Chapter 66
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
Knox
Three days passed before we returned to the castle. Those three days were some of the most irritating of my life as Briar haunted my sleep. Her scent had somehow ingrained itself on me, and the beast was not happy with my decision to leave the castle and her behind.
All I’d wanted was to get away from the woman who loved a man that didn’t exist. And all the beast wanted was to fuck her until she forgot about that man.
Thankfully, on the second day, we encountered some ogres who were stupid enough to believe they could survive entering Wildwood. I unleashed some of my frustration on them by beating them to death.
That beating had also allowed the beast to play, something it had been clamoring to do since I’d denied it Briar in the library. It wasn’t the only one who got to play as I’d gladly hacked and battered three of the ogres to death without the beast’s help.
The oversized, vicious creatures had believed Wildwood was weak enough for them to enter; they paid for their stupidity.
I had a feeling the rest of their kind would stay away for a while, which was why we patrolled the kingdom at least once a month.
If we didn’t, creatures who believed it was easy pickings would overrun Wildwood.
The dragon also helped keep invaders at bay. While some were still foolish enough to think they could get past the dragon and us, many others learned their lesson the hard way. They’d also discovered it was impossible to kill something that consisted entirely of darkness, like the dragon was.
On the third day, we found a group of strigoi who had wandered in from their kingdom of Bloodborne. It wasn’t the first time we’d encountered them, and it wouldn’t be the last while Wildwood remained cursed.
While the strigoi lived well enough in Bloodborne, they couldn’t venture out into the sun. Since learning they could survive the day under the clouded sky of Wildwood, they’d tried repeatedly to venture into the kingdom.
The ugly, soul-sucking, blood-draining creatures had been a bane to shifters before the curse. They resided in the kingdom next to ours and often tried to steal land that wasn’t theirs. My father kept shifters on the border to keep them at bay; I didn’t have that luxury.
The strigoi were gathered at the edge of a lake when Lyra spotted them. They’d ventured out of the trees to explore Wildwood under the safety of the clouds. The men were all bald, while the women had thin, pale blonde hair that revealed patches of their scalp.
Their red eyes shone across the distance separating us. When they spotted us, they turned to make their way into the woods as the three of us kicked our mounts and descended the hill to destroy the invaders.
From the woods, the dragon swept over the trees and soared toward the fleeing strigoi. Before they could flee into the forest, it landed twenty feet in front of them. The strigoi skidded to a halt, but it was already too late to avoid the dragon’s wrath.
Opening its mouth, the dragon released a blast of black that resembled fire but moved with the consistency and speed of shadows. When the blackness hit the strigoi, it didn’t cause them to erupt into flames. Instead, they recoiled as it washed over them, but didn’t immediately die.
The shadow fire was still streaming over them when the screaming started. The eternals grasped their heads, tore at their skin, and fell to their knees as their wails pierced the air.
The sound they made was one of ultimate grief.
They keened at the sky while some of them started tearing at their chests.
They shredded their flesh, burrowed through muscle, and broke through bone.
Their fingers found their hearts and pulled them free to silence their howls; the stilled organs fell from limp fingers as the strigoi hit the ground.
The ones who didn’t tear their hearts from their chests lifted their blades and plunged them into their hearts or sawed at their necks as they tried to cut their heads free.
We arrived in time to finish the decapitation of two while a third kicked on the ground with her dagger in her heart.
Pierce finished her off and sheathed his sword.
The dragon released a snort of warm air as it preened while surveying the damage it had caused. I kept my bloody sword in hand while I walked toward it. I was fifteen feet away when the dragon lowered its head and nudged me with its snout.
While it looked made of shadows, it was solid beneath my hand as it nuzzled deeper into my touch. I didn’t know exactly how this dragon came to exist, but I recognized a kindred soul when I saw one.
We were both creatures forged by despair.
After the encounter with the strigoi, we finished our patrol of the kingdom and returned to the castle. I was eager for a bath, but three days away from Briar hadn’t been kind to me or the beast; yet, I dreaded seeing her.
Her last word to me echoed in my head while we rode toward the opening doors in the castle’s wall. She desired the man I wasn’t, and that knowledge cut deeper than I’d anticipated.
However, I couldn’t stay away anymore. It had been ten days since I took her from the harem. Her mother would come soon, and I’d be here to greet the bitch.
I had no doubt Marina would put two and two together really fast, as I was the only one who’d ever escaped the harem. She might have believed her daughter left on her own if I hadn’t freed the elf, and if we hadn’t left dozens of witnesses behind.
She’d be here soon, and when she came, I’d be more than happy to destroy her.
The idea of seeing that woman again certainly didn’t improve my mood, and neither did riding into the giant spiderweb I was certain the sprites had spread across the entranceway.
Normally, I would have spotted the thin filaments before reaching them, but I was too focused on returning to Briar to see them.
Cursing, I tore the spiderweb away from my face as invisible sprites laughed from above. “I’m going to kill you,” I snapped.
Their laughter ended, and the flutter of wings told me they had flown away. When I looked back at Pierce and Lyra, their faces were expressionless, but they eyed me warily. They were well aware my temper had been exceptionally foul while we were away.
Normally, we would take a trip to No Man’s Land to have some drinks after patrolling the kingdom, but they hadn’t suggested it. They were probably as glad to be back as I was, so they could get away from me.
I ran a hand wearily over my face, taking note of the thick stubble there. I needed a shave, and I had to get my temper under control; it wasn’t their fault, or the sprites, that I was in such a shitty mood.
It wasn’t even Briar’s fault, though she was the reason I hated being away.
I could have sent Dromon with them to patrol while I stayed with her, but I’d wanted to get away from her after the library, and a patrol was a good way to escape.
Plus, I had to make sure Wildwood was as empty of enemies as possible before Marina’s arrival.
While away, my inability to deal with Briar only worsened my mood and made me angry at myself. I was a grown man; I should be able to handle being around one woman. Scowling, I dismounted outside the stables.
“I’ll take care of the horses,” Lyra said.
“I’ll help,” Pierce offered.
They both wanted to take Magnazius so I would leave, and I didn’t blame them. I was ready to be away from them too.
“Thank you,” I grunted as I pet Magnazius’s neck.
When Lyra took the reins and led him away, I headed for the castle. I didn’t look back as I climbed the steps, pushed open the door, and waited a few seconds to make sure nothing would fall on my head.
After stepping into the shadowy interior, I froze when I spotted the tree of unity across from me. It was in far better shape than when I left, as its unfurled leaves had turned a vibrant green and flower buds dotted its branches.
I had to get closer to make sure they were actual flower buds, as the tree hadn’t flowered in years. It did grow leaves, but they were never this big or green.
I gently pulled a branch down and stroked one of the velvety buds at its end. The beginnings of an unfurling purple flower were tucked securely within.
“What the fuck?” I muttered.