Dark Throne, The (36 page)

“
What of the other
captives?”

“
They were severely injured, your
highness
. They’re with the
healers. My captain said they’d been there for a long
time.”

“
Elfen were held prisoner
in my castle and my army weren’t aware of this?” Fade bit
out.

“
It’s a big castle, sir
,” the man squeaked.

“
That’s no excuse
.
Members of my kingdom were effectively tortured on this land and we
were unaware.” Fade narrowed his eyes at the soldier, but refrained
from chiding him any longer. He was naught but one man, ruled by
incompetent leaders. He himself had had dealings with the generals
of his father’s, and now his own, armies. They were old fools and
they would be some of the first personnel to disappear into
retirement as soon as Fade was settled on the throne.

“
Take me to the woman
.
In the dungeon,” he clarified, when the soldier frowned in
confusion.

On the receiving end of a salute, Fade followed the man at
arms and nodded brusquely at the court members who retained
t
heir fixed positions of regal
greetings. Save for the nod, he ignored them, intent on finding his
mate. He prayed for his and Heather’s sake she was in the dungeon,
but his army would be better off praying that wasn’t the
case.

Mother Mearth, there were many changes to be made to this
bloody kingdom
. What had he
inherited?

Inwardly shaking his head, for such thoughts were for later
when his entire being wasn’t focused on Heather, he was led down to
the bowels of the castle
. He
knew where the dungeons were, but he wanted the direct coordinates
of his mate’s location. Something the
sleckil
could no
longer provide. When he’d first purchased the devices, they’d cost
him the price of two small kingdoms. He hadn’t begrudged the cost,
for he would spend anything to ensure Heather’s safety. However, he
hadn’t been sure of their functionality.

Now, he was astounded at t
heir reliability and made a mental note to credit the Elder
with thanks and furnish him with anything Fade had within his
ability to bestow.

As he walked through the stench of the dungeon, the stone
walls green with fauna that bore no name but stank worse than an
army’s farts, he passed grotty men rotting behind
bars
. Ignoring the sporadic
tables where the wardens were seated, before clambering to their
feet to salute him, he kept his eyes glued ahead and growled with
relief and fury when he saw his mate’s crouched form, as she wept,
huddled into a corner. The only point of reference he wouldn’t be
blasting his men at arms for, was that she was in a single
cell.

Her weeping tore at him and he cried out, “Heather, I’m
here
.”

He cared not that he made a fool of himself in front of his
men or his prisoners
, he
wanted only to resolve her grief and let her know that he was there
and she was safe.

“
Fade?” her voice was a creak and she repeated her question
as though refusing to believe that it was possible that he was here
and so soon
.

He broke out into a run and barked out an order to the
nearest warden, “Open this fucking cell now
. This is your future Queen.”

The warden fumbled with his keys as he awkwardly bowed
before the pair of them
. Fade
would have done without the correct protocol just to get her out of
that god-awful cell.

It took an age for the warden to do as bid, Fade noticed
the shaking hands and ripped the keys from his grasp and did it
himself
. His own hands weren’t
all that steady, but he opened the cell and burst in. Before she
could even stand, he reached her and lifted her into his
arms.

She stank to high heaven
. Of fire, a strange fruit-like scent that was like no
perfume, vomit, mildew and the jail. But such was his love, he’d
never smelt anything better.

She was trembling but her clasp was as fierce as his as he
embraced her with arms that were like iron bands
. He tore out of the jail and retreated along the
length of the cells. He didn’t want her to inhale the same air as
the scum within these walls for a moment longer. That she’d been
treated like a prisoner by her very own people infuriated him but
he didn’t have it in him to show his fury to those who had earned
it. She was safe and that was all that counted.

“
I thought… No, that’s a lie
,” she whispered, pressing her face into his throat. “I
knew I’d see you again, I knew you would fight to see me. But I
thought I’d be there a lot longer than I was.”

“
You can thank the
sleckil
for that, my
dearling.” His arms tightened until he knew he had to be hurting
her, but she didn’t complain. They needed the contact. The touch.
Only that would bring the reassurance that hope was not lost and
that they were together again.

There were no words to explain the utter relief that
permeated his form
, he was
speechless and just had to wait as his every cell was energized
with the knowledge that she was there.

He reached the first floor of the castle and strode past
the gawping crowds, uncaring that this was the first glimpse of
t
heir king and queen
together.

He refused to wait any longer to make her his,
officially
. He barked out,
“Bring an Elder. Whoever is closest to hand. I want him in the
throne room. Now.”

The soldiers in the room clicked t
heir heels together and rushed off to do as
bid.

“
Are all Elders men?” she whispered, the sound mangled by
the close press of her mouth to his throat
. “If that’s so, then that’s sexist.”

He grinned and pressed a kiss to his
temple
. Her first real words
to him were not of what had occurred, or who had kidnapped her and
murdered her mother. They were some irreverent phrase that made
light of the situation.

Mother Mearth, he loved this woman
.

“
Some Elders are female
. There
are
less than men. For no reason than the
men have survived, where some women haven’t.” He sucked in a
breath. “The sooner an Elder reaches us, we will wed. But do not
think I do not wish to know what occurred within these walls. You
must tell me, even if it upsets you. I must bring justice to you
and your mother.”

Her tears moistened his throat and he closed his eyes,
knowing that she was suffering and that there was little he could
do to take it away from her
.
He hated having to put her through this, but how could he not? He
needed the information and she needed it to be purged from her
soul.

“
He just killed her for the hell of it
. That bastard Calder. But I paid him back, Fade.
I couldn’t let him live, not when I knew the
sleckil
would incapacitate him.” She rocked slightly in his hold,
something that caused him to wobble slightly, but he firmed his
legs and kept them upright. “I had to do it. I know it’s wrong to
kill, but he didn’t deserve to. I can’t be sorry for what I did,”
she garbled.

“
One of the soldiers told me that Calder had
disappeared
? He’s dead?” He
was surprised that Calder was the man behind Heather’s abduction,
not at her method of revenge.

A
cold laugh escaped her and she shook her head
. Her silky hair brushed his jaw and he relished
the touch. The connection.

“
I poisoned the dagger
.
It did something to him. It burnt him.”

“
There is only one poison capable of that, your
majesty
,” a quivering voice
muttered behind him.

Fade spun around and came face to face with an
Elder
. “I didn’t realize my
orders would be obeyed so swiftly.”

The Elder shrugged
. “I
will not deny, your majesty. Calder had requested my presence here
today. He wished to wed himself to someone and I was in the
unfortunate position of owing the man a favor.” He grimaced. “He
assured me the wedding was mutually desired, but that it had to be
kept silent for the moment.”

“
And how do I know I can
trust you?” Fade spat, hating that this man had been in collusion
with Calder, a man who had brought such misery to his mate’s
life.

He knew little of Calder
. Only that he’d been the Court Healer. Thanks to his
throwback genes, he’d rarely been ill and any injuries quickly
healed. As such, there had been little contact between him and the
other man.

After today’s occurrences, he could
only be thankful for that.

If what Heather said was true, then she’d taken the
opportunity away from him
. . .
. the chance to end the life of the man who had dared harm his
mate.

Through the tears in her voice, he’d heard the satisfaction
and knew that this period of her life would haunt her, but she
would forever be relieved at having acted upon her fury and desire
for revenge
.

Mearth could be a bloodthirsty place
. Revenge was one of the only reasons why a murderer
could walk free. If the vengeance was justifiable, then the
murderer was not classed by that derogatory term. They were called
seekers and were revered.

His mate was a seeker
.
He wasn’t surprised that she too shared this bloodthirsty trait. He
was, after all, a warrior. He’d killed many a man himself. His mate
could not be as white as a snow. She wasn’t soiled, but life had
hardened her as it had him.

This was just another way in which
they were created for each other.

The Elder shrugged again
. “I’m too old to lie. I’d die in prison, but I’ll die out
of prison. The time is reliant upon Mother Mearth. But I’m here to
do your bidding, to join you to your mate.” He sniffed the air.
“Yes, definitely, mate.”

Heather’s tear-streaked face popped up and he winced at the
ravages her emotions had taken on her face
. She wore her misery and it tore at his
heart.

He hadn’t protected her from this
, he’d failed at the first step and it shamed him.
But, it would never happen again. He vowed that, as in a few
moments, he would vow that she was forever his and he was forever
hers.

“
You can smell that?” she asked, her interest piqued despite
her obvious sadness
.

“
Elders can sense many things
,” the man retorted and tapped his nose.

She frowned but smiled through it
. “How strange.” She tilted her head to the side.
“What poison was it?”

“
It’s a strange venom reared from a serpent that rolls
through the Kirden mountains
.
We know little about the creature. Save that once bitten, the venom
surges through the blood, killing the cells that make up an Elfen’s
life essence. There are several chemicals within the venom, one is
inflammable and one acts as a catalyst. This instigates a fire.
There is nothing of left of the creature bitten. It is quite a
formidable way of attacking one’s enemies.”

Heather swallowed
. “I
dipped a dagger into this pot, I didn’t think it would do that. I
wasn’t at my strongest and I didn’t want the bastard to survive if
my aim wasn’t true or strong enough. It was…” She sucked in a
breath. “A disturbing sight.”

The Elder’s eyes softened
. “I’m sure it was, my dear. Ending someone’s life is never
an easy task. Regardless of whether the end if justified. It is a
messy business and of all the poisons you selected, you couldn’t
have chosen a messier end for a more deserving man.” He sucked in a
breath, that speech having winded him with its length. “If you’re
both willing, I’ll gladly marry you.”

Heather answered for Fade
. “Yes. You can marry us.” As her mate stiffened, she
tightened her hold about and whispered into his ear, “I like him.
He’s kind. And I don’t care who weds us, I just want it done.” A
shiver racked her frame. “I never want to be without you, not even
for a day and I don’t care if that makes me a clingy bitch. I can
live without you, I can even defend myself. But I don’t want to.
And that’s the difference. I can fight my own battles, I don’t need
you for that. I just need you. Full stop.” She studied him, her lip
trembling. “I didn’t particularly like Setta, but we’d reached a
truce of sorts and she was my mother. Mine. Nobody else’s and that
fucking bastard took her from me, before we even had a chance to
make up and to have a real relationship. Life is short, Fade.
Precious. I don’t want to waste a second without you, because if
you’re not at my side, it’s just that. A waste.”

“
And don’t you think I feel exactly the same way,
Heather
? I want to fight your
battles, I want to defend you, be there when you’re weak and be
your strength. That’s what love is. We’re more than mates, Heather.
We’re entwined, we’re one. Where I’m lacking, you’re the opposite.
Where you struggle, it’s my strength. We’re made for one another
and you won’t be out of my sight or far from my side for the length
of my life. This I vow.” He swallowed. “I’d die for you, my
love.”