Page 118 of A Bond so Fierce and Fragile

Probably in the next week, if he’d kept his days straight.

If he didn’t kill Meyah, and Lessia didn’t… Rioner or any of the other Fae surely would.

She might be a strong shifter, but he’d read about the havoc the Fae could wreak. None of the people on this ship would likely be alive by the end of it, not unless any of them ran, and based on the looks on their faces, he doubted that was a path any of them would start down.

His eyes drifted toward Kerym, who pulled his bloodied brother to his feet.

He’d been wrong to question whether they were as lethal as the rumors stated.

There was nothing kind in Kerym’s blue eyes. Nothing soft in his tense body. Nothing human in the snarl as he stared down at the pale Fae, who’d made a low whimper.

Even so, Pellie literally skipped up to Kerym, placing a small hand on his arm when he made a motion to again pull the sword he must have already sheathed. Loche couldn’t hear what she said, but it must have been something that broke through the haze of fury that wrapped around the warrior, as he didn’t follow through on whatever he’d planned for the Fae kneeling before him.

The other vessel was nearly beside their own now, and he moved his eyes back to Zaddock, noting the blood dripping from the blade still in his hand and realizing his friend must have been more successful in his attempt to fight. He was opening his mouth to tell him thank you when something whistled through the air.

Zaddock jerked, pain filling his eyes.

Loche hadn’t been frightened earlier.

Not really—not when everything had been chaos and darkness and violence and pain.

But now? When his friend’s eyes widened in agony, that terrifying fear—the one he hated that he still felt—gripped the regent, chilling his blood until it felt like ice flooded him.

The other Fae—the one suppressing magic—limped up behind them, another sharp weapon ready to fly playing between his fingers.

A fucking throwing star.

Loche didn’t think. Hurtling himself forward, he aimed to tackle Zaddock to the ground, praying he wouldn’t kill him by forcing the one already stuck to his back deeper.

He realized at the last moment that it wasn’t necessary.

A whirlwind of blonde hair flew onto their ship, the small figure throwing what looked like a kitchen knife at the curly-haired Fae, and the knife hit its intended target, right in the eye of the Fae, who had also noticed the movement and turned her way.

He tumbled to the ground the next moment, the throwing star falling with him, clinking as it settled onto the wood.

Loche, who’d managed to stop himself from knocking Zaddock over, let his jaw drop as Amalise didn’t even lose speed when she spun in their direction, running up to the equally gaping Zaddock and pulling the star from his back in one swift movement.

His friend, to his credit, only allowed himself a low groan, although Loche could tell he wanted nothing more than to double over at the pain that must consume him, given the dark stain spreading across his light tunic.

Amalise pulled off the scarf she’d had wrapped around her neck, and while she tied it around Zaddock in haste, her fingers seemed gentle, almost probing, as they whispered across his body.

Zaddock just stared.

Stared as she checked on the improvised bandage. Stared as she whirled again, running back to check that the Fae was truly dead. Stared as she called to the others to hurry up as they piled onto their ship.

It wasn’t until Amalise tilted her head toward his friend, her lips lifting into a slow smile, that Zaddock appeared to snap out of it.

Loche tore his gaze away.

What brightened his friend’s eyes was nothing short of devotion, and while he was happy for him, Loche just… he couldn’t. Instead, he approached Geyia and Steiner, who were being helped onto the deck by some of the Faelings, and he noted Kerym and Thissian doing the same, dragging that pale Fae between them.

But his lips curled ever so slightly when he heard Amalise tease, “You appear to be the only one in need of saving, Mr. Brooding Overprotective Soldier Man,” with Zaddock’s quick response following: “If you’re the one doing it, I’ll put myself in harm’s way every day.”

Chapter 24

Merrick

There were so many versions of Lessia.