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Arianna’s brows shot up. “So soon?”

Niall nodded and a shadow of a smile graced his lips. “I keep telling you, all you need to do is ask and it shall be done for you. We are here to serve, my queen.”

***

At Arianna’s request, they stayed until the supplies were delivered.

Rion was glad to see the villagers’ smiling faces, glad they could eat without worry and have new clothes and fresh water.

But something in Rion ached at the sight of Niall’s easy interactions with those around him. They’d all bowed to the male, curious about the Regent of Ruadhán. None cowered or backed away.

And none so much as passed Rion another glance.

They were just excited, he told himself, and after an extended period of time living with nothing, it made sense to crave everything.

And thank the one who delivered it.

Rion clenched his jaw, wrestling with feelings he refused to acknowledge. He’d grown accustomed to the shadows, lived there for decades, so it shouldn’t bother him to dwell in the darkness now.

But in the shadow of this male, Rion wanted to rage. He’d seen Niall’s sideward glances, the tiny smirks. He was enjoying this and it wasn’t for the reasons Arianna thought. Niall wanted to show Arianna the kind of power he possessed and everything he could give her if only she asked.

And gods, he hated it.

Once they returned to Ruadhán, Rion spent two much needed days with his mate. They had walked the gardens, talked about everything he had planned for the village and played chess until Arianna was ready to throw the board. Then those two days were gone and he was back at it.

Rion adjusted the heavy pack on his shoulder. Arianna had given him more herbs, just in case others arrived injured, and she’d made him promise to come get her should another situation unfold like the one before. She didn’t care what Niall thought, nor about his request. She’d go where she pleased.

The knowledge shouldn’t have made him smirk the way it did.

His horse kept an easy pace down the familiar path. He would finally finish the second cabin today and was planning to install windows by the end of the week. The villagers had already built two more by themselves.

And they were growing more accustomed to him day by day.

Smoke rose in the distance and Rion studied it with his brow furrowed. He supposed they could be burning the collected brush or their old clothes.

But then the wind carried a familiar scent that stung his delicate senses.

No.

Heart thundering, Rion leapt from his horse and let the pack fall from his shoulder. His feet hit the ground hard and he flew over the hilly terrain.

The smoke didn’t bother him. He could rebuild if something had burned down. But the other scent. The one as familiar to him as Arianna’s, sent a jolt of fear through his body so profound, Rion wasn’t sure how he convinced himself to keep moving.

A cruel mixture of blood and fear swirled through the air and only grew thicker as he closed in.

He cursed. Why hadn’t he requested Arianna to station an armed guard here, at least until the villagers got established? Their weapons were mediocre at best and even if they’d been supplied with better steel, there hadn’t been nearly enough people to wield it.

Rion skidded to a stop, chest heaving as he surveyed the empty field. Blood dotted the grass and bare ground and heavy boot prints told him a group was responsible for the assault. But where were—

Rion froze when he noticed a female kneeling beside the tree line. He bolted toward her, craning his neck to view the bundle of clothes laying in the grass at her feet. Rion slowed and swallowed the lump in his throat. He bent to kneel at her side, desperate to help in any way he could. Arianna could be here—

Too late. He noticed the blade too late as she pivoted and shoved the knife deep into his abdomen.

Rion gasped and ground his teeth and she twisted before he could regain his balance and leap back. Rion pressed a hand to the wound and felt blood already soaking his tunic.

The female stood, fury making her hands tremble as she pointed the bloody knife at his face. “Is this all a game to you?” Her eyes were wide and red-rimmed. “Do our lives mean nothing?”

Rion had a hand raised between them, as if it might stop her from leaping at him again. “What are you talking about?”