AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Not long,” she murmured, but there was something strange about her expression. Something told me she wasn’t saying everything. “It’s just a couple of hours past sunup.”
“Huh,” I murmured, sitting up and looking at my arm. Sure enough, it was fully bandaged, and while it didn’t hurt, it sure did itch like hell. “I can’t remember… did they say when they’d let this close up on their own?”
“I’ve been told it’ll be a day or two. For non-shifters, they’d be looking at a week or more.”
I knew without a doubt she was withholding something from me.
“What’s going on?” I said, leaning forward to study her face.
“What do you mean ‘what’s going on’? My brother was almost murdered in our own home.”
“Yeah, I get it, but that’s not what’s on your face.”
Seraphina glared at me but there was still something in her eyes. “This is just my face.”
“Out with it, lil’ sis. You know you can’t lie to me.”
She didn’t say anything at first, her lips pressing into a thin line, but there was only so long she could hold out on me. Wincing, she let out a long, long sigh.
“It’s Ayla, actually…”
Chapter 24
Ayla
Doors were funny things.
Some were solid, some were flimsy, but they were all supposed to provide a modicum of privacy for those behind them—to keep someone elseout.
“Healer Everton, what are you doing? You’re not supposed to be here.”
“Wait, is that the witch?”
I didn’t bother to look in the direction of either voice. Instead, I extended my hand toward the door in front of me.
Then the entrance was no more.
“What the fuck?”
I walked in to where four guards were standing in front of a bloody, chained prisoner. At least they were before I entered. Now they’d all jumped and spread out to face me.
“Ma’am, I don’t know who you are, but you need to—”
“Quiet,” I said, focusing my magic on the man. When he let out a shocked, rasping sound, the others tried to close in on me, but I just mentally pushed them to the edge of the room and out of my way.
“You,” I said, approaching the man shackled to the chair. He looked at me with fear, but there was something else to his gaze. Something vaguely… familiar? “You attacked Prince Nikolai.”
“I did,” he said, his voice trembling, yet strangely honest. I tried to understand how I knew him, but it was like there was a storm inside of my skull.
Earlier, I’d jolted awake in a cold sweat, my arm burning like I’d been roasting at the stake. I’d been so out of sorts, it took me a solid breath or two before I connected the dots about everything coming through our bond, and realized Kai was under attack.
“Kai!” I’d called, launching out of bed, only to see my mate and his friend at the end of the hall, loading the bleeding prince onto the stretcher.
I’d raced after them, wanting to heal him, but Darla stopped me, said he was seeing the palace healer, and that he would be fine. That made no sense to me, as I could surely help, but then she’d whispered there were too many witnesses and we’d draw too much attention.
I’d wanted to fight her, but she was right. So, I figured I’d go find whoever it was that hurt my mate and destroy them.
Except, apparently, in the short while I’d been arguing with Darla, they’d already hauled him off somewhere. That just wouldn’t do, so I’d spent the next hour or so hunting for him while feeling all of Kai’s emotions pouring through our bond.
