Page 46 of Tempting the Fae Lord
“To the old holding cells.”
“Cells? Like a prison?”
“Exactly like a prison.”
“But he doesn’t need a dungeon. He needs a healer. Look at him.”
If he doesn’t need a healer now, he will when I’m done with him. “He’s dangerous.”
“Very. But he wasn’t raising them of his own free will. She ordered him to do it. Something about a life debt.”
I stop. The rage inside me doesn’t want to hear excuses. It clamors for vengeance. “Everyone has choices. His have led him to this moment.”
“But we don’t know his story. What if it wasn’t his fault?”
I press my lips tight and hold back several nasty things I’d like to say. But not to Gale. Gale doesn’t deserve my ire. But this mage…
We continue along a dark corridor until reaching my destination. “The holding cells were designed to contain magical creatures. The bedroom suites were not. He’ll stay here until I make my final decision.”
Gale doesn’t argue.
I place the mage in the corner of a stone room with a stone floor and iron bars and little else. He works with his hands, so I bind them behind his back. I shove him into a seated position. He slumps sideways but doesn’t wake.
“Don’t hurt him.”
“Shush. I need to think.”
“But you don’t understand. You have to listen.”
“I don’thaveto do anything.”
“Maybe Sonja had a point when she said you weren’t a good listener,” he mutters.
“You’re on a first-name basis with the fae now? What were you doing with her?”
“Well, before you showed up, we were having tea.”
I can’t be hearing this right. “Tea.”
“Tea. I didn’t know who she was, mind you. I was searching for you and found her instead.”
I need to sit down. “You could have been killed.”
“She was kind to me, Ez—I mean, sir.” He drops his gaze to the floor. “I wasn’t in any danger.”
“You were. You just didn’t know it.” I grab him and pull him to my chest.
He stiffens but, after a moment, relaxes into my hold and wraps his arms around my waist.
I press my nose into his soft hair and breathe deeply. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you involved in this.”
“I know. But you’ve never been gone so long, and I was scared you were in trouble.”
“You needn’t fear for me, Mooncalf.”
He rubs his cheek along my jaw like a house cat. “I can’t help it.”
Though it’s a balm to my soul to have Gale in my arms, he shouldn’t be here. Shouldn’t have crossed through the gate. Shouldn’t have put himself in danger on my behalf.
