CHAPTER 9
Sage
I snuggled against Ash, trying to focus on the warmth and comfort of his strong arms around me instead of the smoldering heat burning low in my belly and around my neck.
Despite Ash giving me so many climaxes I’d passed out, the need from my mating marks was still strong, and I ached for him to touch me and kiss me again.
Beside us, Onyx sat on a cushioned stool next to the bed, waiting for me to tell him what had happened. His expression remained soft, and I got the impression he was willing to wait for however long it took for me to tell my story.
And while I recognized him from when I’d watched him with Lark and her other mates having sex, that didn’t mean I knew him. He could react in so many different ways and many of them not good. Sure, fae women were supposed to be considered precious by fae men, but I now knew firsthand that was a lie.
Of everyone here, the only person I could trust was Ash.
I didn’t know why. I barely knew him. Hell, I’d just learned his name. But every time he held me, I felt safe.
“So you woke up tied and hanging in the sacred pool’s chamber?” Onyx asked. “And they hit you?” His gaze slid to my cheek.
It still throbbed from Wells’s attack… and Ambrose’s punch. A bruise on top of a bruise. A reminder that I wasn’t safe anywhere.
I swallowed back the churning mix of fear and anger as best I could. I needed to stay as calm as possible. If I let go of my emotions in front of Onyx, he could call me hysterical and say I was making everything up or that I asked for it.
Which was why I was surprised Talon had brought any kind of authority, let alone a knight captain, to hear what had happened.
In the human realm, no one would have cared. They’d only have cared if their property had been damaged.
“He had a dagger and was doing a ritual that would force me to bond with him,” I said, my voice trembling with my emotions despite my attempts to hold them back.
Fury filled Onyx’s gaze and I shrank back against Ash’s chest.
I should have kept my mouth shut. I’d thought he wanted to know the truth, but Wells could have been an important person and I’d just accused him of something horrible… at least I thought it was something horrible. Maybe Onyx was mad at me for wasting his time.
I squeezed my eyes shut. I had to stay calm and in control. I could do this. I had to.
But the feeling of helplessness washed over me. The same helplessness I’d felt hanging in front of Wells. The same helplessness I’d felt when Durand and the others had attacked me on the running trail.
“She killed Wells before the bond could form,” Ash said, making me cringe.
“Good,” Onyx growled. “The bastard deserved it.”
“We killed a few others,” Ash added. “But some got away.” He lifted my arm, revealing the bracelet. “This is keeping her soul trapped in the Garden.”
“That looks like an artifact.” Onyx’s anger bled into worry.
I could practically hear his thoughts. They were the same thoughts I was desperately trying not to think. Did anyone know how to free me? Would my physical body ever wake up?
I was asleep in the Black Tower and someone would eventually find me. All my hard work and suffering to protect Sawyer would be wasted.
“Quill is looking for a magister,” Ash said.
“Good.” Onyx turned back to me. “Is there anyone I can get for you while we wait for the magister? A friend? Someone from your family?”
“Ah….” I wasn’t sure what to say. If I was really fae, I’d have a large family with multiple fathers and a ton of uncles. “No. I don’t?—”
Shit, I had to tell him something he’d believe.
I’d told Lord Rider I didn’t have anyone, and while he didn’t press the issue, I doubted he fully believed me. Would Onyx believe me?
“They’re not in the Garden and they’re not close enough for you to get in time,” I lied.
Please don’t let Lord Rider and Ash compare notes about my family.
“I see,” Onyx replied, doubt creeping into his tone. “Once the artifact has been removed, you should stay out of the Garden until we arrest everyone involved. I know it’ll be difficult with your strong marks, but it’s for your own safety.”
Except I had no control over coming to the Garden.
“We can teach you to control your spirit form,” Ash said, his voice soft as if he knew what I’d just been thinking. “Even if you go to sleep and wake up here, you’ll be able to send your spirit back whenever you want.”
Great Father, I hoped that was true.
“Just one more question and then we’re done,” Onyx said. “We know Wells and Crane attacked you. Can you describe any of the other men involved? Would you be able to recognize them?”
I shook my head. “I only knew Wells and Crane.” It had been hard to concentrate past Wells and the dagger on top of trying to find a way to escape while knowing I was helpless. “They called someone Addax.” I shivered at the memory of the man’s dark expression and how he’d wanted to hurt me. “And another of them Thunder. But I didn’t really get a good look at anyone. Including Wells and Crane, I think there were eight of them.”
“That’s helpful. Thank you.” Onyx stood, his tall frame looming over the bed. “Now I need to borrow Ash for a moment, if that’s all right?”
My stomach clenched. I knew what that meant.
They were going to talk about me behind my back.
Of course that was the way things were. Women had no say in their lives. They were slaves to the whims of whichever man or men had control over them. Even in the fae’s realm it seemed women didn’t have full control of their lives.
Except I didn’t want to sit around and wait for them to tell me they’d captured whoever had gotten away.
I swallowed back a bitter laugh.
One rotation as a man and I wanted things I wasn’t supposed to want and couldn’t have.
Soon it would all come tumbling down and the chains I’d been born into as a human woman would chafe more than they ever did before.
It would be easier to just let them have their conversation and do what they were going to do. I wasn’t fae. I wasn’t supposed to be in the Garden. If I spoke up, I’d draw even more attention to myself.
And yet I couldn’t stand the thought that Onyx might just be trying to appease me and nothing else was going to happen. Even if Ash taught me how to control my spirit form, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself from waking in the Garden every night.
And with the ability to send myself back… It could turn into a never ending loop of forcing my spirit back into my body and waking in the Garden again. All night long.
I also didn’t know if Crane was one of the men who’d been killed or caught. If I kept showing up in the Garden, Crane and anyone else who’d gotten away could attack me again. Or they could try to force a bond on another woman.
I didn’t want what happened to me to happen to someone else. I, at least, had weapons training and, when given the chance, could fight back. I had no idea if fae women were allowed to become swordsmen. I’d never heard any of the minstrels’ tales mentioning a female fae warrior, and something so scandalous was sure to have made it into song.
No. As much as I wanted to huddle against Ash and cry, I couldn’t afford to let them have their conversation without me. At the very least, by asking to participate, I’d know if they were brushing me off and that I was on my own for figuring out how to keep myself safe.
Ash grabbed my hips to move me to the side so he could get up, but I grabbed his wrists, stopping him.
“I want to be a part of the investigation.” I held my breath and waited for their dismissal.