Page 9 of The Court of Thorns and Wings

The memory of his smirk and chuckles as my wings had been bound flashed in my head. Even though he hadn’t harmed me, he’d stared at me with complete hatred… more so than most of the other Unseelie who lived here, which spoke volumes.

Refusing to show my hesitation, I straightened my shoulders and lifted my chin. I wouldn’t cower to him. That was what the guard wanted.

Also, it helped that Struan was backed against the wall near the door to the hallway. Nightbane was hunkered down, his fur high on the nape of his neck. I hoped Struan desperately needed a change of underwear.

“She’salive?” He frowned and blinked like he couldn’t believe his eyes. “But she was severely injured! This is impossible.”

“Why ishehere? Is he a snack for Nightbane, who’s such a good boy?” Now Nightbane’s reaction made sense. The beast had seen what Struan had done to me before throwing me intothe arena. He must have sensed my fear and associated it with the guard.

I wasn’t complaining.

“He’s the last guard who saw Eldrin while he was in the castle.” Tavish rolled up the sleeves of his black tunic.

My attention went straight to the vines and thorns that had magically appeared on him at the same time they had on me.

Tavish lowered his hands, resting his right one on the dark, smooth hilt of his white-tipped sword. “And I wanted to make sure he heard the same message everyone in the arena did so there’s no chance of a misunderstanding.” He smiled without warmth, and his irises turned almost the same color as his wings—onyx.

Struan wrinkled his nose. “About the Seelie wildling?”

“The Seeliewhat?” Tavish gritted out, and he drew his sword, preparing to swing.

Caelan huffed from beside Tavish. “Is this necessary? People aren’t happy about what happened. You can’t expect them to celebrate that the gauntlet is over, especially when they discover that Lira is alive.”

A warm hand landed on my shoulder, and I looked at Finnian, who winked. He mouthed,Don’t fret.

“Yes, it’s more than necessary—it’s a blasting requirement.” Darkness swirled around Tavish, and the temperature dropped several degrees. “Lira is no longer a prisoner. She is free to go where she wishes without being harmed. If anyone disobeys that, I’ll kill them. No questions asked. Do you understand?”

I should have been angry with Tavish, but instead, my shoulders lightened. He was protecting me the only way he knew how, even if he was misguided. Fear had been his tactic for so long, and it was the one thing his people associated with him.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Struan murmured, though his body was rigid.

Nightbane bared his teeth and pawed at the smooth floor, his lime eyes glowing brighter.

Glancing at the beast, Tavish nodded and focused back on the guard. “I hope you do. And if any of the other guards do anything to harm her, you’ll be held responsible as well.”

His mouth dropped. “What? That isn’t fair!”

“Fair isn’t my concern. Lira’s safety is.” Tavish arched a brow and tilted his head.

Chest heaving, Struan made his displeasure obvious, but he didn’t say anything more.

“See?” Finnian whispered in my ear before bumping me in the shoulder.

My body jerked, and I winced. Luckily, I swallowed my moan.

“Now that we’ve settled that topic, tell me what happened with Eldrin.” Tavish leaned back on his heels, his left arm crossing his body and cradling his right elbow. “I want to hear every detail.”

A muscle twitched in Struan’s neck. “Eldrin walked past me toward a window, informing me that he was in a hurry. Then he flew out.”

“Interesting.” Tavish tapped his lips. “You and Eldrin are close. He didn’t tell you any more than that?”

“Oh. Um…” Struan’s forehead wrinkled, and he wrung his hands. “He told me he had to go to the village and that he hoped to be back.”

Yeah, I suspected the nightfiend had said more than that, given Struan’s prickly behavior.

“The village. Good.” Tavish placed the sword back in its sheath. “That helps a lot. You’re dismissed.”

I opened my mouth to object, but Finnian stepped in front of me, blocking my view of Struan. He mouthed,Quiet.

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