OR JOIN THEM.
As I processed the words, I realized something macabre had been added to the stakes that usually only hosted protective charms.
Four heads. Sloppily severed at the neck. Speared on top of the wooden spikes. A warning.
What happened here?
I limped as quickly as I could to the front steps and threw open the door, desperately hoping to see Vivian standing there. I didn’t care if she held a knife to my throat. She just needed to be here. Alive. Safe.
“Vi-Vivian.” My shaking voice was hardly louder than a breath.
She wasn’t on the main floor. I climbed the rungs to the attic. Not there either.
The house was empty.
I dropped down the ladder with a heavy thud and collapsed to the ground. Sobs ripped through my clenched teeth. She wasn’t here waiting for me. And, based on the carnage outside, she also wouldn’t be in Drifael.
My mate had lost her freedom and home, the only thing she’d ever wanted, because I’d done what I thought I was supposed to do. The right thing. Tie up loose ends. Set everyone up for success. Be good. If I’d listened to the ache in my chest,the way it demanded her presence and begged me not to leave her, this wouldn’t have happened. Now she was gone.
“Mreow.”
Nurghle.
Had they left him here?Vivian would be devastated if he wasn’t taken care of. I stilled myself to listen. Ida would take him in, I could leave him with her on my way back down the mountain.
Then I would tear this world apart looking for my mate.
“Mrrrr—” The sound was muffled, but nearby. Was he stuck somewhere?
I opened the cabinets near where I sat.Not there. The water closet.Not there. Then it clicked where she would’ve hidden him. I dragged myself across the wooden floorboards to the fur rug, leaving a trail of red infection on my way.
I threw the rug to the side and grasped the ring handle, throwing open the wooden hatch.
Vivian.
No longer believing the gods deserved my gratitude, I thankedVivianfor being brave. For staying strong. For fighting for herself.
My Little Goddess was trembling. One arm held a squirming Nurghle in place while the other hand covered his mouth. Her eyes were ghostly—wide enough to showcase their whites and pupils dilated to swallow all the pale blue I loved. She was caked in dried blood, but fresh tears were re-hydrating the maroon crusts as she stared up at me. She was a miserable and savage looking thing. Mine to nurture and shelter from the horrible parts of this world. And now, I was facing my failure to fulfill that sacred duty.
“Viv—”
In a flash, Nurghle was exchanged for the axe, and it was swinging at my head. I barely registered the attack in time to catch its blade between my fingers before it could crack into my skull.
I winced and choked down my yell, not wanting to scare her more. I blinked hesitantly to the side, looking at the damage. The sharp wedge had cut an inch or so deep into the flesh separating my fourth and fifth fingers.
“I deserved that,” I groaned through my teeth. “You can strike at me all you want later. But just let me fucking hold you first.” The words came out as a pained growl as I yanked the weapon out of my palm and chucked it across the floor.
Her eyes finally softened with recognition.There she is.
Vivian’s lips opened, but no words came out. That was okay. We could talk later. Right now, I just needed to feel her. I reached down and grabbed under her arms, lifting her from the hull.
Finally. My head thudded against the wall in relief as I pulled my wild little female against my chest and inhaled her blackberry aroma. It was so much more bitter than when I’d left. She went limp in my arms, the state of shock written across her face as clearly as the bloody warning painted outside.
She took my freshly wounded hand in her palms, and I felt the tingle of her magic.
“You really don’t have to—”
Her icy eyes cut into me with a warning.Right. Don’t fight. Let her fix me.I could protect her better healed. It had been a mistake to not ask for Dia’s help with my wounds, I wouldn’t do that again.
