Page 18 of Princess of Death

He continued to stare at me, his eyes hardening into sharp points, like he could see the feelings I didn’t show. “There is no bravery without fear—and you’re the bravest woman I’ve ever met.”

My eyes wanted to flick away to avoid the power in his stare, but they stayed in place, my hand gripping the tiller, my heart beating like I was in the middle of a sprint rather than seated on a cold plank of wood. I’d been terrified of him at our first meeting, but now, I was grateful he was there…even if he wasn’t really there. “Why did you save me?”

His eyes kept their intensity, staring at me with an intimacy built over years, not days. He’d never placed his hands on me, but his touch was searing-hot on my flesh. This was the man who had threatened me but now was my savior. Everything changed in an instant, but I couldn’t identify when that moment had taken place. When everything had changed between us. “Because you were worth saving.”

PROLOGUE II

LILY

“Come on.” My father faced me in his full armor, his blade held at the ready, his eyes angry like I was actually his enemy. “Don’t hold out on me,Zunieth.” He circled me then spun his sword around his wrist.

My father treated me like a man rather than a daughter, at least when he trained me in the sword. He never took it easy on me, pushed me like a soldier under the dictatorship of a commander. I never turned my back on him and waited for an opening. Most daughters had fathers who aged and became withered and weak.

But my father’s strength only seemed to grow.

He slammed his fist against his chest as his face tinted red like this battle was real. “Don’t you dare give up, Lily.”

“I’m not giving up?—”

“Then move.” He continued to circle me in the courtyard among the olive trees and the red geranium flowers that flowed out of the terra-cotta pots.

Zehemoth lay on his belly a distance away, his eyes watching the battle in silence.

“I need a break?—”

“You don’t get a break.” He came at me with his sword raised.

I blocked his hit and anticipated his flurry of strikes, the way he made his sword move so quickly it was like a violent dance. I blocked each hit with my sword then caught his blade in my vambraces before I pushed it off. I punched him hard in the face and forced him back.

He took a step or two before he righted himself. He smiled, his teeth coated with blood. “That’s my girl.” He slammed his fist against his chest a second time before he spun the blade around his wrist again. He came at me once more.

Whenever I thought I couldn’t go on, he gave me a reason to. The pride in his eyes made me feel like I could do anything.

He rushed me again, barreling down on me harder, steel against steel. After he parried my sword, he spat blood on the stone and kept going. He’d been training me since I was a child, and now that I was a grown woman, he pushed me harder because he knew I could take it. He used his height and strength against me, simulated real battle and extended no mercy. If he disarmed me, the battle was over—and I was dead.

He slammed his elbow down on my arm to get me to drop the sword, but I moved in the nick of time and hit him so hard that he lost his grip on the hilt of his blade.

The sword dropped to the ground, and before he could react, I kicked it, and it flew off toward Zehemoth. The weapon skidded then came to a stop right in front of him.

His eyes stared at it before they lifted to me again.

My father stepped back, catching his breath as he looked at me with new eyes. Then he brought his palms together and gave a slow clap, the smirk on his face infectious. A chuckle came from his throat, a brightness in his eyes. “The blood of kings runs in those veins. The courage of a Rothschild beats in that heart.” He stopped his applause and came to me, his hand moving to my shoulder the way he did with my brother. He gripped the plate of armor that covered me, but I could somehow feel his fingers through the metal. “Future Queen of the Southern Isles, Queen of Dragons, the mightiest ruler this side of the world has ever seen.” He let me go then retrieved his sword from where it lay before Zehemoth.

He bent down and picked it up by the hilt before he brushed his hand over Zehemoth’s snout, giving him affection the way Khazmuda did with me whenever he saw me.

Zehemoth closed his eyes like he enjoyed it.

When my father came back, he gave me a one-armed hug and kissed the side of my temple. Then he returned to the castle to remove his armor and wash away the sweat and blood from our spar.

I sheathed my blade across my back and joined Zehemoth. A wooden bench was next to him, so I took a seat, the olive trees and flowers behind me. A cool glass of water sounded refreshing at that moment, but my body felt weak, and not from the battle that had just concluded.

Zehemoth stared at me for a while before he lifted his snout so our eyes were level.I sense your despair.He wasn’t a full-growndragon yet, just a few years away from rivaling his father’s size. Just as I was a few years from true adulthood.Are you hurt?

“My father would never hurt me.” He pushed me with his power and skill, but he never landed a blow that would cause me harm. Sometimes he would put a wooden blade to my neck to mark his victory, but he never actually touched me.

Zehemoth looked just like his father, Khazmuda. Covered in shiny black scales with black eyes, he was beautiful like midnight, a dragon that would be powerful and feared by anyone who gazed upon him. But his heart was pure, and his intentions were kind. The only enemy he had were the grizzlies he loved to eat.Then what troubles you,Sunieth?

My eyes trailed down to my boots against the cobblestone. I wore the armor of the kingdom, forged in the fires of dragons, the best steel to protect my beating heart. I felt like a soldier trained for a battle I didn’t want to fight. “All my life, my father has prepared me for the crown. But I’m not sure if I want it.” I slowly raised my eyes to his, seeing the affection Zehemoth had for me in his gaze. He was my best friend, the one I confided everything to, another brother in my family tree.

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