Chapter 8
HEMMING
T he young ones cheered and ran to their victorious Aima Kori ; even Alred’s guarded exterior seemed to fall away at the sight of her taking me down. Ariel nestled near the fire with the smallest siblings filling her lap as she braided her hair again. Her face was lit by the warm firelight and the smile that stretched from ear to ear. She looked happy and content.
She looked like their beloved princess.
Visions of her filled my mind—of her holding dark-winged younglings all her own. The beast inside me rumbled with approval. My body craved to be near her, and I wondered how long I could keep up the charade before my will collapsed. Judging by the way my cock hardened against my pants, it wouldn’t be long.
As I walked past the group, she looked up at me. Whatever she saw in my face made her smile fall away.
I stopped by the barrel of water to ladle some into a mug, making sure to keep my back to the group until I got my desire to pull Ariel into one of those stony homes and finish what we’d started under control. The hard crunch of rocks underfoot grew louder as someone approached, and I turned to find Eldrien standing right behind me, brows furrowed.
“You could have killed her with that first blow,” he said, voice teeming with anger. “I don’t think you understand what she means to our people.”
And I don’t think you understand what she means to me…
“Maybe I don’t,” I said, inching closer to Eldrien. Although he matched me in height and frame, the unfortunate circumstances of his people had left him smaller in mass and strength—something I wasn't ashamed to exploit in that moment. “Maybe you should tell me.”
He steeled himself against my intimidation. “She will be the one to end this suffering for the Minyades.”
“I understand that?—”
“Then isn’t that reason enough?”
“It is for them,” I said, pointing to the children running in circles around Ariel while she laughed. “But I cannot shake the feeling that you seem particularly invested in Ariel, and I can’t help but wonder why.”
His blue eyes narrowed as he glared at me in the darkness. Then a hint of a smile turned the corner of his mouth as he used my words to mock me. “My reasons are my own.”
A low growl echoed through the stony land.
“You should worry far less about Ariel’s well-being and focus on your own,” I said as I stared him down, “because if your plans for her are anything short of benevolent, you’ll have to deal with me.” I drained my cup while he looked on, fire burning deep in his light eyes. “And unlike just now, I will kill you with the first blow.”
Without another word, I headed back to the fire where Ariel sat next to Shayfer, the two of them staring at me. Their shared look of concern was far from lost on me.
Not wanting to appear eager, I sat down next to Shayfer, who was telling a grand tale to the group. The kids hung on his every word, eyes wide and mouths agape as he told them a very fantastical version of our standoff against the sister witches.
“It looked like we might not make it out of there,” Shayfer said, leaning closer, “but I wasn’t worried.”
Ariel spit out her mouthful of water at his massive lie, unable to contain her laughter. “I’ve never heard a bigger load of ox sh?—”
Shayfer clapped his hand over her mouth and smiled. “I believe what your beloved Aima Kori meant to say was that she’d never heard a more truthful recounting of a story in her life.” He winked at Ariel, then pulled his hand away.
She laughed and shoved his shoulder. “What I meant to say is that Shayfer lies like a snake, and you should never, ever listen to a word he says—unless he says something flattering about me. Then he’s definitely telling the truth.”
“I’m not sure he knows how,” I muttered under my breath, much to the delight of the children.
Shayfer cut me a sideward glance. “How you wound me, Hemming. And I was just about to tell them how you brought Sister One to her knees during our journey from the Midlands.”
“Did you chop her down with your blade?” Doret asked, slicing his arm through the air, then throwing it up triumphantly.
“Or tear her apart with your bare hands?” Filsen added.
“Neither,” Ariel replied, mischief burning in her eyes. “Hemming is so terrifying that he merely looked at them and they cowered in terror.”
Alred eyed me closely. “He’s not that scary.”
“That’s because you haven’t seen everything he can do,” Ariel replied. Shayfer’s hand gently fell on her forearm as if to caution her, and she nodded slightly. “I’m incredibly fortunate to have both him and Shayfer on my side. I would never have made it here without them.”
“The honor is ours,” Shayfer said with a small bow. Even seated, he made the gesture look formal and elegant.
“You two will never be able to return to your home after such treason,” Eldrien said to him from across the fire. “What will you do?”
Shayfer looked at me, true uncertainty in his eyes. “We will figure that out when the time comes.”
“For now,” Ariel said softly, “they go where I go. Which, at the moment, is to get some water after that fight, though I don’t suppose I require a chaperone for that journey.” Filsen leapt out of her lap so she could rise, and she walked over to the barrel in the distance. I tracked her every step as she disappeared into the darkness, tempted to follow. Instead, I ripped my gaze back to the fire before me—and the Minyade leader staring at me from the other side. Suspicion flickered in his icy blue eyes.
It was then that I knew for certain Eldrien was going to be a problem; one I would gladly deal with when the time came.