Page 35 of The Time Of Queens

“Wise words indeed… Although bones can break, and skin can tear,” he said, handling me with care and looking down at my abused hand. “Just like we see now, for I fear these cuts will cause you some pain for a few days, at least… however, this should help,” he told me, pulling the top off the jar before dipping his fingers into it. “This will help with healing it,” he said as he started to rub the substance over my knuckles in such a gentle way, it was as if he feared I would shatter.

“W-w-what is it?” I asked, after first having to clear my throat as his touch was making it hard to concentrate beyond wanting to throw myself at him.

“It is a salve mixed with honey,” he told me, lifting his eyes to mine for long enough that, once again, the connection became almost tangible. Which was why I felt the need to escape the intensity of it, deciding to ask,

“What will happen to her?”

“The bitch? As you so rightly called her,” he replied, making me mutter,

“Yeah.”

“I have had her thrown from the house, never to set foot back in it again. I will also have my steward take the matter up with the police and discover the true depths of her abuse that she inflicted on others.”

I shuddered at the thought of how many there could have been. Something Draven didn’t miss.

“Don’t fret, for I can promise you that she won’t ever be back again, nor will she find herself in any other position that gives her the chance to hurt anyone else, for she will pay for her crimes, I will make sure of it,” he stated firmly, and I nodded at this before asking another question I thought relevant.

“And what of those she did hurt? She confessed to being the cause of people being fired?”

“Fired? Good lord, please don’t tell me that she used…” I gasped at this before stopping him, realising what I had said.

“No, sorry, it’s just a slang word. I meant, she got them canned.”

His expression was priceless as this obviously was yet another slang word that hadn’t come into play yet.

“Canned?”

I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at this, something he seemed to enjoy.

“Upon my word, you do have a colourful language, Miss Williams,” he said, making me giggle again. “But if you speak of those she unfairly cast from my employ, then I already have my steward complying a list of names, so as they can be compensated for how they were treated within my home.”

I smiled, telling him,

“You’re a good man.”

He seemed touched by this, enough that once he had finished wrapping my hand up in bandages, he raised his own hand to cup my cheek.

“Not good enough,” he said, making me frown.

There was no time for him to explain more, as his hand dropped seconds before his sister entered.

And unsurprisingly, she wasn’t alone.

Pip was right behind her. Although, what was surprising was who entered after her. It wasn’t someone I ever expected to see. Not in this time period.

Which was why I stupidly made the mistake of saying his name the second I saw him.

Someone I shouldn’t have known…

“Lucius!”

14

THE POWER OF A NAME

DRAVEN

The moment she said my second’s name, I had to suppress a growl as I narrowed my gaze at the man in question. However, the surprised look on his face was sincere enough that I recognised the truth instantly. As after a few thousand years being my second in command, then I was confident that I knew my friend well enough. Meaning what I saw now told me without any doubt…

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