The Warrior King (Inferno Rising) by Owen, Abigail (reading a book txt) 📕

patched into the closest city, but weather and the distance and mountains cause issues.”

Meira tapped him on the shoulder. “May I?” she offered, hesitantly. Not wanting to step on his toes.

Raised eyebrows greeted the question. Then he waved at the console. “Be my guest.”

He hardly finished talking before she pulled one of the chairs up in front of a keyboard, typing away, immediately looser because she could finally tune out all the people and messy emotions in the room and just focus. Fingers flying across the keys, she brought up a series of diagnostics and then started adjusting.

“Can you hear me?” Kasia’s voice sounded more clearly, but the screen remained black.

“Just a sec,” Meira said, distractedly.

“O-kay.” Her sister drew the word out. Not that Meira really noticed.

Then the screen lit up with a clear image. Kasia’s lovely face, red hair a halo, larger than life, peered out at her from four middle screens paired together. Her sister was in a similarly set-up room in the Gold Clan’s stronghold of Store Skagastølstind.

Meira stood and scooted back. “Hey, Kas. How did you find me?”

Even virtually, Kasia must’ve picked up on the tension that crept into every man in the room as she cast her gaze around. She locked in on Rune. “I expected to speak privately with my sister…”

“My name is Rune Abaddon. This is my installation.” He held up his hand, which showed no mark between thumb and forefinger. “But I owe no king my allegiance. Meira remains here as our guest, but her presence is a danger to us, especially after what we’ve been through. You speak with her with us in the room, or not at all.”

“The fuck you say.” Suddenly Brand stepped into the picture behind his mate, gold eyes blazing, face set in a scowl that made Meira step back only to bump into Samael, who steadied her with a hand at her back that then curled around her waist. She sucked in as awareness filled her with the weight of longing. But she didn’t step away.

Kasia ignored her glowering mate, holding up a hand. “We appreciate your help.”

Rune glanced between the king and queen, then gave a brusque nod.

Kasia’s gaze moved to Meira. “I had a vision. That’s how I found you. Are you all right?”

“We were attacked at our old home in Kansas. Brock Hagan.”

“I saw. He’s a bigger threat than we realized. Something to do with Ararat next.”

“A vision?” Rune stepped forward. “Skylar never mentioned having visions.”

Kasia paused then smiled, her eyes twinkling. “Rune… So, you’re the one, huh? You and your men have even more of my thanks and trust for keeping Skylar safe. I’m sure Skylar would say the same. She’s spoken of you often.”

Rune lifted a single eyebrow. “Hiding her from my kind didn’t last long.”

Kasia laughed. “It never does when Skylar is involved,” Meira murmured.

That earned them a minuscule smile from the black dragon shifter.

“Did you see anything else?” Meira asked. No way had Kasia sought her out simply to check on her health. The risk would be too great.

“I didn’t see more than that, but your message got through to the Black Clan. They’ve sent their own message in return through me. Gorgon’s beta is dead. Do not approach Ararat until they have determined a new king.”

At her back, Samael stiffened, the creak of leather telling her he’d fisted his hands at his sides.

“Fuck that,” Rune snarled. “The next king after the beta should be the Viceroy of War.”

Of course, that’s how dragons would set it up. Meira inwardly rolled her eyes. Bloodthirsty lot. “I’m surprised there’s not a fight to the death involved,” she murmured.

Rune swung around to pin her with a serious stare. “Often there is, despite the system in place.”

Samael had yet to speak, a hole of silence behind her, the chink in his walls letting through only a pulsing sort of tension.

“How did Adish die?” Rune directed the question to Kasia and Brand.

“We were not informed,” Brand said.

Why wasn’t Samael speaking up? The pressure emanating from him was filling the room, suffocating her. Meira turned to him slowly to find a man who reminded her of Carrick and the other gargoyles, made of stone. If she touched him, part of him might chip away, so she didn’t dare reach out. “Sam.” She said his name quietly.

He seemed to have to drag his gaze down to hers, staring without seeing for a second before his midnight eyes focused.

Meira didn’t have to say anything. Perhaps he could see the questions in her eyes, and the message that they were in this together.

Sam reached out, almost convulsively, like he wanted to wrap one of her curls around his finger but dropped his hand before he touched her. “Someone is systematically taking out the leadership of the Black Clan.”

“You can’t know that,” Rune said behind her.

Sam didn’t take his gaze from her. “Adish is far from old, already mated, and healthy as a god. Disease did not take him. He is well respected, well-liked, and an impressive fighter, despite remaining out of recent skirmishes, in order to lead at Ararat. That’s why he was named beta.”

And left behind at the mountain while Gorgon was trying to secure himself a mate and allies. A leader the clan respected. Only traitors would kill such a man.

“Hrag is Viceroy of War,” Rune said. “He must be behind this.”

Samael shook his head, dropping his gaze to watch Meira closely, and she couldn’t look away. “Hrag stepped down,” he said. “He has not found his mate, and the aging process has taken hold of his mind.”

“Who was named Viceroy of War in his place?” Rune asked, impatience giving the words a crack.

Sam lifted a hand and wrapped that curl around his finger, almost as though tethering her to him for what he was about to say. The skin on his neck shifted to scales of obsidian briefly before rippling back to human, the way she’d once seen an octopus change colors in an instant