Amaris hovered nervously in the hallway. Her dark eyes were wide as she stared at Cole. He was a bloody, awful mess, pale and barely standing, but any other dark fae would have been dead by now. The fact he was still breathing was mind-blowing; that he was stillwalkingwas a miracle.
“Can I get you anything?” Amaris asked as she rushed over to Niall’s side.
“No,” Lexi said.
Cole said she could trust Niall, but she wouldn’t trust anyone else with his life. Traitors surrounded them in this realm; she liked Amaris, but she’d be damned if she let anyone else do anything with Cole.
Cole’s weight pulled more and more against her shoulders and strained her back as they ascended the stairs. By the time they finally made it to his rooms, his feet dragged across the ground, and when they laid him on the bed, he was unconscious.
Lexi tried not to panic as she stared at his unmoving form. Had it been pure willpower driving him this far?
Is he dead?
Chapter Eleven
“Stay away from him!”Lexi commanded in a far too high-pitched voice as Niall leaned over Cole.
She wasn’t exactly portraying strength by nearly shrieking at him, but she couldn’t control the gallop of her heart or the terror spiking her adrenaline to epic levels. Then Cole inhaled a rattling, wet breath that didn’t bode well for his health but told her that he was still alive.
That knowledge didn’t ease her stress. He was alive but so vulnerable, and she was the only one she trusted to protect him. She would make sure he stayed alive.
The dark fae rose slightly to study her. He lifted his hands, but she saw the hostility in his black eyes.
“He’s my king and my friend,” Niall said. “He’s safe with me.”
He’s the love of my life, and I don’t care what you say.
But she held the words back. None of the dark fae cared about love or feelings. They respected control and power. To them, love was a weakness.
“I’ll take care of him,” she said.
“You’ll need my help.”
“Stand outside the doors and guard them. Donotlet anyone else in here.”
A muscle twitched in his cheek; he didn’t like taking orders from her, but when his eyes returned to Cole, his stance relaxed a little.
“He is my king. I cannot leave him with you,” Niall said. “How do I knowyouwon’t kill him.”
Lexi was stunned he would consider such a thing. “I am to be your queen. You will do as I say.”
His eyes narrowed as Lexi’s shoulders went back.
“How do I know you are to be my queen? He has not proposed to you.”
She had no power over Niall and certainly wasn’t strong enough to force him from the room, but she wouldn’t back down either. However, his words reminded her how tenuous her position in this world was.
She was alive and here because Cole had brought her here, and this man respected that; many others wouldn’t.
“He brought me here. How many other women has he done that with?” she demanded.
The way his eyes darted away gave her the answer she’d sought.
“I went onto that field to get him.Isaved him. I wouldneverhurt him, and he’d expect you to listen to me,” she said.
The irritation on his face made her reconsider her bravado, but when his attention turned back to Cole, his eyes softened. Cole was more than a king to this man; Niall also cared about him.
She still preferred not to have anyone else near him when he was this vulnerable.
