Page 46 of Cruelly Fated
“What’s going on? Is my grandfather—?” I swallowed, unable to finish the sentence.
“Old Pete is fine. I saw him myself—not a single scratch on him,” Valor said, and the conviction in his voice helped steady my pulse.
“Kyon’s lawyer got the case dismissed. It wasn’t easy, but he’s the best in Avari for a reason. We were en route to the penitentiary when we got word of a gang fight breaking out inside. Total chaos. I broke every traffic law to get us there faster.By the time we arrived, the guards had managed to suppress the riot, and Kyon was on a bloody stretcher. They wanted to take him to the hospital, but Torian and I agreed it was safer to bring him somewhere more secure. He’s at one of the Voltaire mountain estates now. Their private medic is treating him.”
I clenched the hem of my skirt. “And you think I can help somehow?”
He peered at me like he knew a secret. “I do.”
O-kay…
“What happened to the fae who attacked him?”
“Gargoyles.” He sneered. “Few survived.”
Kyon’s handsome face flashed in my mind, all sharp lines and brutal beauty, that thick bottom lip I’d secretly obsessed over and the scar I’d come to love. All of him. I sucked in a breath.
“How bad is he?” I asked in a small voice.
Valor let out a low whistle. “Worst I’ve ever seen him. If it wasn’t for his ally…”
A wave of dizziness crashed over me.
“He’ll heal,” Valor added quickly, his voice softer. “But it’s going to take time…and willpower. That’s where you come in.”
I shot him a dubious look.
“Come on, you can’t deny the pull between you two—only the fae gods know why—but trust me, it goes both ways. Beneath all that gruff, there’s a dragon who feels. And I think the way he feels about you…it’s not something he’s ever felt for anyone else.”
I bit my lip, the edges of a smile betraying me. “He told you this?”
“No,” Valor said, shrugging. “Not in so many words—we are men, after all. But I’ve known him long enough to know the difference between casual interest and all but marking his territory.”
He pulled the car up to an arched iron gate and pressed his thumb to a sleek scanner embedded in the stone pillar. A sharp beep followed, and the gates groaned open with a mechanical sigh. The road curved upward, completely secluded and flanked by towering, wind-gnarled trees that pressed in like silent sentries.
Minutes later, the dense greenery gave way to manicured gardens and sprawling grounds. Then the house came into view—a sweeping modern estate built of gray stone and glass, crowned with balconies, sleek turrets, and a breathtaking view that stretched from the mist-draped country hills to the glittering lights of inner Avari below.
A steel-blue dragon crested over the rooftop, wings slicing the air with a deep whoosh before he exhaled a ribbon of smoke. He dove toward us and shifted in midair, landing gracefully by my door as Torian.
“Welcome,” he said, reaching in to steady my hand as I stepped out. His gaze flicked down, a thoughtful expression forming as he took in my outfit. In my rush, I hadn’t thought to change out of the skimpy miniskirt and tied-up white-collar shirt that showed my midriff, a practice getup I’d thrown onearlier in preparation for the new gig Larry had offered to me yet again.
“Um…it’s from work,” I muttered, heat creeping up my neck.
Valor appeared beside me in a blur.
“He’s in the grand bedroom. I’ll grab a bathrobe—just in case. We don’t want to agitate him.” Torian loped up the steps ahead of us and shifted into his dragon form once more, wings flaring before he perched on a balcony above. A breath later, he transformed back into his human self.
Valor and I jogged up the steps.
“Bathrobe? Why would Kyon need one?” I asked, a little winded from the climb.
“That’d be for you, love. For when he wakes up. We wouldn’t want him getting too…enthusiastic at the sight of you.”
Fae gods. My outfit was sexy, sure, but would it really stir that kind of reaction in him? I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to shake the image, though the idea of Kyon desiring me sent warmth coiling through my belly. We were no longer in an illusion or separated by fences. Things were about to get real.
“Say no more, vampire,” I warned, and he chuckled.
“That reminds me,” I added, “don’t ever leave notes for me again. Especially creepy ones. Ever.”
