“He will not say,” Serinda replied. “But we are working to extract the name of his partner—”
“Partner?” Valkyrie looked from her sister to the other two warriors she didn’t recognize. “What partner?”
“When we arrived, there was another with him,” Serinda began. “He got away, but we captured Devlin. Your ... mate...” She gestured to Gideon. “Gave you the antidote.”
“The potion Reginald gave me,” Gideon murmured.
Valkyrie looked at him for the first time. She took in the dark circles under his eyes, the pallor in his cheeks, and the slump in his shoulders with an immense sense of longing; all she wanted to do was run to him and have him fold her against his chest. But she couldn’t. Not yet.
“There couldn’t have been enough for both of us,” she said.
“His arrows were not poisoned,” Serinda answered for him. “Only yours.”
“So, he wanted me dead,” she mumbled. “Why? I don’t know him.”
“That is what we are going to find out,” Serinda said. “Crizen is with him now.”
If there was one Harvester Valkyrie never wanted to get on the wrong side of, it was Crizen. The seven foot tall warrior was the one her father called upon when he needed a prisoner to talk. She never failed.
“But why were you there, Serinda?” she wondered.
“Father’s orders,” Serinda said evenly. “He wants your surrender, willingly, or we will do so with force.” Her cool, blue eyes never left Valkyrie’s, not even when Gideon stiffened right beside her. “This is the only warning he will give.”
“Then why didn’t you let me die?”
Something like the hint of a grin lightened her sister’s eyes. “I considered it. It would have certainly made my task simpler.” Serinda lowered her gaze. “Father might have wanted you alive to receive your punishment.” She lifted her attention back up to Valkyrie’s face. “Letting you die might have meant the pits for me.”
They held gazes and for the first time ever, Valkyrie saw something in the other woman’s eyes. She saw the sister who would let no one train Valkyrie, but her. She saw the sister who would sneak Valkyrie an extra bread roll in the pit when no one was watching. She saw the sister who let her escape, time and time again, when they both knew Serinda was faster and stronger. It had never occurred to her until that moment that maybe, just maybe, her sister loved her.
“Take me to him,” Valkyrie said. “I want to talk to him.”
No one stopped her when she started for the door. Serinda followed after telling the other warriors to stay behind.
“Thank you,” Valkyrie murmured as they walked shoulder to shoulder down the hall.
“I have done nothing.”
“You saved my life, and Gideon’s.”
Serinda shook her head. “I did nothing for him. When we arrived, he was crawling up the hill with three arrows in his body. He was determined to get to you. He even tried to fight us until I managed to convince him that we were not the ones who harmed you.” She paused, filling the silence with the scuffle of their feet and the faint clink of her armor. “He cares for you.”
“He loves me,” Valkyrie murmured.
“You are angry with him.” Oddly enough, it wasn’t a question.
Valkyrie shook her head. “I am angry with myself. I let my guard down. I let myself believe I could be like other women who fall in love, have a family, and are happy.” A tear slipped through her defenses and slid down her cheek. “And I was happy, Serinda. I was so happy. But father was right, I’m a warrior. We don’t get that luxury.”
Serinda said nothing for several paces. They descended the stairs and reached the hall leading to the kitchen.
“Father is a wise man,” she murmured at last. “He is made wiser by the love he has shown his wife and children.”
At the stockroom doors, Valkyrie paused. Serinda’s words replayed through her mind, but no matter how she turned them, they made no sense.
“Father has never loved us, or Mother.”
Serinda said nothing. She gave Valkyrie a single fleeting glance before moving through the tower of boxes towards the trap door cut into the floor.
The row of stairs led into a dark, dank chamber illuminated by a single bulb. The room was barely large enough for the bed stuffed against one wall. Devlin wasn’t on it. He was still strapped to the chair half in and half out of the room. His face was a maze of gashes and bruises. Blood soaked what was left of his shredded clothes. His dark hair was matted to his skull. One eye was completely swollen shut. The other rolled wildly in its socket. Crizen stood over him, a bloody dagger gripped in one meaty fist. She looked up when they approached.
“Anything?” Serinda asked.
Crizen wiped the blade off on Devlin’s shoulder. “He wishes for an audience.”
Serinda narrowed her eyes. “It had better be to confess the location of the child. I will not tolerate anything less.”
With that, she spun on her heels and stalked back up the steps, probably to get the others. Crizen moved to the bed and began arranging and organizing her neat row of tools, which consisted mainly of sharp instruments. Valkyrie stayed three feet from the man who had torn her family in two and studied him.
Not so smug now, she wanted to tell him.
“Where’s my baby?”
His head lulled on his shoulders, as though the weight of it was just too much. His good eye squinted up at her. Something like a chuckle rattled in his chest.
“Little Harvester,” he rasped. Blood and drool spilled down his chin in slimy ropes. “Are you still looking for your lost little sheep?”
“Where is she?” Valkyrie demanded.
“Your husband was in here only hours earlier,” he continued, as though she hadn’t spoken. “He did this to me. Though, I bet that makes you happy, bedding a monster capable of such violence.”
“The only monster I see is you,” she retorted with far too much calm. “You attack an unarmed woman and rip the baby out of her. Why?”
He snickered. “Maybe it wasn’t me. Maybe you lost it because you don’t deserve to be a mother. Or maybe you were never pregnant. Maybe it was just gas.”
Valkyrie ignored him.
“Who was your partner? I know you gave my baby to him. Tell me his name and I will—”
“You will what?” he challenged. “Let me go?”
Never! She wanted to spit.
“I’ll give you a quick and painless death, which is more than you deserve.”
“How about you come sit on my cock instead and let me give you a new baby, a better one?”
Valkyrie stared at the man, feeling extraordinarily calm despite how hard he was trying to enrage her.
“I have a better idea.” She pulled out her dagger. “How about we play a game? I’ll ask you a question and every time you answer truthfully, I won’t cut off a finger. If you lie to me, we will start on your toes. Then, when you have no more fingers, or toes, I will start on the parts that hang between your legs.”
He spread his knees. “Why not start with the fun parts first? While you’re down there, why don’t you use that pretty mouth of yours for something useful?”
Footsteps on the stairs distracted Valkyrie. She turned away from the creature leering at her to watch as Gideon joined her in the dark space. His gray eyes seemed to shine in the dimness. They went to her and stayed. When she didn’t back away, he took her face between hands that were torn and bloody around the knuckles.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured.
Valkyrie shook her head. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I should have protected you.” His jaw clenched. “That was my job.”
She peered up into the anguish darkening his beautiful face. “We’ll find her. We’re hunters. It’s what we do.”
He nodded. “Yeah, we will.”
“Aw, this is such an exquisite moment,” Devlin cut in. “Can someone get me a barf bag? I think my spleen is coming up.”
Without taking his eyes off of her, Gideon took the dagger from her hand and in one powerful thrust, buried it straight into Devlin’s thigh. His howl was a sound that sang through Valkyrie like a melody. Yet his pain only filled her with an ounce of satisfaction. She watched him flail and try to dislodge the blade that had embedded all the way into the wood with little to no pleasure.
“You better start telling us what you did with my kid, or I’m going to turn your legs into Swiss cheese,” Gideon warned.
“Gideon!” Kyaerin cracked down the stairs in her pretty pink pumps. “Stop!”
Gideon and Valkyrie both turned as the woman pushed her way between them to stand in front of Devlin.
“What are you doing?” Gideon demanded.
“This is not how I raised you,” Kyaerin panted. “You are better than this.”
Gideon stared at her, his expression as bemused as Valkyrie felt. “He attacked my wife, stole my baby ... what—”
“I know.” Kyaerin put her hand on his arm. “He needs to be punished, but not like this. Please!” she added when Gideon didn’t move.
“Aw, still as sweet as ever, eh, Kiki?” Devlin taunted, breathing hard. “It’s what I loved most about you.”
Kyaerin turned to him, her eyes pleading. She reached down and tore the blade out of his leg. He made a sound between a sob and a growl.
“Then tell me where my grandchild is!”
“And what fun would that be?” He smirked up at her with his one good eye. “I mean, I got your full attention right now. But,” he added. “I might be willing to talk if you do something for me.”
“What?” Kyaerin demanded.
“Untie me.”
“Hell no!”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Devlin went on over Gideon’s growl. “We’ll talk and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
Kyaerin turned and looked from Gideon to Valkyrie, her pretty features conflicted. “It might be our only way,” she murmured.
“I say you leave him alone with me for a few minutes,” Gideon argued. “I’ll get him to talk.”
“You already tried that,” Kyaerin retorted sharply. “It didn’t work. We need to try something different.” She drew herself up. “I’ll speak to your father, see what he thinks.”
They followed Kyaerin back through the trapdoor, not because they were curious to hear Liam’s thoughts on the matter, but because Kyaerin refused to leave until they did. Maybe she was worried they would skewer Devlin in her absence, which was a very strong possibility.
Liam and the others, including Serinda and her warriors, were packed in the dining area, waiting. They all glanced up when Kyaerin stormed in, bloody dagger in hand, followed by Valkyrie and Gideon. She gave Valkyrie back her knife and faced the room.
“He has agreed to tell us everything,” Kyaerin announced. “But only if we untie him.”
No one thought that was a good idea, not even Imogen who looked appalled at the very idea.
“If this is the only way we can learn the whereabouts of the child,” Liam began, speaking over the chatter. “It may be our only hope.”
No one could think of an argument to that. Magnus and Octavian were sent down to haul Devlin up and keep a close eye on him. That didn’t seem to be an issue when they had to carry him in between them. He was dumped into a chair in the center of the room.
“You have been untied,” Liam stated. “Now tell us what you know.”
Devlin continued to pant for several long minutes. His face was ashen beneath the bruises due to blood loss, but he was still breathing and that was more than he deserved, in Valkyrie’s opinion.
Gradually, he lifted his head. He scanned the faces around him and settled on Kyaerin.
“What happened?” he asked. “We used to be such friends.”
Kyaerin shifted uneasily. “That isn’t what you promised to tell us.”
“No,” Devlin agreed as he shifted his weight back in his seat. “But I would still like to know. You just stopped talking to me one day. You imprinted on him.” He gestured wildly at Liam. “Him, Kyaerin. The guy we used to make fun of for being the town bicycle.”
Liam slanted his wife a questioning look that she blatantly ignored.
“Where’s the baby, Dev?” Kyaerin asked instead.
Devlin sighed. “I loved you so much. I thought we would be together forever.”
“That is illogical!” Kyaerin snapped, losing her composure. “We knew eventually one of us would imprint and I did.”
“Well, I didn’t!” Devlin shot back. “What I did get was losing the only girl I ever cared about to him, especially after everything I did for you. Everything I did for us.”
Kyaerin frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Devlin shook his head slowly, eye never leaving her. “How could you not remember?” When Kyaerin continued to look bemused, he scoffed. “Typical. You knew I would do anything for you so you used me, is that it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking—”
“I’m talking about making a path for us to finally be together!” he snapped. “I’m talking about getting rid of the only thing standing in our way.”
Kyaerin started to shake her head when something clicked. Valkyrie could see the exact moment realization dawned and Kyaerin lost all coloring in her face.
“You didn’t.”
Pleased that she finally clued in, Devlin grinned. “He didn’t think I was good enough for you. He thought I was beneath his precious Kyaerin. Oh, if only he knew what a saint you weren’t, eh? If only he knew the things we did behind the—”
“Enough!” Liam’s growl punctured whatever disgusting image the other man was about to unleash upon the room.
Devlin smirked. “I may not have sampled the whole pie, but I sampled enough of it.”
“Stop!” Kyaerin cried when Liam took a step forward.
Liam looked on the verge of ignoring her and pummeling Devlin with the fists he had clenched at his sides. But he stopped.
Kyaerin turned to Devlin, her cheeks holding just a hint of green. “Tell me you didn’t.”
Devlin said nothing, but the cold grin on his face said enough.
“He was my father!” Kyaerin gasped.
“He was an asshole,” Devlin countered. “You hated him.”
“No!”
“Yes!” Devlin hissed. “You all but told me to end his life that night you came running to my house in tears, because he wouldn’t let you take part in the harvest celebration. Do you remember what you told me?”
There were tears running down Kyaerin’s cheeks and she was breathing so hard, Valkyrie half feared she would throw up.
“That wasn’t what I meant.”
“You told me you wished he was dead,” Devlin threw back at her. “You didn’t think it was strange he mysteriously died the next night? The night before the harvest celebration?”
Kyaerin’s head rocked side to side in disbelief. “He was ambushed. There was a spy...” Her blue eyes went enormous against her abnormally pale face. “You?”
For just a moment, he almost appeared remorseful. “I told you, I would have done anything for you.”
With a sound of horror riddled with pain, Kyaerin spun on her heels and ran from the room. Liam hesitated a full second, visibly torn between beating the ever loving fuck out of Devlin and hurrying after his wife. He chose the latter.
“That is enough of your games.” Serinda took Kyaerin’s place, hand resting on the hilt of her sword. “Where is the child?”
Devlin never got the chance to speak. The kitchen doors flew open and Liam strode back in, his face a murderous mask of rage unlike anything Valkyrie had ever seen. He stormed straight for Devlin and grabbed the ruined remains of the other man’s shirt.
“It has been a very long time since I have killed anyone,” Liam snarled. “But I will relish every moment of sinking my dagger into your cold, black heart.”
Devlin seemed unpertur
bed. He peered into the beast’s eyes and shrugged.
“We all must do what we must do.”
It was unclear if Liam shoved Devlin, or if Devlin heaved himself out of Liam’s grasp, but he slammed into Serinda and the pair crashed to the ground. Valkyrie started forward, but Serinda was already untangling herself from the wheezing man. She clambered to her feet and stared with disgust at the figure attempting to do the same.
It took a lot of effort on Devlin’s part to drag himself to the chair and into it. He sat doubled over as sweat trickled from his temples and streaked down his face.
“I ... I relent!” he gasped. “I will ... I will tell you.” He motioned for Liam to draw closer. “I gave the baby to...” The rest of his words were a series of mumbles that no one could hear.
“What?” Liam got closer.
In a move no one as badly injured as Devlin should ever be able to pull off, he catapulted out of the chair and launched himself at Liam. The two collided with a sickening crunch. Their combined weights sent them flying backwards into a table and collapsing to the ground in a heap.
Octavian and Magnus bolted forward. They wrenched Devlin off their father and flung him carelessly to the ground.
“Liam!”
Riley’s cry tore through the room a second before the kitchen doors slammed open and Kyaerin tore through. Her hair was a riot of wild curls framing a face blotchy with tears and smudged makeup. No one else in the room seemed to grasp what was happening until she threw herself down at Liam’s side with a scream.
“Liam! No, oh God, please no!”
“Dad?” Gideon ran forward.
Magnus was already on Liam’s other side, blocking Valkyrie’s view. Octavian was holding Devlin to the ground with a boot to his throat.
“Move and I’ll snap your fucking neck!” he spat.
Devlin didn’t look like he had the strength to do anything but lay there.
Across the room, Imogen was clinging to Riley. Her sobs muffled by Kyaerin’s hysterical wails. Valkyrie moved forward, not sure what was wrong, but determined to do what she could to help.
“Do something!” Kyaerin was crying to no one in particular. “Liam? Liam, no!”
He lay unmoving in the ruins of a broken table. His eyes were closed as though in sleep, except for the crimson blossom spreading over the crisp, white material of his dress shirt. An arrow protruded from the center. The shaft was broken and only a jagged shard of it jutted from his side, just beneath his ribs. Valkyrie didn’t need to see her sister searching the pouch at her side to know it was the poison arrow.
Gideon's Promise (Sons of Judgment Book 2) Page 47
