Smirking and knowing that his argument has won, he adds, “And lastly, in what world would Esalin Tolvare agree to take in and raise a bastard child? She is the most jealous bond-mate to ever exist, just ask Fyton.” Khortland scoffs, familiar with Aerin’s family dynamics. “She would have had you killed simply out of spite.”
Aerin thinks about the blonde-haired blue-eyed queen, the woman who she believed to be her mother her entire life. She has always been cold to her children, though not just Aerin. In fact, the only creature Esalin Tolvare ever seems to like is her bond-mate, Oberyn. No one can deny their devotion to one another, extending beyond what is expected between bond-mates, and the subject of many inquisitive books and scathing articles.
“Okay, I concede. I don’t fucking know,” Aerin whines, collapsing back into her chair.
“Explain the Pack magic,” Malice says, still standing away from the group. It seems to Aerin he is analyzing each of them, but she isn’t sure what for.
Khortland simply shrugs. “Magic doesn’t always have an explanation.”
Aerin rubs her face.
“But why would your father go out of his way toshowme her cage? To bring up my own father in relation to her?”
Khortland stands. “My father is off his rocker in case you forgot. He’s passed all responsibilities to Redlam at this point, the only thing left to secede is the crown itself. You said he talked about you as a Faeling, right? Perhaps he is just nostalgic.” Khortland moves to the bed as he speaks, pulling back the covers for good measure.
“Now, if you would all pleaseexitmy room.” He shoots a glower at Malice and then Emrys.
“See if you can find out anything more, about my father and the Wolf.” Khortland opens his mouth to object, but Aerin keeps talking. “And I will see to it that the locket is imbued by the Witch tomorrow.”
Khortland snaps his mouth shut, his eyes narrowing. “I’ll make my best attempt,” he grumbles, climbing into the bed as they exit the room.
51
MALICE
Nearing noon, the sun hardly dents the nip in the air. Though it’s the middle of summer, Zeneith’s chill is a far cry from the sweltering temperatures of Valtara.
Malice weaves in and out of creatures, catching a few glances of wariness, but is largely undisturbed. Creatures in the North are accustomed to a variety of species wandering their streets, allowing Malice to blend in much more than he does in Valtara.
It takes Malice a while to navigate through the non-sensical streets of Zeneith. Despite living in proximity to the Northern City-State his entire life, Malice rarely found himself inside the gates, and even less often was he winding through the streets on the Eastern edge following the faint scent of a Human.
When Malice left the suite this morning, the Wolf and Princess were still soundly sleeping. Malice had been up for hours, his head churning with new information, anxious about what it would all mean. When he finally decided he’d much rather do something than watch them sleep, he left Aerin a note and slipped out the window, flying until he was clear of the Royal Village.
One of Malice’s many concerns centers around gifting aHumana conduit of Aerin’s magic. Aerin trusts Khortland, and so by default she trusts this Human. But Aerin’s judgement may be blurred by her Paramyr.
Malice started his hunt for the Human at the run-down apartment. It was obvious upon arrival neither Fae nor Human had been back since their interruption, but her scent is strong there. From there Malice follows the scent until it nears the Eastern gate, where the trail diverges. One path heads South, away from the Royal Village, the other goes out of the gate, likely towards one of the few Human settlements that speckle the woods along the Eastern wall of Zeneith.
Choosing South, Malice hopes he won’t have to leave the City-State to find her in a Human dwelling. There, his presence will screamtrouble.
Following the trail, Malice’s mind wanders. Hunting down the Human quiets some thoughts, but not others.
Sex with Aerin broke something inside of Malice, he’s certain. Aerin entered his soul and rearranged things to her liking, changing him forever. And what’s worse, Malice knew this would happen, and he did it anyways. He’d already been halfway there, fighting her every step of the way with his pathetic mantra and resistance to their blood-bond. But sinking his cock inside of her? That was the final straw, the drop of water in the bucket that made everything spill.
There are all kinds of stories about blood-bound soldiers of Old. Ones who vowed their lives to protect the Fae Queens who ruled over Altrios. Stories of their sacrifices, their devotion, their love. Stories where they withered away or went mad or became so depressed they wouldn’t move or eat after losing their bonded-mates. Stories where they ended their own lives rather than live without them.
He never understood, until now. Losing Aerin would be a grief so large he would not be capable of handling it. The only solution is to do anything and everything to make sure that never happens.
The Human scent grows stronger as Malice veers down an alleyway. The alley is narrow, running the length of a building before snaking into a maze of precariously stacked multi-level structures. The scent ends at a door, the inscription so worn Malice can’t tell what’s inside. He enters anyways.
The Human’s scent is everywhere, the bathrooms to his left, the small staffroom to his right, down the hall lined with closed doors in front of him.
“Hey! You’re not supposed to be back here!” a Rabbit Shifter squawks. Malice ignores the small male. The Rabbit follows him. “You need to wait in the lobby like everyone else!” He bounces behind Malice’s shoulder, unable to cut him off due to the spread of Malice’s wings. A Fawn Shifter pokes her head out of a door, but upon seeing a Dragon-Fae, shuts the door quickly.
The scent grows fresher as Malice approaches another door. Not knowing what he’s wandering into doesn’t stop him from barging inside.
A brown Elf on a padded examination table lets out a frightened noise. Reyna is sitting on a backless chair. Her brown hair is pulled back, her body draped in black robes. She spins on Malice, a glare on her face, obviously annoyed to be interrupted. That is, until she realizes who stands in her doorway. It’s then that shock, followed by fear, crosses her Human features.
The Rabbit is at his back. “I said you can’t go in there!” he shouts, still attempting to get around Malice’s wings without touching them.
