Page 73 of Halfblood Deceived

“But you don’t,” Kerian corrected. “You don’t know us well enough. We spent very little time together nearly a century ago. So I don’t blame you for being wary. We’ll be delighted to prove our intentions to you, however.”

“I apologize, and I promise not to order you around again,” Kamilla said tightly, dragging Zeydan from his dark thoughts. There was genuine guilt written in her topaz eyes.

Zeydan swallowed hard. “I know you meant well, Kam.” He did. Underneath his automatic rejection of being under anyone’s care or authority, Zeydan knew Kamilla was a caring female. She had nursed his mother back to health, after all. “And I know I was being a stubborn idiot, but…”

He couldn’t force the words out. His stomach curled with shame.

“I’ll help you find a home,” Kerian promised. “A place with as much safety as we have here and I’ll help you hire the most reliable human staff you could ever get. But please consider not rushing things.”

“You and your family are more than welcome in our city and our home, Zeydan,” Kamilla insisted. “We can keep you all safe, and we will, for as long as you wish. Hells, if you don’t want to feel indebted, I’ll crunch some numbers and charge you rent. I’ll keep my bossy habits in line.”

Zeydan’s face itched, and he knew he was flushing. “I, um, thank you. I won’t rush things, I promise. And thank you for everything.”

Kerian clapped his shoulder. “That’s what fourth cousins are for.”

“Third,” Zeydan and Kamilla corrected at once.

Kamilla placed a hand on Zeydan’s shoulder. “Get some rest. You’ve spent the last few days stressing over your females, but they are all safe now. Aella can go one night without you watching over her sleep.”

Zeydan felt the blood rain from his face. “How did you know? And Aella is not one of mine. I mean, she wouldn’t be comfortable knowing I have come to consider her as part of us, would she?”

He swallowed back a groan, wishing a tiny meteorite would hit him and no one else.

Kamilla bit her lip not to smile.

Kerian had no such qualms and snorted. “Oh, that was cute.”

“Shut up,” Zeydan grumbled, which really didn’t help his case.

“No one goes into the room of one of my protégés without my knowledge,” Kamilla said breezily.

Goddess. Kamilla Davashkov considered Aella her protégé. Anyone who dared to hurt Aella would regret the day they were born. And that included Zeydan.

He cleared his throat, hoping to preserve some semblance of dignity. “I’ll go get some rest.” He kept a very calm pace as he went around Kamilla to open the door to his room, which just happened to be next to Aella’s.

“Goodnight, dear, cute cousin,” Kerian chanted with an unholy grin.

Zeydan rolled his eyes at him.

Kamilla whacked her brother on the back of the head.

“Ow! What was that for?” Kerian protested with puppy eyes.

“You know,” Kamilla said, frog-marching him downstairs.

Zeydan got inside his room and leaned against the closed door, taking a deep breath as he felt some of the weight on his shoulders lift. A weight he hadn’t been able to shake off when a day passed and Aella remained in a coma-like state despite Kamilla’s potions and Aylana’s healing magic.

Mari, Luce, and Gabby had awoken about ten hours after they had arrived at the mansion. Sore, tired, and grumpier than ever in Mari’s case, but they had been fully coherent, hungry even.

Aella looked almost dead.

The vampire princess and the fey-werewolf hybrid had insisted that it was natural for Aella to remain asleep after enduring such wounds. And Zeydan had pretended—apparently not so well—that he could sleep with the constant worry.

He yawned, his head wooly with exhaustion. Without even bothering to undress, he kicked off his boots and got in the bed, falling asleep as soon as his head fell on the pillow.

* * *

A sharp, harrowing scream dragged Zeydan out of his sleep in what felt like mere minutes after he got into bed.

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