Page 51 of The King has Fallen (The Kingdom of the Krow #1)
~ YILAN ~
For a few breaths, we just held each other. But Melek shook with tension and I could feel his mind racing. The bond thrummed with alarm and grief and something I thought was his desperate need to protect.
He exhaled heavily, then leaned back, holding my arms and scanning me. “Are you hurt? Wounded? Even a little thing, Yilan. Sometimes we don’t realize and we’ve been stabbed—”
I felt a flinch at the memory of those scars that peppered his beautiful hide, but I shook my head. “Just shaken. Bruised a little. There’s nothing, Melek. No bleeding. I promise.”
He turned me around once to check for himself, then exhaled again. “Do not move,” he ordered me before whirling away and dropping to the dirt next to Gault, lifting his head to see the wound at his throat, before sagging.
“Definitely dead,” he said.
I tried not to be irritated that he thought I might not have been sure. But either he didn’t notice my bristling, or he didn’t care, because he returned to me, taking my hand and dragging me towards the back of the tent.
“He always keeps clothing here for his bayan girls. Quickly. We need to get you dressed.”
Then he trotted to a set of drawers near that armoire where I had watched Gault’s disgusting habits, digging through three drawers, cursing at each. “…wisps of nothing because he was only ever trying to paint them, fuck.” But a moment later, he lifted a pair of leggings out of the bottom one. There were cutouts on the sides of the legs, but he tested the material and obviously found it substantial enough because he gave them to me, then started unbuttoning his own shirt, hurriedly whipping it off his shoulders and wrapping it around me while I was still getting the leggings on.
“Melek, just breathe. I’m fine.”
“It’s not you I’m worried about right now,” he muttered, hurrying over to the entrance of the tent, picking up that bloodied spear on his way and using the handle to stand back from the door and push the flap just barely aside so he could peer out without sticking out his head.
“There’s no one coming that I can see. We have to pray no one heard the ruckus over the celebrations.”
I listened for a moment, nodding. The camp was full of music, shouting, and laughter.
Then he was back at my side. I’d finally buttoned that shirt and he just gathered me into his chest, breathing heavily. I knew there were things we needed to do, but I fell into his arms gratefully, realizing I was trembling too.
The moment we were still, gripping each other, that image of Gall smacking himself rolled through my head and my throat began to pinch again.
“Melek—”
“It’s good that he ran. He needs to be alone for a few minutes when it gets bad like that,” he breathed, but I could hear the hoarse doubt in his tone, and felt the flinch in the bond. “I’ll find him before you leave.”
I blinked. “Leave? I’m not leaving him—”
“You won’t. I’ll find him. I will.” I felt his head turn and looked up. He was looking at Gault’s body on the dirt. His face dragged down with tense lines appearing on his forehead and lining his cheeks. “I will find him, and then you’ll go, and you’ll take him with you,” he muttered.
I looked at him sharply, a burst of hope and unease both tightening my chest.
“I’ll take him, of course,” I said, watching his face. “But… you’re coming as well?”
Melek took a moment to turn and meet my eyes. “Yilan. I have to confess to killing the King. Neither of you can be here—”
“What?! No —you didn’t—"
“Gall would be tortured and executed—or you. No one will believe it was in your defense—you’re an enemy.”
“Of course they will, because you’ll be the one to tell them,” I insisted. “Melek, I wasn’t lying to you. These men are looking for you to—”
“Yilan, stop!” he gripped my arms and snarled in my face.
“No! I won’t! You are free now, don’t you see?! He’s gone!” I hissed, throwing a hand towards Gault’s body. “You can step into the crown with a clear conscience.”
“No, Yilan—I can feed you and my son to the wolves, or I can own this and possibly be cleared in self defense.”
I gaped at him. “No intelligent, powerful Nephilim is going to clear you of killing the King—and you didn’t even do it!”
“I would have, though. It makes no difference. I intended to. I might as well have—”
“But you didn’t!”
He glared at me. “And you did, so what do you want me to do, just let them kill you?!”
“NO! I want you to lay claim to his throne, inspire them, take control of this war, and change the world! This is obviously what God intended all along—”
“Get your fucking hands off of her,” a voice growled.
We both whirled to find Turo standing in the back of the tent, stepping out of the shadows of the armoire, glaring at Melek, reaching back for his sword.
“Turo, don’t you fucking dare!” I hissed. “We killed the king and we’ve already done this once, so just stay back and fucking listen!” I barked.
Turo’s head jerked back and his brows rose. I felt a surge of amusement in the bond, but it was overshadowed by the alarm. I grabbed Melek’s arm as he started to turn to face Turo.
“Don’t you start, either,” I snapped. “We’re all on the same side here.”
“I’m sorry, what?!” Turo spluttered, gaping at me. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner, but there were crowds and I wasn’t expecting you at this side of camp… what the fuck did I miss?”
I glared at him. “You missed that we need you to dispose of a body,” I said, opening my hand towards Gault. Because of his position on this side of the large bed, Turo was forced to creep closer—keeping eyes warily on Melek—until he could see Gault’s body.
Then he visibly paled.
Despite the growing area of dark dirt under Gault’s body, Turo advanced slowly, wary as a cat on a hot roof. He crept forward, poised for battle, his sword at the ready, until he was able to pick up Gault’s head and, just like Melek had, checked both the wound, and his eyes.
“Holy shit,” he whispered.
I folded my arms. “Honestly, your confidence in me is heartwarming,” I snapped. Melek gave a little huff until I glared at him too, “You didn’t believe in me either.”
Melek opened his mouth, looking like he’d try to soothe me, but Turo dropped Gault’s head and pushed to his feet, marching towards me. “This is done. The mission is done. We need to get you out of here. NOW.”