Page 184 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

Caiden sucked in a breath. He and Aelia paused in their tracks. They couldn’t go back. Not with the water horses behind them.

One of the figures pulled his hood off, and Caiden recognized him as one of Lucius’s Shadow Hunters. He breathed a sigh of relief at the sight.

“Lord Caiden, we’ve been searching for you. Master Lucius has instructed us to bring you back home, but seeing as you’re injured, we will take you to the Court of Honey.”

Two tall and lanky Shadow Hunters looped their arms around Caiden, lifting him from Aelia’s grip.

He reached back for her, but their fingers slipped through one another.

They walked for hours until they reached the Hive, where the Queen Bee awaited them.

Exhausted, bloodied, and bruised, Caiden fell to his knees before her.

“Your Majesty, I am sorry to come to you like this, but I am in great need of aid.”

“I can see that,” she said. Bees buzzed around her flower crown. “You are a Council Court. Of course, I will shelter you.” She waved to her attendants. “Remove their shackles and take them to the infirmary so a healer can tend to their injuries.”

Attendants rushed to Caiden and Aelia’s side, lifting them onto gurneys. Caiden let his body relax for the first time in weeks. He was safe. Aelia was safe. That’s all that mattered now.

They took them both to the infirmary where healers tended to their wounds and locksmiths came to break their manacles open.

A rush of magic seeped into Caiden’s blood, roaring like a fire through his veins. He winced as the pain consumed him.

A healer came over to administer elixir of poppy to help with the pain. His eyes felt heavy, and his head wobbled on a rubbery neck.

“Alright, all healed,” Aelia said, sitting up in her bed next to his. She twisted her hands around her wrists where the manacles had been.

“Not so fast,” said the lead healer, a tall, lanky man with gray hair and a short, trimmed beard. “You need your rest. I’m having the cooks add some magical herbs to your dinners to aid in rejuvenating your magic. You were wearing those manacles for a long time. Your magic must have been nearly gone.

Aelia huffed but lay back down on the bed.

“Fine.”

The healer turned his attention to Caiden.

“We’re going to have to regrow the bones in your ankle. I’ve got a tonic, but it will take at least a day.”

Caiden groaned but agreed.

The healer nodded and went to mix the tincture.

Aelia fiddled with her fingers. “I hate laying here. We need to act.”

“Yeah? You don’t even know what you’re looking for.”

“A magical well should be easy to find.”

“Let’s ask the queen. Hopefully, she can point us in the right direction. We will take my Shadow Hunters with us as reinforcements.”

“I suppose you’re right. Old habits die hard.” She shut her eyes.

A memory flashed through Caiden’s mind. Their bodies entwined in red silk sheets. His fingers trailed the curve of her back. Her long, brown hair in a mess of curls. His heart swelled and cracked. Shaking his head, he tried to focus on something else… anything else but her.

A flurry of movement proved a worthy distraction. The queen entered in a sweeping gown the color of sunflowers in full bloom, her round belly on full display. Bees buzzed around her tight curls.

“Are you two feeling better?” she said in her deep feminine voice.

Both nodded as they sat up in their beds.

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