Page 45 of Cold Hearted
Thanks to Dawn, it took a single night to reclaim my kingdom, and then the better part of the last four days to root out the rondak’s guards and have them executed, but the whole time there’d been a tug inside my chest that I could no longer ignore. I needed to go after Dawn.My little bird. The woman had captivated my nearly every waking thought since I’d met her, and after kissing her and confirming my suspicions,I couldn’t just let her go. Not to mention I was certain she was after the heart of one of my brothers and I couldn’t allow them to be killed by her hand. There had to be another way to end the curse on her land.
My attentions had been split between my kingdom and Dawn for days, and I couldn’t be an effective lord with a divided mind. So what was best for the kingdom in this case was to track her down and bring her home. Only then would my mind and heart be settled enough to fully focus on repairing and rebuilding what the rondak had destroyed.
I rose from my throne, pulling the shadows to me like a cape as I did to remind this insipid fae of who he was addressing so disrespectfully. It felt so good to have the full use of my power back. I was in a foul mood and had half a mind to skewer this cowardly fae right where he stood, but I bit my cheek and restrained myself. I didn’t trust Haymaker, but offing the nobility right when I’d regained power wasn’t the best strategic move.
Haymaker’s eyes widened at my display of power, and he took an involuntary step back. A flash of fear finally crossed his face as I descended the steps of the dais.
“I will take your concerns under advisement,” I said, my words as cold as ice. “But if I were you, I’d be careful about overstepping with your lord. I’m not my brother, and I won’t hesitate to enact my revenge onanyfae whom I deem disloyal to the throne and its rightful occupant. The rondak’s reign is over.”
The threat was clear. I could see in his eyes he’d received the message. Getting rid of the rondak’s loyal guards had been easy, but ferreting out disloyal fae from the trustworthy would take time and finesse.
Time I didn’t have, and finesse I didn’t have the patience for.
Once Dawn was back at my side where she belonged, I’d have both in spades. But as it was, I couldn’t move forward with her roaming about Ethereum. I knew she was on her way to one of the other kingdoms. I’d sent messages via ravens to two of my brothers, the Western and Southern lords, with a warning Dawn might be coming, and a plea to leave her unharmed and to detain her for me until I could reach them. But I hadn’t sent word to my brother Stryker, the Eastern lord. All of my brothers had known hardships and sorrow, but Stryker’s wounds were perhaps the deepest. Life had not been kind to my dear brother and his mind had grown dark against everyone, including me. If I sent a note tipping him off about Dawn, my fear was that he’d go as far as to search her out and kill her on sight, regardless of my wishes. My only comfort was knowing that his capital city wasn’t the closest in proximity to Noreum, and therefore most likely not the direction Dawn had gone.
There was nothing to be done now except for me to go after her myself. It wasn’t ideal, but now that the castle was secure, I was confident I could leave Noreum for a short time.
“Yes, my lord,” the duke said, falling into a deep bow. “You are most wise.”
I bit back a growl. This fae would sell his own soul to keep his coffers and belly full.Disgusting. When I returned, I would strip him of his title for his previous disloyalty, but it wasn’t something I had time for at the present.
I brushed past him without another word, striding from the throne room with long steps. Captain Regis was waiting for me when I pushed through the doors.With a jerk of my head he fell into step with me.
“Keep an eye on him while I’m gone,” I ordered as we walked briskly through the halls.
Regis nodded without asking for clarification. One of the things I appreciated about him was his ability to follow commands, no questions asked. The fae was smart, and I knew he saw Haymaker for the snake he was.
“On second thought, don’t let Haymaker leave the castle. He has loose lips,” I said when we reached the entrance to the underground tunnel that would take me out of the city. Some of the nobles and my high-ranking officers knew I was leaving, but it wasn’t common knowledge and I wanted it to stay that way. The last thing I needed right now was another powerful fae challenging my right to rule.
“With pleasure, my lord,” Regis said with a smirk. He was going to relish detaining the pampered noble. “How long do you expect to be away?” he asked, his smile fading. Regis didn’t like that I insisted on going after Dawn on my own, but he wisely kept his mouth shut about it.
“With any luck I’ll be back within a fortnight,” I said, hoping that wasn’t wishful thinking. My plan was to head to the Western Kingdom. Their capital, Windreum, was the closest to Noreum, and since I knew Dawn was hunting Ethereum lords, and also running out of time, it was a safe assumption that’s where she went. I could get to Windreum in two days if I rode through the night, which is what I planned to do.
“Are you sure you can’t wait for the tracker fae to return in three days?” he asked, not for the first time, and I couldn’t fault him for it.
Caution would dictate that I do just that—continue to bring stability to my kingdom until the tracker fae returned to Noreum and then use their skills to locate my little bird. But something inside told me I needed to get to Dawn immediately. Perhaps I was experiencing a new sort of sixth sense that gave me an awareness when she was in danger? Or maybe the unease resting on my chest like a stone was there because I knew she was going to try to kill one of my kin?
Whatever the reason for my restlessness, if I’d learned anything since she’d burst into my life it was to trust my instincts in regard to her. If any other fae had approached me as she had the day we met with vague accusations that I was in danger and demanding an audience, I would have dismissed them or turned them over to another of my men immediately, regardless of how comely they were. But the moment I laid eyes on Dawn I felt a zap of recognition and a soul-deep attraction I was helpless to ignore. I couldn’t bring myself to part from her.
At least now I knew why. I knew in my soul that no matter what she was telling herself about me and our bond, she felt a deep connection to me as well.
With a resigned nod, Regis bid me farewell, but an echoed shout through the corridors stopped me from ducking into the secret passageway.
“My lord! My lord,” one of my castle guards yelled as he turned the corner and spotted us. He was red-faced and out of breath when he reached us, and he bent over to take in large gulps of air before speaking.
“What is it?” Captain Regis asked his subordinate.
The red-faced fae straightened and addressed me. “I’m sorry, my lord,” he said breathlessly. “But your horse, Omen, has been found. He was grazing outside the city walls and was brought to the city stables. One of your lieutenants passed by and recognized him. I was sent to tell you right away.”
The ground dropped out from beneath me. When the dust had settled the morning after the rondak was killed, I had Regis send someone to fetch Omen and Luna where we’d tied them. When Omen was gone, I knew immediately that Dawn had made it out of the city. Having Omen with her actually gave me a small measure of comfort. If I couldn’t be there to support her, at least my trusted friend was.
“Was he alone?” I asked, my heart pausing for the messenger’s answer.
He just nodded, giving me a sympathetic look.
The only two reasons I could think that Omen wasn’t with Dawn anymore was because something awful had befallen her, or she’d completed her mission and returned to her land. Both those options left my blood running cold with dread.
I cursed myself for not going after her sooner.
