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“I will receive your report tomorrow, in my office. Enjoy the rest of your Seinmas. Ciel.”
“I don’t think I quite have the appetite for Iacovan Quaternian Physics anymore,” he mutters. “Maybe some good old fashioned smut will cheer me up.”
I leave him amidst his books and medicines and equipment, glancing at the patient as I head for the door.
The young man looks a little better, at least. The pallor in his cheeks isn’t quite as bad anymore. The shadows around his eyes are a little lighter.
What the fuck were you doing, nameless lad, coming to my lands in the middle of winter, so poorly equipped, and withherin your company?
I still haven’t figured out who I need to be furious with.
Or who I need to kill.
11
FINLEY
The guest dining room of Tyron Castle feels so different from the cold, cavernous hall in Ruen where we used to take our meals.
The three of us are seated at a round table. The chairs are comfortable; cushioned and deep, with polished wooden armrests. A fire burns in the hearth, suffusing the room with warmth.
Although the walls and floors are bare stone; raw and unrefined and brutal, the furnishings are luxurious. The silken rug on the floor is large and impossibly fine, deep red and woven with an intricate floral tapestry.
Its color reminds me of blood; of the crimson that was all over that pale demon’s lips.
Myblood.
A sliver of heat unfurls in my chest and shoots downwards, slipping into my core, dancing between my thighs. I go perfectly still as the memory of his touch invades my mind.
He bit me. Not only that, he did it without my permission,restrainingme while he took what he damn well pleased.
I should be repulsed, but the torrent of emotion coursing through me is more complicated than that. I can’t forget the way he released me; the momentary look of confusion on his face, as if he himself was shocked at what he’d done.
I can’t forget the way he immediately agreed to render assistance to Aderick, with no questions asked.
At least, Ihopethat’s what he’s done.
It’s out of our hands now.
“You okay, Fin?” Kastel leans forward, his hazel eyes filled with worry.
“I, uh…” Heat rises in my cheeks. “Why do you ask, Kastel?”
“You look a little flustered, that’s all. But it’s understandable.” He leans back in his seat and lets out a long sigh, running his fingers through his tawny hair. “That thingwasn’thuman. I shouldn’t have let him take Aderick.”
“What choice did we have?” Garan is seated across from me. Dark-haired, stubble-faced, and powerfully built, he’s completely transformed from the skinny, lanky youth I used to scold when he and my brothers played pranks on me.
He’s shed his leather armor. His grey undertunic is flecked with blood. “There’s no way Kastel or I could have fought that guy. You saw the way he moved. Inhumanly fast. But I didn’t sense ill intentions from him. He would’ve just killed us all if that was the case. Anyhow, the Archduke sent out an escort, just like the demon said he would. I wouldn’t be surprised if that bastard and Archduke Duthriss are connected.”
“What makes you say that?” Unease turns my thoughts cold.
“Well, they say the war changed him. The arcane magic the barbarians used against our soldiers… that he embraced it. There’s speculation he’s even made alliances with some of them. That he turns a blind eye to the dark magic they practice, in exchange for power.
“But it’s forbidden,” I murmur. In Rahava, the use of arcane magic is highly illegal and punishable by death. Arcane magic is connected to death, and death should stay in Hecoa’s domain.
Isdrinking blood… a form of arcane magic, then?
That strange man I encountered… was he a warlock?
