Page 42 of Thief of Dreams
There has to be something he wants.
"A king," he muses. "There are very few kings in the realm. And few with the balls to challenge me. King Angmar is currently underwhelming. Something about a missing trident, according to his dear sister, Ismena. He needs this match, so he won't risk a direct confrontation. King Jor is tied to the seas. King Mordred might be ambitious enough, but he's crossed me before. The King of the Unblessed hasn't been seen in centuries. And every other king is controlled by a queen."
Donotreact.
"But there's one king I'm forgetting, isn't there? The King of the Frozen North. The King Beyond the Shadowfangs. The Master of Bone and Death. They say wraiths glow in the night." He eyes my arms.
"They say they are monsters, too. What monster could hide itself in fae flesh?" I can't control the bitterness in my voice.
"That is the question." He flips the knife expertly in his fingers. "So the Wraith King sends a pair of assassins to my court."
"I'mnotan assassin."
"No?"
I clamp my teeth shut.
His eyes narrow. "A thief then. And considering your sister stole the pretty charm around my throat, I assume you were after that."
"Shouldn't you be going after my sister?" I ask in exasperation. "She'sthe one who stole your relic, and with every second that passes she'll be getting closer to escaping for good!"
"The portal's closed. It has been ever since you arrived." Muscle flexes in his powerful forearms as he leans closer, the chair tipping onto two legs. "The only way anyone gets in or out… is if I let them."
"You don't know my sister. She has a turnkey portal she stole from a blood-witch years ago. She'll be able to steal her way home, without having to use your portal. How do you think she got out of this room?"
"How didyouget in? You appeared out of nowhere."
"Magic," I whisper.
Keir eases out of the chair, his bare feet padding toward me. Every inch of me is alight. There's no hiding it as he tips my chin up, the knife still curled in his left hand. "A very rare, ancient magic I haven't seen in thousands of years. I knew a male once who could walk the shadows." He tips my face from side to side. "And yet you glow with the Forbidden's curse. An intriguing conundrum, for you're far too pretty to be wraith-born, yet you're not entirely fae, are you?"
"Why the fascination with me?" I snap. "You might have paid me lip service in the past, but don't pretend it was more than that."
"When you simpered and flattered me and skirted the truth like a court princess sweeping her train out of a pile of vomit?"
"Sorry," I drawl. "I was tryingnotto capture your attention."
"You nearly succeeded." His golden eyes are strangely cloaked. I can't read the expression on his face. "But you did. I would have made you my mate."
I close my eyes. "I think you wanted to be fooled."
"And I think the only time you weren't lying to me was when you told me you liked me."
"It was just a ploy." I make a sound of exasperation, because it's better than letting the conversation venture into such dangerous waters. "Anyone would think you didn't give a damn that you just lost a powerful relic."
"But did I?" His smile turns dangerous. "What makes you think your sister managed to steal the real Dragon's Heart?"
My gaze jerks to his. "What do you mean?"
"The real Dragon's Heart has the power to create an Other World. The power to destroy the real world. Do you not think I would have given chase if what she stole was more than mere gold?"
"It wasn't in the treasury."
"No." Again, another smile. His eyes seem to glow from within. "Nor hanging around my neck. Guess again, little thief."
Calliope's words bite through me again. Her absolute insistence she needed to eat the prince's heart to transform.
I'd thought her mad.
