Page 138 of The Queen’s Shadow

“If I do, you have to protect her. You can’t let them take her back there. Swear it to me.” I demanded, still unable to open my eyes. I coughed again and felt more liquid heat splatter down my chin. The pain seemed to be receding, and my body now felt light. As if I were floating away.

“Obviously I’ll protect her, but I won’t need to because you’ll be here.” She choked, and I could feel her worry as it morphed into panic. “Shit! Dad, we’re losing him!”

I barely felt it as she shook my shoulders aggressively. Some primal part of me tried to push her away. I was unhappy that she was being rough with Kasha so close, but the coldness had spread to my chest, down my arms and into my fingers. I couldn’t even feel Kasha’s little body resting against me anymore. Everything was numb.

“For fuck sakes Rycon! Fight back! If you die on me, I swear to god…”

“Goddess spare us, you’re back!”

“Meredith?” I heard Raven cry, her voice breaking into what sounded suspiciously like a sob. Why were all the females I cared about crying today?

“Meredith, Rycon’s dying!”

“Again?” That was Dossidian. “Fuck The Origin! For someone who acts like he’s so damn hard to kill he seems to frequently need medical attention.” He muttered, and if I had energy left in me at all, I would have laughed.

“I lost track of how many times he shifted today.” Jeremy explained and I felt Meredith crouch next to me. “I found him in the gardens in the palace trying to condition himself. I had to help him heal from that. Then he shifted multiple times fighting those clones… then, what are their names? Kieran and The Siren, I think they call her? They showed up with The Flute and forced him to change again several more times. But he saved us. He ripped a huge chunk out of The Siren. It was impressive.”

“Shi dead?” That was Conrad. He sounded worried, which was strange. I hadn’t thought he gave a fuck about me. Unless that worry I heard in his voice wasn’t meant for me.

“What is this… oh my goddess!” Meredith gasped. “Is this Kasha?”

At the sound of her name, I managed a growl. It built deep in my chest and rolled through the room. I used every ounce of strength I had to pull her tiny sleeping form closer to me. I could barely feel her there, but I knew she was. Her scent was all around me, where it belonged.

“Don’t…touch.” I bit out, and I heard Meredith gasp.

“Why is she shaped like that?” She cried, though from the horror in her voice, I knew she knew why.

“Can you help Rycon first, then we’ll explain?” There was still a tremor in Raven’s voice that I didn’t like. “He’s dying and it’s excruciating. Fix him, and we’ll fill you all in.”

“Of course,” Meredith said, and I felt the warm glow of her magick flood my body. Without my permission, my mind succumbed to the dark press of shadows that clawed at the edges of my mind.

Raven’s voice was the last thing I heard before I lost consciousness.

‘She’s safe. We got her out. She’s safe.’

I knew that while I was out, I could trust Raven to make sure she stayed that way.

Rycon

Someone tried to pull away the little warm nugget I had nestled into my side, and the small movement sent alarm bells ringing through my head. I tore through the heavy blanket of sleep I had succumbed to and my eyes flew open, a vicious snarl already on my lips.

Meredith jerked back away from me in shock as I snapped at her, instinctively pulling Kasha closer to me.

“Oh, him awake.” Conrad sounded annoyed, and I glared at him. I had no idea how long I had been out, but I was feeling a hell of a lot better. My aggressive outburst had roused tiny Kasha and she made a small whimpering sound that cracked my heart in two. I sat up, pulling her into my lap and checking her over.

I knew it was insane to feel like I needed to protect her from our friends, but I couldn’t help it. Something in me had snapped when I had taken her out of the brothel, and since then, the thought of anyone touching her was too much for me to handle.

She was too small, and she was hurt. Some deep primal part of me screamed mine every time someone came close to her. I shook my head roughly, trying to dislodge the intense, possessive thoughts, but they wouldn’t budge.

“Rycon,” Raven said, stepping forward cautiously. “Meredith was just going to give her an exam. She might need medical attention.” She paused and pursed her lips before continuing. “We also need to discuss freeing her from the slavery bond.”

Kasha rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with her tiny fists before looking up at me. She was impossibly adorable in this state, and knowing how much pain she would need to endure as we removed the bond made my stomach churn with rage. Raven pressed closer and another growl escaped my chest, I glared at her over Kasha’s blue hair, and she sighed.

“Rycon, if you want her to be okay you have to let Meredith take a look at her, and we have to get that bond off of her as soon as possible. It might be why she hasn’t been able to change back.”

I knew she was right, but it was insanely difficult for me to relax at the thought of letting someone else anywhere near her. This was what was best for Kasha though. If I wanted her to be safe, she needed an exam, and she needed to be free. I chanted these facts to myself a few times before nodding curtly. I cleared my throat.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re right.” I looked up at Meredith, who was hovering, but clearly not interested in getting snapped at again.