Free One Bite by Jennifer Blackstream Page B

protective embrace. “But someone has taken your blood against your will.”
     
    Irina pressed her lips together and didn’t answer.
     
    “Why would anyone want your blood?” Kirill pressed, intrigued despite himself. Perhaps this would be a clue as to the type of creature that had spawned Irina.
     
    “There are people who believe blood is power, magic of the oldest kind,” Irina said stiffly. “Some people collect it from as many individuals they can in some mad hope of gaining more power.”
     
    Alarm bells went off so loud in Kirill’s brain that for a moment he couldn’t think. Blood. Many individuals. Power. No, it couldn’t be. How could anyone else have learned of the prophecy, the true prophecy? No, this was no doubt just some futile attempt by an individual who’d heard the legend. No more of a threat than the King of Meropis sprinkling wine over the land or the King of Nysa sending his subjects to fornicate with virgins in the fields. Still.
     
    “We’re here,” Irina said suddenly.
     
    His question died on his lips and Kirill barely managed to hold in a snarl at the poor timing. He made a mental note to pursue the conversation after the troll’s celebration. It was imperative that Irina tell him who had taken her blood and why.
     
    The carriage rolled to a stop and Kirill stood and opened the door. He took a moment after he exited the carriage to stand straight and silent, observing the trolls standing at the entrance to the mountainous court of King Risi .
     
    They stared back at him with slightly bored expressions. Male trolls were nothing much to look at, thought they were impressive by sheer size alone. There wasn’t a troll in sight that was less than eight feet. They carried only simple weapons, axes and hammers mostly, but then when you had the size and strength of a troll, weapons did not have to be overly complex. Their clothing was thick leather, more than enough to slow down an enemy’s weapon long enough to crush their skulls. If it weren’t for the precious metals and jewels worked into the leather, a casual observer may have overlooked the trolls entirely. Kirill never overlooked anyone.
     
    He offered a hand back into the carriage, not looking to see if Irina took it. A delicate hand brushed his palm and he clasped her slender fingers, helping her step down to the ground. As Irina straightened and faced the mountain, one of the trolls broke into what could almost be a smile.
     
    “Irina,” he greeted her, stepping forward. “Have you any rocks or pebbles to offer me this evening?”
     
    Irina scowled and Kirill had to fight to keep his eyebrows down when she stalked forward and slapped the troll on the arm. “You will never let me forget that will you? I was five years old.”
     
    The troll threw back his head and laughed, a booming sound that would have caused an avalanche in icier climates.
     
    “I had no idea your relationship with the trolls extended back so far,” Kirill commented lightly, his gaze zeroed in on Irina and the affectionate smile on her face. He ignored the part of him that really didn’t like her looking at the troll like that.
     
    “My father believed all the people of this land deserved equal respect, so he took me to meet them all as often as he could,” Irina explained, only a slight hoarseness in her voice betraying her emotion. She cleared her throat. “When I was five, I wandered off into the woods and found Skoll here. My father had been talking to me about how the royal family hoarded the kingdom’s wealth and how some people did not have enough money to get by.” She mock glared at the troll who was in danger of splitting his face if he smiled any wider. “I found Skoll and offered him a handful of copper.”
     
    The troll erupted into laughter again and Irina joined him. He finally lowered his head, wiping a tear from his eye. “A handful of copper,” he repeated breathlessly. “Oh, it was a grand gesture for a child, that