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I venture back outside and glower at the sky, which has turned a dark shade of grey and will no doubt produce a deluge to soak me through.
Perhaps it’s for the best. I scowl down at my cock as well, which has been stuck at half-mast since I watched Kallum eating the Harbinger’s cunt. A cold shower might be just the thing.
I scour the market, noticing the wind picking up and the shopkeepers closing their shutters as the clouds grow blacker and blacker. I finally notice Kallum buying some bread at a baker’s hutch.
He sees me and grimaces, clearly not glad that I’ve come out to find him. ‘What now?’ he asks, not beating about the bush.
‘What do you want with her?’ I snarl in his surprised face before I’m able to reign in the beast and step away from him.
I ignore the curious looks my outburst has garnered, as well as his shrewd expression. I turn away with a curse, knowing I’ve just given him too much information on the state of my mind and the beast’s as well.
‘What do you think?’ he says above the howling of the rising wind.
I shake my head and motion for us to go inside.
We end up in a tavern down the way, small and dark. Perfect for a clandestine conversation.
We each get a pint of ale and sit down in an extra shadowy corner.
I regard him thoughtfully, the beast sated for now by the darkness and, perhaps, the drink I sip.
‘What do I think?’ I say. ‘I think it’s more than what you’re saying. You told us you wanted to fuck her. Dane still thinks you want just her body, but that’s not all, is it?’
He takes a sip of his drink, and at first, I think he’s going to try to lie, but then he looks me in the eyes. ‘No,’ he says quietly but clearly. ‘The truth is, I noticed her long ago. Before Alcana. When she left, I hated her for what she did, but now that I’ve spent time with her, spoken to her?—’
‘Eaten her cunt?’ I supply helpfully and chuckle at his dark look that turns into a bit of a reluctant grin.
‘That too,’ he admits. ‘She does have a fine cunt. But it’s not just that. Things are … different,’ he says.
‘Different how?’
He takes another long drink as if trying to decide how much he’s going to tell me because he doesn’t think I’ll understand.
‘I don’t think she’s what we thought,’ he finally announces.
I open my mouth to speak, but he hurries on.
‘We never asked, Grey. We just trusted Varrik when he told us all why his Harbinger had turned on us, why she burned the keep. We never questioned him, not about any of it, and then we were out in the wilds trying to find her and bring her back. And the things Fiana said she did … we believed her because Dane believed her, but her stories don’t marry up with what I know about Lia.’
‘She destroyed our home, Kallum. She almost killed Varrik and many others,’ I answer, trying to be patient. ‘What was there to ask?’
‘Things weren’t as they appeared for her,’ he says adamantly. ‘She didn’t live the life there that we did. She was kept apart from us. You remember.’
‘Because she was dangerous, unhinged, uncontrollable,’ I say, running a hand through my hair irritably.
He sits back, a determined look in his eyes that I recognize and loathe. ‘So Fiana and the other elites said, but Lia doesn’t seem that way to me.’
‘She’s bound! She might as well be one of those vulnerable slaves. She might as well be Gwennie, waiting to be bent over and fucked by whomever Reyn decides should have her. That’s how defenseless she is at the moment. Did you ever see her in training? No. Did she ever learn swordplay or have any combat training that you know of? She’s weak now. That’s all it is.’
Kal is silent, looking as if he’s really thinking on what I’m saying, and I hope he is, but then he shakes his head. ‘I don’t think that’s it, Grey. She’s told me things.’
I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. ‘My friend,’ I begin gently. ‘They lie. Humans lie. Females lie. I know you don’t like to think about it, but please try to understand that they want what they …’
‘What does she want?’ Kallum snaps. ‘What?’
I throw my hands in the air. ‘I don’t know! To make sure she’s not left here? For us to stop tormenting her? For your trust? Who can say but her?’
‘She knows we aren’t leaving her. She thinks we need her for something. We can’t keep being cruel to her after the past few days of taking care of her as we have. We all know it. And she already has some of my trust.’
