Page 7 of Tortured Royals

Alaric reappears soon after Dad departs through a portal, and I get the feeling it’s not a coincidence, though the assassin refuses to admit where he’s been. A scowl remains on his face for the rest of the day, but he stays close to me as we work. My mates and I hardly speak as we spend hours tending to the wounded and helping to gather the bodies. Theon isn’t the only healer,and thankfully, many of the wounded angels will recover. The damage to the township is severe, but the angels are determined as they clear away the debris and start devising plans to rebuild. No one mentions that the fight with the witches is likely far from over.

I’m busy carrying a long, splintered beam from one of the destroyed townhouses, when Dante plucks it from my hands. He carries it over to a pile of torched wood and drops it, dusting off his hands as a cloud of ash puffs into the air.

“I had it,” I tell him, though I can’t help but grin when he gives me a devastating smile.

“So, you did,” he drawls, his tail hovering in the air behind him, “but I think it’s time we went on our way, don’t you, princess? We have a queen to visit.”

I frown at his words, because he’s not wrong. Lifting my chin, I squint up at where the sun is still high in the sky. Streams of golden light shine down on us, and if I were back in Seral, I would have guessed it was only midday. “How long is it until nightfall?” My question isn’t directed at anyone in particular, but it’s Theon who answers, his silky bronze wings now fully healed.

“A few months, your highness,” the archangel replies.

I jerk my head, blinking at him in surprise. “Months?”

“This is the season of summer light,” Theon explains. “We will not experience night again for many days.”

“Okay, just hearing that is making me sweaty,”Shade complains from my shoulder.“Any chance they can include a birdbath in their designs? I mean, look at me, I’m a creature of the night.”She stretches out her black wings dramatically like she’s trying to prove her point.

I shake my head at her, my lips twitching.“Crows normally sleep at night, Shade. And besides, you don’t sweat.”

“Maybe normal crows sleep at night,”she defends.“But the royal bestie of the demon princess has been trained to sleep when the sun is up. You can’t blame me for your conditioning.”

“Royal bestie?”A grin breaks out on my face, though she’s not wrong at her being conditioned differently. In the demon realm everyone generally sleeps when the sun is up, and at some point, Shade started doing that, too, to keep on the same schedule as me.

“And you know what I mean,”Shade continues.“I feel like I’m roasting in this heat.”

It shouldn’t have happened, but at the thought of roast and the idea of food, a low rumble starts up in my stomach.

Shade squawks, hopping up and down on my shoulder.“Girl, please tell me your stomach did not just growl at the thought of me being roasted?!”

“What?”I say innocently.“Battling witches takes a lot out of a demon. You can’t tell me you’re not hungry.”

Shade huffs in my mind, though I know she’s not as mortified as she pretends. For some reason, she has always been surprisingly understanding when it comes to my eating habits, though it probably helps that I haven’t eaten any bird, chicken or otherwise, in years. Still, she turns on my shoulder, showing me her tail feathers.

“What’s wrong with her?” Nate comments, coming up beside me. He’s wearing the clothing of a deceased angel, and it fits him surprisingly well, though the material is tight across his chest.

“Oh nothing, she’s just upset that my stomach growled at the thought of roasted bird,” I explain.

It takes the shifter a moment to realize what I’ve said, but then he lets out a hearty laugh.

“And no, that wasn’t an indication that you can eat her,” I add, narrowing my eyes on Nate. I might be able to handle thejoke, but I still remember how he’d snapped at the doves flying past him not too long ago.

“Don’t worry, gorgeous,” he chuckles. “I’m always craving demon these days.” He pulls me close, his hand resting brazenly on my ass, and my face heats as need makes me press my thighs together.

“Good lord, someone at least get me a bucket to bathe in,”Shade says, a smirk in her voice as she turns back around, our little tiff instantly forgotten now that she’s distracted by Nate’s dirty mouth.

I lean in to my shifter. Memories of his barbs inside me make my core clench, and I swallow hard thinking about how good he’d made me feel.

His nostrils flare as he scents my arousal, and he gives me a shit-eating grin as he squeezes my ass harder.Stupid shifter senses.It’s then that I notice my other mates are all looking at me intently, appearing just as bothered as I am.

Theon clears his throat as he shifts uncomfortably, no doubt sensing the tension. “Uh yes, so there won’t be any nightfall any time soon, but if you need somewhere to rest before you set off, there are a few buildings that are still standing and structurally sound.”

I’m about to thank him, when Prince Callan speaks up, his voice clipped. “We’ll rest at the springs. Gather some supplies and lead them there. I need to discuss a few matters with the other angels before I depart.”

Theon dips his head. “Of course, my prince,” he answers primly.

I open my mouth, about to question Prince Callan about these springs, but a male angel with teal hair appears around the side of a building. A long scroll of parchment is in his hands, and when he calls out, Prince Callan barely spares the rest of us a glance before striding toward him.

“Okay, then,” I mutter under my breath.

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