“I must have more faith in your abilities than you do. And besides, evenhadhe taken you, do you really think we would have let it stand? Rian would have gladly used the opportunity to come get you and made good on all his promises to Aodhan. So it was a gamble I was willing to take to flush them out so we could deal with them.”
He spoke with such an unapologetic finality as if he thought we were finished talking about it.
We were definitelynotfinished talking about it.
“You cannot harm us! The King of the Rowan Wood will come for you!” Arren warned before I could answer. My cousin was deeply affronted by being taken captive.
In Sumarra, speaking my father’s name was akin to brandishing an insurmountable weapon, but I had learned that it held little meaning outside the Summer Court.
Ciaran gave Arren another of those wicked smiles that made me think he was going to enjoy these prisoners. Considering the sad state of Finn’s face already, I guessed it was going to be a very bloody imprisonment for them. But I could not find it within me to feel bad about that.
“We do not fear your cowardly king, butheshould fearus. Anyone in the Rowan Wood who helped hurt my friend should be very afraid,” Ciaran swore coldly.
I raised my brows, confused for a moment until he saw myexpression and rolled his eyes at me again.
“Her too,” he added reluctantly, and I realized he had meant Aodhan. He wanted revenge for my brother.
“Fuck you too,” I muttered, even though the revelation actually warmed my heart just a little.
Ciaran dropped Finn carelessly into the undergrowth and then stalked over to Arren. The ring of fire prevented my cousin from fleeing and burned away Arren’s every attempt to erect a defense barrier. Ciaran stepped through the wall of his flames easily and seized Arren to roughly wrestle him down onto his knees.
“Are you going to help?” Ciaran asked me impatiently. “Perhaps you could conjure vines around his wrists?”
“I would. But he made me inhalechuka.”
“Yeah? And what is that?” he asked distractedly.
“It’s a powder that inhibits your magic. It’s temporary but uncomfortable,” I explained. I did my best to feign nonchalance in order to cover how unsettled I was that he had been so comfortable risking my safety. That he felt risking me being taken by those who had done the most unspeakable things to me was anacceptable gamble.
Ciaran hesitated while his eyes moved over me again, his attention snagging on my bloody lip and nose.
“Perhaps now you can see just how much danger you put me in?” I guessed, making my voice sound mocking rather than allowing my hurt to show.
He winced slightly and grunted noncommittally before turning away. It was not an apology, far from it, but I was mollified at least to know that he had not meant for me to be so vulnerable. I supposed that was something.
Thankfully, Finn was beaten up badly enough that I didn’t need magic to haul him through the portal while Ciaran wrestled with Arren. The rider was not gentle, and I heard more than a few sharp grunts of pain from behind me.
There were guards waiting to take the captives away, and I had to repress another bout of disappointment at the confirmation of how everyone else had known the plan. Everyone aside from me. The one being put in danger.
As soon as my cousins were taken off both our hands, a pixie appeared holding two plates of food up to Ciaran who accepted them with a murmur of thanks.
“Here. Eat,” he ordered me as he shoved one of the dishes into my hands.
I decided to ignore his rudeness because it had actually been a long time since I’d eaten anything. And interacting with my cousin had completely drained me emotionally.
“Fuck! The vargr need to eat—” I realized aloud.
“Darragh took them out this afternoon,” Ciaran said and then tilted his head for me to follow him toward the table at the back of the tent. I was surprised he wanted to share a meal with me, but I went to sit across from him.
There was quiet between us for several moments while we dug into the venison, sautéed vegetables, and bread that we had been given to eat.
“So was it Rian’s idea? The ambush,” I clarified.
“No, it was mine. I think he might be angry when he hears about it,” Ciaran admitted without looking at me.
The revelation that this had not been Rian’s plan was an immense relief to me. I needed to know that the leader to whom I had entrusted myself would not put me in that situation without my consent.
“Do you not have the magic bangle? Like the one that Sage used on me,” I clarified. Ciaran shook his head.
