The Thief Of The Light (Flyers Of The First Kingdom #4)

Prologue

NYX

Being called out of an important briefing by the intractable heir apparent was the last thing I needed this morning.

But as I’m not permitted to deny the crown, which sadly included the King's self-indulgent prick of an heir, I stomped across the palace to get it over with. Steeling myself to have to wait for the guards to announce my presence once I reached the door and waste even more of my valuable time, I was surprised when, instead, they just opened the doors and waved me into the prince’s wing.

No announcement of my presence. No escort. The guards almost seemed like they didn’t want to be in the room. How odd. But it only took two more steps before I learned why.

I stopped short, just feet into the overly opulent space, and stared. I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting to find, but it wasn’t a hundred naked bodies writhing together like I’d been transported into a damn brothel.

“What in the Goddess’ name?” I muttered to myself.

“It’s a bit early to have so many balls thrust in your face, isn’t it?” A voice said from beside me.

I glanced over to find Alaric, the younger prince, sipping a coffee like it was just a normal Tuesday morning, and the scene before us was just a bit of annoyance.

Like Kol and I, they were twins, born minutes apart.

Blessed or cursed into being the heir by mere minutes, but unlike Kol and I, they were years apart in maturity and scruples.

Unfortunately for me and the Twelve Kingdoms as a whole, the better prince was not the heir.

I returned my gaze to the orgy and sighed. “Why am I here?” I didn’t want to have to dig through the bodies to try and find his brother, if at all possible.

“Don’t ask me the mind of my brother. We are not like you and Kol. The only similarity we share is the blood in our veins.” He winced after the words were out. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

My mood darkened. Not because he’d brought up Kol, but because this was yet another exasperating task taking me away from my brother’s bedside. “It’s fine. But I’d like to get this over with so I can return to him.”

The worst part of my job was catering to the whims of the royals.

Not even so much the King, who at least respected me as his general, but his heir didn’t seem to notice that I now had a ryder and a lot of work that came along with my title.

He still seemed to think of me as a spare part with no direction and treated me as his personal errand fae.

“I’d love to be able to tell you why we are party to this thrilling spectacle so early in the day, but I am as in the dark as you are, my friend,” Alaric said dryly.

“He summoned you too?” I frowned. averting my gaze. “Why would he want us both to see this?”

He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Not a clue. Why does my brother do anything? At first, I thought this was some kind of punishment, but perhaps not since you’re here.”

I lifted a brow, but didn’t ask. I had no interest in knowing what exactly this would be a punishment for.

Alaric just shrugged. “But your guess is as good as mine. I don’t even see him. Want to split up and look for him, or wait it out?”

“I don’t have all morning,” I replied flatly.

“Then we best be working our way into the muck.” Alaric gestured for us to move deeper into the room.

My upper lip curled, already feeling a phantom stickiness on my shoes. “You’ve got to be kidding me? I’m not digging him out of the bodies.”

“If not, it may be all day. Sometimes he goes on a real bender.” Alaric gingerly stepped over an oblivious couple rolling around on the floor, like he’d get something on his boot if he wasn’t careful.

I should have left, but I threw my hands up and followed, muttering under my breath. “Who the fuck summons someone when they are in the middle of a damn orgy? Waste of my fucking time.”

It was a good ten minutes before we found him balls deep in some female’s mouth.

“Ah, good. I was hoping you weren’t too busy,” Arkyn said when he lifted his gaze from watching his cock disappear between plump lips, like he wasn’t fully naked and working on shooting his load.

I wasn’t sure where to look but finally settled on the tapestries around the room like they were fascinating works of art, just to have something else to focus on. “I’m quite busy, actually,” I said through my teeth. “But I’m sure your needs were urgent, Your Highness.”

“Very.” He grunted. “I need you to do me a quick favor.”

My gaze flicked back to him. “What kind of favor?”

“It’s just a little thing.” Arkyn waved his fingers. “It will be nothing for you to accomplish.”

“And it is?” I learned long ago not to agree to anything among the higher classes without knowing all the details.

“I need you to escort Alaric to pick up our brides. I would go myself, but it’s so much time away.

I’m quite busy these days. Besides, my duties—” he says like he’s the most important person on the planet.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. His ‘duties’ were laughable at best, and they certainly didn’t seem to prevent him from having damn orgies at all hours of the night and day “—and this needs to be done rather quietly, with the utmost security. With the current political climate, the King and I really think it’s best to get the weddings out of the way.

Strengthen alliances and what not. But with the ongoing…

troubles, it’s too risky for me to go. You understand. ”

‘Troubles’ was one word for the state of the kingdoms right now, but I supposed I couldn’t expect his tiny, self-obsessed mind to grasp the gravity of the situation.

But while this was no time for a royal wedding, it was probably prudent to secure the alliance with the only duke in all the kingdoms with enough power to pose any threat to the sovereignty of the crown.

As the unification treaty signed to form the Twelve Kingdoms demanded, the King's heir was betrothed to the eldest daughter of the Duke of the Light Kingdom, and since the eldest daughter of the duke was also a twin, they just decided to wrap it up neatly and marry the Light twins to the King's twin sons. Twin dragons were almost unheard of, yet fae seemed to have them more frequently. Maybe it was the Goddess’ plan to provide spare heirs for both kingdoms?

The King hadn’t breathed a word of wanting to move the wedding up.

It made me feel like I’d missed something vital.

It was supposed to be years, however, until their weddings, providing the heir plenty of time to sew his royal oats.

Although, judging by this morning’s activities, he wouldn’t have any oats left to sew before long if left untethered.

As if a marriage to a virtual stranger would bring him into line.

“This is news to me. The King hasn’t—”

Arkyn cut me off. “He is leaving it to me. But it’s been decided.

They’ve been expecting our envoy.” The way Arkyn worded it, it sounded like we were late?

But I didn’t have time to get a word in.

“We need the Kingdoms united, and I will not leave my future wife vulnerable out in the wilds. She needs to be here in the palace.”

The wilds indeed! The Light Kingdom was hardly that. They were the most developed kingdom after the First. But his tone didn’t leave room for question. Even if he wasn’t the King yet, one didn’t just defy a direct order from the crown.

I inclined my head. “Of course, Your Highness. But do we need an envoy if this is to be a low-key trip?”

His eyes narrowed, but he knew what I was asking. How under wraps was this? Because I could fly to Light and be back with her in less than a week if she could ride, but neither of us would enjoy the trip.

“We aren’t barbarians, Nyx. There are protocols and precedents.

We would never insult the Light Kingdom by overlooking any detail.

My wife won’t be spared luxuries, and there is her sister to consider.

Alaric is getting his bride out of this as well.

” Anger sparked in his eyes. “Do you wish to insult the Duke of Light and ruin all the goodwill this marriage brings?”

“No, of course not.” But why did it feel like there was more he wasn’t saying?

“Good. Then Alaric will go with you as my official envoy.”

Beside me, Alaric groaned, but I stayed focused on this fool’s mission. “Am I to take the royal barge, then?”

“Nothing that obvious.” He smirked and gave a few absentminded pumps into the female’s mouth. She groaned and renewed the vigor of her ministrations.

I cleared my throat and turned my back to him, pacing a few steps, feigning thinking it over. “Any of the military ships will draw as much attention as the royal barge.”

“Do I have to do everything for you? You need to secure a private ship. Something fast but well equipped,” he said, having to nearly yell over the moaning in the room.

“Huh?” I returned the few paces but still avoided looking directly at him.

“You seem a bit uncomfortable…” He chuckled knowingly.

Arsehole.

This was nothing more than a power play. Showing me how insignificant I was to him that he wouldn’t even think to stop fucking to task me with something so seemingly important.

“Me?” I pulled a face. “Not at all. Merely thinking.” It took everything I had not to snap that I didn’t care to watch him ejaculate. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

“You’re too tense, Nyx.” He snapped his fingers at no one in particular. “Get Hedi or someone over here to put Nyx at ease.”

I held up my hands. “I’m mated.”

He cut me off again. “It’s just a release. Not a big deal. Us males need to de-stress so we don’t take our moods out on our softer halves.”

“I’d prefer not. Thank you for the thought,” I replied through gritted teeth.

“Then at least come over and have a seat.” He snapped his fingers again. “Bring Nyx a coffee.”

Reluctantly, I sat across from where he stood, which made it really fucking hard to avoid making eye contact with his cock.

Christ. No one fucking told me half my damn job as general would be putting up with the juvenile behavior of an entitled little shit, with a smile and a bow.

As the head of the Dragon Council, the damned Dragon of the Night, I was above this surely?

My father was lucky to have never had this issue, since the princes were younger when he went to the goddess.

I half wondered, with some measure of amusement, if Octavian had to put up with this kind of behavior.

But I shook off the thought. This morning was bad enough without that traitor taking up space in my thoughts.

“So, anyway…where was I?” Arkyn said with a sigh of satisfaction while grasping the female’s hair and guiding her motions.

I gave him a half shrug, looking out the window.

He growled making me look at him. “Nyx, where is your mind? Are you still this distracted by your brother? We need your fucking head in the game. I can’t have you lost in emotion and weeping like a female over Kol.”

My lip pulled in a snarl I couldn’t bite back, and I stood, letting rip before I could stop myself. “This has nothing to do with my brother. Sorry I don’t enjoy looking another male in the eyes while he’s taking his pleasure. I have a job to do, and this is a waste of my time.”

Arkyn laughed menacingly. “Your job, General, is to do as I say.”

Instead of laughing out loud, I settled with imagining shifting right there and then and ripping his head from his body. “Yes, Your Highness.” I didn’t have time for this.