And nowI’msmiling like he just gave me the best present in the world. He scoops up our newly acquired prisoner, and with a wink, he and Bones move to the shadows.
“Shall we...”
Skull offers me his arm, and I take it as though we’re some hoity elite couple decked in all of our finery and not dripping blood and stinking of death.
“We shall,” I concur, doing my best to mimic the tone and accent he used earlier when questioning Hatus. “It’s a fortuitous day to solve a massacre and hopefully a mystery in one fell swoop. I’ve always enjoyed killing two birds with one stone.”
Skull chuckles at my over-the-top affectation. “Or just killing,” he counters with a cheeky grin.
I laugh. “You know me so well,mate.”
Skull’s onyx eyes gleam with pure joy and deep satisfaction as he wraps his arm around me, hugging me to his side as we step into the shadows.
“That I do,mate, that I do.”
ChapterFifty
Bones hisses as Scorpius helps him sit on his bed back in the castle. I would feel relieved to be back, but now we have a captive to deal with, and Bones looks worse. I watch him wince as he tries to perch more securely on the edge of the fluffy bedding and too soft mattress. Scorpius shoots me a curious glance, and I sigh and then quirk an eyebrow at Bones.
“Still pretending it’s a shallow stab wound that’s of no consequence?” I demand, crossing my arms over my chest as though I’m daring him to keep the tough-fae act up.
“Itisshallow, and it only hurts like a dry fuck because it was iron. It’s nothing a warm bath and Eacon can’t handle,” Bones dismisses.
I roll my eyes. “Lovely visual.”
“Thought you’d appreciate it,” he snarks right back, and fuck if that doesn’t make me want to smile.
I don’t because the daft shit won’t admit to how badly he’s really feeling right now, so he gets no smiles from me.
I watch him start to sway slightly as he sits on his massive bed, which is tucked into an alcove of a very rustic and cozy room. I realize I’ve never been in here, what with my being convinced that I’d never trust any of them let alone love them, but now that I’ve gotten over that delusion, I’m craving access to all of the details I didn’t think mattered before.
Scorpius leans down and starts to remove Bones’s glamour, and I take the opportunity to peep around his space. A deep and very comfortable-looking chair is angled in front of a tall hearth. It’s a rich yellow-orange that reminds me of desert sunrises, and there are stacks of books leaning against the intricately carved feet. Riall’s room creates a softer impression, with its richer textures and colors than Curio’s room, which seems more utilitarian. It suits Riall in a way that I find intriguing. It’s masculine but warm, functional but slightly indulgent. I haven’t seen Tarek’s room yet, only his study, but it’s interesting how much I like each of their spaces even though they’re so different. Then again, I feel the same way about the fae that occupy those spaces, so maybe this isn’t the revelation I’m thinking it is.
“I’ll call Eacon,” Scorpius announces, pulling me from my stray thoughts and nosing.
I step closer to Bones when his swaying grows more pronounced. His pallor is pale and unnerving. There’s no hiding his current resemblance to trampled shit now that the glamour is gone. Scorpius doesn’t look overly concerned, and I try to let that reassure me.
“Mine too before you go,” I call to Scorpius when he turns for the door.
I circle my face with a finger and then crook a finger to coax him back to me. He’s in a hurry to head down to the torture rooms they conveniently left off the tour they first gave me of this castle. I should have known then that all castles have torture rooms and dungeons, but it won’t be something that slips past me again. Skull is already down in the dungeons I just learned existed, getting our new guestcomfortable. I have a plan in that regard, however, and it involves getting cleaned up and not missing any spots camouflaged by the skeleton skin I’m currently wearing.
Scorpius grins at me as he stalks back in my direction. He presses his lips to mine and pulls the glamour from my skin before nipping my lip with a promising love bite. He doesn’t say a word as he swaggers out of the room like the arrogant Scorpion that he is.
I might sigh dreamily as I watch him go.
I ignore the gooey, silly feeling in my stomach and turn back to Riall. “Let’s get you in the bath then. You strip and I’ll get us set up.”
Riall only nods weakly as he leans heavily on the footboard of his bed.
Annoying tough-ass fae nonsense.
I shake my head but keep my lecture to myself. I leave him to sort his weapons and his kit, and I start to fill the huge inground tub I find in his washroom. I thought Curio’s bath was big, but Riall’s can probably fit all of us and then some. I set everything we’ll need around the rim of the massive sunken oval basin and then head back out to find Riall…exactly where I left him, weapons, kit, and all.
My brow furrows when I take in how he’s shivering. It’s cooler here than it was in the Dawn Court but not so cold that he should be quivering.
“Hey,” I coax him softly, brushing my fingers over his cheek and the short ash brown beard that’s dotted with blood along his jaw.
Pained hazel eyes look up at me, and I soothe the anxious line between his eyebrows with a gentle brush of my thumb. I was going to ask him if he was okay,really okay, but it’s obvious now that he’s not. Gnawing on silent concern, I start plucking weapons from his body. I set them on the far side of the bed to be dealt with later and then strip him out of his kit. When it seems like a struggle for Riall to even pull his rind off, I borrow one of his knives and slice down the front of it.
