“Benedict, I can explain.”
Hatred burned in his purple eyes, and I managed to drop the sword to the ground with a clatter, my arms shaking as he said, “I think I heard enough right before you butchered him.”
My jaw dropped as my stomach twisted with fear.
“No! It wasn’t like that at all! You don’t understand—’ I reached for him, but he swiped his claws at me as he stood in his draken form.
“I understand just fine. It wasn’t enough to damn my species to extinction, was it? And to think, I believed you when you said you didn’t know who I was, and that you knew nothing of this arrangement. What else did Bair find out, what secret was so terrible you had to murder my baby brother?”
Tears ran down my face, but he turned away from me. “Save your fake tears for the dead.”
The blood drained from my face, and I was unable to move as he grabbed me and dove out the mouth of the cave. The wind roared in my face as his wings pumped hard, flying us to the south and west along the mountain range. After a while he threw me down, and I collapsed onto the rock. My leg twisted unnaturally under me, and I hissed in pain. He stood over me in silence over the cliff, staring out at nothing.
I tried to reason with him. “Bair was trying to leave the mountain and take me with him!”
Benedict sneered. “That’s a lie. He knew he couldn’t leave the mountain. You just lured him out there to kill him!”
I didn’t have the strength to stand and face him, so I yelled up into his angry, twisted face. “Why would I kill him and mess everything up? You were the one who pointed out how much better my life is here! Why would I give that up? Bair said Severn told him the Overlord would break his curse on the mountain. He figured once you were dead, he could fly as far away from this damn mountain as he could!”
Benedicts hands curled into fists.
“He was going to sell out your people as exotic, immortal pets!”
Benedict spun away from me, his hands gripping his hair. I’d never seen him so angry before. He vibrated with rage, and I half expected to be thrown off the mountain at any second. His grief was a painful, tangible force that kept me laying on the ground. Had I finally pushed too far? Would he kill me like he obviously wanted to?
“You’ve been working with Crullfed this whole time, haven’t you? I guess all those stories of him beating you were a cover. I have to give you credit for your great performance.” His voice was cold, almost completely unaffected. Then he leaned in, his voice a deadly purr. “Give me one reason not to watch your body break on the side of this mountain.”
I wiped my face, smearing blood everywhere. Did nothing that happened between us matter anymore? I sensed his blood in my body, raging against the hate in his eyes. An ache opened in my chest, robbing me of breath and hurting more than any of my injuries.
“I told you the truth. You just don’t believe me,” I whispered.
He roared away from me and punched the mountain, his hand breaking audibly as it met the stone’s unyielding surface.
“Bair, Sabien, and D’Arcy are the only direct family I have left. And you slaughtered one of them. Feel free to never come back.”
He disappeared and left me there, alone on the side of the mountain.
I laid there for hours, the hot sun beating down as I bled onto the side of the mountain. At first, I was thankful he didn’t kill me, thinking it was a mercy, perhaps due in part to some affection he held for me. The more I laid out in the sun, bleeding onto the rocks, the more I realized that this was a far crueler way to die. I thought about letting out a cry for help, but who would come? Benedict wouldn’t, and Kieran and Ronan might not either, not after word of what I’d done spread throughout the mountain. I gave myself only a day or two before the elements killed me.
I stayed there for ages on that hot piece of earth, refusing to cry, refusing to move, refusing to do anything to save myself. In a way, Benedict was right to be angry; I did kill his brother, never mind that he was a backstabbing little traitor. I drifted in and out of consciousness, unaware of the passing of time. The wound on my neck still bled, though sluggishly because of my dehydration. My skin was tight and painful, no doubt burnt from the sun. I thought of Bair and something he’d said before he died. Something about D’Arcy. I shot up, crying out as my body protested the movement.
D’Arcy said—
Was D’Arcy in on the plan with Bair, or was he already a traitor before Bair found out about it? If so, that meant he was also in contact with Severn and the Overlord, which made perfect sense as to how he had access to a group of lykoses. If he was, Kieran, Ronan, Benedict, and all the other drakens were in danger! I needed to save myself so I could save them, even if Benedict threatened to kill me, and even if Kieran and Ronan didn’t want me after learning what I did. I took a deep breath, knowing what I needed to do. Sometimes the hardest, yet most effective thing anyone could do was call for help.
I tried to scream, but my throat was too dry. A pathetic warble came through my lips, and then I managed to make a high-pitched keening sound. I collapsed back onto the ground, completely spent. The cry had been my last resort, and now I was going to die up here, stranded a mile up in the air. I didn’t have any liquid left in my body for tears, so my eyes drifted shut again. If I focused hard enough even the pain in my face and ankle didn’t bother me anymore. It would be so easy to go to sleep, wouldn’t it? No one would bother me, and I could just drift off and away.
Heavy vibrations landed around me, but I ignored them. It was time to rest.
“I don’t care what Benedict says, I won’t let her die!”
It was the kind voice . . . the one with the green eyes . . . my eye cracked open, but it was too bright.
“We have to get some blood into her, but let’s get to the cave first.”
There was an odd sensation of lifting and flying, but that was preposterous. Then hot, glorious blood slid down my throat, easing the pain as I greedily drank. I slid into true darkness then, tired and exhausted.
When I woke, Kieran and Ronan were next to me. I felt better, but still not completely whole.
I blinked my eyes wearily. “You came for me.”
Kieran offered me a weak smile, rubbing the back of his head. “I would never ignore a distress call from you. It just . . . took a bit for us to figure out how to get to you.”
He stroked my hand, and offered me a glass of water, which I gulped down. He chuckled, and Ronan offered me another. Halfway through that one, I turned to him. “How did you get to me?”
Kieran nodded at Ronan, who blushed.
“Well, I figured if Bair got close to the edge of the mountain, maybe you were still within the mountain range, just on the outside of it rather than the inside. It was a bit terrifying leaving the cave mouth, but I was right. We can go outside if we stick to the mountain range. Benedict isn’t happy with us. He keeps threatening to execute us, then thanking us for saving you, then screaming at us again. In turn, I threatened to tell every draken we could leave the cave, however in a limited way, if he tried to ban your return. It hasn’t been fun.”
My eyes went to my lap. “Oh. He’s told everyone then?”
Kieran grasped my hand, his gaze intense. “No, Kieran blackmailed him to keep it to himself, but he tried to tell us. It was some ridiculous story about subterfuge and the Overlord, but frankly none of it made sense. All I could get from it was something happened, and you killed Bair?”
Ronan sniffed. “I never liked the little shit anyway.”
Kieran rolled his eyes and cuffed him on the head.
I stifled a small smile; these two always were able to cheer me up. “So, you don’t hate me?”
Kieran laid a kiss to my forehead. “You are our mate. Of course, we could never hate you. Why do you think Benedict is fucking crazy right now? On the one hand he wants to kill you, but on the other hand, he can’t. It’s a bit hilarious if you’re not the one he’s screaming at.” Kieran frowned.
“I thought you couldn’t mate with humans.”
Kieran shrugged. “It’s all down to choice, isn’t it? Ronan and I choose you, and at some point, Benedict obviously did as well, even if the blockhead won’t admit it.” He paused and looked down at me with worry. “What actually happened, if you don’t mind?”
I balled the covers in my fist, sorrow filling my heart. “Bair told Severn where the drakens are hiding.”
Kieran reared back, blinking furiously. “That . . . that can’t be right.”
Righteous indignation flared with me. “I’m a liar, then?”
“No! I just . . . I need to go talk to Benedict.”
“Let me,” I argued as he practically ran from the room, leaving me alone with Ronan. I rolled my eyes, and Ronan sighed.
“That’s going to be a tough sell. Benedict is mourning his brother. He’d probably kill you if you got close now. It is wise to try and let Kieran break the news,” he finished.
My jaw dropped in alarm, and he waved an arm casually.
“I wouldn’t take it seriously. Kieran will talk him around. Our mateship is too new, and he’ll be forced back eventually. That is, if I don’t kill him first for ignoring your distress call.”
“What do you mean by forced back?” I asked.
“New mateships need time to settle in. The more time we spend together, the quicker it happens. Sleeping together, meals, all of it helps. Since Benedict hasn’t been around much, he’ll likely start noticing some of the negative effects. My only worry is if it will impact you at all.”
I blinked at him, tired.
He patted my hand. “How about a bath?”
I agreed and let him fuss over me. Not only did I not have a choice, but deep down, it felt nice to have someone care about me like that. A stab of regret punctuated my mind as I thought of Benedict.
“The games have been postponed indefinitely. Benedict doesn’t want to see anyone right now.” Ronan kept up a steady stream of chatter as he filled the bath, lacing it with scented oils and herbs. It smelled divine.
“The other drakens are shook up over Bair. It would help to get your story out there so the others realize you’re not a murdering psychopath like Benedict has painted. Kieran will probably do that as soon as he sees Benedict.” Ronan easily picked me up from the bed and carried me to the bath.
I stripped out of my clothes, no longer bashful about being naked with him. They’d seen it all already. Ronan helped lower me into the warm water, and I hissed as it lapped over my skin. I felt along my neck and face, my fingers meeting raised, torn edges that hadn’t been there before. Ronan’s eyes turned serious.
“We tried, but by the time we got blood into you the wound had been there for too long. It’s a wicked scar though! It makes you even more desirable. It lets others see how vicious you are.”
I scoffed and splashed water at him.
“Can I help? I’ll wash if you’d like?” Ronan’s eyes were hopeful with a bit of mischief thrown in.
I sighed. “I think I need some time to think, if you don’t mind.”
Ronan stood, his face serious. “He doesn’t deserve you or your compassion.”
I was tired and didn’t feel like fighting. “Like you said it’s my choice and not yours.”
Grunting, he left. I picked up a hand mirror on the side of the pool, exploring the new contours of my face. I wasn’t upset about my appearance. I had never much thought of it to begin with. Rather, I was more concerned how every time Benedict looked at me, all he would see were his brother’s final moments.
