held open his hands. “Well then . . .”
“But you’re a Prince,” she said. “You are, I know—”
“I am,” he agreed. “Crowned Prince Endreas, heir to the Throne.” He bowed with a flourish.
“But . . .”
He felt like a Pixie Prince to her, to that primal being inside of her. How could he be an Elf?
She took a step back. Her skin itched as the mud began to dry, the rain having stopped at some point. “You shouldn’t be here. I should kill you for being here.”
His eyes widened, flashing. “You’re right. You should. Go ahead, magpie. Kill me.”
“Don’t do that,” she said with a sneer. “I’m serious. You can’t . . . what are you doing here? What do you want?”
“I told you,” he said. “I want you.”
She unleashed her knives, all ten. “Do you want me now?”
A smile curled his lips . . . those lips. “Even more.”
“What are you doing here, Elf?”
“I’ve come to find my queen,” he said. “And I’m very much hoping it will be you.” He glanced down at his shoulder, where she’d stabbed him. Blood soaked through his freshly cleaned shirt, down his sleeve. “I like the way you play.”
“I’m not playing,” she said.
“Yes, you are,” he said.
“And were you playing when you almost killed me?”
He folded his arms. “You should’ve told me where the Enneahedron was, and then I wouldn’t have had to use the nails.”
“And if I had, then Lavana would have it.”
“You could’ve lied,” he said as if it were obvious.
“You would’ve known if I was lying,” she said.
“Probably, but Lavana wouldn’t have.”
“No, but then Lavana would’ve killed me.”
“You’re right. She had every intention of killing you,” he said.
“And you would’ve let her.”
A hard remoteness settled over his face. “If Lavana becomes the Radiant, then I will join with her.”
“So you don’t want me. You want the Radiant.”
“I have no choice but to join with the Radiant of this province, but if I could choose, it would be you.”
“You don’t even know me,” she said.
“I know the way you smell and the way you taste. I know how I feel when I touch you and I know you like how that feels.”
She opened her mouth to curse him, but he pressed on before she could speak.
“And I know that you would rather suffer the worst kind of torture and die than submit. And I know how rare that is, in any creature.”
“But you’ll take Lavana, if you have to.”
His brow furrowed. “If I have to.”
“She doesn’t know that you’re here, that you . . . like me better.”
“No.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I have no intention of becoming the Radiant. All I plan to do is stop Lavana.”
“You’d allow your land to suffer?”
“Don’t talk to me about suffering, Elf! I know more small folk that your kind has terrorized than you have thoughts in your head. You’ve wiped out entire races! You treat with ogres and demons.” Her words formed a strangling pressure in her chest. She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth. “I can’t believe I—”
“You’ve never met an Elf, yet you know everything about us,” he said in a taut tone.
“You came here behind Lavana’s back. You’re betraying her, right now, isn’t that true?”
His jaw flexed.
“You’re a liar,” she spat. “You’re an opportunistic parasite—”
“We do what we have to do to survive. You don’t know anything, Magdalena of the Crystal Falls. Not about my people and not about me. I lie to Lavana because I need to protect myself. Just as you lie—”
“I do not—”
“You’re not going to allow this land to suffer. And you’re not going to allow Lavana to take power so long as you can prevent it— if you can prevent it. So stop lying to yourself, and admit that you are going vie for Radiant.”
“I don’t want to be the Radiant.”
“We all do things we don’t want to do, magpie,” he said, “because we have no
“But you’re a Prince,” she said. “You are, I know—”
“I am,” he agreed. “Crowned Prince Endreas, heir to the Throne.” He bowed with a flourish.
“But . . .”
He felt like a Pixie Prince to her, to that primal being inside of her. How could he be an Elf?
She took a step back. Her skin itched as the mud began to dry, the rain having stopped at some point. “You shouldn’t be here. I should kill you for being here.”
His eyes widened, flashing. “You’re right. You should. Go ahead, magpie. Kill me.”
“Don’t do that,” she said with a sneer. “I’m serious. You can’t . . . what are you doing here? What do you want?”
“I told you,” he said. “I want you.”
She unleashed her knives, all ten. “Do you want me now?”
A smile curled his lips . . . those lips. “Even more.”
“What are you doing here, Elf?”
“I’ve come to find my queen,” he said. “And I’m very much hoping it will be you.” He glanced down at his shoulder, where she’d stabbed him. Blood soaked through his freshly cleaned shirt, down his sleeve. “I like the way you play.”
“I’m not playing,” she said.
“Yes, you are,” he said.
“And were you playing when you almost killed me?”
He folded his arms. “You should’ve told me where the Enneahedron was, and then I wouldn’t have had to use the nails.”
“And if I had, then Lavana would have it.”
“You could’ve lied,” he said as if it were obvious.
“You would’ve known if I was lying,” she said.
“Probably, but Lavana wouldn’t have.”
“No, but then Lavana would’ve killed me.”
“You’re right. She had every intention of killing you,” he said.
“And you would’ve let her.”
A hard remoteness settled over his face. “If Lavana becomes the Radiant, then I will join with her.”
“So you don’t want me. You want the Radiant.”
“I have no choice but to join with the Radiant of this province, but if I could choose, it would be you.”
“You don’t even know me,” she said.
“I know the way you smell and the way you taste. I know how I feel when I touch you and I know you like how that feels.”
She opened her mouth to curse him, but he pressed on before she could speak.
“And I know that you would rather suffer the worst kind of torture and die than submit. And I know how rare that is, in any creature.”
“But you’ll take Lavana, if you have to.”
His brow furrowed. “If I have to.”
“She doesn’t know that you’re here, that you . . . like me better.”
“No.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I have no intention of becoming the Radiant. All I plan to do is stop Lavana.”
“You’d allow your land to suffer?”
“Don’t talk to me about suffering, Elf! I know more small folk that your kind has terrorized than you have thoughts in your head. You’ve wiped out entire races! You treat with ogres and demons.” Her words formed a strangling pressure in her chest. She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth. “I can’t believe I—”
“You’ve never met an Elf, yet you know everything about us,” he said in a taut tone.
“You came here behind Lavana’s back. You’re betraying her, right now, isn’t that true?”
His jaw flexed.
“You’re a liar,” she spat. “You’re an opportunistic parasite—”
“We do what we have to do to survive. You don’t know anything, Magdalena of the Crystal Falls. Not about my people and not about me. I lie to Lavana because I need to protect myself. Just as you lie—”
“I do not—”
“You’re not going to allow this land to suffer. And you’re not going to allow Lavana to take power so long as you can prevent it— if you can prevent it. So stop lying to yourself, and admit that you are going vie for Radiant.”
“I don’t want to be the Radiant.”
“We all do things we don’t want to do, magpie,” he said, “because we have no
Similar Books
