Page 45 of Veiled Fate
“Gone on ahead,” Kiel said. “Including the wounded. We had to leave the bodies of the dead.”
“I know,” I said, sliding between the rocks and into the darkened cave tunnel. “Trust me, I know.”
“Did they die in vain?”
“No,” I said softly, pausing just after the tunnel widened to rest my back against the wall. “No, they didn’t.”
“So, he’s dead?”
“I tore out most of his throat and neck,” I said, wiping a hand over my mouth. “If he’s no longer immortal as you say, then there’s no coming back from that.”
Kiel was silent, contemplative. There were no signs of happiness. I hadn’t expected him to jump for joy and laugh, but he was oddly detached at hearing that one of the other Alphas was dead. After centuries of immortality, one of them wasdead. Perhaps he was just stunned as I was.
“What now?” I asked, glancing deeper into the tunnel. “Do we go on? Or should we leave?”
“In the morning,” he said, taking me by the shoulder and walking at my side as we headed into Lycaon. “There will be a lot of uproar in the next hour once word reaches the city and spreads. We should be here to see what Lycaonus’ immediate reaction is. Then we’ll start making our way for Nycitum and Mount Triumph. If we push ourselves, we can probably get ahead of the news of Arcadus’ death. That will give us more freedom. But for tonight, we have to rest. Neither of us is in any condition to move on.”
I didn’t argue. I was too tired. All I wanted was a shower and a bed. Perhaps a meal. The reality of what we had just done was sinking in, and I was having a hard time believing it.
Not only was an Alpha dead, butIhad killed him. My life would never be the same again. How could it? Arcadus had been one of the eight legendary leaders who had guided our entire civilization for centuries. And he had died by my hand.
Mouth, technically. Not that it matters.
Reaching the end of the tunnel, we took the robes we had stashed there for just that purpose and covered ourselves, entering the city calmly, without hurry, as we headed for “home.”
I listened carefully to everyone we passed, but none of them had anything to say about Arcadus’ death. Several still talked in curious tones about the Alpha’s imminent arrival and what that would be like. But news of his death had not yet reached the city. We’d taken a circuitous route to our secret entrance to ensure we weren’t pursued. There should have been plenty of time for word to reach and begin circulating.
“In the morning,” Kiel assured me as he pushed open the door. “By morning, everyone will know. Then they’ll talk. To question.”
“I hope so,” I said quietly, patting him on the chest before going to shower and sleep.
The water washed away the blood smears and the taste of iron in my mouth, but nothing would ever rid me of the visual of Arcadus’ body lying still, staring sightlessly toward the sky.
Nor could I forget his last point, the one he’d been trying to make about Kiel.
Forget it. You’ve seen Kiel. You know what type of person he is. Whatever Arcadus was going to say, it was only to try to turn you against him. Don’t let him in.
I sat on the edge of the bed, towel wrapped around my body, staring at the ground, trying to do just that.
The next thing I knew, Kiel was shaking my shoulder, waking me up. “Jada!”
I sat upright, the towel no longer wrapped around me but still under me. Light was streaming through the window shutters, bright and warm.
It was morning.
“Huh? What is it?” I asked groggily, struggling hard to come fully awake. Had I truly been that tired?
“Come, come listen,” he said with an almost giddy sense of urgency.
“I’m not clothed,” I muttered, wiping my eyes with my other hand.
“You don’t need to. Besides, I quite enjoy seeing you this way.”
The casual, offhand remark shot through me like lightning as Kiel turned my body into a pleasant sexual object. I felt so exposed before him that I half-twisted to reach for the towel, only to get dragged from the bed instead. Patience was not one of Kiel’s virtues at the moment.
I allowed myself to be pulled out of the bedroom and to the front door.
“Listen,” he said, a huge grin splitting his face.
