Page 164 of Halfblood Deceived

Zeydan rubbed his sore, tired eyes, blinking several times to keep himself awake. He’d been texting with Aella for a quarter of an hour. She was obviously worried even after talking briefly with Diana and itching to know what had happened. But that wasn’t really a conversation they should have via text message. Zeydan believed text and emojis didn’t replace face-to-face interaction. Not by a long shot, regardless of what Evan claimed. So he had promised Aella some answers after her work hours.

He lifted his head from his phone when Kerian and Aroth entered the room.

“Let me guess, you sent the gargoyles’ heads back to the Order of the Light,” Kam said wryly.

The sound of Kam’s voice woke up Aylana. She yawned and blinked, straightening a bit to watch Kerian and Aroth.

“Excellent guess, sister mine,” Kerian drawled, completely unconcerned. Given that his hair was wet, and he was wearing all-black clothes that fitted him snugger than usual, Zeydan had the feeling he and Aroth had taken a little detour. “We also carved said heads with our coat of arms, so the Order has no doubt about who sent them such a thoughtful gift.”

Gabby half lifted her head from Lex’s shoulder. “Literal child. Right there. Please keep the nightmare material to a minimum.”

“My nightmares are about losing any of you like I lost mum, Auntie Gabby,” Luce said, her voice slightly hoarse. “I think I’ll sleep better tonight knowing there are fewer monsters in this world.”

Andreas’ pressed a kiss to Luce’s temple.

Aroth tilted his head, black eyes examining Luce. She returned the exam without an ounce of fear, cementing Zeydan’s opinion she’d make her enemies tremble one day.

“I’ll start charging more runestones as soon as I can,” Aylana said to Aroth, voice scratchy with exhaustion.

He nodded. “Araiah and I are looking forward to working with you, Duchess Aylana.”

“I am glad the gargoyle bastards are dead, don’t get me wrong,” Gabby said, brow furrowed. “But won’t such a brazen statement put us in more danger? What if they send more warriors to Darkwood?”

Kerian leaned against the arch. “They won’t for now. According to what I saw in the priest’s blood memories, if the mission failed, they would reassess before making another move.”

“They were testing our strength,” Kamilla added. “And we, in theory, proved to them once again that this is our city and they can’t have it.”

“In theory?” Zeydan asked. “Not even one of those bastards survived.”

“True, but it was different this time,” Kerian interjected. “Had Milla and I been alone, or had only Sebastian and Aylana as backup, we’d be very fucking dead.”

“We’ve fought a dozen at a time before,” Kamilla added. “But that was before their power-neutralizing bombs.”

Zeydan rubbed his sore forehead. “I have to ask, Kam, why didn’t you bring your security team?”

Kam wrinkled her nose. “Because we weren’t expecting such a large operation. And we prefer to not risk others if possible.”

“And that is one of your greatest weaknesses, Princess,” Aroth said bluntly. “You and Kerian always put yourselves in the front lines, and the gargoyles know that. If they had succeeded, Darkwood would be more vulnerable than ever now.”

“We promised to take care of our citizens,” Kerian argued. “We have to be the first line of defense.”

Aroth hummed. “And you can be, as long as you have equally powerful reinforcements, as you did today. Not to mention that if you love something, you fight to protect it. Your warrior-trained citizens should be allowed to volunteer to help you protect Darkwood, your Highnesses.”

“I agree with Aroth, Kam,” Zeydan said. “I will always be there when you need me. But we need more help.”

“The packs love boasting about their duty to protect.” Aylana huffed. “It’s time they put their money where their muzzle is and do more than prowl around like fucking peacocks.” She sighed. “And yes, I’m aware that I have to include myself there and do something about the pack I used to belong to.”

“Some might be reluctant to help,” Kamilla observed. “Some might say we are breaking our promise of protection.”

“There is a line between protecting and coddling, Princess Davashkov,” Aroth advised. “You need to choose which side you are on.”

Kamilla sighed, pressing her fingers to her temples.

Diana squeezed Kamilla’s shoulder reassuringly. “They have a valid point, Kam. You and Kerian have been exhausted for the last decade. You need help.”

“Besides, it’s not like we’re going to recruit everyone once they turn twenty-five and force them to become warriors,” Kerian mused. “We are going to talk to all the packs and clans and ask them to assist in protecting the city they claim to love. Just like we asked the border packs and fey families.”

“You are right,” Kamilla agreed, cursing under her breath and stretching her no doubt sore neck. “We’ve been shouldering more than we can handle for a while.”

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