Would they defend Brad? We might be fighting a territory of Elves instead of three of them. I don’t know if I would willingly go back to the place that tried to kill me and Noth had never given me a serious answer, only a snarky one.
“Majestic? I don't know how the crown fits on that giant head of yours. Does it do anything to contain your raging ego?”
“Nothing has contained it yet.”
“Why does this mean so much to you, Noth?” I asked. I had to know what he was fighting for if I was going to fight with him instead of against him. “Why not find a corner of the Harrowlands and farm peas or something?”
I knew the image was laughable the moment I said it, but I needed an answer that would let me believe I had been wrong to try to kill him.
“Pumpkin, if I’m not King, I’m just a half-breed,deviant monster everyone would rather battle back into the shadows. I will do anything not to be that. Seeing Brad dead is a bonus. He tortured me. Nothing tastes better than revenge.”
I wouldn’t know, because it didn’t look like I would ever get mine. I wasn’t able to say it out loud, but I kind of liked thedeviant part and the Nightmare Walker part despite the fact it was scary as hells. Noth proved courageous and funny, in a snobby way. He fucked like a Dark Godd and with everything I’d tried; he laughed like my murder attempts were his new favorite thing. He didn't mind that I acted “difficult”. Well, he did mind, but only so he could tease me to the edge of sanity.
Still, our banter wouldn't protect us in a fight.
I shifted in the vines but Noth didn’t release me. “We need to get Ward, Evie. The others.”
Whatever I had to work out with my sister, I would. Watching Noth almost die finally made me realize: I needed to meet Evie where she was. Relentlessly pulling her to-and-fro into my mess wouldn't get us anywhere.
“I trust Ward with anything, but this is a matter for the Elves. If I can’t defeat Brad and restore my rightful throne by myself, the other Kings and Queens will descend on my territory and tear it apart.”
That sounded like a man-answer, but I wasn’t a King.
“Well, what have we got then? A salamander. A mercenary. A magic Godd object. And a witch… kinda.” I pointed at myself without enthusiasm.
He didn’t look anywhere else but at me, like I was the only thing he needed–if he didn’t strangle me first.
My heart rose in my throat, beating double time. We needed to clear the air if we had a Brad to defeat. He would only exploit our hate and Rue would always be between us if we didn’t resolve this.
Though I wasn’t willing to admit it, I also wanted to know if Rue could ever forgive me for falling into his arms because, Godds forbid, I actually liked the bastard.
Chapter 12
Noth
Icouldn’t say I wasn’t hurt. Hiring a mercenary to hunt me down like an animal? Not the ideal way to form an alliance, let alone deal with the thin mate bond between us. I eyed my Pumpkin, wary for the first time. The little sounds she made when she slept must have altered my brain. I did love her murder attempts but I couldn’t deny I wanted more. I was greedy but the hope of seeing love in her eyes would be gluttonous even for me.
Maggie’s face seemed uncharacteristically solemn as we walked together, giving the salamander a rest. Jax paced ahead of us where I kept an eye on him. The ride to Allfenheim remained a few question-filled days away. Tackling that blubber butt right off my throne was urgent, but I wasn’t sure if I still had to constantly watch my back. I wanted us to strangle that man together, butMaggie had proven she was still out for revenge, no matter how many ‘sorries’ she had in her. For once, she would need to come to me and not with a dagger in her hand.
Our silence lasted the whole length of the river she might have been planning to throw me into. Maggie fidgeted more and more until she broke.
“I…”
Her words died and my interest sharpened. Any attempt to communicate with me, no matter how bad, set a void pooling low in my belly. She was trying.
“Yes, that’s you,” I replied.
She waved her hand in frustration and I waited to see if she would cave or go on.
“So the woman in my village…”
Her voice faded again and I appreciated the reprieve to collect my thoughts. Her nerves made me nervous. I suddenly didn’t want to have this conversation covered in the remnants of the fight. Dirt, thorns and river water didn’t make the perfect setup for a ‘sorry, I basically killed your mom’ chat. We needed a fresh start.
I pulled a magic-laced cloth from the salamander’s saddlebags.
“Grab some carrots,” I told her.
I wiped down and snapped the cloth to reset it so Maggie could clean up as she ate. She washed her face and I couldn’t stop tracking her hand. I was in so deepthat I momentarily froze, terrified I would annihilate what we had together.
