Page 32 of Crowns of Ice

All of us studied the humans walking by. They were of different shapes and sizes. Some were males, others were females. It didn’t appear they had more than two genders in this realm, similar to ours.

Several glanced our way, but I couldn’t help but wonder if that was because my mate and his guards had such large builds. They towered over most of the species here.

“Do you think we stand out?” Ryder asked quietly, a sharp groove appearing between his eyes.

“I think we’re managing to blend in,” the prince muttered, but apprehension strummed toward me on the bond as we began walking down a strip of stone.

“Hi there, sugar,” a female said to Nish when we passed her on the stone walkway that ran the length of the street.

Nish scowled. “I amhuman. I am not a sweet sustenance, thank you very much.”

The female’s eyebrows shot to her hairline, and the guard prowled forward. Shaking her head, the female frowned and scurried the other way.

Haxil snorted a laugh. “I don’t think that was her meaning, Nishy.”

Nish scoffed. “If that wasn’t her meaning, then what do you think she was implying by such a derogatory statement? To compare one to food is appalling.”

“I think she was coming on to you.” I elbowed the grumpy guard. “She may have enjoyed getting to know you a little better.”

Nish’s chest puffed up. “Truly?” He ran a hand through his blue hair. “Do you think it was the hair color that attracted her?” He glanced over his shoulder toward where the female had disappeared to, but she was long gone.

“Well, we know it certainly wasn’t your sparkling personality,” Ryder replied in a bored tone.

Everyone snorted or laughed except for Nish.

Nish slugged Ryder in the side. “My mother always told me that my personality was like a fine wine.”

“What do you think she meant by that?” Haxil arched an eyebrow. “That it was best left on the shelf to age and never be opened?”

Nish scowled in his direction. “I think there mightbe an insult lying in that comment somewhere. However, I’m choosing to ignore it. But for your information, my mother always said that my character would appeal to a select few who were astute enough to appreciate my fine taste.”

Sandus laughed. “It sounds like your mother was trying to tell you that you’re a pain in the arse but in a nice way.”

“Are you implying that my mother?—”

The crown prince held up his hand. “There’s the Fire Wolf.”

We all ground to a halt. On the corner just ahead, the hunter waited. He stood with his hands in his pockets, his expression devoid of emotion. Dark hair fluttered around his head, grazing the tops of his rounded ears. Similar to when we’d first met him, his powerful aura drifted toward me. Even here, in this non-threatening environment, his magic and strength were as evident as my mate’s.

I scanned his abdomen, searching for a sign of weakness. The last time we’d seen the hunter, he’d been sliced open by the warlock, but the Fire Wolf had insisted he would be fine. I assessed how he moved, and my frown disappeared. I couldn’t detect even a trace of any ailment.

“He looks healthy and strong,” I murmured. “No sign of that laceration he suffered from in the Isalee field.”

“I was just thinking the same thing,” my mate replied.

We strode ahead to meet the Fire Wolf, and we all stopped on the stone walkway at the entrance to what I could only assume was a clothing store.

The Fire Wolf inclined his head in greeting, then looked at me and the prince. “I’ve been told you need my services again. Has something gone wrong?”

“Unfortunately,” my mate replied. “We appreciate you seeing us.”

“Indeed,” I added, forcing my curiosity away from the store. “We need to find that warlock. We must prove to the king’s council that the king hired him.”

“Ah, that warlock again.” The hunter scratched his chin. “That could be difficult.”

The prince growled. “I was wondering if that would be the case.”

Two females passed us on the street, nearly bumping into the hunter and prince. They appeared young and had hair the shade of domal dung. Both of them stared at the hunter and my mate as they passed. Then they began whispering to one another, sneaking additional glances over their shoulders at the males.

---