Page 32 of Fated Unkindness
“Of course, I’m right.” A grin pulling my lips up at the corner. “Now shift back into your wolf, and let’s get back to the girls. I think I’ve seen enough of your saggy man meat.” I shoot a glare in his direction, then extend my wings to propel myself into the air. A chuckle escapes as I look down at him right as he shifts back into his wolf form. He lets a few barks out, and I smile,knowing he’s either laughing too or cursing me out. “Last one back to—” Shit. Just ahead of us, I see about five Raskins heading toward where we left Kait and Mel. “Miles! Get to the girls fast! Raskin’s!” I don’t wait to see if he hears me. I beat my wings as hard as I can, propelling myself forward to intercept as many of them as I can. Just before the first of them reaches Kait, I drop from the sky in front of it, swiping my dagger out and plunging it into the Raskin’s chest, gold dust bursting around me in a cloud of rotten stench. Kait, who was resting at the base of a large pine, hops up in an instant, ready for a fight. She spins with a short sword, slicing into the neck of the next Raskin just in time as it blasts into the clearing.
“That’s my girl!” I laugh as I sweep my leg out, taking down another Raskin and pushing my dagger right into the son of a bitch’s eye.
“Trent!” Kait calls to me just in time. I duck, and Miles comes lunging into the fray; he grabs a Raskin out of mid-air. With his massive canine teeth clamping down, he rips the throat out in the next movement. Gold dust explodes around him as he drops to the ground.
“Fuck yes!” I bellow, but I celebrate a moment too soon. A Raskin I didn’t see comes out of nowhere, clamping its razor-sharp teeth down on my left shoulder. I scream in agony, but the Raskin thrashes, pulling me to the ground. Then its jaw goes slack, and it releases my shoulder. Kait stands over me and she screams at Miles to help. She tries to peel the Raskin off of me, but the fucker is big, and she can’t quite manage on her own. My head feels foggy, and I look down at my shoulder and the blood pissing out of the gashes there. My brain catches up to real-time; the Raskin isn’t dead if its body is still here. Just as the thought enters my mind, it rears upand tries to clamp down on me again. I swing my other arm up just before it does, and sink my dagger deep into his brain from under his chin. Gold dust plumes around us, and Kait falls to her knees at my side, pressing her hands into the wound. I don’t feel it. I don’t feel anything. All I see is Kait screaming for help.
“Wake up, kid. Can you hear me, Trent?” Miles says as he slaps me on the cheek repeatedly. A moan escapes me as I try to answer incoherently. “I know it hurts; I’ve been bit by those fuckers too, and it's no fun thing, but we need to be on the move now. We let you rest as long as we could, but Cano’s men could be the next fun group of assholes we have to deal with, and I don’t think you’ll be up for a fight any time soon.” He grabs my good shoulder and starts pulling me up to sit. “ Hey, at least it's your shoulder and not your legs.” He slaps me a few more times.
“Okay—I’m getting up, st—stop.” I stammer.
Opening my eyes is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, like they are filled with grit. I didn’t know Raskin's had venom they injected when they bit someone. I feel like I’m the most hungover I’ve ever been. Fucking hell. I roll to my good side, using my elbow to prop myself up. I lose the contents of my stomach. Little that was there. Spitting,I get my eyes to function, and I take in the sight that is me. They’ve created a sling for my left arm to help stabilize it, but it's not my arm that is bothering me. It’s my head. The ground feels like it's tipping, and I’m going to start sliding at any moment. It makes my stomach lurch again.
“Here. Drink.” Miles hands me a canteen, and I take it graciously.
“How long was I out?” My voice is gravelly as I choke on the water.
“Only a few hours; unfortunately, that’s all we could allow, son. You’re strong, you can get moving, and the venom will work its way out of you along the way. I figure we skip the manor and head straight for Loema. From where we are, we should make it there in about two days if we're steady. Wha’d ya think?” I think I would rather go back to fucking sleep.
I shrug out of habit and immediately regret it, as it sends a shooting, then throbbing pain throughout my shoulder, arm, and neck. My eyebrows knit together, and I take a sharp breath in pain and look around for Kait. I don’t see her. “Where is Kait? And Mel?
“She’s up ahead, Melani too. I told her I would wake you and we would catch up with her. She’s a tough girl. She wrapped you up well and scouted the area for more Raskin. Said she couldn’t sit still. I could tell she was eaten up with worry for you. Let’s catch up to them and find your brother.”
“Wait. Mel. Where was she during the fight? Is she okay?” Panic rears up in me quickly.
“Woah, she’s fine. son. Take a breath.” He places a hand on my back to steady me. “The girl was up a tree the whole time duringthe attack. She’s safe. She is with Kait now. Come on, up you get.” Miles says with a grunt as he helps me to unsteady feet.
Miles goes under one shoulder as I begin to hobble my way down the trail back into the forest, and we catch up with Mel and Kait within the hour. Each step I take is stronger than the last. As soon as Mel sees me, she runs and wraps her frail arms around my waist. I hug her back with one arm bending down, and I kiss the top of her head. I’m so glad to have my baby sister back. It makes my chest tight. She still has said little of the time she was Cano’s prisoner, but I don’t want to push for too much too soon. Kait looks over the slow-healing wound on my shoulder, the whole time trying to hide her face from view. I wish she wouldn’t, but I know she will need to come to terms with the scarring on her own. I know there isn’t much anyone else can say or do to help with that, other than getting revenge on Cano, maybe. When she’s done fussing over me, we continue our journey.
I don’t know about the others, but I heard things when we were being held. Nothing directly out of Cano’s mouth, of course. He was careful not to disclose too much in front of me. His men, though, were not as keen to keep their mouths shut. Cano has plans to overthrow the other territory leaders and rebuild the kingdom as the sole ruler. If Dax had known, he would have never relinquished his role as Ravendene’s Lord. He will stand up for Ravendene and our people if he’s alive. I have to believe that he survived. Cano's words flash into my mind.Have you felt the power transfer yet?Had I? The men in Cano's favor talked frequently of a female whose power was unmatched, and Cano planned on using her to get what he wanted. There was no mention of a name, unfortunately.
After only a few hours of walking, the night begins creeping in on us, and we are forced to hunker down where we are to wait out the darkness. It’s not just Raskin and Cano we have to worry about in these woods, and at night, many of the beasts will be on the prowl. It's best to stay quiet and still during the night. We will rise before the sun and be in Loema by dinner time. So, for now, we take turns sleeping and keeping watch.
The girls fall asleep quickly, and Miles wants to take the first watch. He says I need more rest to heal, which I don’t disagree with, but I’ve got so much on my mind that I know I’ll have trouble falling asleep.
“Did I ever tell you the story about how I met your Pa?” Miles asks with a wistful smile.
“I don’t think you have.”
“You and your brother remind me so much of him when he was young. I wasn’t much older than you when we met. He was about Dax’s age. My family was killed when I was small; never really knew them. I grew up bouncing around from job to job, never really knowing where the next meal would come from. Got myself into trouble more than a few times trying to snag me some too.” He laughs a little at the memory. “Your Pa was there one day when I got into a bit of trouble…” His eyebrows stitch together as he releases a deep breath and continues.
“Ya see, had your Pa not stepped in and paid the bill of my thieving, I would’ve either lost a hand or been a head shorter. I was begging for my life when he walked into the square. He wasn’t in power in Ravendene yet; his own father still held that position, but he was well enough known. Something I never understood was why he would care enough to put a stop to what wasbeing done to me regardless of my mistake. He not only paid the bill but brought me home. When at the manor, he fed me, gave me clothes, and spoke with Lord Ravendene, your grandfather. Asking him to give me work. That is when I became his manservant. I repaid my debt to him, but still, he kept me on his staff and gave me a handsome salary. Over the years, we became great friends. I know that’s where you and your brother get your compassion for others. Your father was a great man. I know that everything that is going on is hard, but you Ravendene boys will make the right decision.”
I take a deep breath, and on the exhale, I give him a small smile in return as I lean back against a tree. He pats my knee before propping himself against a tree too, for the first watch. I close my eyes, thinking about what he’s said. I wonder at times if Pa would be proud of the man I’m becoming, of the man Dax has become. Ma was the strength of the family, always ready for a fight, always one step ahead. Dax is more like her in that way.
A hand brushes hair back from my face, and my eyes flutter open to see Mel’s smiling face. “Miles said to wake you. It’s time to head out. The sun is about to rise. He also said you would miss breakfast if you slept any longer and you would be an awful turd to be around if you didn’t eat breakfast.” She giggled; the sound like music to my ears. Such a normal sound, but in our situation? What we've been through? It was a miracle.
“Did he now? An awful turd?” A grin tugs at my lips. I didn’t remember falling asleep. I guess I was more tired than I thought.
“Awful turd.” She agrees, with her eyebrows raised to her hairline.
“Well, then I guess I better get up and eat then. Wouldn’t want you all to be walking about with shit up your noses, would we?” Ireach out, tickling her a little, and the jostle of my shoulder makes me wince, but I can tell it's substantially better this morning. Before the sun officially rises, we are already trekking down the path and heading toward Loema once again.
Chapter thirty-one
I catch my bottomlip between my teeth as I stare at the door Dax just walked through. His words ringing through my head like a gong. I don’t know if it’s the bond or just him, but the man knows how to heat a woman, and seeing that he’s not even in the room… It's impressive. The dress that was sent up for me is unlike any I’ve ever worn before. I’m not sure if this is how Maki does dinner every night or if our being here has granted us a special occasion, but this dress… it’s sexy, elegant, and a perfect fit. The silky, deep forest green fabric intensifies the color of my eyes and hugs my curves seductively. The skirt spills over my hips in a loose waterfall, with a slit on each side nearly reaching my hips.It has semi-sheer sleeves that cuff at the wrists with black beaded embellishments that match the attached choker at the neck. The back swoops down just above the curve of my ass, and the plunging neckline reaches just a few inches above my navel. Risqué seems to be a theme here in Loema and the shoes are no exception. Sky-high black strappy heels that were clearly not chosen by a woman. These have death by walking written all over them.
I slide open one of the drawers of a beautiful, ornately carved dark wood vanity in the corner of the room. Finding some makeup pots and brushes, I use a rosy crème blush on my cheeks and lips and apply a black coating to my eyelashes. My hair has begun to dry, and the soft waves cascading over my shoulders brush the tops of my hips. I decide that for a dress of this caliber, I will opt for an elegant, twisted braid, as I have seen my mother wear to fancy dinners and such. I have never attended anything needing such lavish formal wear. Though I’ve always imagined one day having the opportunity to attend one with my mother… We were never given that chance, though.
