understand.” I placed a hand on my hip, refusing to play with words. I wanted to get to the heart of the matter. “And I doubt they’re the reason you’re here.”

She smirked. “You’re right. They’re not. We came to inform the king and queen that you were in the formerTìr na Dràgon, but clearly, they already knew and decided to bring back not just you but the Unseelie as well.”

“Their food source was ruined. Had we not brought them here, the Unseelie would face extinction, which would hinder our magic.” Father spread out his wings. “We didn’t have time to travel to Tìr na Dràgon and have a discussion.”

“Always an excuse, which my king and queen grow tired of.”

Tavish arched a brow. “Your prince came to my kingdom and tried to kidnap Lira. I doubt he informed King Ignathor and Queen Sintara of that information.”

“The Seelie princess is betrothed to Pyralis. It’s his right to spend time with her before they marry. He was merely exercising that right after he learned of a fated-mate connection formed between her and another. The vow bound by the realm takes precedence over everything, including fated-mate connections, as we’re all aware. But I didn’t come here to have this discussion. I came for another reason altogether.”

Mom and Dad tensed, and Nightbane stepped closer to my legs. The Seelie guards remained around us, each one alert.

“Well, forgive us if we aren’t available right now.” Mother smiled, putting on her Seelie charm. “We’ve had a long journey, and we would like to rest before discussing anything.”

“Don’t fret. It’s not a conversation. It’s a simple request.” Zyndara looked right at me. “I came here to retrieve the princess and bring her back home with me.”

“Not even if my existence ends,” Tavish snarled, retrieving his sword from the sheath. “Lira isn’t going anywhere with you or near Pyralis.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “Don’t be foolish enough to believe that you are part of this.” She turned back to my parents. “There’s no decision for any of you to make. You excluded the dragon royals from all your recent decisions about Pyralis’s betrothed. They aren’t requesting anything unreasonable. She’s old enough to wed, but they’re still willing to wait until she’s twenty-five, provided she leaves with me.”

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