It finally lifted its head and jogged across the road to him before sitting at his feet, curling its tail around its body.
Jerris stared down at the animal, confused by its willingness to get so close. “Hello, Mister Fox. Fine weather, wouldn’t you say?”
Its ears flicked toward him, head cocking to the side. “It’s miserable. How are you holding up?”
Jerris startled and shoved away upon hearing the animal speak. He tumbled backward off the log, taking a few seconds to right himself, slowly peeking over the log at the fox. “I don’t need this in my life right now, Mister Fox.”
The animal actually rolled its eyes and sighed, slowly changing shape.
Jerris stood up, oddly relieved when Baden took his more familiar form. “I’m not certain why you and your damned father can’t simply show up like normal human beings once in a while.”
“I was trying to be nonthreatening,” Baden said, shrugging. “Everyone likes foxes.”
“Except chicken farmers,” Jerris corrected, moving to sit where he’d been, working to get his heart rate slowed again.
Baden frowned and looked to the side. “I suppose. Regardless…”
The redhead huffed, looking up at the vampire. “What?”
Baden moved around and sat beside Jerris, pointing at the bottle still resting on the log. “May I?”
The guard quirked a brow and flicked his gaze toward the bottle. “Have at it.”
The vampire picked it up and took a drink, finding the rustic alcohol stronger than what he’d grown accustomed to at home. He set it back down and gave a faint smile. “That’s…not good.”
Jerris closed his eyes for a moment. “Baden, we aren’t friends. Why are you stalking me? Have you been following me since I last saw you?”
“Not at all. I went home,” Baden admitted, folding his hands in his lap. “I did come out here to find you again, though. I’d found out about what had happened in the Sador Empire, and I wanted to tell you so you could relay it to Keiran when you went home.”
“Well, considering I have the damn emperor under my watch, I’d have to say you’re a little late.” Jerris gently shifted his sling beneath his cloak, his arm aching after his tumble.
“So I saw. You’re escorting them to see my uncle?” Baden asked.
“You already know I am,” Jerris replied.
“Fair enough.”
The guard let a strangely relaxed silence pass between them. Like he had with Garhan, Jerris found an odd comfort in being near Baden, despite his past behavior. The fact he honestly missed Keiran drilled down into his heart and he slouched.
Baden considered him for several moments, helping himself to another drink from the bottle while he thought. Socially awkward in his own right, he was still trying to adjust to dealing with others as he supposed normal people generally did. Jerris’ ability to sit right beside him, knowing full-well what he was, yet being at ease, was an alien experience.
He liked it.
Jerris slowly turned his head toward Baden, a brow quirking as he felt his stare. “Can I help you?”
Baden felt a rare flash of embarrassment and shook his head, staring down at his hands. “I needed to pick your brain about my uncle.”
The guard sighed and looked across the road. “All right, I’ll play along. I know him better than anyone else, I suppose.”
“While I know I can disappear and evade him at this point, do you think I’m in any danger approaching him?” Baden asked.
Jerris’ brows rose, a bemused smirk cropping up. “Scared of him? That it?”
“It’s my brother’s theory,” he confessed. “For what is to come, we will need to work together. Though nothing truly bad happened to me while in his custody, I don’t know, I have a certain uneasiness around him. I’ve gone to the castle a few times with the intention of revealing myself to him, but as of yet, I haven’t mustered up the nerve. I think back about how cocky I was before leaving my father’s side… I don’t know.”
The guard shook his head slowly. Baden was certainly not the same as he’d been during their encounter with Kayla. “You were braver then because you had Athan backing you up if things went to hell. You’re on your own in the world these days. I know myself, now, how utterly terrifying that can be, vampire or not.”
The guard was more insightful than Baden might have previously given him credit for. “You’re right, you know.”
“I have my moments.” He sat up straighter and tipped his head up, the rain having tapered off. “If you’ve been drifting around these woods looking for me, can you at least tell me if the fire where you last found me is out?”
Baden nodded. “The fire is out, the snow is gone. Honestly, from here on in, it didn’t look like too troubling a path. Not that I walked it, mind you.”
Jerris took some bit of happiness in hearing it. “Thank God. I just want to go home. All of this has been a dismal adventure that I never wanted. I even lost my old horse.”
Baden frowned. “Where?”
“Not far from Edinau. Landslide. Lost Patrice, broke my arm,” he said, lifting his cloak enough to show off his sling.
“I can fix that, you know.”
Jerris gave Baden a sidelong glance. The idea of anyone using magic on him didn’t sit well. “No, I’ll be all right. It’s not the first time I’ve snapped a bone. The worst of it is behind me at this point.”
Baden suddenly stood up, his posture going rigid.
Jerris looked back over his shoulder to see what had his attention, Garhan standing a short distance away.
Garhan had his sights leveled on Baden, his fists clenched at his sides. He’d awoken from a sound sleep, his instincts leading him to the other vampire. “Everything all right, Jerris?”
The guard stood up and turned around, giving a nod. “Aye, Garhan. Baden isn’t causing any problems. I think he might legitimately be on our side, now.”
Baden remembered his brief fight with Garhan the last time they’d met, recalling the painful kick the older vampire had dished out to put him on the ground. There was an immediate and unpleasant crawling sensation in his groin, his body reacting to the memory.
Garhan’s hands relaxed, trusting Jerris’ judgment. He’d mentioned Baden’s prior visit in passing. “As long as he doesn’t skewer me again, I’ll defer to your opinion on the matter.”
Baden’s uncertainty on how to handle the situation writhed in his gut, and he forced up a lopsided smile. “Sorry about that, but you got in a good shot of your own. I had doubts for a while about the future of my manhood.”
Garhan looked to the side and took a few steps closer, hiding his fleeting amusement. It had been a good move on his part. “Over and done with.”
Jerris switched his gaze from one of his companions to the other. The very real and stark understanding that he was more comfortable around vampires than he was ordinary people hit him. Jerris realized he might be the only normal person in the world who felt that way. He moved to sit down again, straddling the log so he could watch both of them.
Garhan picked up on the melancholy surrounding the guard easily enough, but kept his attention fixed on his little brother. “What are you doing here, Baden?”
“I came to tell Jerris news he already knew,” he replied. “I’m trying to be one of the good guys, but I’m afraid I’m not very well versed at it yet.”
Jerris waved his hand toward Baden. “He’s not that bad, I suppose. He did say the rest of the way home is clear.”
Garhan gave a small nod. “Good. Jerris, Would you mind giving Baden and I a few minutes alone?”
The guard stood back up, wondering if leaving the two of them together was the best thing to do. However, if they did end up fighting, it wasn’t as though he’d be able to do anything to stop it anyway.
“Aye, I’ll head back to camp,” Jerris said, eyeing the two of them before turning and trudging away, taking his bottle of alcohol with him.
Baden slouched submissiv
ely. Though he knew he was far more powerful than his older brother, something in Garhan’s previous, fearless charge toward him had made an impression. “Well, what is on your mind?”
Garhan moved forward before hopping up on the log, staring down at him. “My wife was killed last year after taking some arrows to the back. Our father showed up hours later and resurrected her. I’ve had no one to really discuss it with. I need to know exactly what he did to her, because there is something very much wrong with her now. I’m absolutely certain it is a result of whatever he did.”
The younger vampire raised his brows and crossed his arms over his chest. He’d seen his father reanimate one of his slaves before. The girl had thrown herself from one of the towers of his fortress, willing to die rather than remain under Athan’s ownership. Athan’s nature compelled him to bring her back to continue her servitude, finding it a fitting punishment for her suicide.
“I’ve seen him do such things before, but I’ve not noticed any lingering effects afterward,” Baden replied.
Garhan hopped down on the other side of the log, now immediately before Baden. He lowered his voice, not wanting his words to carry. “When Athan did so, he brought these tree roots up from the ground. They pierced into her body.”
“He prefers to use conduits to channel energy,” Baden said. “It makes it easier for him. I’d imagine there was some poor soul at the other end of those roots, too.”
“He killed my friend Stepan in the process, yes.” Though Garhan didn’t really understand it, he gave a small nod. “Regardless, she’s suffered terrible pain ever since, and I swear to you, there are roots still in her back, writhing beneath her skin. She was cut recently, and I could literally see them.”
“Tree roots living inside your woman?” Baden asked, tipping his head to the side. “That…that doesn’t make sense.”
“It absolutely does not, but given that I saw Athan puncture her with them, I can’t think of where else they might have come from or how to get them out of her.” The older vampire furrowed his brow, his lips tugging downward. “I don’t know how to help her. I’m desperate. The pain she’s in is killing her.”
Baden turned and paced away a few steps, trying to imagine how or why Athan would have left something like that in someone. However, if it was a result of Athan’s work, the reason was certainly nefarious.
“Garhan, I know you have no reason to trust me, but I’m being honest when I say that I have no idea how or why he would have done such a thing. Aside from her pain, does she act all right? It’s not as though she’s been taken over by these things, has she?” Baden asked.
Garhan shook his head. “No, they aren’t controlling her. Nothing in that regard has changed. They’re just living inside of her, whatever in the hell they are.”
“Do you truly love this woman?” Baden asked.
Garhan gave his sincere answer, not sure where his brother was going. He motioned back toward the camp with his right hand. “With every fiber of my being.”
“Then Athan would know that, and it might be something left for him to control within her at a later time. A built-in means of gaining your compliance if and when our father feels the need,” Baden speculated. “Something he can trigger to do harm to her at will when the time comes.”
The older vampire took a step back and landed on the log, dropping his head into his hands. “Damn him…”
Baden felt the distinct sorrow immediately emanating from his brother. “I don’t know if it’s something that I can undo, Garhan, but I’d be willing to try. I’m not anywhere near our father’s level with these things, but I will gladly offer my help to try and do something.”
Garhan lifted his head, tears visible in his eyes. “Baden, if you can help her… I would owe you the world.”
“I will come to you when you’re back in the castle and in a more controlled environment,” Baden said. “It will give me time to prepare before trying, and it will mean you’re at home for her to undergo any recovery she may require afterward. I cannot make you a false promise that I will be able to actually do anything for her, but I will earnestly try.”
Garhan stood up and nodded. “Baden, that is more than I can even hope for at this point.”
The younger vampire gave up a legitimate smile, taking a step back. “Who knows, perhaps it will work. Meanwhile, you get this group back to Tordan Lea. Keiran needs to know about the Sador Empire, and Jerris… he needs to get back to Keiran to fix what has been damaged between them.”
Since Jerris had been dodgy with the details surrounding his departure from Tordan Lea, Garhan’s curiosity was piqued. “What did happen between them?”
Baden knew Jerris wasn’t in hearing range, yet he still lowered his voice. “After his father died at Athan’s hands, Jerris turned his righteous anger at our father toward your brother, because he has no recourse against Athan.”
Garhan gave a slow bob of his head. “And so he ran away?”
“Precisely.”
“Well, that explains a lot.” He huffed and looked up at the sky. “Do you think they’ll be able to work through it?”
There was no answer.
Garhan brought his gaze back down and looked around, but Baden had vanished. He smiled to himself and turned to go back to their camp, hopeful that his little brother would actually show up at some point to try and help Mari. It might just be the only chance the courier had.
* * *
Thana gave a pleasured gasp, rapidly approaching her apex. A storm raged outside, the room being lit by the nearly constant flashes of lightning. She dragged her nails along Keiran’s spine, completely lost in the moment.
Keiran planted his hands on either side of her shoulders and pushed his torso up to look down at her.
Her eyes opened up, seeing him in yet another flash of bright light.
Athan smiled down at her, and Thana let out a blood-curdling scream, immediately struggling to get out from beneath him and away from the bed.
* * *
Keiran had spent the past several nights in his old room, opting to use it until either the issue with Mother Thinliss was resolved, or Garhan and Mari returned home.
Sleeping alone in his old bed was bitterly lonely for him, his sleep fitful as a spring thunderstorm drifted through the valley. The kitten had taken to staying with him, and while he appreciated it, it wasn’t Thana.
He heard Thana’s scream, and he leapt out of bed, racing for the door and bolting out into the hall. Within seconds, he was throwing open the other door, finding her cowering in the corner next to Zach’s crib.
The baby was crying, startled awake by his mother’s shriek, but Thana was too paralyzed with fear to react to the child’s frightened cries.
She was crouched down, her hand and right wrist pressed against the back of her neck, her head tucked down against her chest, her knees drawn up. Terrified sobs wracked her body, and she couldn’t bring herself to look up.
Keiran knelt down before her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Thana? What happened? It’s me…”
She gave a whimper and refused to look up, too afraid that it hadn’t been a nightmare, and it would be Athan. “Keir, if I look up and don’t see you, I will lose my mind…”
“Damn it,” he muttered, moving in and putting his arms around her trembling frame. “It’s me, Thana. Our first kiss was in the spire of the cathedral the day I was coronated. You’re scared of pigeons for some ungodly reason, and your favorite flowers are those little yellow and purple ones…violets, I think.”
She gasped and pressed against him, snaking her arms around his body. Though she still refused to open her eyes, his scent and words were enough to verify his claim. “I’ve never had a nightmare like that before… I don’t want to sleep without you. Please don’t leave me alone! I can’t do this anymore! I cannot even be at peace while sleeping, now!”
Keiran kissed the top of her head before looking over and seeing Zach. The boy was sitting in the middle of hi
s crib, his expression absolutely pitiful, his lower lip and chin quivering. “I’m going to move just to pick up the baby, all right? He’s scared, too.”
She gave a meek nod, finally opening her eyes to look up at him, her cheeks streaked with tears. “Give him to me, please…”
He got up and took Zach into his arms before moving to sit beside his wife on the floor. He passed Zach to her, and Thana apologized to the child before putting him to her breast to try and comfort him.
Keiran leaned back against the wall beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders. “I know you and Sygian forced me to back down the other day and not confront Adreth, but I can’t keep seeing you go through this, Thana. Not if it’s going to happen when I’m not even near you. You don’t deserve this.”
Thana whispered, turning her head to look at Keiran. “I’m losing my sanity, Keir. Even what should have been an enjoyable dream became my worst fear…”
He slowly quirked a brow and frowned, wondering exactly what she’d been dreaming about. With his initial panicked response waning, his anger was threatening to erupt, and he knew he had to force it back, or he would leave the castle to kill the witch. “Was I at least doing well before I turned into Athan?”
“This isn’t the time,” she replied, looking across the room. “But, yes.”
“That’s something,” he sighed, resting his head back against the wall. Though he wanted to keep his temper under control, his fangs appeared, regardless. “I’ll think of some way to get this to end, Thana. I swear it.”
Chapter 9
There wasn’t much left of the old ghost town. With some of the worst memories of his life having taken place in Maris, Jerris didn’t feel anything much like sadness to see the place gutted by fire.
They’d started early that morning, knowing they were within a day of getting home if the weather held out. With the sunrise filtering through the trees, a low fog was clinging to the ground. It gave the place an ethereal air, and Jerris, like the others, had no compulsion to remain there.
The King's Knight (Royal Blood Book 5) Page 25