Chapter 48 Linton
LINTON
“What is it?” Kaitlyn asks as I’m out of the bed and across the room.
“Someone is in our lair,” I say. “Stay here.”
I pick up the set of daggers slung on a hook next to the door, ones I carelessly discarded the last time I used this room. Ones I had never had much of a use for, save practice, until I was taken.
Until the Faerie discovered how deadly Bluecaps could be. And how they could use us. How we could fight in the darkness. How we could enter places no one else could.
And how we could die.
Behind me, I hear a rustle as my Kaitlyn pulls on her dress. The noise I heard somewhere in the lair means any chance of mating has been cut short, which is severely disappointing to my spicket and means whatever creature which has disturbed me will have to deal with my ire.
I shut the door behind me and make my way back through the passages which lead to the main living areas. This lair is set out in a similar fashion to other Bluecap lairs, but each one is individual.
Mine has traps.
I make my way silently through to the main throne room where the noises are coming from. It’s far too obvious a place for an ambush, so I make sure I enter from above.
Below me is a creature I wasn’t sure I’d ever see again.
“Warden,” I growl.
The Brag, half man, half horse, looks around him, unable to tell where my voice is coming from. His hooves clatter on the stone floor.
“Show yourself, Linton, you creepy bastard,” he calls out.
I consider my options and then launch myself onto the back of the centaur, sinking my fangs into his shoulder.
Warden roars out in pain, spinning wildly as he attempts to grab me. But we’ve battled before, and I know how he fights. I keep my wings out of his way and dig my fangs in deeper.
“Linton!” he bellows. “Get off me! I’m here to help.”
If I was disappointed his presence meant I didn’t get to mate my Kaitlyn again when my spicket was more than ready, I’m slightly less disappointed in not being able to have a good fight. Warden was always fun to fight with.
“Will you…get off!”
He slams a fist into my side, and I spit him out, spinning over his head to land on my feet in front of him, out of the reach of his deadly hooves.
Many monsters in the Yeavering are dangerous, but anyone who underestimates the Brag is most likely to die from a kick to the head they never saw coming.
Warden fights dirty. The ache in my side is proof.
“Why are you here?” I growl.
The Brag has an unpleasant ability to turn up when it is least needed and lead us all into trouble, the storming of Queen Mab’s castle to return the Lambton Wyrm to his mate being a case in point.
Warden has an unerring ability to know what you want and to offer it to you. But this time, he’s too late. I know what I want and I have her in my sleeping room.
With any luck, I’ll have her under me again very soon, once I’ve expelled this Brag from my home.
“You’ve got company you don’t want.”
“I have all the company I’ll ever need, not including you,” I growl.
“Tam Lin is approaching with an army of Redcaps.”
“And you’re the advance guard?” I snarl.
“What do you take me for?” Warden rears up, his hooves flashing silver with the razor edges on his shoes.
Some in the Yeavering believe he has been shoed by the devil. They couldn’t be more wrong.
“I’m here to save your sorry wings. Again,” he growls. “The last thing you need is to tangle with Tam Lin.”
“Tam Lin is no match for me, even if I did take his mission.”
“What?” Warden stills, his dark eyes under heavy lids glaring at me. “What did you do?”
“I did what I’ve been trained to do. I kill for coin,” I respond.
“Linton.” His harsh voice has softened. “That was never you.” I throws his head back, tossing his horns. “I should have stayed with you on release from the Shadow Keep instead of handing you over to the brothers.”
“Yet, you still come to me when you need assistance. You, the Barghest, the Wyrm. You all call on my services when it suits.”
Warden shuffles his hooves. They scuff on the floor as he stares down at them.
“Linton?” My blood runs cold at the sound of my sweet mate’s voice.
My Kaitlyn stands in the doorway of the throne room. Warden is between me and her.
I should have known he’d do a trick such as this. Brags are tricky creatures and Warden is one of the trickiest.
Warden sets his gaze on Kaitlyn and I’m already growling.
“Warden is just leaving,” I force out through teeth gritted so hard I wonder if they will crack.
Kaitlyn looks him over before her eyes come back to me, and then she moves fully into the doorway, a large halberd in her hand, big enough that if she tries to use it, it will most likely pull her over.
But Warden doesn’t know. He’s stock still, and I take my advantage, using the height of the room to spin over his head and land at her side. I gently take the weapon from her grip and put it back before wrapping my arm around her waist and holding her to me.
“Thank you, my mate.”
“You wouldn’t throw out an old friend, would you, Linton?” Warden chuckles and then trots over to my throne, rights it, transforms into his biped form, and throws himself down on the seat. “Now, are you going to listen to me or not?”