“This is my brother, Dane Godric.”
Mikhail bowed his head and smiled as well at the mountainous man who equaled Gregoravich in size. But whereas Gregory looked dangerous, Dane had a fierce, wild edge that never left his hazel-gold gaze. His dark-brown hair hung long past his shoulders. He wore rough-hewn leather pants like the others. His tattoos wrapped down his arms beyond his sleeves to his wrists and cut up in harsher lines around his neck. Mikhail had seen his fighting in action back in King Dominik’s palace in Izeling when he and a war party of the Black Lily had come to save the day. Before their arrival that terrifying night, Mikhail wasn’t sure they’d all make it out alive. Unfortunately, the king had made his escape alive as well.
Mina addressed Dane. “You were the one Sienna called Hugo, weren’t you?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the hard man said with a respectful bow of the head.
Thankfully, she did not question where his younger brother was. The one who’d died in battle against an army of Queen Morgrid’s vampires. It was the deciding factor for Dane to join the Black Lily against the evil queen.
“Your Highness,” said Allora. “I would like to introduce you to our four chieftains. This is Bain of the Fingal clan, Kiel of the Lochlan, Niall of the Rodan clan, and finally, my father, Hagan of the Godric clan.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” she said, as if it were every day she met the elusive chieftains of the hart wolves.
They all bore varying shades of golden eyes, distinct to the hart wolf. While the chieftains observed Mina shrewdly, Allora’s father stepped forward and lifted his hand.
“May I, Your Highness?”
Mikhail tightened every muscle in his body. His protectiveness of her was an instinctual reaction. He tightened his fists, reigning in an emotion he shouldn’t be feeling. As her personal guard, of course he’d feel protective. But not to this degree.
“Be not afraid, Captain,” said Allora. “He means her no harm.”
Mikhail eased his stance but kept close to Mina, who lifted her hand to the chieftain.
When he took her hand in his, he closed his eyes. His hard face broke into a smile. When he opened his eyes, they burned bright gold. Mina inhaled a small gasp but didn’t pull her hand away until he released it.
He turned back to the other chieftains and simply nodded. The tension stiffening the three remaining suddenly evaporated like mist in the wind.
“You’ve tasted magic once before, Your Highness,” whispered the chieftain. “You are welcome within the safety of Silvane Forest. As long as you should need it.”
“I told you, Father,” said Allora behind him.
“Yes, you did, Daughter.” He and the other three chieftains marched off into the woods.
Mikhail noted the heavy presence of hart wolves melting away as they wandered off. He smelled their scent growing fainter. Dane and Allora remained, then they marched on together deeper into the Silvane Forest.
“You could’ve warned me.” Mina’s arm brushed against his as she whispered close.
“I was trying to.”
“Allora,” she called to the woman walking just ahead. “What did your father mean? That I’ve tasted magic before?”
“He means exactly that. You’ve been touched by magic before.”
“But how? What kind of magic?”
Allora laughed, a sort of tinkling sound that echoed up into the empty boughs. She glanced over her shoulder. “The magic of the hartstone.”
“But I’d never been to the Silvane Forest before Arabelle brought me here. I’ve never even seen the hartstone.”
“Few people ever have,” she said with another enigmatic smile. “Nevertheless. It has seen you. Somewhere.” She leaped toward the path when a flash of black wolf slipped between the trees. “Dane, you’ll watch them to the encampment, I need to—” She nodded toward her mate.
“Go, Allora. I’ll watch them.”
Allora ran, pulling her tunic over her head, laughing when Bron caught up to her. Mikhail watched Mina, who had stopped, unable to keep her eyes from the scene, her pretty mouth ajar. Mikhail glanced back just in time to see a naked Allora blur in place, much like when a vampire speeds, then a cracking sound and flare of light. A white hart wolf sprang up, bounding after the black one.
“Come on, Mina,” he pressed a light hand to her back to keep her moving.
“Did you just see that?”
“Yes.” He chuckled.
“Oh, don’t let him fool you,” said Dmitri. “He was just as enthralled the first time he saw them do it.”
Dane had said nothing, a stalwart tower beside them.
“Dane, why must you watch us?” Mikhail asked.
He exhaled a sigh, glancing to the left and right of the wooded path. “There’s a faction of the hart wolves who are angry that vampires are here in the sacred forest. The natural enemy of the hart wolves. We naturally sense when vampires cross into the shades of Silvane. But now that the chieftains have offered sanctuary to the Bloodguard, it chafes those who would rather not have you here. And there are some who definitely don’t approve of the princess being here.”
The princess was a powerful figure in the vampire world. And would be more powerful if Mikhail had anything to do with it. He drew closer to her, keeping a hand at the small of her back, as if contact would keep her safer. In reality, it simply calmed his nerves.
“There’s nothing to fear,” assured Dane.
“Then why did your sister seem to think so?”
“The rebellious ones won’t go against the chieftains. But there are one or two who might be stupid enough to try something on their own, in an effort to show their worth. If I’m here, they’ll cower away.” He grinned, making him look more feral than civilized. “Do not worry.”
Mikhail had never worried. He had complete confidence in his men, and he never entered a fight he knew he couldn’t win. And yet, tendrils of fear had been creeping into his gut ever since he’d pressed his bloody lips to Mina’s. A restlessness he couldn’t seem to tamp down kept growing. Part of it dealt with the woman walking at his side, but there was more he couldn’t quite put his finger on. An ominous tendril circled and hovered. Like a storm rumbling in the distance, he knew danger was coming. He just didn’t know when. But he’d be ready.
Chapter Nine
The familiar whisper of magic wrapped around her, growing stronger the deeper they marched into the forest. Like an old friend. She couldn’t help but look around and smile. The chieftain’s cryptic words swirled in her head. As a vampire, of course, she was touched by magic. All vampires were. But he didn’t seem to be referring to her royal lineage. This wasn’t the first time she’d been told she was touched by magic.
A conversation she once had with her nurse as a young girl sprang to mind.
“Sweet Mina, your hair and eyes shine so bright. Must’ve been that fairy dust the good witch gave you.”
“What good witch, Nurse?”