Court of Vice and Death (Blood and Salt Book 2) by Alexis Calder

Author:Alexis Calder [Calder, Alexis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Illaria Publishing
Published: 2023-08-23T16:00:00+00:00

We were quiet on the long walk to my new room. The floor transitioned from marble to rough stone, the painted walls began to show signs of age. Cracks spiderwebbed across the ceiling. We passed empty rooms with fabric draped over the furniture. This part of the palace felt old and abandoned. I wondered if it was the original structure, a relic from a forgotten time. Just as the Tribute House was.

“Do you know where Ryvin really went?” I finally broke the silence, risking a glance at Vanth.

“No,” he replied. “He wouldn’t tell me.”

“The king was right, wasn’t he? About Ryvin? About the magic he used?” I didn’t feel worthy of that kind of reaction. My life wasn’t that important.

Vanth stopped walking, then looked around before turning his attention to me. “It was the first time I’d ever seen him lose control. And there’s only one cause for that kind of lapse.”

I swallowed hard, fighting the emotions making my chest swell with both fear and longing. I’d fought so hard against my feelings for him, but it seemed he wasn’t fighting his. “You don’t like him much.”

“We have our differences,” Vanth agreed.

“I never asked for this,” I said.

“I know. But love is one of those strange things we can’t control.” He offered a small smile.

“I never said I love him.”

“I never said you did.” Vanth started walking again, motioning for me to follow. “But I should tell you, my disagreements with him have nothing to do with him directly. If things were different, I’d follow him by choice.”

“Then how come you don’t get along?” I asked.

“Because things aren’t different. And shifters don’t get a choice.”

We stopped in front of a door and I peeked in to see a windowless room with a large canopied bed and simple wood furniture. It wasn’t exactly a prison cell, but after the Tribute House, it felt like a dungeon.

“Are you feeling alright after what the king did?” I asked.

“I’ll have a headache for a while,” he said. “But it will fade.”

“Can he do that to anyone? Read their thoughts like that?” I asked.

“Most anyone,” he said. “There’s a few he can’t breech.”

“Ryvin?”

He nodded.

“Why?”

“It’s not my place.” Vanth pushed the door open wider. “I summoned your maid from the Tribute House when they came to get me. She should be here soon.”

“Can the princess do the same thing? Read minds?” I asked.

“Her power is different,” Vanth said. “Not the same as her father’s, but there are few secrets she can’t crack. I’m amazed she didn’t discover the reason Ryvin lost control during the battle.”

“I don’t want that responsibility. I didn’t ask for that kind of devotion. And I certainly didn’t deserve that,” I said.

“I know you don’t want it, but you are worthy of it, Ara. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” Vanth gave my upper arm a gentle squeeze. “You should get some rest. It’ll either be me or Ahmet standing guard. We’ll make sure you’re safe.”

My eyes widened a bit at the mention of another name.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.