King of Battle and Blood (Adrian X Isolde #1)(16)

“What was that?” I whispered frantically.

Ivan turned in the direction I’d thrown the stone, eyes searching cautiously as I slipped away into the darkness. I did not take off at a run until I heard Ivan yell.

“Princess!”

I wasn’t made for running, and I certainly wasn’t dressed for it, but I pushed forward, running until I could see the vampire’s camp through the trees, then I paused within the shadows. Unlike this afternoon, the camp was alive with activity, and I was taken aback by how human everyone appeared. They were dressed in Adrian’s colors, the colors I imagined decorated the halls of Revekka—red and black. Flashes of gold armor that looked almost featherlike ignited like flame as they milled about, some gathered around the fire, while another group looked to be playing cards. They seemed carefree—as if they were not an army encamped in enemy territory.

Then again, they had little to fear. They were unbeatable.

I did not notice Commander Killian. I expected that if he’d attempted to enter the camp, he would have been captured by now.

Just as I was about to dart from the tree line and head straight for Adrian’s tent, a voice sounded from behind me.

“That was very unkind, what you did to your guard.”

I whirled to find a vampire I did not recognize behind me, and I hated that I had not been able to sense his approach. I stumbled back and, consequently, out of the tree line, and the vampire advanced. The moonlight cast beams of light over his body, illuminating slivers of dark skin and a pretty face—wide cheekbones, full lips, and a set of dimples on either side of his mouth.

“How long have you been following me?” I asked.

“I wasn’t,” he said.

My back met something hard, and hands clamped down on my shoulders. I reached back, grabbed them, and released my daggers into the person’s forearms. A scream that sounded more like a wounded growl erupted into the night, and I twisted to find another vampire. This one was slimmer, his hair hanging straight and lanky around a thin face. His fists were clenched, and blood dripped from his forearms.

“Fuck, she stabbed me!” he cried.

Behind me, the other vampire laughed. “Serves you right for assuming she was unarmed.”

“Sorin, what is going on?” another voice joined the mix. This one was female.

“I caught a mortal sneaking into camp,” said the dark vampire. “She stabbed Isac.”

The woman who approached was blond, her hair pulled into an intricate braid that ran from the top of her head to the middle of her back. She was beautiful and fierce, and she sounded as if she were laughing.

“Stabbed you, Isac?”

“Shut up, Miha,” he snapped.

There were now three vampires standing in an arc before me, and I was shocked I was still alive. Even the one I’d stabbed seemed relatively calm, and I’d expected him to retaliate quickly. Instead, his arms quit shaking, and blood stopped dripping from his wounds. Soon, he let them fall to his sides, healed.

An explosion of cheers sounded behind us suddenly, and I turned to see the group of vampires who had previously been playing cards on their feet. Two men were on the ground, fighting.

Miha rolled her eyes while Sorin and Isac chuckled. “I knew that game would end in a quarrel.”

“Four kings always does,” said Sorin.

I did not ask what four kings was. Instead, I started to shift away from the trio of vampires, until their attention returned to me and I froze.

“So what are you doing here, little one?” Miha continued. “Have you come to seduce and kill our king?”

I was too surprised by her question to complain that she’d called me little one. My brows rose. “Excuse me?”

“It wouldn’t be the first attempt,” Sorin said.

“I—no,” I said and paused. “Did you just say it wouldn’t be the first attempt?”

“That’s right,” Sorin quipped.

“What happened to the woman who tried that?”

I couldn’t help myself. I was curious. Was Adrian capable of being seduced, or had he murdered every woman who tried?

The three of them exchanged a look, and before Sorin could speak, another voice joined the fray.

“Princess Isolde. What a surprise.”

I whirled to face Adrian while the three vampires behind me acknowledged him.

“My king,” they said.

“I caught her sneaking into camp, Your Majesty,” said Sorin.

“She stabbed me,” said Isac.

“We stopped her before she could reach your tent,” Miha added.

Adrian looked at me for a long moment and then spoke. “Princess Isolde is my betrothed. She may come to my tent whenever she wishes.”

It wasn’t a wish. This was business, but I said nothing.

“You could have said that,” said Isac, “instead of stabbing me.”

I turned to look at him. “You were the one who touched me.”

“On the shoulders,” he added, as if to clarify for Adrian’s sake.

“Your point?”

The other two vampires were smiling, and behind me, Adrian chuckled, which drew my gaze. When he wasn’t laughing at my expense, the sound was actually…warm.

“You laugh,” I said and tilted my head back to better meet his eyes, “but he is not the only one who will feel the sting of my blade.”