Chapter A Soul of Ash and Blood: NECESSARY SUPPLIES

Emil Da’Lahr was a motherfucker.

One either enjoyed being in his presence or spent the entirety of that time plotting various ways to murder him, something I truly believed brought Emil a perverse level of joy.

Either way, I routinely alternated between those two states of being.

But when push came to shove, the auburn-haired Atlantian had my back, and I had his. He was loyal, as quick with a sword and dagger as he was with his retorts, and although he had jokes for days, he was a beast if crossed.

He was waiting for us on the bank of a quiet lake nestled deep within the Grove, seated on a flat boulder.

And Emil wasn’t alone.

Crouched at his feet was a large, silver-and-white wolven. He rose upon our approach, nearly as tall as the boulder Emil sat upon. The wolven’s size alone would’ve stopped the heart of any mortal upon sight, so he would’ve traveled as a mortal, but I bet he’d shed that form the moment he could. None of the wolven liked to remain in their mortal forms for long stretches of time, even if it was by choice or forced by a situation.

“Arden,” I acknowledged, smiling.

The wolven trotted from Emil’s side, brushing against Kieran’s legs first and then coming to nudge my hand. I ran my fingers through the fur between his ears as Emil stood and gave an overly elaborate, sweeping bow.

“You’re not going to greet me with that handsome smile of yours?” the auburn-haired Atlantian asked as he straightened. “Flash those dimples?”

“Not now.”

Arden let out a low huffing noise that sounded like a laugh.

Emil pressed a hand to his chest. “You wound me.” He paused. “My Prince.”

I shot him a narrowed-eye glare, and the man’s smile deepened.

“Sometimes, I really think you have a death wish,” Kieran muttered under his breath.

Everyone who met Emil thought that.

Chuckling, Emil leaned back against the boulder. There was no sword on his hip. Dressed as he was in the dull brown breeches of a Solis commoner, a sword would’ve drawn too much attention. Still, I knew he had an armory of weapons beneath the plain black coat.

“How was your journey here?” I asked as Arden turned his attention to the dark woods. “Run into any problems?”

“Nothing that Arden and I couldn’t take care of. Just a few Craven and a nosy guard or five,” he answered. “All these years I’ve lived, and I’ve never seen a wolven basically eat a person before.”

My brows knitted as I glanced at Arden. The wolven chuffed, keeping his stare on the trees.

“We don’t usually make a habit of that,” Kieran replied. “Mortal meat is…gamey.”

“

?” I repeated under my breath.

“It was morbidly fascinating to watch. Couldn’t look away. Also, very disgusting.” Emil crossed his arms. He glanced toward the east. “Anyway, got to say, I’m not impressed with what I’ve seen of Masadonia so far, especially what you get an eyeful of upon entering the city.” His lip curled. “Gods, I can’t believe they have people living like that.”

“Most wouldn’t believe it unless they saw the Lower Ward.” Then again, even if the Blood Crown took better care of their people, their cities would be a dull comparison to Atlantia.

I was eager to return to the Red Pearl, but there were things I needed to know. “How are things in Spessa’s End?” I asked of the Atlantian city that sat upon the Stygian Bay, within a day’s ride of the Skotos Mountains. The once-busy trading post was believed to have been destroyed in the war, just like the nearby city of Pompay, and since it was so far east, the Blood Crown had no knowledge of the city’s current state. It had to stay that way.

“Good. I think some of the crops are about to be harvested. At least that’s what Vonetta was talking about when I left,” he said, referencing Kieran’s sister. “Many more homes have been built. You’ll barely recognize the place when you return.” His amber gaze met mine. “Which we all hope is soon. Not me. But others, yes. They hope it will be soon.”

Laughing, I shook my head and then shifted the subject to a far more delicate one. “Any word from Evaemon?”

“The King and Queen are…concerned about your current whereabouts and your motives for being gone so long,” he shared, the humor fading from his features. “Alastir’s commentary on the matter hasn’t been helpful in easing those worries.”

Dragging a hand through my hair, I sighed. I wasn’t at all surprised to hear that. As the Advisor to the Crown, Alastir Davenwell’s duty was to keep the King and Queen informed about all things. However, the elder wolven did very little to quell my father’s temper or de-escalate plans for war. He wanted to see the Blood Crown burn. I couldn’t exactly blame him for that. He, like many others, had his reasons.

“We’d better get on with this.” Emil nodded at Arden. I glanced at the wolven. His ears were flat once more as he nervously paced near the boulders. “I don’t believe he likes these woods very much. I fear he will start eating one of us.”

Arden growled at the Atlantian, and Emil simply smiled. I imagined their journey here had been…interesting and long.

“Bad vibes,” Kieran murmured, turning his stare to the still lake.

Emil raised his brows at me.

I shook my head. “Kieran believes these woods are haunted.”

“I don’t believe,” Kieran countered. “I know.”

“Well, then, we really need to hurry.” Emil began rolling up the sleeve of his coat. “Because if I see even one ghost, you will never see an Atlantian run faster.”

Kieran smirked. “You can’t outrun the dead.”

Fingers halting around the sleeve, Emil turned his head to the wolven. “That was an…exceptionally creepy statement.”

He shrugged. “Just the truth.”

Emil frowned. “That didn’t help.”

“Thank you for doing this,” I cut in, stopping them before the conversation went any further. I took Emil’s hand as I looked down at the slightly shorter male. “The risk you took coming here is appreciated.”

“Anything for you.” Emil met my stare. “You know that.”

“I do.” I squeezed his hand. “I won’t take more than is needed.”

Kieran’s stare sharpened on me. I knew he didn’t look away. Not as I lifted Emil’s wrist to my mouth. I hesitated, even as my jaw began to ache more furiously. His blood would surely erase the lingering taste of the Maiden, and damn if that wasn’t an idiotic as hell thing to even think about.

Even more so was the fact that I hesitated of that.

Biting fast and clean where Emil’s pulse beat strongly, he only jerked a little as I quickly withdrew my fangs. I smoothed my thumb along the inside of his wrist, soothing away the brief sting of pain. Feeding could be painful or bring pleasure. It could also be as impersonal as a business transaction. This was the latter as I drew his blood, his very life force, into me. The moment the rich, earthy taste hit my tongue, every cell in my body seemed to vibrate. It was like going too long without food or water. I wanted to gulp but forced myself to take slow, steady draws as Emil stood still.

Feeding and being fed on were quite common among our kind, but if one didn’t trust another, there was an instinctual reaction that couldn’t be hidden—a physical one. Emil showed no signs of such. He didn’t pull away. He didn’t tense or even make a sound. Emil trusted me. Irrevocably. And I wasn’t sure what I’d done to earn that.

As I drank, bits and pieces of images formed in my mind. Thick, dark green trees. The smell of freshly tilled soil and sawdust. Memories. This was one of Emil’s. I heard his teasing laugh as I saw a girl with long, dark braids that reached her waist, and skin the color of the night-blooming roses the Maiden sought in the evenings. I recognized her at once.

It was Vonetta—Kieran’s sister. Why the fuck would Emil be thinking of her right now? Well, the answer was an obvious one.

I grinned against Emil’s wrist. Man, he really did have a death wish.

Several more moments passed before I forced myself to withdraw. I lifted my head, chasing away a lone drop of blood that had dampened my lip as my eyes found Emil’s. I raised a brow and grinned. His jaw locked as he glanced at Kieran. My grin spread.

“That’s not enough,” Kieran began.

“It was.” I offered my other hand to Kieran. “See for yourself.”

He folded his fingers around my wrist, his thumb pressing into my pulse. Being that Emil was like me, one of the elemental bloodlines that could be traced back to the first Atlantians created by the gods, his blood was pure and powerful. Already, my skin felt warmer. The faint fogginess clouding my mind was gone. My heart rate had slowed.

Kieran dragged in an audible breath of relief.

“Are you sure?” Emil’s gaze searched mine. “If you need more, I’ll be fine.”

“I’m sure.” I squeezed his hand once more before letting go. “Thank you again.”

“You know, I can stay.” Emil began rolling down his sleeve. “Keep a low profile while doing some sightseeing. No one will even know I’m here.”

“I thought you said you weren’t impressed with the city.”

“I’m willing to hang around and see if a longer look will change my mind,” he said.

I smiled, knowing that Emil, like all of us, had no real desire to spend time in any place controlled by the Blood Crown. He offered so he could be available in case I needed to feed again. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be necessary. Elemental Atlantians could go for long periods without feeding if we remained uninjured and kept ourselves well-fed through typical mortal means.

“I appreciate the offer, but there is something else I must ask of you. Another favor,” I said, shifting my weight. The growing tension seizing my muscles had also faded. “I would like for you to return to Atlantia and Evaemon.”

Emil’s head tilted as Arden listened. “I assume there is a more detailed purpose behind this request.”

“There is. I would like for you to keep an eye on Alastir.”

Surprise flickered across Emil’s face. “Are you suspicious of him?”

“No. I’ve known Alastir since I was a babe. He’s like a second yet more demanding father,” I said, earning a snort from Kieran. “But the very last thing we need is for him to discover what I’m planning.”

“At the very least, we need to delay his knowledge,” Kieran added. “Alastir has eyes and ears everywhere. He’s bound to find out.”

“So, you want me to run interference?” Emil surmised, and I nodded. “I can do that.” He glanced over at Arden, who was nosing a fallen leaf as if it were a pit viper. “Out of curiosity, why do we want to keep Alastir in the dark for as long as possible?”

“Alastir wants war. Possibly more so than even my father. If he learns of my plans to take the Maiden, he will want to use her to strike back at the Blood Crown.”

Just as my father would.

Emil turned his attention back to me. “And how does that differ from what you are doing?”

“I don’t plan to kill her,” I stated flatly. “And that is exactly what they would do.”

The Atlantian said nothing for several moments. “Well, I hope your plan doesn’t turn out to be what you expect of . Truly.”

“As do I,” I said. The unease I’d felt the other morning while training with Vikter returned, plopping its ass on my chest, now too cold and heavy for having just fed.

Wishing Emil and Arden safe travels back to Atlantia, we parted ways. Kieran returned to the city, where Jansen had set him up with somewhat private lodging in a small apartment over one of the various workshops. And I, well, I made my way back to the Red Pearl, picking up enough speed that I was free of the Grove within seconds. Moving too fast for mortal eyes to track, I forced myself to slow once I reached the alley outside the Red Pearl. My heart began pounding, and it had nothing to do with physical exertion.

I climbed the back steps, taking three at a time to reach the hall outside the chamber. I’d only been gone an hour, if that, but before I reached the door, I already knew. Still, I had to check. I pushed the door open, finding only her lingering sweet scent. The room was empty.

The Maiden hadn’t waited.