Dragons Against Them (Kingdoms of Fire and Ice #2)(17)

Addie bit back another giggle. Oh, this ought to be good.

“Because of her frequent night terrors, Your Majesty. Two of the guards who are often positioned outside her room were with my men in the woods today. They recognized her voice.”

Oh, I’ll bet they did. Addie rolled her eyes. Night terrors, my ass.

“If that was the case, then where is she now? Did you not take wing and fight to save Princess Rosalind?”

“We tried, sire. But the wards prevented us from following.”

Wards? Addie looked to Zayne. A muscle had tensed in his jaw. Whatever these ward things were wasn’t good.

A roar rang out below, followed by something slamming against a piece of furniture. “Curse you, Ryia—even in death, your actions still haunt me!”

“Calm yourself, Father. There is no proof that these men were witc—”

“Of course we’re certain. There’s only one clan who would dare enter our lands and steal a princess out from under my very nose. I should have killed the whole lot of them while I had the chance. Casting them into exile only served to fuel their lust for vengeance.”

Addie frowned. Her history lessons to this point had revolved around family lineage, not past battles with other clans or kingdoms. Was taking off with runaway royals something that happened often in their family?

She opened her mouth to ask Zayne for clarification when Tristan spoke up.

“But why her, Father? Why now?”

“Retribution for Adelaide’s unexpected return, perhaps?” asked Quinn.

“Perhaps,” answered her father. “Warrick—take your men and find Haelan. I want those wards destroyed. Clear our way so that we may storm the witches’ village, reclaim my daughter, and put an end to this feud once and for all.”

Addie looked out into the darkness, beyond the castle, past the forest. Surely she’d heard him wrong. Witches? The same people who had failed to save her mother and then stolen Addie from the castle’s nursery—they were back?

But that couldn’t be. Her father had cast them out, sent them far off into exile. They couldn’t possibly be milling around unnoticed just beyond the wall surrounding Forath castle. She looked to Zayne, praying she’d heard wrong.

“D-did he really just say witches?” she whispered.

With a frown he shifted his golden gaze to hers. “Aye.”



Terror washed over Adelaide’s pale features. Zayne swept her into his arms and away from the window lest she made a sound to give them away. Her blue silken nightdress fluttered across his bare chest with the movement, teasing the beast within. But now was not the time or place to entertain thoughts of that gown or the soft body beneath, not with Addie in a panic and her kingdom on the verge of war.

Curse Jarin for always assuming the worst of the witch clan. They never bothered a soul in Edana. Then again, the residents of Edana had not been the ones to cast them ruthlessly out of their homes and from their lands.

“The soldier offered your father a lie to appease him, Adelaide. Surely the witches remain across the wall.”

“But you heard Warrick or whatever his name was—dragons were just spotted in Forath. Taking off with Rosalind.” She stepped away from him and rubbed her hands up and down each arm. “I thought the witches were gone, Zayne. Like, gone gone. What if…what if they’ve come back to finish the job? To get rid of me for good as some sick way of getting even with my father?”

“No. The witches are not some bloodthirsty clan intent on revenge.”

“But how can you possibly know that?”

To see her distraught ignited a fury deep inside Zayne, one that whispered for him to strike down the source of her worries, to protect her from further pain. But she had much to learn about these lands, and a better path would be to educate her of the witches’ ways rather than lash out at the ignorant sentries downstairs.

Footsteps sounded in the hall, and worry began to weave a complicated path through his mind. If the guards discovered Addie gone from her room, they would assume the worst. And there would be more guards, if the Bennett family truly believed the rubbish spewed forth from their warriors’ mouths.

“Allow me to return you to your room, my lady, before the others believe you to be stolen as well. Once there, I shall tell you what I know of the witches, and your fears shall be put to rest.”

“I seriously doubt that.” She met his gaze, hers quite wary. “You’re not just going to feed me some BS story to make me feel better, are you?”

He knew not what she meant, as did happen from time to time, but the tone in her voice warned he not ask for an explanation at this hour. Instead, he offered her his hand. “Never shall I offer you anything but the truth.”

“Only the truth?”

“You have my word, Adelaide.”

“Fine.”

She took his hand and allowed him to lead her to his chamber door. There they paused to listen. Upon hearing nothing, Zayne cracked open the door. As neither scent nor sound greeted him still, he drew Addie alongside him and together they hurried toward her room. They were less than a dozen steps from her door when a throat cleared in the hall behind them. Both he and Adelaide froze at the sound.

“Were the king’s rules unclear, Prince Zayne?”

A small wave of relief washed over him. It was merely Tristan.