Page 7 of Burn Bright
"And for good measure," I continued, "the Crown Prince is currently inmyvillage, so he—and his men—should expect to be the topic of conversation for the next five years at least, let alone today. I daresay we’ll be tired of hearing about him within aweek."
"You’ve quite the mouth on you too, haven’t you?" He crossed his arms over his broad chest, giving me an insolentlook.
Averill smiled sweetly, "I didn't know the prince needed a man likeyouto protect his delicate reputation. What else do you do forhim?"
Attack one Bane sister, and you faced themall.
A muscle in his jaw ticked. "I serve as the prince’s personal huntingcompanion."
Wolvren. I was still getting over the shock of it. Wolvren were an ancient species that had been in these lands long before man fled through the northern forests from the long-dead Empire of Velides, and began to clear the lands. Somewhat akin to selkies, they could change into a wolf form when they slipped inside their wolfskin.
Capture a wolvren's skin, and you crippled him, cursing him to human formforever.
Let him get his hands on it again though, and he'd rip out your throat with histeeth.
"You’re from the west?" I asked, for the only clans I knew of who still existed freely lived in the great forests along ourborders.
"South," he snapped, and it was clear he didn’t wish to discuss his heritage anyfurther.
No wonder, with one of the king’s first acts over twenty years ago being a law that granted the right to own land to humankindonly.
"Just what are you and your prince doing here?" I burst out, trying to rescue the conversation. "Are youhunting?"
If so, then why come to Densby? When the king cast his Humans Only law, he’d confiscated the forest holdings in the south where some of the wolvren clans once lived, and created a royal hunting preserve. As for the wolvren there, when they resisted, they'd ended up in chains. There was more than enough game there for any bloodthirstyroyal.
"You could saythat."
"But most of the game has turned deeper into the woods," I said. "The winter’s are harsher up here than in the south. You won’t find much larger game left unless you venture miles into the woods. I came home empty-handed todaymyself."
"You did?" Averill couldn’t quite hide herdismay.
"I’m sure we’ll find what we’re hunting for," the stranger replied. "I can trackanything."
"So can I." The words were out before I could stopthem.
"You?" He looked me up and down. "All those years of experience, nodoubt?"
"You can’t be much older than I am," Isnapped.
"I wasn’t speaking ofage."
We stood toe-to-toe, and to my disappointment, he was a good four inches taller than I was. And twice aswide.
I wasnotgoing to think about those shoulders. And how well he filled out his huntingleathers.
"Casimir!"
It was the prince, his voice as finely pitched as one would expect. That voice could summon a lord to his knees, or a lady to the prince's bed. It shivered through me, and even Averill—who actually preferred women to men—blinked as if she felt ittoo.
"Causing trouble, are we?" The prince clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder, his manner considerably warmer than one would expect toward his wolvrenservant.
Orslave.
I knew what the gold chain around his throat meantnow.
"We were speaking of the hunting hereabouts," my stranger—Casimir—said, in a far milder rasp. "The girl thinks she can outhuntme."
The prince turned a considering look upon me. Andsmiled.
