Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 21 - Chapitre 30

~ Theron Drakhar ~"You are moving her where?" Selene asked, her sharp voice cutting through the quiet corridor of the upper wing.I stopped in the middle of the hallway, my boots making no sound against the thick crimson rug. Behind me, two heavy stone stewards froze in place. They carried a small wooden chest containing the human girl’s few belongings."You heard me, General," I said. My voice stayed low, but the power behind it made the stone dust rattle softly in the high window frames. "She will no longer stay in the guest spire. Her quarters are now the suite beside my bedchamber."Selene stepped into my path, her dark leather armor tight against her shoulders. Her eyes, usually full of calm discipline, held a sharp line of doubt. "Your highness, that wing is reserved for the royal bloodline. Placing a human there—a human who cannot even walk across a courtyard without falling—will enrage the court. Lady Seraphine’s faction is already calling it an insult to our ancestors."A da

~ Nerrissa ~"You are writing something."Theron's voice filled the room before I could hide the parchment. I pressed it flat under my palm, but his eyes had already found it, the way they found everything."Just letters," I said. "To pass the time."He crossed the room in three long steps, heat rolling off him like a wave off a hearth. He didn't reach for the parchment. He looked at me instead, his molten eyes moving over my face like he was searching for a crack."Your servant is sleeping," he said, glancing at the cot. It wasn't a question."He is.""Good." He straightened, and for a moment I thought he would say something else, something that might explain why he'd dragged a boy across the sky just to sit at my side. Instead, he only said, "Don't wander the halls at night. My guards have orders they won't enjoy following." Then he was gone, the connecting door groaning shut behind him, the heat fading slower than his footsteps did.I sat by the fire until it burned to nothing, and

~ Nerrissa ~The knock came right after I finished my morning broth. Finn was by the small table, folding the linen wraps from my feet. He looked up, his face tight. "It's Lady Seraphine," he whispered. "The guards let her up." I nodded and wiped my hands on my skirt. My feet still stung inside my soft socks, but I stood straight. "Let her in," I said.The door opened. Seraphine stepped inside like she owned the room. Her red dress brushed the floor. In her hands she held a small wooden box tied with gold string. Two maids stayed behind her in the hall, holding a silver tray with a steaming pot and two clay cups. "Nerrissa," she said, smiling wide. Her smile did not reach her eyes. "I hope I am not too early.""Not at all," I said. "Please, sit." She set the box on the dining table and untied the string with slow fingers. Inside was dark, dried leaves and small pieces of orange peel. The smell was strong, sweet and spicy. "A peace gift," she said. "For yesterday. The courtyard custom

~ Nerrissa ~I stepped backward until my heels hit the edge of the woven floor mat.The glass of the balcony doors did not make a loud crash when it broke. A thin circle of gray light cut through the center of the pane, and the heavy crystal slid out like smooth ice, falling into the dark-clad hands of the man outside. He set the circle of glass down on the stone terrace without making a single sound.He slipped through the open gap like smoke through a keyhole.He wore black leather armor with no buckles to clink together. A dark cloth covered his nose and mouth, leaving only two pale, cold eyes visible beneath his deep hood. In his right hand, he held a curved iron dagger. The edge of the steel was coated with a sticky green paste that smelled like burnt copper and sour vinegar.Poison."Do not make a sound, girl," the man said. His voice was a harsh whisper that barely traveled two feet. "This blade works fast if you stay still.""Who sent you into the King's wing?" I asked, keepin

~ Nerrissa ~"Put me down, Theron."My voice came out small and cracked against the hard bronze curve of his shoulder.Theron did not loosen his grip. His massive arm stayed locked around my waist like an iron band, keeping my feet dangling inches above the scorched floorboards. His bronze chest rose and fell in heavy, ragged thuds beneath my palms. The smell of burnt ozone, melted stone, and black dragon fire still clung to his dark skin, so thick and hot that it made my eyes water."You are shaking," he growled. His voice vibrated directly through my ribs, rattling the tiny bones in my ears."I am shaking because you just broke my door and burned a man into gray dust," I whispered, resting my hands against his chest to steady myself."He was vermin," Theron snarled. His molten gold eyes flared, the slit pupils narrowing until they were razor-thin. "He held a poisoned blade over your throat. I should have ripped his limbs off one by one before I turned him to soot.""You did enough,"