“So we were close to finding this place,” Munro said with a hint of a smug smile.
Lothaire’s eyes seemed to burn at that smile. “How dare you try?”
“How dare your men be late to pick us up?”
Lothaire waved that away. “I had to give those fire demons time to capture you.”
Munro’s eyes flickered beastly blue. “You are the one who sold us out?” He dropped his hand from Ren as his fists clenched.
Ellie whirled around on her throne with an expression of disbelief. “You are such a chode!”
“Ah, hellbilly”—Lothaire cast his queen a tender smile, with a flash of fang—“all’s fair in love and Lore.”
Munro looked like his beast was baying for blood, but he couldn’t take on all these vampires. Stelian had tensed, palm hovering over his sword hilt. And Kristoff looked like he would fight to protect Lothaire.
Ren laid her hand on Munro’s arm. “Easy, wolf.”
A growl broke from his chest. “If no’ for my Instinct’s warning, the demons’ first shot would have taken us out. They incinerated the building we were in.”
“Yes, the honeymoon suite. The nymphs were vexed to have their guests fired upon,” Lothaire coolly said. “Not that they’ll do anything about it. They never do.”
At least Iona and her daughters hadn’t been hurt or killed.
“As I explained to them, I instructed my henchmen not to harm anyone. But demons. What can you do?”
“For starters—no’ fucking set them upon us!” Munro snapped. “If those demons had captured us alive, do you have any idea what the warlocks would have done to us?”
“Not much. At least, not for long. My plan was to collect the bounty, utilize their gateway, and then break every single prisoner out of Quondam’s dungeon. Happy Accession!”
Ren dryly observed, “How quickly you would have filled up your new ledger.”
Lothaire inclined his head. “Well-noted, mortal. Yet then Loa informed me that the bounty was a sham, so I laid aside my plans.”
“Leo, make this up to the nymphs and to our guests!” Ellie’s tone brooked no denial.
He cast his queen a heated glance with his strangely hypnotic red eyes. “Fine. But only because I worship you. I don’t carry just anyone’s finger in my pocket, do I?”
Was that a vampire custom?
The queen’s eyes grew black with emotion. “Just mine, you freaky leech.” They seemed to be in their own little world.
Stelian cleared his throat.
Lothaire blinked, then faced his audience to announce: “Tomorrow, Hag and I will begin a search for Dorada. Bygones, wolf?”
Clearly surprised by the vampire’s offer, Munro grated the word, “Bygones.”
With that settled, Lothaire sat forward in his throne and leveled his unsettling gaze on Ren. “If the ring appeared right now, would you wish to be transformed?”
Can’t lie. “I wouldn’t.”
Lothaire turned to Munro, his smile as breathtaking as it was mirthless. “Right in the balls, wolf?”
FORTY-NINE
“Let’s drink!” Ellie said as she led Ren through the castle to a set of winding stairs.
Munro hadn’t wanted to separate from Ren, certainly not to go play pool with Lothaire, but the queen had decreed a GNI—girls’ night in, “no boys allowed.”
Ren was surprised Munro had allowed her out of his sight, even if she was only going to a different part of a guarded and fortified castle in a hidden realm.
“We’ll head to my salon,” the queen told her. “I think that’s just a fancy way of saying couch lair. Balery will be up after she finishes a potion.”
“Potion?”
“She’s not just an oracle, she’s a concoctioness. She makes all kinds of potions.” Ellie paused on the steps. “Oh, be careful not to touch her skin. It’s poisonous.” She continued up the stairs, as if she’d mentioned something trivial, like, Don’t comment on her new haircut.
For all the species Ren had encountered in the forest, she’d never seen a poisonous fey before. “I’ll be on guard.” Reminded that she was in a new pond and the water was deep, she adjusted her knife holster.
When they reached the highest floor in a castle spire, a large room spread out before them. Atop a plush rug, sofas made an L shape, and fires in two hearths burned. One entire wall opened to the night.
Ellie waved at the opening. “That’s the great thing about a kingdom with no rain.” She sauntered behind a bar. “What can I get you to drink?”
“I don’t know a lot about royalty, but I’m fairly certain you shouldn’t be getting me anything.”
Ellie laughed. “Leo wants me to have servants tracing about at my beck and call, but ‘indolent rich’ is not my scene.” Her scene? “I grew up poor as dirt, and I like doing for myself. So, I’m having a blood margarita, which is probably not your scene. What’s your drink?”
Anything but blood. Ren imagined consuming it to live and grew queasy. “Do you have brandy?”
“Yep. Cop a squat.” At Ren’s confused look, Ellie pointed to the sofas. “Get comfy. Comfortable.”
Ren had to step around what looked like toys. “You have children?”
“Hoo! I’m not even eating food of the earth yet.”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, vampire females have to eat food to be fertile. Leo and I are holding off on kids until the Accession passes. Those are my little brother’s toys. He comes over to visit all the time. Leo spoils that boy so bad,” she said with a smile. “What about you? Got any plans for kids?”
“None at present.” She’d never felt a bone-deep craving for children—not until she’d feared she couldn’t have them as a replica. Or maybe she craved Munro’s children.
Each night that he and Ren had camped in the forest, he’d shown her photographs on his phone—some of his twin, who looked like a defeated version of Munro, and many of his wards, Rónan and Benneit.
But a random picture had struck Ren intensely: one of a packmate’s toddler perched upon Munro’s shoulders. The adorable little girl, with her dark hair and golden eyes, could’ve been his daughter. . . .
“You called children pups,” Ren said, “so I pictured something more wolven.”