Renegades (Hotbloods #3)

I shuddered, feeling uneasy at all this talk of vengeance. If Queen Brisha launched an attack on her sister, that meant Navan could be sent off to battle at any moment. Whether or not she would send me too remained to be seen, but I wasn’t looking forward to such a terrible event either way. In a game of war, there were no winners.

More than that, Queen Brisha’s hospitality made me feel unsettled. We were being treated far better than I had ever expected, with all these special gifts being thrown in for good measure. The apartments we were staying in were luxurious, with our every whim catered to at the push of a button. We wanted for nothing, the kitchens always stocked with vials and blood stews for Navan and his brother, and bowls of fruit and vegetables for me and my human friends. We were permitted somewhat free rein of her dominion, as long as we didn’t step outside the walls of Nessun. And here Brisha was, opening up to me, telling me of her battleplans.

My stomach turned at the realization that all of this would come crashing down around us, if—or when—she discovered our betrayal. There would be no coming back from that.





Chapter Four





Gripping the serum and the box for Bashrik in my hands, I left Queen Brisha to her books and her vengeance and walked quickly through the palace until I reached the dayroom we were supposed to be meeting in for lunch. I’d been in the library for what felt like hours, though the clocks on the wall told me it had barely been thirty minutes.

When I entered, my friends looked up at me from a circular table that was laden with empty plates. Behind them, floor-to-ceiling windows opened out onto a wide balcony overlooking the tumbling waterfalls that cascaded from the mountainside beyond, the water frothing a pinkish white at the bottom. The color had something to do with a red sediment found in the rocks, but its resemblance to blood troubled me.

“About time!” Angie said, though it was clear that both Navan and Lauren had filled the others in on my whereabouts. I could see in the relieved expressions on their faces that they were happy to see me in one piece.

“How did it go?” Navan asked, standing to pull back one of the chairs so I could sit down.

I shrugged. “A lot better than expected, to be honest,” I replied, as Navan sat back down in the chair beside me.

Lauren frowned. “How so?”

“I thought she might want to talk about the blood sample or the elixir, but she didn’t. She just wanted to give me a gift,” I explained, knowing how strange it sounded. Seeing the empty plates in front of everyone, I glanced at the food that remained in the bowls, but I’d lost my appetite.

“The queen wanted to give you a gift?” Bashrik remarked, almost disdainfully.

I placed the vials of wing serum on the table. “She gave me these.”

Navan picked up one of the vials and turned it over in his hands. Just as I’d done, he shook the small bottle, listening to the sound of liquid within.

“It’s a serum that can give me wings for a few hours at a time,” I continued, feeling increasingly excited at the thought of taking to the air by myself. “She wants to even the playing field for me in battle scenarios. It’s still a little bit experimental, but apparently it’s safe enough.”

Navan’s expression darkened. “There’s no way this stuff can be safe for humans to use,” he announced, lifting the vial up to the light. “You’re not seriously thinking about taking it, are you?”

I shrugged. “I’m still deciding,” I hedged.

“You’re going to have to use it at least once,” Bashrik interjected, flashing his brother a knowing look.

“She doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want to,” Angie cut in, giving Bashrik a pointed glare. I almost laughed, wondering how they’d been getting along recently, working together in such close quarters on the new alchemy lab. It seemed they were still fully capable of getting on each other’s nerves.

“Angie has a point,” Navan said.

Bashrik rolled his eyes. “Am I the only one with any common sense around this table?” He sighed, exasperated. “You’re going to have to use it, Riley, because if you don’t, Queen Brisha will see your refusal of it as a personal slight. She has given you a gift that, even by Vysanthean standards, is pretty exceptional. If you don’t use it she’ll be beyond offended, and, seriously, we can do without that kind of trouble—”

“It’s too dangerous,” Navan said, only to get another savage eyeroll from his brother.

“This whole planet is too dangerous for them, Navan,” Bashrik replied. “Somehow, against all odds, the queen has taken a liking to your beloved Riley, and I suggest we use that to our advantage. If the queen says the stuff isn’t going to kill her, then what’s the harm? There are a million things on this planet that could kill her, but I don’t see you worrying about those.”

“I do worry about those, actually,” Navan muttered.

“By the way, the queen had something for you, Bashrik,” I said, wanting to break up their argument before it got too heated. I handed the box over to the astonished Bashrik. “She hoped it might help you continue with all your hard work on the alchemy lab,” I explained, though I had no idea what the box contained.

Bashrik took the box tentatively before lifting the lid and peering inside. Immediately, his face paled, his cheeks flushing a deep shade of pink. Through the ashen skin of his throat, I saw his Adam’s apple bob as he gulped.

“An arakar heart!” Navan burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. Bashrik looked on, utterly mortified. Every time Navan looked up, he started laughing again, descending into hysterics as Bashrik scowled in his direction. Whatever the queen had given him, it clearly wasn’t something he’d been expecting. “She gave you an arakar heart!” Navan managed between laughs, smacking a hand down on the table. “Looks like Riley isn’t the only one who has won the queen’s affections!”

“It’s not funny!” Bashrik snapped, punching his brother in the shoulder.

“An arakar heart?” I asked. Glancing at Angie and Lauren, I could see that they were just as bemused as I was.

Navan nodded, wiping his eyes. “It’s a Vysanthean gift of courtship,” he explained, still chuckling through his words. “I’ve seen you humans give roses or chocolates, but we give arakar hearts if we really like someone,” he added, grinning at his brother.

“Where’s Riley’s arakar heart, then?” Bashrik countered, evidently intending to claw some of his dignity back. My outburst of laughter made his face fall again. I didn’t care about arakar hearts, or roses, or chocolates. I knew Navan’s feelings for me, and that was all I needed.

“Queenie loves you!” Angie chimed in, her eyes glittering with mischief. “That’s why she keeps sending all those vials when we’re working! It all makes sense now. She thinks you’re gorgeous. She wants to kiss you,” she cackled, clearly thrilled with her new ammunition.