Page 25 of House of Embers
Chapter Ten
The Interrogation
Tieran dropped Gerrond onto the rock floor with a thud. The Fae groaned and rolled over, clutching his side. Kerrigan slid off Tieran’s back and came face-to-face with her mate.
“What in the gods’ names were you doing?” Fordham demanded.
“Hello, love,” Kerrigan said with a smirk. “I brought you a present.”
Fordham’s eyes snapped to the Fae slowly trying to come to his feet. “Where did he come from?”
It was in that moment that his dragon landed next to Tieran.
“Scout,” she said.
“And you decided to intercede?” he asked, low and lethal.
“He saw us. He was going to report to the Society.”
“I was not,” Gerrond said, reaching for his side.
Kerrigan shrugged. “He called me a bitch.”
“He did what?” Fordham demanded, hauling the Fae up by his shirt collar and holding him in the air.
The male looked wholly terrified. If the use of Wynter’s shadows had scared him, looking into Fordham’s murderous face nearly made him piss himself.
“I didn’t know. You have it all wrong,” the male said. “She threatened to kill me!”
“That is the least you can expect from me,” Fordham snarled.
“Ford,” Kerrigan began. “We can’t interrogate a dead prisoner.”
Gerrond’s eyes widened in alarm. “I’m not against you! I was looking for you.”
“Of that we’re certain,” Fordham said, throwing him to the ground.
Kerrigan returned a moment later with rope and tied Gerrond’s hands behind his back. “Delle, would you do us a favor and have the guards put Gerrond here in an empty, guarded room?”
“Of course,” Delle said, gesturing for guards to take over.
Fordham still looked ready to beat the guy into a bloody pulp for the insult. He was riled up, and she thought the show was a good one. They had an audience, and the guards and attendants would spread the story that Fordham was as ruthless as ever. But she also needed to calm him down away from all these onlookers.
“Brother,” Wynter said as she finally climbed down from Netta. “Your fiancée performed admirably as a rider.”
“Of course she did,” Fordham said. But there was still death in his look. “She is formidable.”
“I saw her intentions and jumped in,” Wynter said, saying enough without saying everything.
“I appreciate that,” Fordham said with a nod.
“Kerrigan,”Tieran said into her mind,“Henrley is saying that we have made an unwarranted mistake here. That he wants to discuss their actual objective. We could restrain him, but I believe Netta and I should speak to him first.”
“Will he flee otherwise?”she asked.
“I do not believe he’d abandon his rider.”
“Then do it,”she agreed.
