“Where’s Diamond?” Hugo growled, his eyes flashing with fury and fear.
“Dunno. Wen’ for some air maybe?” Tallo slurred, looking both confused and worried.
Hugo let his friend go. Throwing men from his path, he forced his way out of the inn, his heart thundering. Where the hell does she think she’s going? Why not wait for me? Gods, I’ve not been that long. Then he remembered the barmaid and groaned. Had she seen us? Surely she hadn’t thought I would bed that trollop? He swallowed his next thought and ran.
The dockside was empty other than the customs guards in the distance. Even the refugees had disappeared. Punching the wall of the inn did not assuage his rage or worry. They both had so many enemies. He inhaled, searching for her sweet scent. Nothing. He tried to calm himself. She was sensible enough to head back to the barracks, and she could fight to protect herself—if there weren’t too many attackers. Images of the time she was kidnapped flashed through his mind. Dammit! He needed to find her.
Hugo sprinted down black alleyways, hoping Diamond would at least remember to take the same route. The wind whipped viciously at him; although he knew it was dangerous, he unfurled his wings, launching himself upwards. Pushing his magic to respond, metal armour clattered across the feathered membranes. He would see further and cover more ground from the sky.
Panic surged again. Fedron. That crazed male could have plucked her from the ground and taken her anywhere by now. No. No. Attion will make sure Fedron doesn’t bother her again. Freedom was a powerful incentive, and Attion wanted it as much as Hugo did.
Rain lashed at his face. Never had Hugo wanted to know more about the venom link he had with Diamond’s mind. If he understood it better, maybe he could reach out and find her. But when he tried, like he had done in the throne room, there was nothing. The muscles of his jaw bunched. It didn’t matter; they were bound in other ways.
He pictured her face and filled his mind with her image. Their Nexus stirred. After so many months with Diamond, his magic was attuned to hers. Letting his magic claw through the night to find her was taxing. The shield constantly suppressed any magic it sensed. Panting, he forced his bond with Diamond into place. Calling on his darker gift he disappeared into a cloud of shimmering shadow.
Fear and pain, coupled with a fierce determination to survive, hit him like a blow to his head. Veering left, he beat his wings, fighting the wind to reach her. Rain pelted Hugo, freezing his body through his clothes. Seconds later a flurry of movement below caught his eye. He snapped his wings out to stop his momentum, his heart stumbling as he saw Diamond surrounded by five men. One of them grabbed her from behind, and the ringleader punched her straight in the face. Carried on the wind was the sound of another man goading his companions to attack.
Something inside Hugo exploded. Something far more powerful and animalistic than even his magic. The roaring inside his skull drove him to a red rage, the likes of which he had never experienced before.
A guardian of death, he dived.
By the time his feet slammed into the ground, Diamond had freed herself and knocked down the ringleader by slamming the heel of her hand into his nose. The attacker grabbed her arms from behind, but she kicked out forward, viciously catching another man in the belly. He doubled over and she kicked him in the jaw, sending him staggering backwards.
Hugo stormed forward, grabbed a handful of the man’s tunic and slammed a fist into his face before throwing the attacker across the ground like a rag doll. The man smacked headfirst into the wall with a resounding crack before he lay still.
As Diamond’s wide, violet eyes found Hugo’s, a hand snaked around her neck, holding a blade to her skin.
“Oi, stay back or I’ll slit her throat,” the attacker warned, placing his hand on the top of Diamond’s head and exposing her neck.
Hugo inhaled, disgust curling in his belly. The stench of fear belied the human’s brave words. Hugo growled long and low, a sound that promised death. Murderous calm descended upon him at the sight of Diamond’s ripped clothes and the metallic scent of her blood.
With lethal efficiency and aim, Hugo flicked his wrist and loosed a small blade. It buried into the man’s forearm, and he lost his grip on Diamond. Before the man could react, Hugo spun behind them and buried another blade in the man’s kidney, slicing swiftly upwards. An agonised scream ripped the night. A second later there was only gurgling as Hugo sliced the man’s throat apart.
Diamond teetered on her feet, but she was free. Hugo gently leaned her against the wall and then turned his attention to the man who had been goading the others. He stalked his prey. Petrified, the man tried to run but tripped over the body of his friend. He began crawling.
“P-please. It didn’t mean nothin’,” he stammered.
“Not to you,” growled Hugo. The scent of the man’s fading lust sickened him. “But she means everything to me.”
Hugo moved like lightening. The man did not have time to scream before his neck snapped. That was when Hugo recognised the ringleader Diamond had kicked to the ground.
Freddy pushed himself off the wet cobbles—and ran. A feral grin exposed Hugo’s teeth. Freddy had escaped after attacking both Jack and Diamond in the forest. He would not be so lucky this time.
Gliding up into the air, Hugo landed in front of the skinny thief. Hate and fear flashed in Freddy’s eyes as Hugo lunged forward and, without any hesitation or remorse, broke Freddy’s arms. With all the force he could muster, Hugo smashed his fist into the thief’s face. Bone and blood exploded.
“Gods, that felt good,” Hugo muttered at the crumpled heap that had been Freddy. Hugo had waited a long time to do that. He turned back to Diamond where she sagged against the wall.
“Why the hell did you leave the tavern on your own?” he hissed at her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her hard. He choked on his moan of relief when he realised she was more or less in one piece, even if her clothes weren’t. Her head rolled around loosely, and he didn’t realise how viciously he was shaking her until she begged him to stop.
“Please, stop. My head hurts,” she whimpered, coughing blood down her chin and sagging against him.
He froze, ashamed of himself. They were not on the training ground, and he could see she had taken a vicious punch in the face. Unable to speak, he cradled her in his arms and launched himself into the wind. Their combined weight was hard to control. They were buffeted up, down and sideways, rain saturating their clothes. Hugo gritted his teeth, keeping close to the shelter of the rooftops as best he could. He headed straight for the barracks.
Diamond gripped him tightly, her fingernails pushing through his shirt. His magic absorbed her distress, even as the smell of her blood stung his nostrils. Warm and sticky, it seeped from her onto his shoulder. His gut twisted. She was wounded. His large wings thudded against the air as he quickened his efforts to get back.
After horrible minutes of hard flying, the palace loomed ahead. He bellowed to the palace guards the call signal to let him pass, and landed solidly outside the west quarters. Without breaking his stride, he carried her through the entrance and into his room.
Hugo gently lowered her to his bed, trying not to look too horrified by the state of her face. It was a mess, even by his standards. Blood oozed from her nose into her mouth, staining her teeth red. Moving efficiently and quickly, he fetched a bowl of cold water and a soft cloth. His fingers yanked the bell pull, and he ordered a healer to attend them. Inwardly berating himself for missing her injury, Hugo pressed on her cut shoulder with one hand and began to clean her face with the other. A whimper escaped her as he gently wiped blood from her nose.
“Shh, it’s all right, no one can hurt you now,” he soothed.
Moments later came a soft knock upon the door. Relieved, Hugo opened it and stepped respectfully aside, beckoning a middle-aged man to enter the room. Sinking to the floor, Hugo watched, his eyes never leaving Diamond’s face as the healer cut off her tunic and shirt and sewed up the slash wound o
n her upper arm with quiet efficiency.
Diamond hissed when the healing salve was applied, tears dripping down her cheeks. Wanting to comfort her, Hugo gritted his teeth. Using an immense amount of self-control, he managed to stay out of the way. But his magic sought to comfort her. It kept trying to escape his control and cross the distance between them. Echoing through their bond, her fear and disgust at being mauled by those men drove him into a seething rage.
To distract himself, he unsheathed his blood-caked daggers and laid them on the floor at his sides, then he pulled off his wet shirt, shifting his wings so they drooped down to the floor. Keeping his attention on Diamond, he leaned back against the cold wall.
After bathing her face, the healer decided her nose wasn’t broken, then left. Diamond looked at Hugo, and his heart pounded with the need to both hold her and shake her. She dropped those amazing eyes from his wrathful gaze and squirmed. She should feel guilty, he decided, his anger mixing with relief that she was now safe.
“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you,” she whispered, her face pale under her bruises.
He wondered briefly how someone could look so beautiful with such a bashed-up face. The snarl that escaped him was pure dominant fae, and even though he heard it and recognised it, Hugo could not feel sorry for it. That vocal rumble was meant to warn her how furious he was.
“I told you to wait for me. It was stupid to wander those dark streets alone,” he admonished. She had been hurt, and he hadn’t been there to protect her. Fear gripped his heart as he eyed the dressings over her knife wound. He had nearly lost her tonight. She eyed him warily as he pushed himself up. He stalked to the bed and sat on the edge, his weight making her roll towards him.
“Why did you leave on your own?” he asked, his voice still harsh. He was unable to stop himself from stroking her cheek gently with the back of his fingers.
She dropped her gaze and pushed her lips together, shrinking back against the pillow.
“Why?” he demanded again. He needed to know. “I told you to stay put. Those men were human, but Fedron—or any other fae—could easily have plucked you from the ground.”
She tried to wriggle away from him. Deliberately, he put his hands either side of her head and gave her his most intense stare.
“Why?” he insisted, his voice gentle this time.
She stilled, her eyes moving back to his. Tears brewed in their violet depths. “Because you…I thought you...” she swallowed, a flush creeping up over her neck and cheeks.
He didn’t have to pretend to be mad at her, his blood still thumped around his veins, his energy writhing protectively around her. “What? What did you think, Diamond?” he hissed. “Tell me what idiocy made you, a beautiful young woman, walk out into this overcrowded city, alone on a dark night? I know you can fight, but I thought you had more sense than that.”
Giving a muffled cry, she tried to roll away from him. He leaned forward onto his elbows so he was only inches from her ravaged face, and raised his eyebrows expectantly. That only resulted in her squeezing her eyes tightly shut.
“Diamond, answer me,” he whispered, his heart hammering harder now, not with anger but with understanding. He simply needed her to admit it.
“Because,” she said, her voice shaking. “You were with that barmaid. And I did not want to wait until you had finished with her to decide to come back to me.”
Hugo allowed a satisfied smile to curl his lips as she squirmed with embarrassment and fury.
“Hey, I wasn’t going to do anything with that barmaid. I might have done once, but I have no desire to be with another woman. You keep me far too busy to even consider it—both in mind and body. So the next time you feel like running away from me—don’t.” His voice hardened, purely for effect.
She turned her head into his pillow. Her whole body trembled, maybe with shock, maybe guilt; he wasn’t sure.
He grabbed her chin firmly and moved her head back to look at him. “Look at me. Freddy deserved what he got, as did his friends. Do not feel bad for them, if that’s what’s bothering you. Now, get into bed. You need to sleep,” he ordered gently.
She nodded, trying to sit up. He stayed in her way, the naked muscles of his chest and shoulders contracting. Her cheeks flamed as she banged straight into him. Dumbstruck, she stared at his bare chest.
“Oh no, you are not leaving this room. You stay right here where I can keep an eye on you,” he ordered.
Diamond fell back, looking utterly exhausted and completely dazed by his closeness. At any other time Hugo might have taken advantage of her reaction to his naked skin, but he was too worried about her right now. Grabbing one of his clean shirts, he wrapped it around her, helping her thread her arms through the soft material. Violet eyes watched him as he fastened each button. He hoped she didn’t notice his hands shaking. He had wanted to be this close to her for months. Now her scent and body heat were doing crazy things to his equilibrium.
He tentatively felt for her magic, wondering why she hadn’t used it to defend herself. She now had control over how much magic she could summon while under the shield. He frowned. Her magic was coiled so tightly inside her he could hardly feel its warmth. Understanding dawned. She was still scared of her power. To convince her she could master her magic, he need to take her to the cave. But that would have to wait.
When Diamond crawled under the covers, Hugo pulled them up over her shoulders. Wanting to stay near her, he sat down on the floor next to the bed and rested his head back on the wall. He had tried his best to control his feelings for Diamond, but he could no more change the way his heart and soul were intertwined with hers than he could stop breathing. Her magic was like a siren calling his own. His magic constantly searched for her even when she was not by his side. And her body. Hugo squeezed his eyes shut. He wanted to feel her skin, her warmth against his, to hear her moan at his touch, to whisper his name. He wanted that so much he ached. But even that physical yearning paled in comparison to his deeper desires. Inside him lived a being that he had been fighting to control since reaching maturity. The beast that he had yet to release from its cage was not a compliant part of his soul; it demanded the freedom to protect Diamond, and right now it was seething inside him, seriously discontent at his failure to keep her from harm.
Hugo knew he could do nothing to shield Diamond from what was to come, least of all from the certainty of the Queen’s test. That was something she would have to succeed at with little or no interference from him. Survival beyond that test, however, would be down to both of them.
It was time to venture to the east docks. It had been too long since his last visit to Gorian. Set on a more positive course of action, Hugo leaned forward and watched Diamond. The gentle rise and fall of her chest reassured him she wasn’t in pain. It was easy to hold her eyes when she sleepily opened them to check he was still there. He hesitated, then slowly stretched out his hand and took hold of hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. His heart clenched almost painfully when she curled her fingers around his, smiled and squeezed back.
“Go to sleep, Diamond. I’m not going to leave you,” he said, his voice soft and reassuring.
The sound of her soft breaths became a regular pattern. For a while he was content to watch her sleep, then his eyelids became heavy. The murmur of protest she made when he moved to withdraw his hand made him smile. She half opened her eyes and watched as he cautiously climbed across her body to rest beside her, leaving a respectable distance between them.
Hugo listened to the wind as it howled outside, carrying the sound of the men returning in drunken, jolly groups. Gently he stroked Diamond’s hair back from her face. He lifted a handful of silver strands to his lips, enjoying the silky feel of it against his skin. Both his body and his magic stirred, that growling voice inside him rumbling over and over, Mine. Mine. Mine.
Revealing to others that he wanted this woman had been foolhardy and would likely get them both killed. But that want was turning into a desperate soul
-deep need that he could not control. Venom and magic bound them together, and yet he still wanted more. He wanted that blood bond too.
Sliding his body closer into her warmth, he sighed. Guilt was an old friend to Hugo; explaining their Nexus and the venom bond to Diamond was going to be inordinately hard. He wondered if she would believe controlling her mind and body was not the reason he had bitten her.
Discovering she still felt something for him—after everything he had done to her—was an astounding revelation. He swallowed, wondering how in the name of the goddess he was going to hide the depth of his feelings from the Queen’s spies while building a relationship based on trust with Diamond. Courting was not something Hugo had ever tried before, and their circumstances were so mixed up that it could all go so very wrong. He shuffled closer and even the wild spirit inside him seemed to settle with contentment. Her body was softly moulded against his and, for a few hours at least, he could enjoy being close to her, with no prying eyes and no judgement.
Chapter 15
Diamond heaved a breath and ran. The sound of metallic wings clashed above her as the squadron fought Jack’s guards in the air and on the ground. A body dropped from the sky, almost landing on top of the fae warrior she had just knocked to the ground. The skinny, underfed new recruit hadn’t stood a chance against Diamond. Now he coughed and spluttered behind her.
“Sorry!” she yelled over her shoulder. Thirty feet! That’s all. I can do this.
Niall, one of the squadron fae, realised her intentions. Quickly he swooped and knocked Karl, one of Jack’s warriors, sideways before he could grab Diamond off the ground. The two fae tussled, fighting hard with fists and wings. The more experienced Karl soon gained the upper hand, but Diamond had already passed him by.
“Stop her!” he bellowed.
Having all beaten their opponents, Tom, Zane and Somal blocked her target. Tom stood in the middle of the two fae, grinning widely. Zane and Somal flanked him, wings outstretched and armoured.
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