“Christ! How hard did you hit him?”
“Highness, we barely tapped him, I swear.”
Blinking, it took a second to orient himself to his new surroundings. Finn found himself in a large, mostly empty room, with windows down one side. From the collection of tapestries on the walls, it looked like the formal dining room in the palace, except he was pretty sure he remembered there being both furniture in there and a decided lack of decaying body parts. His brother, looking sharp in a deep forest green dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, paced manically back and forth in front of him like he expected something.
“Bren…” he started, though he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go the ‘what the actual fuck’ route or the ‘why am I here’ route, because clearly ‘have you lost your damn mind’ was off the table and in play. “Where are we? What the hell is this place?”
“Oh good, you’re awake.” He actually looked joyful as he stepped around semi-dry pools of blood in his Zegna loafers.
“The yelling made unconsciousness difficult. What the hell, man? Really. What the fuck?”
“Why couldn’t you just die? Between you and father… Clearly that is asking far, far too much of the fates. Because all the methods we’ve used so far have come up short.”
There was so much to unpack in that sentence, Finn would have flailed if he could move his hands. “Wait, what? What? You’ve been trying to kill Da? Who’s ‘we’? What?”
“Not important. What is important is that you’re going to die here and then I will finally be able to take the throne without your interference.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m unsurprised,” he chuckled darkly. “Gods, I can’t believe you think you can rule. I’d bet Cora is the brains in the relationship.” Brendan licked his lips as he thought about it. “She’s certainly the tits and ass of it. Brains is just an embarrassment of riches. We’ll have to ask her.”
“Wait, what? Is she here?” The hiss and sizzle of silver against his skin kept him mostly still, but if she was here….
“You’re jumping ahead. In due time.” His brother patted his shoulder like he actually gave a damn about him.
“Okay, really. What the fuck is going on? Why are we here?”
“I…” he sighed happily, “got tired of watching you slowly but surely take everything in my life. Absolutely everything. You’ve been doing it since we were kids.”
“What is it you think I’ve stolen from you?”
“Besides the crown?” He blinked at him meaningfully. “What about our mother?”
The low blow knocked the breath out of him. It was no secret she’d died in a car accident, on her way to see him play hockey for the boarding school. At least once a day, every single day since, he’d wondered what life would have been like had he not begged her to come see him. Wondered if it was somehow his fault. No amount of therapy could fully repair the hole left by her untimely death. “That’s not fair. You know damn well that wasn’t my fault.”
“Now you want to talk about fairness?” He cocked his head as he looked at him, searching his face for something before a sickly grin slithered across his lips. “Bring her in.” He spoke to someone behind the chair that Finn couldn’t see, no matter how he craned his neck.
“Where the hell are you taking me?”
Moments after he heard her voice, Cora’s scent drifted in as she, in a hood, was forcibly escorted in the door by a thin-looking Lacertine with impressively sharp-looking claws, and… “Driscoll? Really?”
The vulture smiled broadly as he slammed the door and made Cora jump. She hissed as his hand drifted over her chest, groping her breasts before pulling out a pistol and aiming it at her head. “Impressed? You should be. I fooled everyone. Even the spy. I think once all this is over, I’ll be putting Brețcu out of a job.”
Finn snarled as the skinny man slapped her on the ass before advancing on him. “I will kill you for touching her.”
The taste of fresh blood burst across his tongue as the Guard brought the butt of the gun against his cheek. “I’d love to see you try.”
Brendan sighed theatrically. “I do wish you’d hold off. We haven’t even gotten to the fun part yet.”
“Apologies, Highness.”
The black wolf yanked the hood from Cora’s head, and she spit on him immediately. After wiping his face with a handkerchief, he backhanded her so hard her nose began to bleed.
“Now. If we’ve gotten all the unpleasantries out of the way…” He seemed to wait for her to respond, and upon her silence, he continued. “You, Miss Westgate, are not at all what you appear, are you? A spy? A soldier? The mousy little fledgling that used to follow me around while I was fucking your sisters? Did Finn know?”
Cora stood mute, chin raised and dark eyes defiant.
Unhappy with her lack of reply, Brendan wrapped his fingers in her hair and yanked her head until their lips were mere breaths apart. “I asked you a question.”
“I knew,” Finn volunteered rather than have her subjected to further torment. All eyes on him, he couldn’t miss her blinking Morse code. Whatever was going to happen, he was going to bear the brunt of it. For her. “I knew, and I love her anyway.”
“Unlike her family.” He shook his fist, yanking her hair so hard he could see silent tears rolling down her cheek. “I wonder how Marius is going to feel knowing his disgraced little chick has come home to roost. And right under his nose, too.”
He kept his hold on her but looked his way with a mocking grin. “Breaking all kinds of rules, aren’t you? She’s a Corvid, a divorcee… why not just run the crown over with a car?”
“I won’t apologize for loving her.”
“Or stealing my throne, apparently.” He spread his hand over Cora’s belly, claws clearly visible. “You’ve seen how we’ve dealt with the first threat to my reign. How do you think I’ll deal with her?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
CORA
Brendan’s hands on her made her skin crawl, but she had to focus on keeping it together. “The Fielding girl? What possible threat could a kitchen girl pose?”
His attention back on her, he yanked on her head again, her scalp screaming in protest as she focused on not attempting to twist out of his grasp. “Are you kidding? I told her to deal with the half-breed. I gave her money to get rid of it and she stole from me. She was still pregnant and was going to keep it. Could you imagine?” Then he snorted a laugh and stepped away from her, leaving her held up by the lizard behind her. “Who am I asking, of course you could.”
Finn began to struggle against the bonds that held him to the chair, silver manacles digging into his flesh so deep she could smell the sear as they burnt into his flesh. “Your fight is with me, Brendan. Let her go.”
“And leave a potential heir to the throne out there? Just out there, waiting to depose me? What do you take me for?” He turned to Finn with his hand out. “Not to mention how dangerous she is. Did you see what she did to Arthur’s friends today?”
The lizard behind her tightened his grip painfully on the ropes around her wrists. “Your little bird caused a lot of problems today.” He flicked his tongue out, dragging it up her neck until she cringed away.
“So the question in front of you, dear brother, is do I send her off for the lizards to take care of her or do I kill her here in front of you?” He tapped his index finger against his chin as he paced. “Or do I split the difference and have them kill her here? Decisions, decisions.”
Blue eyes blazing, Finn met her gaze steadily. In her soul she knew he was going to do something stupid and shook her head minutely. Now was not the time for whatever harebrained scheme he had cooking.
Her reaction seemed to firm his resolve as he lifted his chin. “She’s not really pregnant.”
“The fuck, yo.” Cora struggled against her bonds now, because she was going to march over there and kick his ass herself. “Why would you say something like that? What is wrong with you?”
He had the gall to look pissed at her. “Me? I’m trying to save your life!”
“And doing it badly! Please stop,” She sighed, shaking her head. Slowly she felt her claws emerge, not fast enough to warm up her skin or startle the Lacertine behind her, but enough to delicately tease the hemp bonds they had around her arms. This was gonna cut it close since he decided to up the crazy-sauce in his brother.
Brendan paused and squinted at his brother for what seemed like a long time, shoulders jerking occasional with a tiny huff. Indignation or laughter, she couldn’t be sure with his back to her, but given that she was teetering on that edge herself, she didn’t blame him.
“She’s… not pregnant.”
Her incredibly-courageous-to-the-point-of-stupidity charge shook his head. “It was my plan. I stole the throne from you and she only went along with me because I coerced her. Deal with me, not her. She’s as much of a victim here as you are.”
“And you expect me to believe this?” Brendan marched over to stand at her side, making a show of sniffing the air as he stared down his brother. “Even if I hadn’t seen you two in person at my birthday party.” He turned to her as an aside, “and I have never seen a more ravishing woman in my life,” he puckered his lips in an air kiss before readdressing the issue at hand, “I am not. Fucking. Stupid.”
In a flash, she yelped as he lashed out with his claws across her chest, slicing open her sweater and her skin from her collarbone diagonally to the top of her breast. All the predators in the room seemed to perk up as the scent of her blood flowing out of her spread. “I know what a halfling pregnancy smells like, the Hircine was not my first.”
The wounds were superficial but stung and she hissed as he dragged his tongue across her lacerated flesh before flashing a blood-soaked grin over his shoulder at his brother. “Delicious.” Brendan nodded at the lizard over her shoulder. “Have fun now.”
A yell outside the door drew everyone’s attention and was enough of a distraction for Cora to shred her bonds. Vasi came barreling in the door with Dev and a heavily armed contingent of Guards behind him as she reached back and broke the Lacertine’s neck, leaving her the only thing between Brendan and justice.
A roar behind her, followed by a scream and a gunshot, distracted her but only for a moment and then she was on Brendan like he did her wrong. Just his luck.
Talons in his face and neck, she kept her attention on the soft tissues of his eyes, rage pouring off of her with every slice into his flesh. Every moment of fear for Finn, righteous fury for Bedelia Fielding, all of it pouring out of every punch, kick, and slash.
“Medic!”
Dev’s voice sounded frantic, and Cora looked up to locate Finn, only to get knocked back, thrown almost all the way to the door by a force she didn’t see until after she landed.
Finn in full wolf form, lit into his brother with an uncontained fury. Flesh ripping, snarls, and screams quickly filled the room as she knelt next to Vasily and pressed her hand to the gushing gunshot wound to his shoulder as Dev dragged both of them out of the room and shut the door so the medics could attend to the Commander.
The moment she handed off Vasi’s care, Cora bolted back for the room. She could not leave Finn alone with Brendan, especially in that moment. Dev grabbed her arm as she turned the handle.
“You can’t go in there.”
“He won’t hurt me,” she promised, fighting the clawed grip he had around her bicep.
The falcon shook his head. “This has been a long time coming and has all the hallmarks of Lunacy. I can’t let you go in there.”
Cora shook him off and went to the door. “It’s not a matter of ‘let’. I’m not afraid of him.”
“I’ll have medics ready,” he called after her. Probably for the best.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
FINN
Blood, thick and heavy over his hands, so warm, flesh so soft and squishy, easy. The scent of death—old, new, coming—filled his lungs with each breath, igniting his soul. The boiling rage he felt in that moment, surrounded by the smell and taste of blood, drove him onward, heedless of anything else. There may come a time after this but that was not his to worry about.
Her fragrant essence shot through him like a bolt of electricity, bringing him to a halt as he breathed her. Her footsteps, cautious, heavy, slow. Facing her in his wolf form, he could see the bird she hid when she shed her skin. Breath coming thick and fast, she smelled like safety, home.
The raven hopped over to him, close and unafraid as he knelt over Brendan. Her bright yellow eyes held no judgement, no recriminations, her slight purrs and soft chirps, a kind of music to his ears. She was beautiful like this, feathers so dark they shone greenish purple in the light like an oil slick. Part of both the shadows and the sky, she was a part of him now too.
She stood next to him, nipped at his hand with her beak and gave him a cheeky grin before dancing away again. Just having her next to him brought him solace, a soul-deep peace that let him call back the rage that even still was darkening his vision and honing his violence to a lethal point.
The fingers he felt through his fur stunned him, Cora’s shift so fast and subtle he didn’t even sense it. Tall and proud, her perfect dark skin on full display as she stroked his muzzle and behind his ears then held a hand out to him.
“Leave him, Finnegan…” she cooed softly, hand out as she stood her ground. He ducked his head and her lips curled into a hopeful smile. “Come back to me.”
Cocking his head to the side, he watched her. No tricks, no hidden agenda or manipulation. Just her with her hand out for him, as he was. Slowly he pushed to his feet, four feet, then two, his paw quickly transitioning to fingers that laced tightly in hers.
Both naked, and covered in blood, they presented quite a sight as they left the room and emerged into the waiting arms of the medics and a grateful Guard.
“You’re are easily the bravest and craziest woman I know.” Dev laughed as she was loaded onto an ambulance, clapping her on the shoulder.
“Hey!” the giant ursine medic barked sharply. He was the size of a compact car with a scowl so fearsome, she wondered if he had some grizzly in him. “That’s your future queen. Hands off the merchandise.”
Grimacing at their mutual breach of public protocol, Cora nodded at the medic. “Thank you, Commander.” She winked. “I’ll see you at the hospital.”
Properly chastened, the brown-skinned man nodded, giving her a secret smile. “Of course. Ma’am.”
* * *
FINN
The superficial wounds were already on the mend, thanks to his wolf nature. At least those not caused by the silver. Dr. Mo, the palace physician, wrapped his wrists in gauze. Burns that penetrated deep into the tissue, the pain was intense, constant, and the nurse promised to return with an IV full of pain medicine.
He’d prefer that someone return with news of Cora. They’d gotten separated after his recovery from Lunacy. He hadn’t even known such a thing was possible, until her. Of course, a Lupine being able to break through silver bonds was a myth until tonight. Also until her.
Finn had no idea how he managed to break free, all he remembered was seeing her bleeding as the Lacertine started to drag her away and then nothing else until a raven walked beside him. His hands told of the rage, split knuckles healing slowly and blood under his nails. Whose, he had no clue and was pretty sure he did not care so long as Cora was alright. Xander had informed him about Vasi needing surgery for a gunshot wound.
It was so much to think about. More than just Brendan and Driscoll, but a whole network of people who wanted to kill him. And, he smiled as she was rolled in on a gurney, a group of people equally dedicated to preventing it.
“My Angel,” he murmured as the medic parked her next to him, taking her hand as they promised to have someone in to see her in a moment. Once alone, he tugged her until she was curled into the bed with him. She’d fussed about his wrists and ankles but having her with him was th
e best balm he could think of and he would not relent. Her head pillowed on his chest, her hand in his over his heart, he felt all the residual tension seep out of him.
“Vasi’s gonna be okay, if you hadn’t been told. Shot nicked the top of a lung but otherwise not nearly as bad as it could’ve been.”
“Good. He’s a fighter. You two have that in common.” He’d planned to see his best friend the moment the doctor turned him loose here. “And Brendan?”
She turned her face into his chest, sighing. “Still in surgery, last I heard.”
Her soft hand petting his chest through the hospital gown broke his heart. She could have been killed tonight. “I still can’t believe—”
“I know, baby.”
“You saved me twice tonight,” he whispered against her hairline.
“That’s the job,” she laughed, but there was clearly no joy in it.
“Just the job?”
Cora leaned up and kissed his bearded jaw. “What do you think?”
The warmth in his chest had everything to do with woman cuddled up in his arms. Her contented little sighs seemed to bathe him in a foundational peace. “I think you’re amazing and I’m unworthy.”
“Agree to disagree.”
“Miss Westgate, I am so sorry for the delay—” a human woman in rose pink scrubs and a long white coat came bustling in and screeched to a halt when she looked from the empty bed to the one occupied by two. A short-haired Indian woman with a bright smile and a pretty face, her eyes were wide as she took in the two of them twined around each other. “Your Highness, I’m sorry to interrupt.”
“Not at all, doctor. She has several lacerations on her chest that likely need your attention.” He could feel Cora stiffen against him and kissed her forehead just to tweak her that much more.
“Thanks for that, sweetie,” she said dryly. “Appreciate it.”
The doctor smiled and looked down at her tablet. “The superficial wounds on Miss Westgate’s chest are not my primary concern. I’m Dr. Nancy Sharma from Obstetrics? I was asked by Dr. Moallem to look in on you?”
A Killing Moon Page 25