Chapter 50 Kaitlyn
KAITLYN
Irush in the direction Linton took. I don’t know what he’s planning, and my experience so far is Linton doesn’t plan, so I need to get to him before he does something he shouldn’t.
If we can avoid a fight, then we should. I don’t want one, and I know he doesn’t, even if he wants to protect me.
There has to be another way which doesn’t involve anyone spilling blood. Behind me, I hear a clatter of hooves, meaning Warden must have changed into his centaur form.
I come to a fork in the passages and look around for any indication of the direction Linton took.
“You should let me go first, little human,” Warden intones. “The last thing Linton needs is anything happening to you.”
“My mate.” A growl comes from above, and before I can even look up, Linton lands between me and Warden. “My duty,” he snarls.
Linton is absolutely bristling with weapons. More than he had on him before the brothers took all the others. He’s located a set of trousers, which are tightly laced, leaving some of his fluff to spill over the top. His antennae are raised high on his head.
“Linton, this is not a fight you should do alone,” Warden says.
“This isn’t a fight we should be having at all,” I butt in. “We should leave.”
Linton looks at me.
“How long do we run for?” he queries, with an element of angry clarity. “Because I’ve done my hiding in the dark.”
“I don’t care, as long as I’m with you,” I reply, stepping closer to him and putting my hand on his chest.
Underneath my touch, Linton vibrates with unused adrenaline.
“We don’t have to fight everything. You don’t have to fight everything,” I say quietly, lifting up onto tiptoes to kiss him on his cheek. “We can find somewhere, somewhere they don’t want us and we can live out our lives in peace.”
My heart is straining within its bony confines. It wants so much to show Linton he is cared for, that I care for him, that I don’t want him to risk his body or mind ever again.
He is silly, cute, feral, chaos, but most of all, Linton is mine.
I never expected to find love in the Yeavering, and yet, here we are.
“I will not let Tam Lin take you,” he says, with less of a growl.
“So, we outsmart him. He’s only Faerie,” I respond.
Linton cracks a smile, a small one, twitching up the corner of his mouth.
“He is only Faerie.”
“And there is a full moon,” Warden intones.
Linton blinks slowly, almost as if he had forgotten Warden is here with us.
“You will be fully restored, no?” he adds.
“I am. What the brothers did to me no longer has hold of me.”
“The brothers of the stronghold?” Warden asks carefully. “What did they do to you?”
“They’re the ones who turned him into an assassin.” I round on the huge Brag. “You left him, vulnerable and alone, with monsters. They turned us both over to Tam Lin.”
Warden takes a few paces back, his tail twitching.
“I did not know. I wanted somewhere safe and quiet for Linton.”
“It wasn’t,” Linton rasps. “They…got in my head.” He puts a hand to his temple, an hand which contains a needle sharp dagger.
Warden stomps his foot hard on the stone floor and the small passage rings with the clatter.
“I will deal with the brothers later. First we need to get you both out of here and away from Tam Lin,” he says with a flick of his head.
“Where?” I counter, placing my hand on Linton’s arm. “I mean, I want us to go, but we need some breathing space. We need time to get in touch with Reavely, but we can’t take him away from Wynter and the baby. We need to let him know Tam Lin has tricked him.”
Warden gives me a brief bow. “Your tenderness towards the Barghest and his mate marks you,” he says. “I can see why Tam Lin wants your soul.”
Linton snarls, and the noise is worse than Warden’s hoof on stone.
“I mean your soul is pure. I agree you will need the assistance of the Barghest. And I know you will not come to the Night Lands…” Warden says as Linton snarls at him. “What about the coast?”
“And risk the Shellycoat? Not a chance,” Linton says firmly. “That creature has always worked for the Faerie, and he will not change, not until his dying day, which is a long way away.” He looks down his blade. “Or not, depending on whether I get to him first.”
“Let’s do assassinations later but get away from Tam Lin in the meantime,” I suggest, curling my hand around Linton’s and getting him to lower the blade.
Linton lifts the corner of his mouth. “As long as I can…later.”
“Later.”
Warden huffs out a horsey breath, shaking his head and tossing his horns.
“When you are quite ready?” He raises his eyebrows at us both. “I believe there is one place which you can go that will give you enough time to come up with a plan to deal with the Faerie once and for all.”