Royal guards surrounded Ruby and kicked the poisoned dagger out of reach. Her wet breathing carried through the hall. Few people looked at her; the rest watched Kaelen and waited for the sentence.
Kaelen waited for my answer.
Aian stepped away from me and looked from Ruby's body to Caleb.
Then he noticed the pale boy hiding behind Caleb's legs. He tilted his head and studied Lyam with open curiosity.
“Is that him, Mommy? Is that the boy you were traded for?”
I left the question hanging. Caleb pulled Lyam farther behind him and put one hand across the boy's chest.
Aian sniffed the air. “He doesn't carry a wolf's scent. He smells sick.”
His nose wrinkled as he looked back at Caleb. “You gave away a dragon for a sparrow with a broken wing. That was foolish.”
Caleb's grip tightened on
