“It’s not just her mad, either. General Celto was cursed with some very nasty boils in a truly awful place and the court mages can’t seem to cure it. Between him throwing a fit, and the princess, there’s been no peace here.”

Ahh, so Tan had been good to his word on that. Splendid. Devan really had to bring him a kitten in thanks next time he saw the man.

Wells studied him with blatant suspicion. “How in hell did you manage it, anyway? Reports said there was a powerful sorcerer who scared the barbarians off. None of our court mages were there, though.”

Devan eyed him sideways. “Do you really want me to tell you who it was?”

Wells eyed him back suspiciously. “You didn’t…go to him, did you? I know you threatened to before you left, but you rethought that and realized it was a bad idea, right?”

“Wasn’t so bad of an idea now, was it? Since it clearly worked.”

Wells damn near tripped over the first step. “Salvino, have you lost what’s left of your mind?!”

“I had a mind to lose?”

Cursing, Wells stabbed a finger at him. “I’m being serious, dammit!”

So was Devan. Really? He had sanity to lose? Wow, he’d thought that had fled for safety ages ago.

“In my defense, it really did turn out well. Town’s safe. I didn’t have to promise my firstborn child”—Mostly because it was Tan himself who wanted to fuck him—“and the town in question now has a very evil protector. They were assured this in my presence and a ward promised within a fortnight.”

Wells’ jaw dropped. “You’re shitting me.”

“I am not. He was quite happy to help. A little gleeful, in fact.”

“Damn, Salvino, do I even want to know what you promised him in order to get that kind of cooperation?”

They were at the door to the second-story balcony now. Devan paused there long enough to deadpan, “Morning cuddles.”

Then he swept through, leaving Wells choking behind him.

Ah, the satisfaction of a well-timed delivery.

His sense of victory was short lived as he stepped out onto the balcony.

Princess Serenity was never without an audience. She had her two maids, three ladies of the court, and two other lords with stellar looks and empty heads. Devan recognized them all. At least half of them were in regular attendance these days. It never lasted for long. Serenity wasn’t the type to keep playing with the same toys long term.

The audience did reassure him somewhat that he might be able to escape without being screamed at. Serenity’s temper was well known to staff and servants, but she tried to keep up her public image, at least. The court as a whole didn’t seem to know how vicious she was. Her staff was threatened into silence and they didn’t dare utter a peep for fear of what she would do to them later. It had really been impressive that her image had stayed intact for over a decade now.

He might shortly ride off to his doom, but at least his hearing would be intact.

“There’s my knight.” Serenity lifted her white lace fan to idly fan herself. There was a smile on her bow-shaped lips, but the tightness around her brown eyes gave the game away. She was livid. If looks could kill, Devan would be in a million delicate slices on the ground about now.

Devan managed a bow. He didn’t say a word. He’d learned not to; it only set her off.

“Well, Sir Salvino, I’ve heard glowing reports of how you handled the northern invasion. You fought them off with an unknown sorcerer, or so was reported to me. Whoever did you convince to help you?”

Like he’d tell her that. He wasn’t one to name names. “A freelance sorcerer.”

“Freelance?” Her mouth quivered with the suppressed desire to start hurling curses at his head. “There’s a freelance sorcerer better than my court mages?”

“You really should revise those conditions for government-employed mages, Your Highness. It’s so binding that only the mediocre magicians consider it a good deal.”

Ah, damn, he hadn’t been able to keep himself from getting that dig in. Devan was going to hell and Serenity’s boot would be on his ass, kicking him in.

It was fine, Devan was reasonably sure Tan would fetch him back out again.

“I’ll look into it,” Serenity promised in a voice that spoke of doom.

Aw shit. He really shouldn’t have said that.

“As for now, your timing is impeccable. We have a threat in Hunter’s Woods that only you can handle. Wells has the reports. Go forth with haste, my knight. We’ve lost several lives already, which is intolerable to me.”

The lord nearest her looked at her with adoration as if she spewed only beautiful words of kindness. Devan wanted to kick him. Look past her pretty face, you idiot, don’t you hear the venom coating every word?

Devan gave her an obedient bow. “I’ll prepare and leave at once.”

“Do a thorough job,” she tacked on with saccharine sweetness. “Make sure whatever it is, is properly dead.”

In other words, kill it or don’t bother coming back. Ah hell. Just what was she sending him after?

Either way, he had a chance to escape cleanly with his hide intact. No sense in lingering. Devan gave another bow.

“I’ll make sure of it, Your Highness. With your leave.”

Pivot, turn, hightail it for the door. Through the door, door is closed, safe. Devan blew out a breath and met Wells’ eyes.

“I’m so glad she had an audience to play to.”

“Me too, otherwise she’d have screamed at you until nightfall. I really don’t feel good about what she’s assigned you.” Wells gestured for him to follow as they went back down the stone steps. “I’ll let you read the reports yourself, but I don’t know what this thing is. It’s humanoid, enough to fool anyone that approaches until it’s far too late. It’s wicked fast. We’ve only had one witness, a little girl about five, so whatever this thing is, it doesn’t like to feed off children. She said it had black hair down to its waist, looked like a woman, with skin as white as snow and red lips. It attacked her father, ripped out his neck, and disappeared again in a flash.”

That didn’t sound like anything Devan knew of, and he was rather well versed in the monsters of this region. Mostly because he’d had to kill them at one point or another.

“So I have to be suspicious of every person I see as I go into the woods and then pray I have the reflexes to fend this thing off before it tears my throat out?”

Wells grimaced. “Wear some kind of metal guard around your throat at all times is my advice.”

Devan started to really worry. This did not sound like an easy mission.

He glanced down at the ring Tan had charmed him into taking and suddenly felt glad he had it. He might need the protections on this thing sooner rather than later. Not to mention a certain sorcerer.

He just had a feeling he’d be calling for Tan sooner rather than later.