Page 72 of Cursed Heirs

“I had a block up, Talon.”

“What?”

“I spelled myself to protect against it, to ensure that if I was ever hit with it, that it would hurt me. That’s why Constantine’s blow had such a heavy impact on me. I erected the barrier because I was worried I’d like the feel of it too much—like my father did. I worried I’d become addicted to it. But that worry had plagued me only in my weakest moments, the rare times when I doubted myself. So much has happened since then and I don’t feel that way anymore.”

“You saidhad.Past tense,” Xavier noticed.

I nodded. “I removed it once I was healed after the battle. I couldn’t risk taking a hit like that from him again and not being able to withstand it.”

“Fuck, Ore, no! Don’t even think along those lines!”

“Talon, we’re already there!” I snapped back at his continued disapproval.

He went to bite back at me, but the look in my eyes obviously stopped him, because he just threw up his hands and stormed out of the room instead.

Motherfuck.

We all heard thuds and clanging in the kitchen down the hall a moment later.

“You need to keep an eye on that rage of his,” Marlowe warned me and Xavier. “He’s been doing so well with it lately, but with everything happening, it’s clearly testing him, likely threatening to awaken it all.”

He’d been doing well with it since our foursome had formed, since Alena had come into our lives and drawn so close to us that she’d become one of us. And now she was gone, lost to us, even temporarily, it was throwing everything off-kilter. The whole situation was, the fucking madness surrounding us.

“I’ll go see to him,” X offered.

He’d only gotten two steps away when Marlowe’s IC Watch started blaring with an irritating, high-pitched alert that wouldn’t be denied.

Given the nature of it, it had to be the Dark Fae Realm contacting him.

“What is it?” X asked him, pausing in his step and tensing just like I now was.

Marlowe took a moment to read the message, then he looked out at me, his expression grave. “It’s a warning to lock ourselves down.” He sucked in a breath, the weight of whatever had happened obviously getting to him. “Constantine and his acolytes have breached the DFR gates.”

I snapped my fingers and dressed myself in my hard leather jacket. “I need to go.”

“How? The place is warded by Abigail’s celestial magic,” Xavier reminded me.

As if I needed the reminder. I’d come prepared. It was why I’d called this jacket to me when I didn’t need the warmth over the top of my black tee.

I pulled a vial of blood from the inside pocket and showed it to the two of them. “Alena’s blood. I kept some extra on hand. Just in case.”

“Orpheus,” X grunted, shaking his head.

“Hers is the only magic I can’t battle and win out against. It was a precaution. And look, it’s come in handy, hasn’t it?”

“Fine, yes. Yes, it has.”

Marlowe stepped forward. “This is too dangerous.”

“The enemy has breached our territory. Nothing istoo dangerous.I need to defend our home, our kingdom, our people.”

“Then I’ll go with you.”

“There’s only enough blood for one of us to break through the ward.”

“Then let it be me.”

“I’m a great deal stronger and you know that’s what’s needed right now.”

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