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He motioned to Vera who seemed to understand what he wanted. "There you go, darling. We'll be able to hear you now."
"There are other avenues, Raven. You don’thaveto go anywhere," his voice was a gentle rumble, like the approach of a summer squall before it turned into a hurricane.
"In fact, you shouldn't be going anywhere. They can find you. Easier than ever now. Did you conveniently forget about what you absorbed?"
"No, Vera has helped me with that. I can hold off the spell for a few days, possibly a week."
"And how far do you think you can get on foot in a few days? I'll find you before then and drag your ass right back here, Little Bird. I'll chain you to that bed if I have to."
A low growl vibrated from Nik's throat. The hate-filled glare Casimir tossed at him only made the sound louder.
"Stop it," I ordered. "That's not helping anything, Nik."
My mate chuffed in irritation. "Speaking of helping,” he said hostiley, “how are you managing to do this, Vera? You took a blood oath to not work against the Shadow demons."
Vera's painted lips tilted. "I can manage this because I'm not acting against you, Casimir."
"Oh, but you are."
The witch glided closer. She took my left wrist and lifted, pressing my palm against the barrier in front of the confined demon, displaying the mark.
"I'm not. I am both blood and honor bound to do nothing to put you in peril," Vera solemnly argued. "If you are killed, this mark means your mate shall perish, as well. By keeping you in here, I'm keeping both you and your mate safe."
The lines in Casimir's face deepened as his expression hardened into stone. "She's going after Sersha. She's not the slightest bit safe."
"I'm going after my brother," I corrected.
"And if he's at the keep?"
Nik took a step forward to flank my right side, speaking earnestly. "We don't believe he's there. He may have planned something, but Kol's too smart to simply stroll into that castle and announce his presence and bloodline. I'd never allow Kol or Raven to run headfirst at the Queen, not if I could stop it."
Nik put his palm on my shoulder. Casimir's guttural growl had the shifter dropping it.
"So that's it, then? You're taking off with your shifter? Leaving behind your mate?"
The words hit their target. I clenched my fists and bowed my head, forcing back the burn behind my eyes.
"Don't be cruel," Nik reproved. "I can track Kol's scent faster than she can. My loyalty is to The Navita. If I can help find his son, especially since his daughter is hellbent on trying, then that's what I'm going to do."
Growing more agitated, Casimir located Henderson looming silently over by the door. "What's in it for you? Or are you blindly following Vera's orders to take my mate away from the safety of Embour?"
Henderson smiled sadly. "I owe both Raven and the Triple Goddess my life, Sir. This is me trying to make payment towards those debts."
"Simply because she helped you on your way to Eastbourne?" he sneered.
Things were turning ugly. My mate's embitterment was getting the best of him. Not that I blamed him. Someday I’d make it up to him, assuming it was even a possibility.
I turned away from Casimir, ready to depart, when the male witch's words froze me in place.
"Your mate cut the soulbond anchoring me to Helene."
Vera gasped, the only audible reaction to reach my ears.
"You see, Sir, Helene was my soulmate, fully bonded. Crossing into the Otherland had weakened her. I’d been weakened some, as well, and jumping wasn’t possible. On our journey to get to the coven, I left her resting under a tree to seek natural remedies I knew had to be growing in the forest. She was attacked while I was making my way back to her."
"Attacked by what?" Nik quietly inquired.
Henderson's chest expanded. "By the Queen's guard as they traveled back to Ansley Keep. Helene was able to communicate that much. They'd bled her, and her magic, and went on their way, leaving her there like roadside trash."
