Page 91 of A Court of Bones & Sorrow

“Time for what?”

“To get out of Lunaria.”

“There is no getting out of Lunaria, Drav.” I shook my head. “The ocean surrounds us on all sides, and we have no means to build a boat that can travel far.”

Attempts had been made, but enormous sea monsters dominated the waters off the shores. I didn’t even know if it was possible to build a boat that was capable of withstanding their attacks. It didn’t matter though since that was far outside of our capabilities. There was also the problem of us not knowing what lay beyond Lunaria. Who knew how long we would have to sail for before we reached land again?

“There is no stopping what’s going to befall Lunaria,” Draven argued. “You and Kier have to get out.”

“What about you?”

“Like I said, the wraiths will always find me, and they won’t let me go. I’ve already accepted that my days are numbered.”

“Well, I don’t!” I hissed and gripped his face in my hands. “And I’m pretty sure Kieran doesn’t either!”

“Personally, I’m fine with it,” Vail said calmly.

Draven laughed under his breath as he pulled away from me.

I glared at Vail, but he just gave me a dispassionate look. “He’s still our enemy, an unwilling one, but an enemy all the same. He already knows too much. We should kill him now, and if he cares about you as much as he claims, he’d do it himself.”

“Absolut—” I started, but Vail cut me off, his calculating eyes falling on Draven.

“The Moroi Queen can command you to answer her, can she not? Which means anything you know, she will know.”

“Yes,” Draven admitted, his expression shuttered. “I’ve gotten good at dodging her questions and answering as vaguely as possible. Sometimes there is enough wiggle room to mislead her, but if she suspects I’m hiding something, she’ll continue to question me until I give her what she wants, and she definitely knows I’m hiding something when it comes to Samara.”

I thought about how Draven had practically raced to House Harker after the temple incident.

“You knew it was us in the badlands,” I said slowly. “You haven’t returned to the Sovereign House because Velika will question you as soon as you do.”

“She’s not particularly happy with me at the moment,” he said tightly. “I received a letter ordering me to bring you to her.”

A low growl rumbled from Vail, but he stayed where he was against the wall. We both knew Draven had had plenty ofopportunities to snatch me and return me to the Sovereign House, yet he hadn’t.

“I can ignore her written orders, but I cannot go against any commands she gives me in person. If she told me to kill you, I’d fight it with everything inside me, but it wouldn’t be enough. Eventually, my mind would snap the way Dominique’s father’s did. I would become a Strigoi—one who was completely in her control.”

My blood ran cold at the thought of Draven becoming a mindless Strigoi. I refused to let that happen.

“I wish you had just told us all this at the start,” I said softly. “You know we’ll help you.”

“That’s partly why I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you to waste time trying to keep me alive when you should be focusing on yourself and Kieran.” He paused, eyes flicking to Vail. “And the others you care about. I might be a lost cause, but they’re not.”

“You don’t get to tell me who I deem worth protecting, Prince,” I said steadily, raising my chin a little.

“Apologies, Heir.” He didn’t look the least bit sorry. “There is also a lot I can’t tell you, and I realize all you have is my word on that. I wasn’t sure if you would believe me.”

“I still don’t believe you,” Vail’s grumbled.

“And I still doubt your loyalty to Samara.” Red lines wound their way through Draven’s eyes again, clashing against the deep blue as he cocked his head at the other male. “I would have preferred to share her with only Kieran. Alaric and Roth, I will tolerate, but her interest in you is the first time I’ve truly questioned her judgment.”

“Technically, I’m not with either of you yet,” I said lightly. “And if you keep up the possessive bullshit, it might stay that way.”

Draven’s piercing gaze landed on me, and my heart skipped a beat as more red bled into his eyes. “Want to bet Ican change your mind, love? Tell me you haven’t thought about being between me and Kieran. How much we’d make you scream.”

“Too late.” I gave him a breezy smile. “He and Alaric already did a good job of that, and Roth has some . . . interesting ideas for when I return. It seems I don’t really need any more lovers. I’m more than satisfied as it is.”

“That a challenge?” He arched an eyebrow at me, and I arched one back.

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