Chapter 38 #2
“Now, now. I checked and there’s no record of you getting the correct permission to cross the Veil.
That means you passed through illegally.
And your Prince Mealor doesn’t know.” There I said it.
And as soon as I had Pyrion shadows circled past the window and my dragon perched on the parapet of the roof across from us.
Thayden glanced at her, numb. Deep fear washed over his face and he glanced back at me nervously.
“What proof do you have? It’s your word against mine.” The quiver in his voice made him sound like a teenaged boy.
“And hers. There’s my dragon’s word. And it wasn’t just her who saw you.”
Hedion landed opposite Pyrion and roared.
“They are twins. Last of the Ocha. There are no other dragons like them. They are known for being most hardy and no magic can sway them to lie. Their testimony is enough to sentence a man’s soul to the darkest and deepest of hells.
” I ran a lazy finger over my lip. “They’re very useful in situations like these, where I need to expose fucktards like you.
” I chuckled offkey, sounding like a lunatic.
“Imagine if the prince found out what his newest Lord commander had gotten up to. Imagine if he found out that you tried to kill me. We could have another Veil council right now if I willed it, Sir Thayden. And we both know what the penalty would be.”
A tremor raced through him. No longer could he act like I had no effect on him.
“What do you want?” His voice cracked on the last syllable.
“I know you worked with Scabbards from the Borderlands.” Kaem had tracked them down.
Some of them were still in the magical realm.
None had possessed the level of power Thayden used to take me down.
“But you must have gotten assistance from someone else. No ordinary man could have given you the magic to get close to me? Close enough to kill me.”
He smirked. I didn’t like it. It suggested he’d seen through some crack I hadn’t covered. Or maybe he was just now realizing why he was still alive.
“Did you stop to think that maybe I simply outsmarted you?” He quirked a brow. “Maybe I was simply stronger. After all it was I alone who stabbed you with the sword.”
“A sword imbued with a fuck of a lot of dark magic.” I snapped my fingers and blue flames weaved in and out like it was playing along with my game.
“Magic that made me stronger than you.” Thayden said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Strong enough to take you down.”
He must have thought I was either fucking stupid or born yesterday.
“No. Human. That’s not how it works. Do not make the mistake of thinking you took me down because of strength.
You were simply lucky.” I shook my head.
“Where I come from, warriors fight face to face. They’re not cowards like you.
You had to tie me up with magic to defeat me.
That is not strength. Now back to my question. Who else helped you?”
His face became ashen, eyes widening as the blood drained from his cheeks like someone had opened a tap beneath his skin.
Good. I was back in control.
“I had no other help,” he replied stiffly. “The Scabbards outsourced all the magic we used to complete the mission and get Elariya back home.”
It sounded like truth. But I knew it to be a lie.
His heartbeat had shifted.
Thump-thump... thump-thump-thump, thump-thump... thump-thump-thump.
It was no longer the steady rhythm of conviction, but the rapid, uneven pattern of deception.
The musk of his sweat had changed too. It had taken on that acrid edge mortals produced when they bent reality to suit their needs.
His pupils dilated slightly, and though his voice had remained steady, there were microscopic tremors in the muscles around his eyes.
All signs of stinking lies.
The Fae were already attuned to have heightened senses, but centuries of reading prey had taught me to recognize the tells mortals couldn't hide.
Thump-thump... thump-thump-thump, thump-thump... thump-thump-thump.
The beat grew faster the longer I stared.
“You never questioned where they got it from?” I gave him a thin stare.
“Why would I? Elariya was missing for nearly a month. All I wanted was to get her back. I wouldn’t have questioned the magic.”
“How did you know she was in the magical realm?”
“A witch with the gift of sight told me. I found her in the Borderlands of the mortal realm. You know some witches can be even more powerful than mages. She was one of them.”
I continued staring at him. He was still screwing with me. But these were half-truths. His heart didn’t beat as fast.
Still…he was giving off the same vibe as the rebels I’d questioned.
They’d retained their silence.
I’d killed them—tortured them as I’d tried to extract information from them, then killed them.
If I killed Thayden now, I’d never know what was really going on. And something was definitely going on.
Whoever had helped Thayden was someone important. Someone with the potential to be a lot more of a threat than me.
Now who could that be?
I wouldn’t find out today.
One look at him and I knew trying to force the truth out of him would prove useless.
I’d come to believe that maybe those who’d held their silence had been bound by oaths that prevented them from sharing their secrets. It was odd to interrogate so many and always end with the same result.
Only one had been willing to comply with me. Marcus. The guard whose baby had contracted the Slivershade blight. He died with the truth on his lips.
The best thing to do here was to watch Thayden. Keep eyes and ears on him at all times.
I stirred all sorts of trouble just for being alive. The enemy was bound to show its face soon enough.
“We’re done here.” I let ice creep into my voice, each syllable jabbed like a blade pressed against his throat. Let him keep his secrets—for now.
His eyes went saucer-wide, pupils contracting like drops of ink in water. His body seemed to be focusing on the stunning reality that I was letting him live.
“That’s it?” He was a fool to ask. “I find it hard to believe you don’t want more penance from me.”
“I said we’re done. Unless you want that council meeting.”
“No,” the word tumbled out of his mouth.
“Besides.” A spiteful smile slide across my lips.
“I think today was enough penance for now. It is not your ring that sits upon Elariya’s finger.
It’s mine.” I could have gone on about the land but it wouldn’t matter to him.
I’d known long ago that he was in love with her.
His father probably wanted the land and the titles that came with it. But Thayden wanted the girl.
He said nothing. Again, no surprise.
Instead, he turned and walked toward the door.
I would have allowed him to go but I wasn’t completely finished with him yet.
And I’d never said he could leave.
When he reached the door and opened it my nearest shadow grew long talonlike fingers and shut it back.
Thayden’s back went rigid. “Thought you said we were done.” He tossed the words over his shoulder, not looking at me.
“There is one other matter I needed to discuss.”
Slowly he faced me, his eyes flaring. “What matter, Lord Nightblade?”
I stood and spread my arms wide allowing my body to change into death’s malevolent form.
I became a mass of shadow and terror, and my unfurled wings amplified my monstrosity.
My shadows responded to my fury, lashing out like giant serpents. They wrapped around Thayden's body, lifting him from the floor until his feet kicked uselessly in the air.
He never had a chance to fight. Dark tendrils circled his throat. Frantically he clawed at them, but there was nothing solid for him to grasp.
"I saw the bruise on her cheek," I said, my voice deadly calm as I held him suspended. "I saw the fingernail marks on her neck." The shadows tightened their grip, and his face began to flush red. "You did that to her."
Elariya had tried to hide her marks with some sort of beauty powder. But I’d seen through it.
I’d also scented this bastard on her, scented the fear he instilled in her.
Thayden’s mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for water, trying to form words that wouldn't come.
I let the shadows carry him higher, until his head hit the high ceiling.
There I rose up to meet him and I gazed at him with hollowed eyes, the promise of death written in every line of my face.
“Release me!” He coughed.
"Motherfucker. If you ever touch my mate or go near her again," I said, squeezing him tighter, so tight his lips turned blue. "You're fucking dead. Do you understand me?"
The threat hung in the air, absolute and unwavering.
“Yes,” he spluttered. “I un...der…stand.”
I floated down, but before I reached the floor, I dropped him on his ass.
Lowering, I met him at eye level again and pinned him with my stare.
In that look I made sure he knew I could destroy him if I wanted. And he knew that, no… I wasn’t fucking done with him.
He understood I was still keeping him alive, and it was no leverage he could hold over me.
I was in charge here.
“Until next time, Sir Thayden.”
I faded from his sight, disappearing with my shadows, leaving him with the dark promise I had every intention of keeping.