Page 127 of Oath of Revenge

She yawned and wiggled, feeling the delicious stretch of him still within her. It’s fine. The castle’s not going anywhere. “Besides, I could use a nap.”

He huffed a laugh and licked her Growler jaw. “Sleep then, and I’ll keep watch.”

When Scarlet opened her eyes, she was back in human form, naked but with her cloak covering her as the sun approached the tree line. She stretched and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, but didn’t see Wulfric or the horses. The tracks in the dirt led around the wall, so maybe he was scavenging for food, finding a safe place for the horses, or searching for the best way inside.

She beat the dust and ash out of her clothes, then slipped them back on. When Wulfric still hadn’t returned, she followed his tracks to the side servant’s entrance, losing them on the cobbled courtyard. She searched with her heightened senses, but couldn’t hear or see anything outside the massive castle keep.

The stone seemed to stretch endlessly as she circled the castle. Each step made her tension rise, gnawing her insides like a ravenous beast. If she were Wulfric, where would she be? The servant’s entrance door stood open, and her stomach growled.

She sighed in relief. Yes, of course he would try to find food. All men were led by their stomachs or dicks, after all.

She pulled out one of her daggers and pushed the door open with a creak. She winced at the sound, but nothing stirred. A thick layer of dust coated every surface. Dishes still sat in the sink, maggots long gone but their carcasses still scattered around. She stepped inside, searching for signs of life, tracks in the dust, or any aura or sound.

No sign of Wulfric or that he’d been here. A gnawing fear demanded she search every room downstairs before tracking the upper floor to find him. She felt tied to him by the magic of their mate bond. It spurred her inside the eerily still room.

A quick search showed the pantry well past the rotten phase. She guessed maybe two or three months, which didn’t make sense. The curse blast had been six months ago, and if the queen was still in residence, there should be food aplenty. Servants too, for that matter.

She searched the larder, the cellar, and the icebox, but there was nothing worth eating. She pulled out a piece of dried jerky from her pocket and ate it as she walked on silent feet to the servant’s stairs. She opened the door and listened, stretched her senses but felt no one near.

She let the door swing shut and went to the next door.

A shiver raced down her spine as the memory of the last time she was here filled her mind. The clanging metal of battle in the courtyard. The magical smoke and fire on the roof as the king and Knox had battled. Following the injured king and queen upstairs to their rooms…

She shook her head and pushed open the door to the short hallway. A murmur came from the other side, and she crouched as she swallowed the last bite of her jerky. She peered inside through the small circular window in the door.

The ceiling was painted with a scene of the gods and goddesses eating at a feast. Tapestries hung on the opposite wall, a thin layer of dust barely muting the vibrant colors of the battle scene. Golden drapes hung along the windows, pulled back with red silk. Although the sun would set soon, the room was lit by magical sconces on the walls, casting deliberately glows on the scene on the ceiling.

Gilt trimmed chairs with red upholstered cushions had been pushed along one side of the dining table, leaving the closest side free of chairs. The long, wooden dining table was littered with vials, potions, magical burners, herbs, jars, and piles of ingredients. Much of it was covered in dust too, but a flurry of activity at the far end of the room caught her by surprise.

A yellow and red skirt writhed on the floor. Clearly the queen was kneeling on the floor, but Scarlet found it odd that the queen would wear the same dress from the spy image in the mirror. As she stared, she thought it might have even been the same dress from that fateful day six months ago.

A fiery fury surged through Scarlet like lightning in her veins pulsing with each breath. She fought to control the burning rage within, knowing that she couldn’t simply charge in and end the queen’s life, no matter how her hands ached to do just that. Countless people relied on keeping the queen alive to undo the curses.

Scarlet pushed the emotions aside and slowly pushed the door open. The hinges were silent, thank the gods, and she slipped inside the room on quiet feet. She hugged the wall until she reached the buffet table and listened.

“Ah, just like that. Thank you so much, Gus. That’s bloody brilliant. Now if Jaq can just put the spoonful of wormwood dust in… yes, I know it stinks and you don’t want it to dirty your beautiful shine, but you’re doing such a great job. I couldn’t have managed it better myself, trust me. You boys don’t even miss a speck!”

Scarlet frowned and peered through the window. There were other people in the room? She couldn’t sense them or see any auras, but she needed to know how many before she launched an attack.

The queen leaned back on her haunches and clapped.

“Well done! I knew you could do it!” She looked to the side and her gaze collided with Scarlet’s. Her jaw dropped, and she scrambled to her feet.

Scarlet felt ice slither through her body, pushing aside the red hot emotions as her daggers hung limply in her hands. She remained frozen in place as the queen rushed forward, trying to process what she saw.

“Oh gods, praise be Borga, you’re here. How did you get past the shadow monster? Oh thank the heavens. Finally, someone to talk to, someone to help! You don’t know how lonely the past few months have been without…”

The queen frowned and stopped a few feet away, a wrinkle in her forehead making her so much more relatable. Bella had scowled and cursed at rowdy patrons to keep them in line at the tavern, but now, standing in front of Scarlet with a defeated look on her face, she seemed more like the tired and worn-out tavern owner at the end of a long night than an evil queen who summons monsters.

“You… you were there. When he died,” the queen said, her eyes flashing and her fists clenching at her sides.

Scarlet held her daggers at the ready by her side, but she wasn’t sure what to expect. It sure hadn’t been this, though.

The queen was a ghost. Nearly translucent, but exactly like Leopol.

Fuck.

Chapter 41

---