Winter’s grasp had been broken, but the full bloom of spring was still weeks away. Since Daruvar stood poised between sea and sky in the foothills, it felt colder here than it did in the well-forested basin that Raff called home. Eventually, these fierce slopes would be covered in yellow and purple wildflowers, but he likely wouldn’t be here that long. A few days, a week at most, and he should be able to melt the ice off Princess Thalia enough to get her to agree to his terms.
The wolves followed her small party across the courtyard and through an open arch that led into a dark corridor. There were niches with broken cables and dead bulbs, stacked crates full of supplies, and a constant parade of Eldritch warriors giving him the death stare. Raff ignored the chill atmosphere, keeping pace until they went up a couple of flights, stepped into another hallway—this one better lit—which opened into a salon decorated in what had surely been the latest style, two hundred years ago.
He took in handwoven rugs in red and gold abstract patterns, furniture that was solidly built as if to survive a shelling, covered with shiny, tasseled cushions. A long table dominated the space, ornate carvings of flowering vines on the legs, and the solar lamps were dim, lending the room a faintly sinister air. The food looked good, and they had been traveling long enough that he appreciated that she wasn’t forcing a lot of officious nonsense on his tired, hungry team.
“Please, be seated,” Thalia invited.
Raff wasted no time in accepting the offer. He couldn’t recall if any of his predecessors had ever dined with the Eldritch outside of the Pax Protocols. History wasn’t his strong point; in fact, he’d hated books, not least because they made him feel stupid and inadequate. At every opportunity, he’d ditched his tutors, skipped out on classes, and spent as much time as he could in the wild, even before he learned to shift.
Once Raff was settled, his small entourage took their places beside him, leaving Thalia to sit opposite. Mags waited until everyone was seated, a move he read as a precaution in case someone tried something. If anyone came at him inside Daruvar, though, it wouldn’t be with violence. The Eldritch were known to be cunning poisoners, so he might never see death coming.
Hopefully I’ll smell it.
The food was simpler than it would’ve been, had he sent word of his intention: steamed vegetables and hastily grilled fish. For the Eldritch, there were also platters of fruit and cheese, raw greens tossed in oil. No fancy sauces or long-simmered nut and bean soups with complex layers of flavor. If memory served, many of the Eldritch were vegetarians or if not, they ate what could be pulled from the sea.
“Will you speak a blessing?” Thalia asked.
The woman to her left, venerable in age if Raff was any judge, curled her mouth slightly in dubious amusement. Does she think we’re heathens? Lord Talfayen had certainly considered the Animari little more than beasts. If such prejudice persisted in his daughter or her people, this alliance was doomed.
“Dear Mother, watch and guard us from harm. Keep us from our enemies and help us walk your path. For the bounty we are about to receive, I bless and thank you.”
“Well-spoken,” the elder Eldritch woman said with a touch of surprise. “You have something of a silver tongue, a rare gift.”
Raff smiled. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
3.
Against all odds, dinner progressed smoothly.
The wolf lord was good at keeping the conversation moving without lingering too long on subjects painful and awkward. Judging from Lileth’s surprised expression, she seemed to find him improbably charming. Thalia said only enough to be polite, instead observing interactions between her guests. There were six of them: Raff Pineda, Magda Versai, and four other wolves, whose first names she memorized dutifully—Janek, Tavros, Bibi, Skylett.
Janek was a tall, venerable wolf with weathered skin, silver hair, and a neatly trimmed goatee while Tavros radiated a youthful charm, tousled brown hair and wide gray eyes, slight of build and perpetually interested in everything. As for Bibi, she was a tall brunette with hazelnut eyes and golden skin. Sky stood no taller than Thalia, but her onyx curls made her memorable, especially when paired with tawny skin and cognac eyes. Really, the whole wolf party was quite attractive in various ways.
“Would you care for dessert or an after-dinner drink?” Thalia asked, belatedly aware that she had been studying her guests for a beat too long.
Raff shook his head. “My people are tired. They didn’t rest well on the road, and we dodged a number of patrols on our way to you.”
Thalia’s brows shot up, but she waited until the rest of the guests filed out, Lileth shepherding them to the rooms they had been assigned. Once the two of them were alone, Thalia started to ask, “Are there Golgoth this far—”
“Eldritch. But we had no way of knowing what allegiance those scouts had, and it seemed best not to engage.”
Unease prickled along her spine, dispelling the momentary comfort created by a decent meal and affable conversation. “What route did you take into the foothills?”
“Through Velder’s Pass.”
Thalia nodded. “How many groups?”
“Five, two close to Daruvar.”
“Those were probably my people, but it was wise to avoid them. We didn’t have word that you were incoming, and it might have escalated. We’ve gone wrong that way before.” The rest of the troops, she had known were moving on Daruvar, but the arrival of the wolves changed things significantly.
“You mean when you attacked the cat king in exile?”
“It wasn’t an attack!” This was a sore point, and she’d already apologized to Gavriel until her throat was raw. Only a not-so-secret love had paved the way to his continued service; she was less sure if he’d forgiven her. It also pissed her off that this bastard could
