CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Astaroth
Iawoke slightly less sluggish than when I fell asleep and felt hotter than sitting in front of a fire. A softness filled my palm. I flexed my fingers and went to stretch when something wiggled against me. Cracking my eyes open, I looked down to find Calista lying nearly atop me with the blanket between us, her leg tossed over my groin and an arm over my middle where her head rested. My arm was wrapped around her, hand gripping her bottom. I dropped my head on the pillow and smiled. Calista would break every single digit if she knew where I was touching her. This would be an every morning thing in the future… sans clothing.
The image of her sleeping, naked form pressed against mine burned the back of my eyelids and stirred another part of me that wasn’t sluggish in the least. It had been too long since I’dbedded a woman, and every single one I chose to prepare me for Calista and reminded me of her in some way or another. If I’d had my way, I would have waited, but she didn’t. I was confident when we’d made our bargain, she would be too afraid to act on her desires out of fear she would become pregnant. Then I would come for her, and we would finally be together, each of us the other’s only partner. How disillusioned I was.
My eyes flicked open and stared at the stone ceiling as I shuffled through all the faces of the men who touched, kissed, tasted… fucked… her. I gritted my teeth and pressed her tighter to my side. Her knee brushed my erection, and I quivered with the oddest mix of carnal rage and lust. If Calista continued doing that, I’d roll her over and bury myself inside her until I erased the names and faces of all who came before me. I smirked. I planned to do that anyway.
Not becoming a goblin seemed to be her biggest concern at the moment. Calista’s lack of knowledge of the labyrinth would work well in my favor moving forward. However, hindsight was what concerned me—when she learns the truth and the rules of the realm. I needed to find a way to make the decision her own. I will handle the ramifications of my previous actions later.
A light tap on the door was a stark reminder of the duties I pushed aside while tending to her the last several days. Mergle had kept me updated on the search for the soon-to-be-slaughtered redcap and the continued hunt for the pixie. Although he insisted that I join the futile search and allow one of the maids to sit with Calista, I couldn’t bring myself to leave her side in case she took a turn, or he attempted to finish the job while I was gone. Now that she was conscious, I needed to return to my brethren and lead them in finding answers.
Sleeping had renewed my energy and replenished my magic to an extent. It would take several more sleeps before I would be back to full capacity. Continuously using my magic on Calistato help her heal and grow stronger nearly incapacitated me. I feared what would have happened to me and the realm had I emptied myself entirely. I glanced down at her, listening to her light snores, and knew I would’ve done it, regardless of the outcome.
The tapping started again; this time, it was more persistent. I sighed, cradled Calista to me, giving her luscious bottom one more squeeze, and kissed the top of her head. She hummed and rubbed against me in a way I’d only ever dreamt of. It took some maneuvering to get out from under her without waking her, but when I did, she rolled to her other side. The flush of the fever was finally gone from her cheeks. I straightened the blanket, then went to the door.
“How is she?” Mergle whispered, peeking around my leg.
I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent the scowl forming on my face and moved to block his view, cracking the door behind me. “She will be back to her usual defiant self soon.”
“Wonderful news.” He fidgeted. Mergle was not one to fidget. “Will you be joining us today?”
“I will.” I cocked my head. “You have news?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I glanced down at my stained clothes from Calista’s last bout of vomiting. “Wait here. I will dress.”
Mergle stepped to the side and stood at attention by the door while I quickly readied myself. A bath would have to wait. As I dressed, I watched Calista’s eyes flutter and quieted my movements until they stopped. I gave her one final kiss on the head and joined Mergle in the hall, opening a portal that we took to the throne room.
The moment we stepped foot inside, I went to my throne and said, “Inform me of what you’ve found.”
“Some of our brethren came forward when they learned of our future queen’s plight. They feared retribution from the redcap,but knowing Calista was on her dea—” Mergle stopped when I glowered at him. “When they heard she was very ill, they feared you more.”
The chair creaked beneath my hands as they squeezed the armrests. “As they should.”
“Pearce.”
Shocked, I repeated him. “Pearce! They must be mistaken.”
“No, Your Highness. Several witnesses were next to him. And one swears Calista’s claim was accurate. There was a pixie in the jar.”
Not only did one of my personal guards attempt to steal the pendant, almost killing my beloved in the process, he hid pixies from me. For what use? To what end? We had to find him and learn what knowledge he had been hiding.
“You know what this means?”
Mergle nodded. “The pixies are immune to our greatest weapon. We have to find him.”
I couldn’t leave Calista alone with Pearce on the loose. “Where is Jessandra now?”
“Hunting. She is furious this happened on her watch and is determined to bring back his head.”
“I will deal with her later. As for now, she must return and guard Calista if we are to bring Pearce back to answer for his crimes.”
Mergle went to the door to instruct a group of goblins to send word for Jessandra’s return.
As he came back, I said, “We will await her arrival. I will not entrust Calista’s safety to the staff.”
