The messenger's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, his three red tails swishing aggressively.
"The Crimson Court does not wait on the convenience of a human, or a rogue. You will come—"
"I said, seven days," Hana interrupted, her voice dropping into that quiet, lethal frequency that usually signaled an execution command.
Beside her, Caspian let out a massive, rumbling hiss, his chest expanding as the orange fire in his throat flared brightly, ready to incinerate the white silk right off the messenger's back.
High above, Kulu's feathers were set in spear motions, the wind whistling sharply through them as he braced to shoot at the messenger.
The messenger looked at the towering dragon king, then at the mechanical drones whirring with high-tech precision behind Hana's chair, and finally at the absolute lack of fear in the human female's dark eyes.
