Chapter 24
Mari
“So, you killed her? Fireballs and all?”
Feather’s eyes were round with amazement as Tulli snicked her teeth.
“I always knew you were a bad bitch.”
I started to laugh and stopped short as the motion sent a shock of pain arcing through my belly. Now that hours had passed, that “just got hit by a bus” feeling had begun to creep in as every blow I hadn’t managed to dodge and every muscle I’d wrenched to dodge them snarled in protest.
My mind rushed back to the fight, circling every move, every moment, blow, and counter. There was no other way to look at what had happened.
I’d tapped into…something I’d never felt before.
Something that no matter how I looked at it seemed a hell of a lot like magic. There was no other way I’d have survived the fire, the blows…everything.
As soon as I had a chance to work out what exactly “it” was, and to try and replicate it, I’d share with the girls. For now, though, I would keep it to myself.
I smiled and fought not to wince. “Yeah, well, I’m not in a rush to do it again. The most important thing is that we’re together and you’re all okay.”
“You weren’t saying that yesterday afternoon when you pulled the old trick-and-ditch,” Tulli added with a sniff, curling her feet beneath her bottom, making herself more comfortable on my bed.
My cheeks went hot with guilt. “I know you’re mad, but there was nothing to be done about it.
Besides, it all worked out. And you can’t really be mad at me what with this near-mortal injury I suffered.
” I lifted the hem of my nightgown and raised a brow in question.
“Did you want to see my stitches again to remind you of what I’ve been through? ”
“No!” Feather held up a hand in protest, scuttling back against the headboard. “I’ve seen enough violence and gore these past weeks to last a lifetime. I’ll forgive you if you promise not to show me that nasty wound again.”
I grinned and stuck out a hand. “Deal.”
“But you also have to promise never to leave us again, too. We have to stick together, Mari. We’re no good apart. Promise?”
I looked from Feather’s solemn face to Tulli’s, and then back again.
“Alright, alright. I promise.”
Especially now that Priscilla had been killed on castle grounds, I wasn’t keen to let them stray too far from my sight in any case. I just hoped my work with Gabe didn’t make a liar out of me, because in the end, the fate of the world had to come first, as much as I wished it didn’t.
But those were problems for future Mari.
I laid my hand on top of Feather’s and let out a sigh as Tulli rested hers atop mine.
After a truly awful couple of days, I was starting to feel like we had a chance of getting through this nightmare. Gabe’s fighting prowess would certainly buy him some more time before another challenge, and with the Doves back at the castle, we could start interviews again as soon as tomorrow.
We’d find the key and then the three of us could leave, via the cavern Gabe showed me.
The pain that hit at the thought of leaving was sharp and swift, but I kept my expression blank as Feather faced me.
“I’m glad to be with you, my sisters,” Feather murmured, “But I think we need to consider our options. I don’t think it’s safe to stay here for long.”
Exactly the conversation I didn’t want to have just yet, and I was saved from it by a hard rap on the door.
“Yes?” I called, pulse suddenly stuttering.
“Ma’am?”
A ignored the stab of disappointment at the sound of Harald’s tentative voice.
Not Gabe.
“Yes?”
“Sorry to bother you, but I’m to bring the Doves to their room now as the king would like to speak with you alone.”
His words sent every nerve in my body alight, and adrenaline burned the bone-deep exhaustion away as Tulli waggled her eyebrows at me.
“Better hope those stitches hold because I think your king might like it a little rough.”
She stood and I tossed a pillow at her, which she batted away with a chuckle.
“Hey, I meant in a good way. Besides, I’m not judging, I’m just jealous. We expect a full report, with measurements and all, first thing. Come on, Feather. Let’s leave these lovebirds alone.”
Feather shot me one last, worried glance as she opened the door.
“Harald?” I called, craning my neck until I caught sight of him. “Are the Doves going to be under watch at night?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He bobbed his head in earnest. “There will be a guard posted at the end of every hallway, and they will have an escort should they need to leave their rooms.”
I thanked him with a wave and settled back against the headboard with a low hiss the second the door closed behind them.
When it opened again not a moment later and Gabe walked in, relief hit me so hard it was almost embarrassing. Still, relief turned to concern as I drank him in. His hair was a mess, his shirt hung open at the throat, and there was a tension in him that instantly set me on edge.
I shifted against the pillows, clenching my hands into fists to stop myself from reaching for him.
“What happened with Priscilla?”
He crossed the room and lowered himself to the edge of the bed.
“Let’s see…well, she’s definitely dead, so there’s that.
And her father accused me of killing her, but Rufus snapped his neck before he could attempt to exact his revenge.
” His jaw flexed as he shrugged. “He’d just witnessed me defeat a man far younger and ten times stronger.
I think the shock must’ve made him lose his mind for a moment. ”
I blinked. “That escalated quickly.”
As much as I would have empathy for anyone who lost their child, it was hard to muster up much more than that because they’d both been rotten to the core. Still, the fact that the killer had gotten so close…I fought back the shiver, it was time to focus.
“How did she die? Was it that same as the others?”
His lips flattened. “Throat cut, but none of the theatrics with the entrails or any of that. Maybe he was in a hurry. Crime of opportunity and couldn’t stick around to finish the job right. A witness saw someone fleeing the scene.”
That had me sitting up a little straighter before my hip protested and I sucked in a breath.
He lifted a hand to my shoulder. “Easy there.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re sewn together like a ragdoll,” he shot back.
“Such the silver-tongued charmer, Your Majesty. It’s a wonder there wasn’t a line of ladies trailing in behind you.”
That got the smallest twitch from his mouth, but it disappeared almost as soon as it came.
“The castle blacksmith’s apprentice saw the killer running from the scene,” he said. “Said he felt pretty certain it was a human male.”
I froze. As much as I’d wanted to believe that only demons were capable of such a thing, the killer had been a copycat of the original.
“A human? Was he sure?”
“So, he claims. But he’s basing it on a glimpse. He could be wrong.”
I studied his face. “But you don’t believe it.”
He let out a low growl and scrubbed at his jaw. “No. It just doesn’t track. Priscilla was cunning. And even if she was caught off guard, she had twice the strength of a human male. Maybe more. She would have fought. There were zero signs of a struggle.”
For a moment neither of us spoke.
“I think we need to talk about it with clearer heads tomorrow,” I said softly. “It’s been a day.”
He looked as exhausted as I felt, and a yawn hit me so hard I couldn’t bite it back.
“Agreed.” He adjusted the blanket over me with a gentleness that made my stomach jiggle. “You need to get some sleep. The sun will be up in a couple of hours.”
He was right, but I didn’t want him to leave. Instead, he padded over to the other side of the bed, and my heart gave a kick.
“Gabe?”
He paused; a hand braced on the mattress. “I’d like to stay.” He glanced at me, his voice lower now. “I won’t touch you…like that. I swear it. I just want to be nearby in case you decide to have a wrestling match with your blanket and rip open those stitches.”
A laugh slipped out before I could stop it and I let out a groan.
He winced and pointed at me. “There. That. Exactly that.”
“I guess that would be alright.”
He stripped off his boots, then lay down on top of the covers beside me, keeping a distance that felt a little silly after everything that had happened. He folded one arm behind his head and stared up at the ceiling.
The silence should’ve been awkward, but it wasn’t. We were in bed together, half dressed, fully wrecked, with the weight of the world on our shoulders. And it hit me…there was nowhere else I’d rather be.
Which was the fucking problem.
After spending my whole life since I’d arrived here plotting my escape, now I could hardly imagine never seeing his face again. How had that happened so fast?
The lamplight flickered, lighting the line of his jaw, the scar across one eyebrow.
The mouth that made me want to make bad decisions…
“Gabe?” I whispered.
“Yes?”
“Are you scared?”
He was quiet for so long I thought he might not answer me.
“Of what?”
“Any of it. All of it.”
His throat worked as he slid his thigh a little to the left until it brushed mine.
“Yes,” he said. “I’m scared for my people, and yours. I’m scared for the world. But we’re going to fix it, Mari. I swear. We just need to find her.”
I nodded and closed my eyes, happy to believe him for the moment because I was too exhausted to do anything else.
It took a few minutes for my body to relax, and a few more for my mind to stop racing.
The ache in my hip was still there, but duller now as I started to drift off, not asleep but not quite awake.
Gabe shifted just a little and I felt the mattress dip as a gentle finger brushed a lock of hair from my forehead.
“I have loved all three of your faces,” he whispered. “But this one…this one is my favorite.”
I kept my eyes closed and my breath steady. It was too much to bear, and I wasn’t sure I could keep it together if he knew I was awake.
“Sleep, little menace,” he murmured. “I’ll watch over you.”
And this time, with his words ringing in my ears and my heart, I did…