Page 121 of Wedlock

“Like fuck,” Falcon growls. “You expect me to let go one of The Free Men who came here to kill me? The very one who posed as a cameraman throughout the entirely of The Games and tried to murder the woman I love?”

“I don’t expect anything from you,” Yin snaps. “He came here as a favour to me, to protect us from your kind.”

“Bullshit. The Free Men don’t do favours. Need I remind you he killed my guards,” Falcon spits, “who were also here to protect you frommy kind.”

“One of which is still alive,” Yin nods her head towards Revna.

“As are you,” Falcon hisses, “for the time being.”

I sigh and move to stand between them and, as if on cue, the vampire princess begins her tirade of abuse against me again. She pretty much hadn’t stopped since Falcon removed the knife from her throat and threw her, still bound, onto the bloody ground amid the corpses.

Yin smiles a slow, deadly smile, and steps towards her, but Falcon stops her, his hand on her forearm.

“You’ll get your answers, and your vengeance.”

“I know I will,” she growls.

“We both will,” he adds ominously.

“But not here,” I sigh, meeting Falcon’s eyes and nodding my agreement. “We need to get Phil to the retreat so we may as well haul her ass up there too. Talon can’t take much more of this, and neither can I.”

Yin reluctantly nods as Falcon moves to the Princess and lifts one end of the chain. If she thought he was going to carry her, she’s very much mistaken, and she screams in rage as he drags her up the mountainside, pausing to haul Phil, none too gently, up and over one broad shoulder.

As I trail behind with Yin, Talon in my arms, my friend snarls at Revna.

“What madness drives you, Vampire?” She spits at the Princess. “Why couldn’t you just leave Angie alone?”

“While she lived, he had hope.” Revna’s eyes shift to Falcon. “Now, because of that,” her gaze flicks to Talon, “he has no choice. None of us do.”

“My son?” Falcon snarls as he continues to bear his loads up the mountain. “I’ll find out how you learned of his existence, Princess, but for now what I want to know,” he pauses to stop and look down at her, “is why it wasn’t enough for you to simply let my wife live out her existence away from royal society? Did you come here to try and kill her andbothmy boys? And you’d better be truthful. With no witnesses left alive, your fate hinges on how you answer our questions.”

“You’re a fool, Falco,” she laughs. “I told you before, I didn’t poison your heir. It served me no purpose to do so. You should look closer to home for your answers to that riddle. As for killing me, do you think I came here without letting Mother know of mydestination? If I don’t return home she’ll know exactly who to blame for my destruction.”

Falcon grits his teeth and meets my gaze momentarily.

Yin kicks the Princess in her side.

“Answer the question.”

“I came to kill her because your ill son has no special qualities, therefore it would not be unlawful or forbidden for me to dispense with a human the world already considered dead. I sought only to free your heart so you could see the truth that you and I belong together. I had no idea you had two sons.”

“What special qualities did you seek to find in my boy?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” She snorts. “Your wife has fae heritage. That’s why her disgusting progeny can fly. She’s protected now. When her bloodline is revealed neither I, nor any vampire, can harm her.”

Falcon’s eyes widen slightly, but he says nothing, simply turning and continuing to pull her up the hill.

As we enter the retreat he deposits Phil onto the couch and leaves the Princess on the floor near the coffee table.

“I need to put Talon to bed,” I murmur, “I’ll be back shortly. Ah, Yin.”

She looks up.

“Don’t kill my husband.”

Falcon snorts. Yin, busy tending to Phil’s wound, doesn’t reply, but from the look she flashes me it’s clear she knows she’s overstepped the mark, big time.

Making my way down the hallway to the hidden panic room, I press the required combination on the keypad lock and find the nanny and Suzume inside, as Talon had whispered to me that they would be when he first found me. Pressing my finger to mylips to signal they should remain silent, I hand over Talon. How he was not in there with them, I don’t know. We had very specific and well-drilled plans for what to do in the event of a threat to the household. Those plans had evidently failed. I’ll get to the bottom of whoever messed up, or whatever mistake was made. But right now, I need to hear what the Princess has to say.