Page 78 of A Fate of Blood and Magic
“I’m sure we could have another one tomorrow morning.” She yawned. “I know what my first order as queen will be. Or would I be a king consort?”
I ran my hand over her back, my lips pulling back at the thought of her title being a consort. “You are a queen, Teddy. Whether or not you go through with the coronation, you are a queen. My queen. Now tell me about your first order.”
She did. She told me how she wanted more for the younglings at the orphanage, and I agreed that Kieren not receiving the treatment he needed while in the orphanage’scare was something that needed to be rectified. I was happy to give Teddy the reins to it and eager to see the changes she’d make for the betterment of my people.
Our people.
Should she want council, I’d happily give it to her.
I soaked in the lilt of her voice, letting it calm the remainder of my nerves. I was home with Teddy and the younglings that were mine in my heart. As Teddy had said, Kieren could stay with us until his father returned. Until then, he would also be under my care and protection.
And it seemed Teddy was under the care and protection of many others. I owed Alastor and his lirio everything, as I did Kieren. Just as I owed Brenton and Everly for training her and Eiran for reminding her of the knife she held. I could never repay them for what they’d done, and knew they’d never accept any form of repayment.
When Teddy ran her fingers through my hair, I let my head drop forward. She continued talking, her voice like a song lulling me to sleep.
I was home. I was with my family, and we were safe.
Chapter
Fourteen
ELIAS
Niev’sonly prisoner hung from a rope, his head forward and body dangling from where I’d bound him by his wrists tight enough to cut his circulation. By the time I’d come to see him this morning, his face was a battered mess, courtesy of Alastor’s interrogation from the previous day. Although his jaw was misaligned and broken from meeting Alastor’s fist, I’d make him talk.
“Lift him higher,” I told Pietro.
While normally Pietro wouldn’t have anything to do with prisoners, he’d immediately gone to Teddy’s aid, so I’d granted his request to be present while I interrogated the vile human with Garrison there to gauge any deceptions.
Pietro nodded once before he pulled on the rope so that the male’s toes barely touched the ground. Garrison’s stance changed with a slow drag of his boot over the stone floor. Whether he was nervous or just weary, I needed him here. He was one of the few truth-tellers I knew personally and with him growing up in the castle, I knew I could count on him.
Slipping into my primal instincts, I filtered out the truth-teller’s scent so that I could concentrate solely on my soul-bound mate’s attacker. I wasn’t sure what delighted me more – the sound of his tortured moan or the sound of his shoulder popping when it dislocated.
Wanting him to experience the pain again, I healed his shoulder from a distance where I leaned against a dungeon wall. My grin grew with his anguished cry when it dislocated again.
Slowly, I pushed off the wall, taking measured, careful steps toward him. My footsteps echoed in the dark dungeon we’d never had use for before today. I tilted his chin up, my fingers covering in blood when I dug my digits into his skin.
Garrison gave me a stiff nod, his shoulders tighter now.
“Who else came with you from the human realm?” I gripped his chin harder when he didn’t answer. It wouldn’t take much to fracture what remained of his lower jawbone that Alastor had left untouched. “I strongly advise you to answer me. Yesterday, the mage treated you far kinder than I’m inclined to.”
Spit and blood dripped from his panting mouth, and he cast a nervous glance toward Garrison. As if he knew Garrison’s role. Curious.
“No one,” he whispered.
I looked at Garrison, who shook his head. “Lie.”
“No one, you say.” My lips lifted in a small smile while I squeezed tighter.
Bone crunched beneath my fingers and despite his despairing moan, I didn’t stop. Blood spilled over my hand while I dug through his flesh and bone. I drank in every one of his painfilled whimpers and it still wasn’t enough to satisfy me.
Not when he’d gone after my mate.
“Please continue lying,” I said, tone low as I moved my hand to splinter his upper jaw.
Chapter
Fifteen
