Chapter 51 Malice
MALICE
Nearing noon, the sun hardly dents the nip in the air. Though it’s the middle of summer, Zeneith’s chill is a far cry from the sweltering temperatures of Valtara.
Malice weaves in and out of creatures, catching a few glances of wariness, but is largely undisturbed. Creatures in the North are accustomed to a variety of species wandering their streets, allowing Malice to blend in much more than he does in Valtara.
It takes Malice a while to navigate through the non-sensical streets of Zeneith.
Despite living in proximity to the Northern City-State his entire life, Malice rarely found himself inside the gates, and even less often was he winding through the streets on the Eastern edge following the faint scent of a Human.
When Malice left the suite this morning, the Wolf and Princess were still soundly sleeping.
Malice had been up for hours, his head churning with new information, anxious about what it would all mean.
When he finally decided he’d much rather do something than watch them sleep, he left Aerin a note and slipped out the window, flying until he was clear of the Royal Village.
One of Malice’s many concerns centers around gifting a Human a conduit of Aerin’s magic. Aerin trusts Khortland, and so by default she trusts this Human. But Aerin’s judgement may be blurred by her Paramyr.
Malice started his hunt for the Human at the run-down apartment.
It was obvious upon arrival neither Fae nor Human had been back since their interruption, but her scent is strong there.
From there Malice follows the scent until it nears the Eastern gate, where the trail diverges.
One path heads South, away from the Royal Village, the other goes out of the gate, likely towards one of the few Human settlements that speckle the woods along the Eastern wall of Zeneith.
Choosing South, Malice hopes he won’t have to leave the City-State to find her in a Human dwelling. There, his presence will scream trouble.
Following the trail, Malice’s mind wanders. Hunting down the Human quiets some thoughts, but not others.
Sex with Aerin broke something inside of Malice, he’s certain.
Aerin entered his soul and rearranged things to her liking, changing him forever.
And what’s worse, Malice knew this would happen, and he did it anyways.
He’d already been halfway there, fighting her every step of the way with his pathetic mantra and resistance to their blood-bond.
But sinking his cock inside of her? That was the final straw, the drop of water in the bucket that made everything spill.
There are all kinds of stories about blood-bound soldiers of Old.
Ones who vowed their lives to protect the Fae Queens who ruled over Altrios.
Stories of their sacrifices, their devotion, their love.
Stories where they withered away or went mad or became so depressed they wouldn’t move or eat after losing their bonded-mates.
Stories where they ended their own lives rather than live without them.
He never understood, until now. Losing Aerin would be a grief so large he would not be capable of handling it. The only solution is to do anything and everything to make sure that never happens.
The Human scent grows stronger as Malice veers down an alleyway. The alley is narrow, running the length of a building before snaking into a maze of precariously stacked multi-level structures. The scent ends at a door, the inscription so worn Malice can’t tell what’s inside. He enters anyways.
The Human’s scent is everywhere, the bathrooms to his left, the small staffroom to his right, down the hall lined with closed doors in front of him.
“Hey! You’re not supposed to be back here!
” a Rabbit Shifter squawks. Malice ignores the small male.
The Rabbit follows him. “You need to wait in the lobby like everyone else!” He bounces behind Malice’s shoulder, unable to cut him off due to the spread of Malice’s wings.
A Fawn Shifter pokes her head out of a door, but upon seeing a Dragon-Fae, shuts the door quickly.
The scent grows fresher as Malice approaches another door. Not knowing what he’s wandering into doesn’t stop him from barging inside.
A brown Elf on a padded examination table lets out a frightened noise.
Reyna is sitting on a backless chair. Her brown hair is pulled back, her body draped in black robes.
She spins on Malice, a glare on her face, obviously annoyed to be interrupted.
That is, until she realizes who stands in her doorway.
It’s then that shock, followed by fear, crosses her Human features.
The Rabbit is at his back. “I said you can’t go in there!” he shouts, still attempting to get around Malice’s wings without touching them.
“You.” Malice points at the Elf, who is only tall enough to reach Malice’s knees. It looks terrified under his gaze. “Out,” he orders, moving to the side to allow the Elf to scramble out. It knocks into the Rabbit in its rush for escape.
“That’s it, I’m calling the Royal Guard!” the Rabbit shouts. Malice grabs him by the collar, easily lifting him from the ground. The Rabbit squeaks, eyes going wide in terror as his feet flail helplessly.
“Stop! Stop it!” Reyna cries, grabbing at the arm that holds up the Rabbit. Malice turns his gaze to her. She’s no longer scared but determined. Reyna looks at him right back, eyes narrow, mouth set in a firm line.
“Put him down.”
Malice almost laughs at the Human giving him orders when he could practically break her neck with a flick of a single finger. Instead, he looks back at the creature in his grip. The Rabbit’s face is gaining color as he loses oxygen.
“He won’t call the Guard, right? Right?” Reyna asks.
The Rabbit shakes his head no, vehemently.
“I can help you. I can tell you’re in pain, just forget about him and let me help you,” Reyna pleads. Malice doesn’t let his confusion at her words cross his face when he sees the desperate look in her eyes. A look that says go with it.
“No guards,” Malice growls at the Rabbit, who nods in desperate agreement, his face almost purple now.
“Dragons love to eat Rabbits, so keep that in mind.” He adds the lie for good measure, snapping his jaws.
The Rabbit flinches violently in response.
Malice unceremoniously drops the Rabbit in the hall, pulling the door shut with him and Reyna on the other side.
He melts the metal door handle for good measure.