Page 68 of A Blaze of Fire
“Lord Alec,” Rook interrupted, “we should really get her out of here before the crowd swarms the area. I have the wagon at the ready.”
Alec nodded and lifted me in his arms, carrying me out of the arena against the protest of the gathered Unseelies who’d just witnessed the awakening of the reincarnated dragon.
I fell asleep in his arms.
28
ALEC
Ishut the door to Violet’s room behind me and released a deep sigh. I couldn’t believe what she’d done. That she was even able to repeat it was a miracle all its own.
Now we didn’t have to worry about the Unseelie coming after her … just the King. This was exactly what I’d been trying to avoid. The fae would’ve been far easier to manage. A few death threats and attacks here or there, but eventually they’d get over it and forget all about her. But the King would never forget this because now that the fire elementals had finally found their lost dragon, they wouldn’t let it go. They wouldn’t lethergo.
“She’s asleep,” I said to Rook. “Guard her room with your life.”
“Yes,” he answered with a bow.
“Rosemary is inside, in case anyone tries to come in through the balcony,” I warned. “Stay vigilant.”
The burly guard nodded. “Of course.”
I stormed off down the hallway, knowing exactly where I was needed – the throne room. I barreled inside without bothering to knock, aware they were already waiting for me. The King sat in his throne, and Kazimir and Ansel were standing before him with their hands folded behind their backs. I frowned at the sight of my brother. There was no reason for him to be here. This was an Unseelie matter. The Seelie representative was not needed.
I bowed before the King in greeting and waited for him to speak. Everyone was quiet, waiting for the King to begin.
His normally placid face was mottled. “That didnotgo as planned …Whydid that not go as planned?” the King raged. “The reason I didn’t ask you directly whether you saw her or not was because I thought you could control her! Why is she running around doing as she pleases?”
I glanced at my brother and Kazimir, then back at the King. “Excuse me, Your Highness. Why is this being discussed in front of the Seelie representative? This is an Unseelie matter.”
The King grunted and rolled his eyes. “I’m glad you asked,” he said sarcastically. “Your dearest brother here has come bearing news. Please, Lord Ansel, share with the others.”
Ansel bowed and turned to me. “I just came to give the King a friendly reminder that Lady Violet is under the protection of the Seelie Queen as well.”
My eyes widened at the revelation. He’d never mentioned that little tidbit before.
“If any harm comes to Lady Violet at the hands of the King, it would be the catalyst to ignite a war with the Seelie Court,” Ansel declared confidently. “We, too, have a stake in the orb.”
If he had this up his sleeve, why hadn’t he brought it up as an option before? We could have avoided a lot of stress if he’d just told us what he knew. Did Ansel come to the Unseelie Court with this information already?
“Lovely,” the King sighed and slouched on his throne. “So I can’t even kill the bitch.”
My gaze snapped in his direction. I tried not to shoot daggers at him, but it was hard.
“That would be ill advised, Your Highness,” Kazimir replied calmly as he stood between me and my brother.
“What do you suggest?” the King asked, sounding bored.
Kazimir cleared his throat and straightened. “Continue training her and keep her close.”
“Continue training her?” the King choked out. “Are you insane?”
Kazimir shook his head. “Your Highness, think of it – you could have the dragon in the palm of your hand. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing if we frame it correctly.”
The King furrowed his brows, but he was clearly interested in this train of thought, open to anything that would allow him to save face in front of his Unseelie constituents. “Continue.”
His general smirked. “We understand your concerns, Your Highness, but you have nothing to fear … as long as you show a united front with Lady Violet. It’ll stop the others from thinking things they shouldn’t, as well as keep her in check.”
“Violet is not a threat!” I shouted, my chest heaving from the burst of adrenaline that had been pumping through my veins since the moment I saw her breathing fire in the middle of the arena. “She’s a halfling who’s more human than fae, and she’s probably scared out of her mind right now! Why are we even discussing this?”
