By the time I’m through the crowd of escaping fae and inside the cage with Bree, they’ve already got Caed surrounded.
“Guard, thank you for your help in uncovering this interloper,” their captain says, as Bree dismisses his serpentine tail, dropping Caed to the ground without mercy. “We’ll have him executed, then hunt down whichever fae colluded with the enemy to provide him with a glamour.”
“Leave him alive,” I grate out, hating myself for stepping in, but if they try to kill Caed, they’ll quickly figure out that he’s a member of Rose’s Guard. “I want to question him after the Nicnevin’s fever has passed.”
The captain nods, finding nothing strange about my edict, but hastens to add, “I assure you, Guard, there is no threat to Danu’s daughter here. This is an unfortunate, but completely isolated, incident.”
“Bricriu, come.” I turn on my heel, expecting him to follow, but he’s looking between Caed and me with regret etched into the space between his brows. His hands are physically shaking, and I’m not the only one who’s taking note.
“He’ll be secure in the dungeons until we return,” I say. “No one will kill him while we’re looking after Rose.”
Her name gets through to him. His body jerks like he’s been hit with a bolt of lightning. “Rose.”
The urge to drag him out of here is strong but touching him might shatter whatever fragile hold he has on his emotions right now. Behind him, Caed is groaning on the ground—judging by the deep navy patches blooming across his chest, Bree’s tail broke at least a few ribs—and the city watch wastes no time in slapping a heavy pair of manacles on his wrists.
If they unwrap his hands… if they so much as suspect…
Fuck. We can’t deal with this right now. I shoot a glance at Rose’s brothers, and they nod to me, silently promising to take care of this.
Two princes should be able to handle this until the fever breaks, surely? Which leaves just one problem remaining.
I sweep my arm out, gesturing in the direction of the open cage door. “Come. She needs to know you’re safe.”
Rose should be resting, not worrying about the location of her Guard. Yet, I can feel her unease thanks to the Call. Not quite a full-fledged panic, but still enough to churn in my gut.
Caed is dragged away, and Bree finally takes a step towards the cage door. His feet drag, and his shoulders slump the farther away he gets. When he finally reaches the open bars, he hesitates, as if only just noticing the iron woven into the structure.
“What did I just do?” he mumbles, more to himself than to me.
His aura is smudged with disbelief and shock.
I sigh. “What any male who’s spent the last week bombarded by his mate’s fever pheromones without relief would do. Sought out a threat to her and tried to end it.”
I don’t add that, had he simply done as I suggested and sought the help of a mind healer or an empath, or even talked to Rose, he might not be in this situation. The temptation is strong, but it won’t help him to hear it.
Now we’re in an even deeper mess, and I can tell from the distress glinting through his aura that he realises it. If the spring queen learns the identity of the Fomorian in her dungeon, she won’t hesitate to play the upper hand against Rose.
Rose, who should be worrying about nothing except getting through her first fever.
“I’ll take the potion,” Bree mumbles.
Madoc sets Bram’s fox on the floor, abandoning his brother to follow the city watch soldiers with his shoulders set in determination. The three of us hesitate, and I sigh again before leading our messed-up gang out of the basement and onto the street. The silence is frosty. I may not say anything, but I let my disapproval radiate off me. Bree should know this is not acceptable.
“I just…” the púca begins, when we’re within sight of the Temple. He hesitates, stopping in the middle of the street, then turns to face the fox shifter. “Rose trusts you.”
Bram shifts, naked but without shame. “I will protect you while you sleep, brother. You needed only to ask.”
There’s so much understanding in the look that passes between them that I’m forced to take a sudden and deep interest in my boots. Of course, Bram would know better than most the fear of being captive and defenceless.
“I will be in your debt.” Bree shifts his weight from foot to foot. “I would rather bargain, so I at least know the price I will pay in advance.”
Bram inclines his head but doesn’t argue, as I suspect he wants to. “I will protect you if you swear to the Goddess that once her fever is over, you will explain exactly what happened here to my sister.”
Bree winces, and I don’t blame him. “The bargain is struck.”
“Come on.” There’s something… crawling beneath my skin. My cock—which hasn’t fully gone down once in the last three days—is painfully hard and demanding my attention. “You should see her before you go. She’ll want to know you’re safe.”
The cloister is heavily guarded, and I nod to the females on duty as we leave Bram in the main temple and pass through the immense courtyards separating each fever suite. This is a place sacred to females, held safe through the sisterhood of the temple, and our every step is carefully watched to ensure we don’t stray where we’re not welcome. There are dampening charms hanging everywhere—even strung into the wind chimes—as a precaution to keep the females’ scents from affecting every fae in the city. Despite that, I swear I can still taste Rose’s floral-caramel scent on my tongue as we stride towards the largest of the suites, secluded in the very centre.
