Samara
“There you are.”
Startled, I jumped slightly where I’d been sitting on the low balcony wall, but a strong hand grasped my arm, steadying me. My heart beat painfully, as it’d practically leapt into my throat as I glanced to the ground far beneath us. I looked over my shoulder and scowled at the prince. “I thought you were trying to court me, not scare me into falling to my death.”
His lips twitched, and I had the sneaking suspicion he was trying not to laugh at me. “Sorry. That wasn’t my intention. I’ve been sneaking around for the last hour looking for you, trying to avoid the other Heirs and everyone else who ‘just wants a moment of my time.’”
Slowly, he released his grip on my arm, trailing his fingers down it as if he wanted to prolong the contact before stepping back.
“Fair enough. I was just coming to find you anyway.”
Roth wanted to do some research in the library, and Alaric was going to help them while Kieran chatted up the rangers who had traveled with the Heirs to see if he could gleananything useful. I was responsible for distracting Draven and keeping him out of everyone’s way.
I spun around on the balcony wall to hop down. Demetri had left early this morning, but Ary and Aniela had stuck around. I’d already met with them both over breakfast and was growing more confident that they were not allied with the Sovereign House and the wraiths. Even if I trusted them though, it didn’t mean someone in their House wasn’t our enemy. We’d have to tread carefully if we wanted to bring them into the fold, and I wasn’t ready to do that just yet.
“It’s not every day the Moroi Prince graces us with his presence. You can’t blame them for trying to get your support on whatever their latest scheme is.”
“They’re welcome to schedule time with me in the mornings while you’re busy with House business.” He extended an elbow to me. “But I’d prefer to spend time alone with you for the rest of the day . . . and night.”
I did my best to ignore the flicker of excitement that raced through me. Mentally, I knew Draven could not be trusted. He was clearly working with the wraiths, which made him our enemy, but I’d known him for so long, and he was an attractive bastard, and when he said things like that, my body practically screamed,Yes, please!I gave him a bemused grin instead and slipped my arm around his. “You can have me . . . for the day.”
“We’ll see.” His eyes roamed over the scenery. “Quite the view up here.”
“It is,” I agreed. “My study has a good view of the beach, but nothing beats this.” I swept my free hand out towards the vast forest that covered the lands before us. “It’s one of my favorite places to come and think, and play with the strikers of course.”
A low-pitched trill filled the air, and I made a clicking sound with my tongue, keeping my hand extended. Seconds later, a bright red striker landed on my hand, its long talonswrapping around my fingers, the sharp points pushing against my skin but not breaking it.
“Good boy,” I cooed. The creature shook its narrow, elongated head, a forked tongue darting out from its blunt beak. “You’ll be flying further around here in no time.”
Draven reached out and scratched the striker’s back, and it flapped its leathery wings before releasing deep chirps of pleasure. “They’re cute little monsters.”
“I adore them. This one struggled a bit early on. I had to hand-feed it after it hatched because the others kept bullying it, so he’s gotten rather attached to me.”
“Something he and I have in common it seems.”
I rolled my eyes. “Smooth.”
“Thank you.” Draven grinned.
“Come on.” I tugged him towards the large, open-air structure we’d built to house the strikers. “Let’s get him settled, and I’ll take you on a tour of House Harker.”
He groaned. “Did I not mention how I’ve been trying to avoid talking to people for the last hour?”
The striker hopped off my hand onto a free perch, and I gave him one more scratch behind the head before heading towards the stairs, dragging Draven with me. “Don’t worry about it. I have a plan.”
“Alright.” He gave me a sly look. “But for every person who stops us, you have to spend an hour with me after dinner.”
“Deal,” I said confidently.
The winding stairwell was too narrow for us to walk side by side, so I slipped my arm free from his as we made our way down. It didn’t take long for voices to reach us. This was one of the busier towers and where most of the advisors and courtiers spent their time during the day.
“Given the amount of people we’re about to run into, I think you’ll be spending all night with me, Samara.” The wayhe said my name was indecent, and it sent a shiver down my spine, but I could play this game too.
I stopped and whirled around. Draven froze as I placed my hand on his chest, a coy smile twisting my lips. His eyes were locked on mine as I raised my other hand to my lips and used my fang to slice the tip of my index finger. A few drops of blood swelled, and Draven’s nostrils flared. Without looking, I stretched my bloody finger to the wall, the dormant magic of the glyph engraved on one of the stones calling to me. As soon as my blood touched it, a portion of the wall simply disappeared, revealing a hidden stairwell.
Surprise flickered in his eyes, and I let out a husky laugh before licking the remaining blood off my finger. The red threads in Draven’s eyes widened at the sight, and I was pretty sure he had stopped breathing. I licked my lips and leaned forward, one hand still on his chest. “Looks like you won’t be getting that night with me after all, Draven.”
“Fuck,” he muttered as I slipped into the darkness. As soon as he crossed the threshold, I pushed on another glyph, and the wall reappeared, plunging us into absolute darkness. Our night vision was excellent, better than the Velesians or Furies, but even we needed some light to see by, and there was none here. “No Fae lanterns?” Draven asked.
