Page 139 of The Lands Defying
Josh sighs and Leo grunts, folding his arms. “Brother,” Leo starts, and my gaze moves back to his, my eyes giving a warning that he refuses to heed. “You need your strength, you’re dead on your feet.” I may as well be dead without her.
“I’ll eat when Rhea does.”
They look at each other, and my fingers grip the strap of the pack tighter. “She would kick your ass for this,” Josh says, a frown on his face. “This isn’t helping anyone, especially her. She will hate this.”
Will Rhea forgive me if I rearrange his face? Wake to him being buried?
I tilt my head at him in thought, it may be worth it.
“Leave if there is nothing else.” I go to turn when a hand lands on my shoulder. I pause, my body rigid, trying to control the urge to lash out. To kill, maim and hurt.
Josh walks past me to go and see Rhea, and I have to control my breathing as Leo’s grip on me tightens.
“Darius, things are getting worse. I know you need to be with her, but we also need you out there,” Leo says quietly, as if he didn’t want to say the words but had no choice to.
“You don’t know the need I have.” I shrug his hand off my shoulder and turn to him. “You couldn’t possibly know theneed.” I laugh, but it’s hard, cold. “Don’t tell me what I need, and fuck everyone out there in the lands. What have they ever done apart from lick the asses of the Highers?”
Leo shakes his head. “We also did the Highers bidding, you are not thinking straight, brother.” He doesn’t need to remind me of what we have done. “They have started calling in the alliances of packs, they are traveling to Wolvorn Castle as we speak.”
“What for?” I grind out.
“I don’t know, no one does,” Leo pauses. “They have rogures with them.”
“Rogures,” I repeat. He nods. “What do you mean by that?”
He swallows roughly, stealing a glance at Josh before continuing. “They are traveling with them instead of porting. I don’t know why, but the rogures are protecting those they are with.”
My brows crease. Rogures are travelingwiththem and not killing them all, and they aren’t killing the rogures? What the fuck.
I remember my traitorous men in the Bayson forest that had rogures with them, they didn’t attack them, they stared and watched. No, they waited for a command.
And then I think to that place in the Deadlands that I have some of my men guarding, the way that beast was controlled to attack us…
“They are controlling them,” I say, and he nods.
“But how?” Josh asks, eyes wide as he comes back to us.
“It must be the concoction they used, or maybe something similar to it.” I scrub my hands down my face. “Have a few of the others follow them, stalk them and gain information.” I tell Leo, and he nods. “I can’t leave here right now.”
“But—” Leo begins.
“No, do not ask me, brother,” I tell him firmly. “I physicallycan’t.”
“What do you mean,” Josh asks, a curious look on his face. “I can stay with her.”
“My need to be near her won’t let me. My instinct to watch over her won’t let me. My wolf won’t let me.” I place a hand on my neck, feeling the warmth that’s pulsing gently beneath my skin. “I can’t leave, I won’t. She is where I will be for now.”
Leo sighs and runs his hand through his hair. “Then I’ll devise a plan with the others.” I nod. “I will speak to Maverick for an update on The Deadlands, and we will continue dealing with things and keep you updated.” I reach out and place a hand on his shoulder, grateful he just accepts it.
“The people?” I ask him.
Leo shakes his head, a frown on his face. “Daily hangings and beatings. After the posters, most are rebelling, and the guards have been ordered to keep the peace at any cost.”
“To keep them loyal, you mean.”
“Exactly,” Leo grits out, anger pouring off of him.
“Take those who need it to Colhelm.”
