Razik was glaring at him as if he were stupid, and Cethin wanted to punch the male in the godsdamn face.
“Of course I know that,” Cethin retorted, shoving his hand away. “Why do you think I’m working so hard to bring her to our side?”
Razik stared back at him for a few long seconds. “You’re serious? You are forcing her into a union to utilize her weapons? For fuck’s sake, Cethin.”
“We’re not talking about this here,” Cethin snapped, turning and striding into the trees. He didn’t give a fuck if Razik followed or not, but he did, heavy footfalls sounding.
They walked a good hundred feet until they were obscured from the others before he turned back to Razik. “It didn’t start this way. She came to me looking for her arrow, and I asked for her help. She refused.”
“So this was your solution?”
“She refused to listen to any argument, and this is my fucking kingdom, Greybane,” Cethin spat back. “People I am responsible for. People I am sworn to protect. Just as you are, but when you fail, the pressure on me increases. So yes, once again, I’m the one willing to do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of my kingdom. I’m not sorry about it.”
“What do you mean ‘once again?’”
“What?”
Razik’s arms were folded across his chest, everything about him broody and apathetic, but his tone said otherwise. “Yousaid, ‘once again, I’m the one willing to do whatever it takes.’ What does that mean?”
Cethin’s darkness clawed at his being, begging to be let out. Begging to put Razik in his place. Begging to consume, but he shoved it down. He stepped forward, nearly toe-to-toe with him, and each word was measured and controlled as he said, “I do not care that you became Kailia’s guard. I am still the fucking king, and I still do not owe you any godsdamn explanations. But apparently your workaround for that is persuading my future wife to talk.”
“Kailia didn’t tell me shit about whatever it is you’ve coerced her into,” Razik replied, and while he’d slipped into his uncaring facade, his eyes had shifted to vertical pupils, betraying his own barely leashed control. “In fact, she’s denied you forcing her into anything. But if you truly understand that she is needed to fight these creatures, then you’d give her back her fucking arrow. She said she can’t make more without the set.”
“I have it handled,” Cethin gritted out.
“Do you? Because she saved all our asses last night, Sutara.”
“Yes, I’m well aware that instead of you guarding her, she was defending all of us. That this is yet another responsibility you can’t handle.”
That was when the first fist flew.
It took a second for Cethin to register the blow to his jaw. It wasn’t until he spat blood to the side that he felt the pain radiating along his face. He slowly lifted his head, dragging his eyes back to the male standing in front of him.
The two stared at each other for several seconds, and then it was Cethin lunging at him, throwing all his weight behind the hit to the fucker’s face, followed immediately by another to his gut. Then he didn’t know who had the upper hand. Not as they each took swings. Not as they fell to the ground, rolling and shoving.
Cethin let out a grunt as a boot connected with his side, fairly certain a rib or two had cracked with the hit, but he was scrambling, grabbing Razik’s ankle and twisting. The male snarled and flipped to his stomach, and Cethin was there, raining punches to his lower back. Until Razik’s wings appeared, launching him up and getting him back on his feet.
Cethin took the opportunity to push to his own feet, his breaths short gasps due to the aching ribs. Swiping a hand across his mouth, blood smeared across his flesh. The same dripped from a cut along Greybane’s brow, while his other eye was already bruising. Cethin was certain he didn’t look any better.
“Did you two get that out of your system?” drawled a female voice, and they both turned to find not only Ariadne, who’d spoken, but the entire Cadre standing there. Bram and Jarek were smirking like fools. Fallon had the same look of annoyed disapproval as Ariadne, and Draven looked like he wasn’t sure what he should be doing.
“None of you thought you should step in?” Cethin muttered, removing crushed leaves and twigs that were stuck to his jacket.
“Not even once,” Jarek replied from where he was leaning against a tree. “Out here, you’re still just one of us.”
“He’s never been one of us,” Razik sneered, stalking past them all and disappearing into the trees.
Cethin followed, the Cadre trailing him. His magic was pushing to be let loose. Even if it wasn’t physical, Razik had still managed to get the final blow in with those parting words.
“Seriously, Cethin. The two of you need to figure your shit out,” Ariadne scolded, handing him a leather strap so he could tie his hair back.
“It’s been this way for centuries. I don’t think it’s ever going to change,” he replied flatly. “Some people aren’t meant to be friends.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to be enemies,” she countered. “And either way, I don’t think that’s the case here, considering who he is and who you are.” When Cethin said nothing, she added, “All I’m saying is he’s the queen’s personal guard now. You two are going to have to at least be civil with each other.”
“Where is she?” Cethin asked as they stepped into the clearing where they’d stopped for their midday meal. They’d harvested a few more birds, a fox, and some other smaller game that morning, planning to stalk larger game this afternoon and evening.
“Who?” Ariadne asked, glancing up at him.
