THE DUKE'S CAPTIVE VELARYN

hick with the scent of wet earth and stone. Orion von Hawthorne stood out on the balcony of his study, peering down o

lowed out wares, the distant silhouette of the royal palace perched atop the h

wly, clenching t

began for

wly opened. Stepping out, Henry en

done," h

y, silver eyes const

nry replied. "Failure is no

arely satisfied.

t that you seek out a Velaryn.they

ked. "Have t

conflict would be tracking down a Vel

d unfold here, here with

-waiting, weighed down by custom, by time, by timidity. He had had no use wha

ey did not appe

e here to

ce," he began, voice clipped, polite, restrained. "There is

s seat, already bored. "E

n. "It has been brought to our atten

room s

y coy, you shall not. We are discussing Velaryn. The law reads it plain-no Velaryn shall ever m

exhale

e men clung so tenaciously to law

he stated

clearly thrown b

owned. "Are you

d Orion listlessly. "It h

chamber. No one had anti

onsidering. This has nothing to do with preference-it has to do with the very foundation upon which E

against the shiny wood.

ng. "Something you'd do well to remember if you'd

Orion's express

ecome any louder, bu

eful,

uspended there, h

justed his seat, c

A Velaryn woman cannot be relied upon as a wife. A Velaryn woman is unnatu

ugh the nose, skeptical. "Y

aver. "I place my

ist

nearly

d zero knowled

The Velaryns had once been powerful-far too powerful. Their brains, t

rewritten. Not as

but had no plans t

ot

f you ever discover one, the royal court will never allow it. They will

ked. "Have t

ile

d resistance. They had n

little choice. If you proceed down this. path, th

gaze, unflinch

aightened his coat, and le

there had also

Duke is looking fo

. Even he cannot

.. what else is h

people talked about him. A

across his skin. Below, the city thrummed alive-torches flickering,

knock just as

a lead,

urned.

had one visitor today. A visitor from

an eyebrow.

man. Unblemished as the sun

hrill curled i

her the Go

onsidered

, it appears," went on Henry. "N

er him. In fact, if anything,

perhaps it behooves

f she does exist, she

ny, looking out over the black horiz

r the very edge of the outer rim of Ebonvale, on

ollapsed down across the wood floor,

appened?"

, his hands trembling. "The wo

air th

"W

ing over his shoulder as if he fea

ered. But she wasn'

vern wen

arkeep exhale

Golden

ave the room

an, who had collapsed, let out an empty, tremulous laugh. "Then tel