Coldbloods (Hotbloods #2)

I shook my head. “The only way to stop Queen Gianne’s army from shooting us down is to go toward enemy territory,” I said. “The truce is already teetering on a knife edge, but Queen Gianne won’t want to be the one to cross it, not even for us.”

“Trespassing on Queen Brisha’s side of Vysanthe will probably land us in even deeper trouble,” Navan warned, though I could see he agreed it was our only choice. Whichever way we turned, death appeared to be waiting for us—and I knew I’d rather take my chances with Queen Brisha than Queen Gianne. I just hoped I wouldn’t live to regret the decision.

I forced the accelerator into overdrive, and we shot across the sky so fast everything became a blur, my movements on the console allowing us to evade the ships soaring toward us, firing at the pod. Lazar had picked the perfect vessel—it was small and quick, just the right kind of ship to avoid a horde of soldiers in.

With Queen Gianne’s fighters still tailing us, and the wind whipping into the ship so violently I thought my face might fall off, we reached the border. I could see it now, shimmering in the near distance, jutting up between the ridges of a jagged mountain range. We had just passed the spot where the fighting pits had been, so I knew I was going the right way. Holding my breath, I kept the pod going, not knowing what the shimmering barrier might do to it—or us, for that matter.

“Will the border hurt us?” I asked frantically, as we approached at a rapid pace.

Navan swallowed, his eyes trained on the barrier. “I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so?”

I squeezed my eyes shut as we barreled through it, only to open them again a moment later. We emerged on the other side, unscathed. Beside me, Navan leaned over and pressed a large white button on the console, and flashing lights went off around us.

“What’s that for?” I asked, my whole body shaking.

“I’m flying a white flag,” he said, “letting Brisha know we’re a neutral party.”

I frowned. “Will that work?”

He shrugged, grimacing in pain. “I hope so.”

Suddenly, the rattle of gunfire went off, making me duck for cover once more. I stayed under the console for several moments, covering my ears every time another assault peppered the air with loud explosions.

“It’s the border control, shooting down Queen Gianne’s ships,” Navan said, reaching for my hand, bringing me out from under the console. “They’re not shooting at us.”

I watched through the rearview monitors as flaming balls rained down from the sky, tumbling to the ground below—the remnants of those soldiers who had dared to cross the border in ships built for military action.

They wouldn’t be returning to Queen Gianne’s side of Vysanthe. Then again, neither would we. The only way for us now was forward, into the uncertain embrace of Queen Brisha.

At least she hadn’t shot us down. That had to be a good sign… Right?





Chapter Thirty-One





As the ship’s siren erupted again, the message screen flickered to life. For a moment, I jolted, thinking it was Queen Gianne, but as the image focused, I realized I was mistaken. This woman had long, curling hair, a paler shade of copper than her sister’s—more strawberry blond than vivid bronze. Her eyes were of the same intense, silver shade, but they didn’t hold the same manic expression that Queen Gianne’s did.

No, this was definitely Queen Brisha.

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” she said, her voice clipped and charming. “Navan Idrax, in the flesh.”

Navan frowned in bemusement. Evidently, he hadn’t expected the queen to be so cordial, or half as welcoming as she seemed. “Queen Brisha,” he said formally. “I wish to request an audience with you.”

“Such fortuitous timing, Navan,” she replied with a smile. “You’ve been on my mind an awful lot lately. Indeed, there are several important matters I wish to speak with you about. How excellent that instead of having to track you down myself, you have come to me with open arms!”

There was something eerie about the delight in her tone, and the joy that sparkled in her peculiar eyes. I felt a twist of concern in the pit of my stomach, wondering if I’d have to beat away a queen’s flirtatious advances toward my boyfriend, after everything I had already gone through with his parents and the betrothal.

“So, we may have an audience with you, Your Highness?” Navan asked, uncertainly.

“We?” Queen Brisha replied.

Navan nodded. “I have a… friend with me. I would prefer not to leave her in the ship while we discuss matters.”

She laughed, the sound genuine and oddly sweet. “Of course, the more the merrier! I shall be expecting you in my palace shortly. Follow the coordinates I am sending you, and my guards will escort you to me. I look forward to our meeting,” she said softly. With that, the screen disappeared, Queen Brisha with it.

“So I’m going to be your friend here instead of your slave?” I asked, frowning.

Navan nodded. “I’m tired of putting on that show—I’m hoping we can get away with more on this side of the border.”

I fell quiet, turning my thoughts to the queen’s words, and finding them strange. From what I’d gathered, “the more the merrier” wasn’t exactly Queen Brisha’s motto, and I couldn’t shake the fear I felt at the notion of her and Navan discussing “important matters.” What were these important matters? How could she be so familiar with him?

Following a flashing beacon on the screen, I lowered the ship to the given destination, obeying Navan’s instructions for landing the vessel. With only a minor bump, we reached the ground and parked in a deserted expanse of frosted grass. Around us stretched an endless mountain range, the tips white with snow, along with shimmering, frozen lakes nestled in harsh valleys.

Ahead of us, several armed guards dressed in silver and green emerged from a darkened tunnel in the rockface of a large mountain—along with a tall coldblood woman in a black dress. They all smiled as they approached, and Navan and I moved forward to meet them.

“Welcome to Queen Brisha’s queendom. I am Pandora—I will be your guide throughout your stay here. Anything you need, let me know,” the woman said warmly, her eyes only slightly curious as they glanced over me. “Our queen is most anxious to meet you.”

“Thank you,” Navan replied, still clutching his arm, his hands covered in blood.

She raised her eyebrow. “We should get your injury seen to, though I don’t wish to keep the queen waiting. I’ll send a medic along as soon as I have delivered you to her,” she promised.

She was a striking woman, with broad shoulders and an elegant neck. Her purple-tinted hair was tied up in a ponytail, with golden ornaments woven through her locks. I wondered what they signified, seeing that the majority of the guards wore similar accessories in their hair too. Her sea-green eyes were kind but stern, and I could tell she was the kind of woman nobody would want to mess with.