Page 45 of A House of Fangs & Deceit

“I requested some time after we left Drudonia to help my mother. Then I made another request after she passed to get her affairs in order.”

“What was their response?” I asked. “The exacting wording.”

“Of course.” She closed her eyes briefly before letting out along breath. “Just those two words and nothing else. They haven’t followed up since. What if they don’t want me?”

“Then they’re idiots,” I growled. “You can come here and help me at House Harker. I don’t care that you’re a Velesian.” The brush pulled on a tangle in my hair a little too hard, and I winced.

“Thank you, but we both know that won’t work.” Rynn gave me a sad smile that made my heart ache for my friend.

“I know,” I said softly. Moroi needed blood ties. Velesians needed a pack.

Rynn’s shoulders sagged, causing shadows to roll off her and twirl in the air.

“We’re all doing fantastic, aren’t we?” she said with a snort. “The marriage that you were destined for fell apart, the pack I’m promised to doesn’t want me, and Cali is keeping secrets from us, which means something really bad is going on in her life.”

I rose from where I’d been perched on the tub and stood in front of her with my fist held out. “But we still have each other, so we’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, we will. I’ll keep harassing Cali until she answers so I can fill her in.” She tapped her fist against mine. “Do us a favor and don’t antagonize the big, bad Moroi Marshal over the next couple of days?”

“No promises,” I said wryly.

Chapter Eleven

Samara

Zosa dancedrestlessly beneath me as we waited for the gate to be opened.

Once again, I’d slept poorly, and it had put me in a foul mood. Fortunately, after giving me one look that was dripping heavily with contempt, Vail had ignored my presence all morning. Fine by me.

We’d have to ride hard and fast to make it to the outpost before dark, which I was fine with because that meant I wouldn’t have to talk to anyone on the way.

Alaric had nodded at me once in greeting, and I’d been too stunned at the almost nice gesture to respond in kind. He hadn’t noticed, though, clearly too caught up in his own thoughts. As I watched him adjust himself for the third time on the saddle, I wondered how often he had been out riding.

Unlike me, he hadn’t gone to Drudonia. His parents had provided his tutorage. I knew he had traveled to other Houses before, but given how uncomfortable he looked on a horse, I’m guessing it wasn’t often.

While I debated teasing him about it, Kieran appeared around the corner, mounted on a tall, chestnut gelding.

He would be traveling with us to the outpost and then remaining there so he could catch up with some other courtiers and see if they had any useful information to share. His horse pranced up to us before tossing his head, his pale mane shining brightly in the morning sun.

“Did you seriously find a horse that likes to preen as much as you?” I asked in disbelief.

And may the moon bless us, but Alariclaughedat my joke.

“Don’t be jealous,” Kieran said smoothly. “Green is one of the few colors that doesn’t suit you.”

I glanced down at the forest-green tunic I was wearing, then back up at Kieran. He grinned at me, and I started to maneuver Zosa so I could smack him when Carmilla interrupted us.

“Children,”—she gave pointed looks to me, Kieran, and Alaric—“focus.”

“Don’t know why I got grouped in with them,” Alaric complained. “I wasn’t even doing anything.”

Kieran reached out and gently punched him on the shoulder, causing Alaric’s fingers to tighten around the black mane of his mare as he glared at Kieran.Just how terrible of a rider is he?

Carmilla walked over to me and rested a hand on my leg as she peered up at me. “Be careful, Samara. I may not have given birth to you, but you are a child of my heart, nonetheless.”

“I will, I promise.” I rested my hand on top of hers. “We’ll be there and back in a matter of days, and hopefully, Alaric and I will be able to find something that will help us figure out why these attacks are escalating and how they’re getting past our blood wards.”

The portcullis clanged open in front of us, drawing Carmilla’s attention. The two rangers from yesterday’s trainingsession, along with Nyx, rode out. Vail’s enormous, dark bay mare shook her head as he held her back from joining them.

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