Chapter 34
Chapter thirty-four
Esmeray
I left two for Merrick to finish off, and watched proudly as he shot up from the waterfall to kill the last of Adara’s cronies.
As the body slumped, wings crumpling, I slid my staff back into its pocket of space and crossed the trampled grass over to Merrick.
The strain of magic I’d been carrying and building for the last couple days finally eased, and I already felt clearer headed, the incessant ache satiated.
Merrick didn’t seem as relaxed as I was–I could tell by the glare.
“Did you lure those soldiers here as some sort of fucked up bonding experience for us?”
Oh yeah, he was fuming.
“No,” I said truthfully, “I had a feeling Adara would send some band of assholes our way after I knocked our uncle’s pride down several pegs, but I didn’t know when or where they would show up. I smelled them coming, and gave you ample warning.”
“You had a feeling they were tracking you here,” Merrick’s fuming turned to flat out pissed.
I nodded, wiping the soldier’s blood off my nails onto my red leather top. “I’d much rather they try something here than at Sparrow’s.”
“What if Adara sends more?” Merrick rubbed his face, blood from his hands coating the sides of his cheeks. It took him a moment to register that he now had gore in his beard, and his expression scrunched in disgust.
I looked up at the moon, now fully risen above us, completely uncaring of the battle that was fought below it. I thought back to what Keerian said to me on the last night we had together–the moon will always guide us back to each other.
My sister knew she sent those males to their death, and I knew she wasn’t losing any sleep over it. “She won’t–for a while. If Adara really wanted to lock me up she would’ve sent way more than ten gargoyles. Did you notice how not a single fae was in that pack?”
Merrick blew out a long, rough breath, trudging over to the remaining wine bottle. The fight had pushed it against a tree, half hidden by the longer grasses around the edge of the forest. He ripped the cork out and drank deep before shaking his head in disbelief. “She’s toying with you?”
“I think my uncle was displeased with the general lack of respect I showed his court earlier, and Adara sent those gargoyles as a halfhearted slap on my wrist to appease him.” I reached for the wine bottle.
Merrick scowled and took another drag before he handed it over.
I tipped the bottle back, taking a swallow, the wine burning as it settled in my stomach.
“I will never understand court politics. Adara knew you could easily kill all ten of those males and sent them anyway. She saw them as disposable.” The deadpan look in Merrick’s eyes made my heart hurt for him.
“I don’t think a single gargoyle life is disposable,” I noted firmly, “and it’s one of the hundreds of reasons I never wanted to rule.
I don’t want to hold beings’ lives in my hands–gargoyle, fae or human.
I don’t want to explain to parents, friends, why their loved one died, why a mate dropped dead as their lover fought and died in someone else’s war.
But I will not take the fall for a crime I didn’t commit, and I won’t pull my punches and risk Keerian’s rescue. ”
Merrick squeezed his eyes shut. “I’ve fought in many battles and it never gets easier.”
“It’s not supposed to.” I handed the half empty bottle back to him. “But if I have to fight, I’d want you by my side since you nailed that waterfall jump.”
Merrick looked at me incredulously for a beat before tipping his head back, roaring with laughter. “I can’t believe I tried to kill you this morning.”
I chuckled, one of the first times in months, finally understanding why my mate pushed me to find his friends if everything went to shit.
“Let’s fly back to Sparrow’s house.” I nudged his wing with mine. “I think I can finally get some sleep now.”
Merrick’s brown eyes, which had been so heavy moments before, lit up. “I’ll race you there.”
And then he launched off the waterfall, disappearing from view. He let out a raucous whoop as he soared up in a perfectly straight line, shooting out of the trees and into the open sky.
I didn’t let him win.
As I touched down on the patio, I came face to face with Laurent and a very pale Sparrow who took one look at my blood covered clothes and pursed her lips into a flat line of disapproval, eyes flaring.
“I thought we agreed no fighting in Florra.”
“Technically,” Merrick corrected, landing behind me, “We were defending ourselves.”
Sparrow appraised him with a ‘look’ only she could give.
I don’t know how she mastered it. The slight raise of her brows, the narrowing of her blue eyes, the tightness in her mouth.
It was the epitome of ‘sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up.’ I had seen males cower before that look for years.
Merrick gave her a wide grin–seemingly unaffected.
Interesting.
Merrick recanted our evening at the waterfall, and lucky Laurent and Sparrow even got a blow-by-blow summary of how Merrick waterfall jumped to land the final killing blow.
Sparrow seemed to be half listening, more tsk-ing over Merrick and I dripping blood on her patio.
With a sweep of her dainty wrist, the gore disappeared from the both of us.
Merrick whistled, taking in his clean clothes. “Neat trick.”
Sparrow bristled but addressed me. “I ran you both baths and laid out clothes for you–and don’t even think of getting into bed before you wash up. I cleaned the blood off, but you both still smell like death.” Her nose crinkled.
Laurent had stayed silent since our return, but his eyes kept straying to Sparrow standing there, arms crossed, in a baby blue fluffy robe cut right at mid-thigh–giving both males a view of her long, golden legs.
She may have been miffed that I got into another fight, but she damn sure had her eyes on Laurent.
Or Merrick.
Or both.
And my antics wouldn’t stop her from her hunt.
And with that cringing thought, I dismissed myself to the bathroom where I soaked in the tub for a long time.