I moved to place the book back where I’d found it when a hand stopped me. Lukas took the book from me and handed it to the seller, who nodded and bowed.
“You don’t need money here,” Lukas told me. “All the merchants know the court will pay for your purchases. He will bring your book to the carriage.”
“That kind of takes the fun out of it,” I quipped. “But thank you.”
A few minutes later, I discovered a stall selling dried berries that had a crunchy texture and a flavor similar to blackberries. When Lukas told me they were a popular children’s treat, I bought a bag for Finch and Aisla.
At another stall I found a tiny purple crystal pendant inside a delicate eyranth cage that Violet would lose her mind over. Eryanth was expensive, so I smiled regretfully at the vendor and moved on.
“Do you want it?” Lukas asked.
I looked behind me to see him standing beside the pendant display. “I thought Violet would like it, but I’ll get her something less extravagant.”
Lukas turned to the vendor and said something in Fae. She beamed and removed the pendant from the display.
“You don’t have to do that,” I said when he rejoined me.
“I want to.” We continued our walk, and he said, “You’ve bought things for everyone but yourself. Is there anything you want?”
I sniffed the air as more delicious aromas reached me. “I want to taste whatever it is that smells so heavenly.”
He laughed, and we continued doing our circuit of the market. I ate and drank until I was too full to try another morsel.
When I spotted the carriage up ahead, I sighed quietly. It had been a wonderful afternoon, but now it was time to go back to court.
Lukas assisted me into the carriage, where I found my book waiting for me along with a long object wrapped in cloth. I gave Lukas a questioning look.
He smiled. “You can’t play for me without an instrument.”
I wanted to hug him, but I remembered where we were. “You bought me a…?”
“It’s called a bugu.”
I laid my hand over his resting on his thigh. “Thank you.”
He turned his hand over and entwined his fingers with mine, sending a warm tingle up my arm.
Conlan and the others mounted their tarrans, and the crowd parted as the carriage started forward.
“Did you enjoy your first trip to town?” Lukas asked as we drove back the way we’d come.
“It was perfect.”
“My schedule is hectic right now, but I promise it won’t always be like that,” he said. “We’ll have many more days like this.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” I said lightly.
He gave me a slow smile. “I hope so.”
I didn’t know if he was talking about friendship or something else, but the way he looked at me and held my hand promised more. Heat pooled in my belly, and I wanted nothing else in this moment but to feel his lips on mine. I didn’t think he could kiss me when we were on full display like this, but maybe when we were behind closed doors…
The heat in my belly rose to my cheeks, and I looked away before he could see me blush and guess where my thoughts had gone. My gaze swung to my left and right into the amused eyes of Conlan who rode beside the carriage. His eyebrows rose knowingly, and he smirked at my poor attempt at nonchalance.
“What did you like most about the market?” Lukas asked as we passed over the stone bridge outside town.
I turned back to him. “It’s easier to ask what I didn’t like.”
“And what was that?”
“Leaving it.” I sighed quietly. “I wish this day didn’t have to end.”
His fingers squeezed mine. “It’s not over yet. How would you like to have dinner with my brother and sister?”
My stomach did a little flip. “You want me to meet your family?”
“Only Roswen and Kellan.” His eyes lit with amusement. “Unless you feel up to facing my whole family at once.”
I swallowed nervously at the thought of meeting the Unseelie king. “Maybe only your brother and sister tonight.”
Lukas smiled. “Roswen has been asking when she can meet you, and I can’t put her off much longer.”
“What?” I made a face of mock surprise. “Someone who can’t be ordered around by you?”
He pretended to scowl. “Maybe I shouldn’t introduce you two.”
I opened my mouth to retort, but I was interrupted by a commotion in a field off to our right. A flock of what looked like pink geese was making an awful racket as the birds ran and flew across the field pursued by a dark shape. A dwarf chased after them shouting and waving his arms, trying to save his flock from the predator that looked very familiar.
Lukas called to the driver, and the carriage slowed. Standing, he called, “Kaia.”
If the lamal heard him, she was having too much fun to heed his call. She pounced at one of the birds, and I put my hand over my mouth, expecting the worst. The bird took flight at the last second, escaping with all but a few feathers. Kaia leaped up and took off after another one.
“You’re going to have to go get her,” Conlan said, his voice full of laughter.
“I know.” Lukas hopped down from the carriage and set off across the field, followed by the guffaws of his men. Iian and Kerr gave him a small head start before they slid off their mounts and trailed him.
I stood for a better view – and what a view it was. Lukas’s muscled body moved with the same powerful grace of his lamal as he strode toward the chaos. He looked every bit the predator himself, one I would not mind stalking me.
A shadow passed over the carriage, and I tore my gaze from Lukas to look up at the sky. My jaw dropped at the sight of the winged shape soaring over us. From a distance, drakkans were big. This close, they were massive. The one above us had to be bigger than a single engine plane.
“He won’t hurt you,” Faris called, mistaking my awe for fear. “Drakkans never attack people in the valley.”
The drakkan flew a quarter of a mile away and turned to come back for another pass. It was lower this time, and its scales flashed like flames in the sun. Reddish-gold flames.
It can’t be. My heart jumped. There had to be lots of drakkans with scales that color, and there was no way he could have grown this big in the two months since I’d last seen him.
My eyes were glued to the drakkan as he dipped lower, giving me a good look at the all-too familiar red and gold pattern on his back.
“Gus,” I breathed.
His horned head whipped toward me as if he’d heard me, and his red eyes fixed on me like laser beams.
I stared into his eyes, mesmerized. Someone shouted, but I could barely hear it over the flap of leathery wings. I snapped out of it in time to realize he was coming straight at me. This time, I did feel fear as I ducked for cover.
My head snapped back when the huge clawed foot wrapped around me from behind and snatched me from the carriage. I think I screamed as the ground fell away from us. It happened so fast it was a blur. The only thing I remembered clearly was Lukas racing across the field and shouting my name.
Chapter 11
The drakkan’s powerful wings beat the air, carrying us away at incredible speed. Within seconds, Lukas and the others were out of sight, and I closed my eyes against the dizzying blur of the ground flying past a hundred feet below. I clung to the foot wrapped around me, terrified that any second it would open and send me falling to my death.