“You cut my arm!”the Fae Peter had pinned complained.
Laurette pushed out his bottom lip.“Yeah.I think I meant to cut it off, but look how it’s still there and all.Fully attached, but limp like your cock.”
“I shall—”
Peter twisted his sword before pulling it out.The Fae screamed once, then sagged to the ground, whimpering.
The whimpering was echoed right back from Miel.“M-my…manhood…”
Theodore dropped his poker and came for Peter, wrapping his arms around his neck while Cloudtree said, “What’s the matter with your manhood, stepbrother?”
The words sounded both bitter and sad, but Peter didn’t care.Well, not much.Theodore’s mouth was close to his ear, and on a whisper, he said, “Did they get you?”
“No.All is well.”
Shuffling from behind him made Peter turn.
“Oh, wow.Fuck me.”Corvin had managed to walk Michael forward.Michael looked just about alert enough to use his siren voice if need be.He was narrowing his eyes on Laurette.
Holding Theodore close—nearly carrying him, truth be told—Peter stepped in front of Laurette.
“Michael, Corvin.May I present Lord Laurette of the Silver Moons?Lord Laurette, these are Michael Cantus and his fiancé, Corvin Belya.”
“Adorable!”Laurette walked right up to them and bent to get a better look at Michael.“My.Draining spell, I’d say.You’ll be fine with some rest though, nothing to worry about.”
“Really?”Corvin’s voice was full of relief and hope.“He just collapsed, and I thought…”
Laurette patted Corvin’s shoulder.“No lasting effects with this spell.That’s not what these hunters were going for.”
“They wanted to have fun with what they caught.”Cloudtree’s voice was loud in the echoing wine cellar, and it made Theodore shiver in Peter’s arms.
Unfortunately, no one had yet cut out the Faes’ tongues, which meant unless they were busy crying over their werewolf-bitten manhood, they could still speak.Peter had always disliked the talking most about taking live prisoners.And about the chieftains he’d ransomed, of course.Ransoming a talker was a particular cosmic punishment.
“You fool!You have conspired with this refuse to get what ismine,” the stepfather said.“I should’ve kicked you out of the house as soon as your mother left, or better yet, sold you.”
“We’ll sell him still.”Chambord, the one whose life Laurette had spared, seemed to have gotten over being winded.“Or feed him to the ground and plant flowers on his bones.”
Peter cackled while stroking Theodore’s head.“As if you could tend to flowers.Evidence suggests you can tend to nothing past the tips of your own snotty noses.”
Laurette hummed.“Oh, that is well, Peter, though I’d have said they can barely take care of their own farting assholes, but no matter.”He looked like a shark again, this time the kind that would happily eat people.“I think I know exactly what we’ll do with them.”
Chapter 25
Peterwasokay,andjust like with Bernard, he’d actually been fine without Theo.Which, on a certain level, Theo had known, given Peter had been around and managed to stick around since the Viking age, whether he liked the nomenclature or not.
They had all made it back up to the kitchen, dragging the three rotten Fae plus Mike, who was at least well enough to have wrapped an arm around Corvin’s waist now.
Cloudtree stood by the sink somewhat uselessly, picking at his cuticles.He looked at Gertrude.“Should I fetch water from the well?For your eye.”
She shook her head.Her left eye was almost swollen shut.“This is nothing.I’ve had worse.”
Laurette groaned.“Don’t say that.They’ll all think it’s terrible to work for me, and then no one will ever agree to do so ever again.”
Gertrude seemed to give that some thought, but snapped right out of it when Corvin gasped in surprise.Peter, who’d helped with dragging up the dick-bitten Fae, growled and stepped in front of Theo.Carl had shifted.
“Hi.Just me.Uh, Theo, mind handing me my clothes?”
“You’re—Carl!?”Corvin squealed.“I just scratched you behind the ears!”
