Page 56 of Renegade Queen
I stalked over to our girl and didn’t miss the heat that crossed her eyes as I did. Hmmm, now that was definitely information to file away for later.
For when I was less pissed.
My bear roared inside my head, and I shook my head as if it would help me loosen his grip over me. But he wanted her just as much as I did; he wanted to see the look in her eyes as she stared up at us from her knees.
It was hard to shake the need as I approached her, especially when she looked ready to submit. Alyssa was never a woman I’d ever have thought of as submissive until tonight.
“You didn’t really think you would get us to leave, did you? Not when I can still smell my scent all over you,” I murmured, her cheeks flushing a delicate pink I hardly ever saw there.
My fingers trailed up her neck, and I felt her heartbeat quicken underneath my fingertips. Her head tilted to the side, and her eyelashes fluttered closed as the sensation of my touch swept over her.
And damn, it was distracting. But we needed to stay on track here.
“Answer me, Lyssa,” I purred, unable to keep the sound from my voice.
“You should. It’s not safe here. Arik will come for me, and I… it’s time.”
She looked so small and scared as she spoke of him. And it was the first time I’d ever seen her like this. If she thought I would leave her before she finally accepted that she was mine, I’d have called her crazy; she had to realise it would never happen now.
“We do this together. You’re not splitting from me, and I have a feeling these knuckleheads all feel the same. Whatever you have to face, we do it as a family.”
She looked more scared by that word. It probably wasn’t the best choice. Alyssa had lost one family to this man; I doubted facing him again with a new one at her side would make her feel safe.
“He takes…”
“Nothing,” Ryder told her forcefully. “He takes nothing else from you but a slow and painful death. We take Damon, we take back your home, and then we take his life.”
The jokester amongst us had a serious side after all.
When I glanced at him over her shoulder, I saw a glimmer of the wolf behind his eyes. It was early for the animal to be making an appearance, but I’d been watching them all closely. I had a feeling Dean had always been a growly fucker, but it was definitely the wolf that was riding him for control now. We already knew Maddox would be strong because of how long he’d stood against the venom. It seemed like the other two were going to be no different.
I knew Alyssa was nervous about this, but it could be helpful. They seemed more in control than any turned shifter I’d ever encountered. If we could get them through the change sooner rather than later, they’d be more of an asset than three humans with swords they didn’t know how to use.
Alyssa nodded numbly. “I can get us inside,” she started slowly. “But we need to move quickly. Damon won’t last long inside the Winter Palace. And he’s already been there for over a week. But the direct path to the palace from here takes us across the hissing swamp, which is not without its dangers.”
I wished I knew more about this place, and I was kicking myself now for not having taken an interest in it before.
“Absolutely not,” Fizzle butted in, swooping down and landing on my shoulder again. It should have been annoying. But the irritating little shit was kinda cute, and for some reason, my bear found him amusing, which I was pretty sure had never happened before. “Go around the swamp,” he ordered.
“Fizzle,” Alyssa sighed, but the little guy wasn’t taking any of it as he turned around on my shoulder and gave her his back. As if that was ever going to save him.
“Okay, okay. Tensions are rising again,” Ryder pointed out. “How about we share with the group and work it out together.”
“There is no working this out,” Fizzle hissed, spinning on my shoulder and making me wince as his claws scratched at my leather tunic. It was only a matter of time before he got deep enough to draw blood. “The swamp contains the maiden. The maiden will kill you all. Go. Around.”
I’d seen Fizzle annoyed before, but this was possibly the first time I’d seen him pissed, and I was glad he was on our side.
“Annnnnnd the maiden would be?” Ryder asked, braver than I was because I could feel Fizzle quivering with rage. I was pretty sure he was about to leap at Ryder for the audacity of questioning him.
“I’m separating you all,” Maddox said, stepping between us and physically shoving everyone apart. “Before this devolves into blood, girlish insults, and hurt feelings.”
Fizzle leapt from my shoulder, and for a second, I thought what Maddox had described was about to happen. Instead, he wrapped himself around Alyssa’s neck and glared at Ryder like he’d won something. And he had because he was the biggest cock block we would ever find while we were stuck here.
Alyssa returned to the fire, grabbed her pack and dug out a water bottle. Taking a drink, she turned back to look at us as she huffed out a breath.
“Fae can… bond themselves together. It’s not done anymore because it’s dangerous. Bonding shares magic and makes both parties stronger. But if one of them dies, it drives the surviving fae insane. And hungry. The maiden found that out personally. Now she stalks the marsh, eternally hungry and preying on anyone stupid enough to enter,” Alyssa explained.
“So we go around then,” Ryder said, dropping to the ground and sitting back against the cave wall. Watching him fumble with the sword still fastened to his hip as he did was frankly hilarious.