Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Kole’s cool tone registered just as he crouched and pulled two sets of cuffs from the back of his waistband.
Blue glowing magic flared around them, their energy crackling.
Kole secured the cuffs around the males’ wrists, and a satisfying spark emitted from them when he locked them closed, but neither male gave any indication to the fact that their magic had just been suppressed or their limbs restricted.
They still stared unseeing, my magic rendering them unconscious.
Frozen in place, I struggled to understand what was happening and what I’d just done.
As before, Kole moved quietly and purposefully until he was towering over me, his shoulders so broad they blocked the moonlight that filtered through the canopy. Dark hair ruffled in the breeze, one lock slipping down to brush his eyebrow.
All I could do was stare at him.
“Why did you intervene?” His gaze was penetrating. Unnerving. “You put yourself at risk by doing so, and things could have ended very differently because of it.”
“I . . . I didn’t risk myself.”
“No? And what if one of those males had turned on you?”
Some of the shock of the situation faded, and I stood up straighter. “Well, I handled it, didn’t I? Even if one had turned on me, that wouldn’t have changed the outcome.”
“But that still doesn’t answer my question. Why did you do it?” He continued to stare at me intensely, and when a breeze kicked up, his scent wafted around me.
I tried not to inhale. Tried not to notice the alluring aroma clouding around me, of cedar, pine, and the sea. The scent was uniquely him, and it was impossible to ignore. Gods and Goddesses, but Kole smelled so good. Amazingly so.
But even though I wanted to soak up his scent like parched soil in a desert, his unrelenting stare took precedence. Once again, just like this morning, he watched me in a way that was unnerving.
I fiddled with my fingers even though I was trying not to fidget.
“Because you . . .” My mouth opened and closed as I struggled to fully answer his question.
“Because one jumped behind you, and it looked like he was going to sink his blade into your back. I thought you were about to be—” I stopped mid-sentence and realized how ridiculous I sounded.
I could have sworn his lips twitched. “You were concerned for my well-being?”
I ducked my head, my cheeks flaming. “I don’t know. I just acted. I suppose I didn’t bother to think why.”
I glanced upward, expecting to see Kole’s annoyance. Most fae males took pride in their strength, especially those trained in combat. Having a fae female, half his size nonetheless, jump to his rescue was likely to wound whatever ego he possessed.
But the sour look I expected to find was absent. And his earlier humor had vanished too. Once again, his expression was like reading a blank page.
A moment passed, only the breeze whispering through my ears.
Finally, Kole canted his head. “Do you really think I’ve never fought two males at the same time before? That I don’t know how to handle myself?”
His question was asked blandly, as if he truly was curious to hear if I thought him so weak, and that even if I did, his self-confidence was robust enough not to care.
“Well, now that you mention it . . .” I offered a wavering smile, hoping to lighten the mood or at least get a smile from him. “I suppose you’re probably capable of such a feat. Otherwise, you likely wouldn’t have your job.”
He tilted his head more. “And what job is that?”
“I’m assuming you’re a warrior for the Imperial Council, since the kingsfae back in Whiteolf bowed to you, and you know, your last name is Swordwielder, and you’re carrying that”—I gestured to the sword at his back—“huge monstrosity, along with those blue cuffs you just slapped on those two.”
He shrugged, neither confirming nor denying my suspicions of his employment.
But he had to work for the Imperial Council.
It was well known that their warriors had been assigned surnames that suited their task.
If one heard a name such as Swordwielder, Bladeslicer, Flamethrower, and so forth, it was a pretty good indication that their employer ran the covert group of warriors that were sent throughout the continent as needed to subdue conflict.
Those conflicts were often political in nature and arose in such a manner that no king or queen wished to claim responsibility for them.
When such an event occurred, and a ruling monarch called upon the Imperial Council for assistance in a matter that required a warrior’s skill, the Imperial Council Warriors were dispatched.
The warriors would be sent to whatever skirmishes had arisen. The matters were taken care of swiftly and quietly before they could escalate into an all-out battle. As a result, conflicts were smoothed, wars were avoided, and deaths were drastically reduced.
Of course, such a practice was only effective if it was done in the early days of a conflict or the beginning of an uprising.
If an army was already marching, or if civilians had gathered in large numbers to form a militia, the monarch hoping for help was out of luck.
But otherwise, the warriors were said to be quite effective.
One thing I did know was they were a secretive bunch.
If the Imperial Warriors were involved, most fae were none the wiser that any violence had occurred at all.
The warriors were rumored to be that efficient, that quiet, which only further flamed my belief that Kole was one of them.
It definitely explained his ability to mask everything he was thinking or feeling, even if his Shield couldn’t keep me out.
I eyed Kole again, taking in his impressive build and steady composure.
He hadn’t even flinched while fighting those two males.
And as an Imperial Council Warrior, he could have easily bested them.
He probably could have taken on three, four, five, or perhaps even ten fae at once.
And surprisingly, he’d done everything with only physical skill.
I hadn’t felt the traces of rising magic that indicated he was using intrinsic power.
It’d been the same when he’d taken down Abel.
All in all, everything I’d seen so far strengthened my belief in what he was, but it was also a reminder that I’d been entirely foolish to intervene.
Trying to cover up my embarrassment, I beamed.
Kole’s attention dipped to my mouth, but he quickly looked away. “Where did you come from anyway?”
I pointed behind us. “That tree.”
His brow furrowed. “Right, I noticed you appeared from a tree, but how did you get there?” For the first time since meeting him, a genuine trace of emotion flitted across his face. He looked perplexed, and I had the ridiculous urge to laugh.
Me, Primelle Hollaran, had stumped an unflappable Imperial Council Warrior.
I cackled inwardly at that thought, but suppressed the giggle that wanted to rise.
No need to start laughing like some unhinged buffoon.
The stars knew this warrior already thought me entirely daft, given the circumstances in which we’d met.
First, I’d kissed him unabashedly. And now, I’d appeared out of a tree only to “save” him from sure death.
Daft indeed.
Kole cocked his head, waiting for me to reply.
“Oh, I, um . . .” The second I realized I would have to explain my actions, all traces of humor left me. I swallowed and wondered if I was about to get a set of blue cuffs slapped onto my wrists too. “I was nearby and heard the commotion. I came to investigate.”
“From the top of a tree?”
I smiled again, grinning so broadly my cheeks hurt. “Traveling by treetop is underrated. You should try it sometime if you’ve never done it.”
He side-eyed me, then glanced upward to peer through the trees. “Traveling by treetop, you say?”
“Oh yes, swinging from vine to vine. Jumping from branch to branch. Truly, you should give it a go. It’s quite freeing.”
“Is that so?” He stepped closer to the tree, then placed his hands on his hips.
He glanced upward, and I gulped.
My hovering carpet was clearly visible above the Wood’s canopy.
His attention dropped back to me. “That’s very interesting treetop traveling you’re engaging in. Funny how you failed to mention that swinging upon vines, or jumping from branch to branch, also required an enchanted carpet.”
My stomach bottomed out, and my mouth opened and closed in silence. I finally blurted out, “I wasn’t trying to break the law. I swear on the galaxy, but I heard the wildling’s screams, and I couldn’t just let them kill her.”
He eyed one of the unconscious males. “And what would you have done if I hadn’t been here, and it was just you against these piles of domal dung?”
“It would have depended upon the situation. Upon what they did.”
“They’re murderers.”
“I agree, although some wouldn’t see it that way. Some believe there’s nothing wrong with killing wildlings.”
“I happen not to agree with that, and the law doesn’t either.”
“No, it doesn’t, and I’m of the same mind as you. These bastards are murderers through and through.”
“Which makes it all the more dangerous for untrained fae, such as yourself, to take them on.”
I smiled broadly again and lightened my tone. “Yet I still came out unscathed.”
His focus drifted to my lips once more, his eyes hooding slightly, but then he blinked and looked away. I couldn’t have deciphered his expression if I’d tried.
I huffed. “You’re very good at that,” I stated, before I thought better of it.
He cocked his head. “Good at what?”
“Not revealing what you’re thinking.”
He grunted, and I wasn’t sure if that meant he was offended or complimented.