Chapter 62 Nico
NICO
I collapsed to the ground, not bothering to change from my wolf form as we arrived at the war camp where Luce and the army she led had set up base for the night.
It had been a hard two weeks of travel. Only stopping for a few hours of sleep each night. But I was proud of the pack—they ran hard and fast and never complained once. They were dedicated to their queen and her cause—I’d make sure she knew that.
But not now—now I needed sleep. My limbs ached, and even shifting sounded like too much work.
“You made it.”
I managed to open an eye, squinting up at the dark, looming form of Luce. Her braids were gone, her coiled hair was loose, her dark curls bouncing and wild in the slight breeze. I hadn’t seen her hair like that since I first met her.
I summoned enough magic to shift, but I remained lying at Luce’s feet, rolling onto my back,. “We did.”
She raised a dark brow. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I spent almost two weeks running hundreds of miles with little breaks. I’m exhausted.
Her face softened. “Here.” She shrugged off her cloak and threw it at me. “Cover yourself up.”
“Is my nudity distracting?” With all the time I was spending in my shifted form I had forgone wearing clothes, I hadn’t thought twice about my lack of clothing being around wolves but now with Luce…
“Stop talking or I’ll resend my offer.”
I slipped my arms into her cloak. “What offer.”
“I was going to let you stay with me tonight.
I took her outstretched hand, letting her pull me to standing. “I was going to sleep here, curled up in my wolf form.”
“You’re not doing that. You’re saying with me.” I opened my mouth, but she stopped me before I could get a word out. “Don’t say anything. This is a one-time offer. Follow me before I change my mind.”
“If I wasn’t so exhausted I’d kiss you.”
Luce’s tent was simple: a fire burned in the small stove in the corner, there was a bed and a small table and a chair, but that was it. The table was stacked high with books, the surface covered with papers. Clearly, Luce had been busy.
Tomorrow, I’d ask her what she’d been up to.
Tonight, I needed sleep.
I made my way to the bed. Crawling onto the plush surface.
It was nowhere near as comfortable as an actual mattress, but compared to the ground and with how exhausted I was, it felt like a cloud.
I curled into a ball on top of the blankets, wrapping my arms around myself as my eyes pressed closed.
“Fucking wolf,” Luce murmured. “Scoot over.” I cracked open an eye. She had removed her jacket and was filling in the space next to me. She pulled at the blankets. I shifted my body to help her. She pulled the blankets out from underneath me and placed it over the top of both of us.
“Goodnight, Lucy.”
“Goodnight, Nico.”
I awoke to Luce’s arms curled around me, our bodies pressed together.
“It was cold.” Her voice was thick with sleep, but her eyes remained closed.
“Don’t worry, Lucy, I won’t tell anyone we cuddled.” She groaned but didn’t make a move to untangle herself.
“How are you always so warm?”
“It’s a wolf thing.”
“That, I’m jealous of.”
“Of all the things to be jealous of—my good looks, my sense of humor, my hot body, huge dick—”
She attempted to swat at me but failed. “That’ll do it.” Luce rose from the bed, throwing the blanket at my face.
“We need to gather everyone to meet in an hour. Tell the wolves.” She threw on her jacket and was gone.
I made my way out of Luciana’s tent after her.
I needed to find a shower. Or a river. Anything would do at this point.
The camp was still quiet, the sun had only just risen. I didn’t spy any of the wolves. I hoped they were all getting sleep wherever they ended up last night.
Maybe I wasn’t a very good leader, but my direction had been to get them here. I’d never be their leader. I wasn’t truly a part of the pack anymore—I wasn’t a leader by default. That was left to my parents or Stellan.
I could trust them to find a place to sleep.
And besides, when Luciana Ambrose called I answered.
And answering her call last night left me sleeping in her bed.
She’d never admit it, but I was wearing her down.
“Did you come out of my daughter’s tent?” I turned at the sound of Caterina’s voice. Her face was etched with pleasure and confusion.
“I did.” I bit my lip to stop myself from saying more.
Caterina had made it clear to me more than once she was keen on the idea of me and Luce together.
Even if it was for just a night. A weird fucking relationship the two of them had for her to be talking to me about how Luce needed to get fucked, but at least I think Caterina liked me.
Although a night with Luciana Ambrose is something I’ve dreamed of since I first laid eyes on her, I had no intention of fucking her simply to help her destress and to please her mother.
Like I said, they had a fucked-up relationship.
My family was—had been open with one another, but my mother never tried to set me up for a night of stress relieving.
At least not that I knew of.
Had I done that to my brother? Dozens of times. But Stellan had a permanent stick up his ass that even his wife couldn’t dig out so clearly my efforts were in vain.
And he’s my brother. Not my mother.
“Hmmm.” Caterina plucked a leaf from a tree and twisted it between her fingers.
“I was going to sleep on the ground last night, but Luce was being her hospitable self, doing her job as general, really, by forcing me to sleep in her tent instead.”
“I’ve never considered Luciana hospitable, but if you say so.”
“Do you know where she went?” I squirmed under Caterina’s assessing gaze.
“I think she’s checking on the potions.” She pointed a finger behind me. “They’re set up in the woods back there.”
“Thank you,” I called over my shoulder.
“Nico.” I stopped in my tracks, taking a minute to collect myself before turning toward Stellan.
“What do you want?”
He caught up next to me. “Where are you going?”
I hesitated for a moment. “To find Luce.”
“Are you two together or what?”
I huffed a laugh. “No, we’re not together.”
“Just a friend with benefits?”
“What the fuck, Stellan?”
He punched me in the shoulder, playfully like we used to growing up. “What? You did spend the night in her tent. Can’t blame me for thinking there was something going on.”
“Well, let me make it clear: there is nothing going on between me and Luce, we’re just friends.” She wants nothing to do with me in the romance department; she’s made that abundantly clear.
“If you say so.”
“Why are you following me, Stellan?” I let my irritation leak into my voice.
“I saw you and no one else is up yet…I just—I figured it might be a good chance to spend some time with you. You have been gone for three years, can you blame me for wanting to spend time with you?”
His words stunned me into silence. I closed my eyes and breathed in deep through my nose. “Stellan—”
His hand reached out in front of my chest to stop me. “What the fuck.” I opened my eyes, my spine straightening at the panic on his face.
I turned my attention where his gaze lingered—the sight caused my chest to squeeze.
A Blood Court solder was holding a dagger to Luce’s throat.
A thin line of crimson leaked from her neck, dripping down the column of her throat.
Her mouth was set in a thin line, not a lick of fear on her face.
Her gaze flicked to Stellan and me for only a moment before it returned back to the two witches on their knees in front of her.
Stellan brought me to a crouch with a hand on my back. “What do we do?” he whispered.
“Wait a second.” I strained my ears, trying to hear what the soldiers were saying.
“Tell us what this potion is for or I’ll slit their throats.”
“Like I said, over my dead fucking body.” Luce winced as the soldier dug the blade in deeper, the rivulet of red increasing.
“I’ll create a distraction, go for the other two witches. Luce can handle herself, but she’ll want us to get the other witches first.”
Stellan gave me a firm nod before sneaking off into the brush.
“Let her go.”
Luce’s eyes went wide at my loud arrival, pinning me with a deadly gaze.
Trust me, Lucy.
I wished more than ever I had the ability to speak into people’s minds. I mean, how cool would that be?
“Who are you?”
“You’re asking me? You’re the ones intruding on our camp.” I took another step forward, my boots crunching on the snow. “I should be holding a blade to your throat, don’t you think?”
“We’re here on direct orders from Que—from Adreona.”
“Hmm, she’s not queen consort anymore is she? She holds no title—therefore no power. Whereas Luciana and I are here on direct orders from the High Queen and Kings themselves. You wouldn’t want to anger the High Queen by hurting her cousin would you, the Heir to the Mystic Court?”
The male’s face paled slightly, but his grip on his blade remained tight. “Nothing to say now?” I prodded.
Lennox had mentioned Declan’s encounter with Reggie—perhaps the loyalty to Adreona was even thinner than we anticipated.
“I answer to Adreona,” the male said finally, his voice lacking conviction.
“Wrong answer.”
I pounced.
The male dragged Luce into his chest, his hand moving to slide the blade against her throat.
Luce was faster. Her heel slammed into his foot, causing him to stumble. Her hand encircled around his wrist as a vicious gleam entered her eyes, her pupils going wide.
Black lines slithered up the male’s pale hand, like roots, snaking across his skin.
The lines spread quickly. I couldn’t see them under his clothes, but in seconds, they appeared out of the collar of his shirt, crawling up his neck to his face.
I stopped in my tracks, watching in horror as the rot took over his face. His eyes hollowed out, the blackness swallowing them hole, leaving nothing but black pits. The black roots crawled out of his mouth, his face lodged in a scream as his body shattered into pieces littered across the ground.
“What the fuck was that?” I croaked.
Luce shrugged, brushing off chunks of the guard from her jacket.
Stellan looked between the two of us, slack-jawed as he stood next to the two witches, the unconscious guards at his feet.
“That is some dangerous magic, Princess.”
“Stop talking.” She glared at the witches.
“Luce.”
“We’re not doing this.” She turned her glare on me.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Stellan’s brows pinched together.
“She’s practicing dark magic—forbidden magic. Using power I’ve never witnessed,” the witch murmured.
“Don’t make me kill you after your life was just spared. Shut your fucking mouth.”
“It’s called Ichor magic,” I told Stellan.
I stood until I was toe to toe with Luce. “She uses it frequently, but I’ve never seen it like this.”
We stared at one another, neither of us wanting to be the first to look away. I closed my fingers around her wrist. She tried to step out of my hold, but not before I brought her hand between us.
“It’s spreading. Isn’t it.”
I caressed my thumb over the black lines, snaking up her wrist. They resembled the ones that had consumed the male’s body.
I’d noticed the mark back in the Lunar Court but hadn’t thought much of it.
But now—the mark has spread. It weaved its way halfway up her forearm.
The black veins pulsed as I dragged my fingers over them.
“What is this?”
She pulled her hand from my grasp. “I don’t know,” she whispered, her eyes traveling to the mark. “All I know is each time I practice Ichor magic it grows.”
“So stop fucking practicing.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” I growled.
“You saw what I did—that skill in battle—we need my magic, Nico, and you know it.”
“But at what cost?” I took another step toward her. “At what cost, Luciana?” She took a deep inhale, her chest rising.
“I don’t mean to interrupt your lover’s quarrel, but—can one of you help me get these guards back to camp before they wake up?”
I leveled Luce with one more gaze.
“We’re not lovers,” we said in unison.