Page 206 of A Touch of Poison
“No.” The firmness of my voice shocked even me. “Help me up.”
He frowned but obeyed, shadows holding my arm steady.
“You’re going to take me to the Hall of Healing, and we’re going to walk the busiest corridors of the palace to get there.”
Maybe I was losing my mind. Maybe I was still running on adrenaline. But after everything, I was standing, and Robin was not.
The corner of Bastian’s mouth rose in a bemused smile as he cocked his head.
“I will not hide away in here.” Head high, I took his arm, allowing for my sliced palm. “I’m not the one who should be ashamed. Let’s show your fellow fae what blindly clinging to their laws caused.”
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Bastian
Urien’s eyes widened when we left our suite. I wondered if Kat noticed, but she seemed focused on the end of the corridor like she’d seen a prize and wouldn’t stop until she had it.
With a nod, I ordered him to guard the broken doors. We would have words later. I didn’t know whether to kill him for letting that man in or kiss him for fetching me.
I’d smashed into that room, body and shadows coiled to strike. My hands clenched with the knowledge that under all the blood, bruises marked Kat’s skin. I had failed to keep her safe.
And yet…
And yet she’d saved herself.
Somehow that trumped my guilt, because my ember had erupted into a flame and utterly destroyed the life that had threatened hers.
Maybe I was sick. Maybe it was my unseelie side bleeding through, but I had never felt more proud than I did in that moment. Not when I earned my place in the Queensguard. Not when I was made Braea’s Shadow.
Nothing—nothingmatched walking through the palace corridors with this woman on my arm, broken but unbowed, wearing her dead husband’s blood like it was a badge of fucking honour.
Just as she’d ordered, I chose a route through the busiest corridors. Mouths dropped open. Eyes bulged. Everyone who saw her forgot to hide their curiosity.
Whispers broke out in her wake, and Ella appeared at my elbow, pale and aghast.
By the time we reached the grand hall, she’d amassed quite a crowd, and more stopped in their tracks here, as folk from both courts returned from theatres. Even Cyrus paused as he swaggered in, eyebrows inching up. Their murmurs drifted with the lights, which clustered around us as though attracted to her.
Between the rumours and the fact she’d lived in my rooms for the past few months, we were beyond trying to hide what she meant to me. This appearance would seal that and, with a little luck, spell out that, not only was she under my protection, but she would deal with any threat ruthlessly and bloodily.
She nudged me, and I leant closer, alert to where she wished to steer. I followed the subtle pressure of her touch to the fountain and helped her step up onto its lip as an expectant quiet stole over the large space.
Inwardly I winced at the tightness around her eyes—any movement had to be agony, uncovering new injuries.
Stars above, was it tempting to just carry her to Asher or the Hall of Healing, but this was what she wanted and, I suspected, what she needed.
“People of Tenebris and Luminis.” Her voice rang through the silence. “I hear the whispers beginning already. I’m sure there will be plenty of rumours to explain my state. In case there is any doubt about the truth your kind love so much, let me be clear.” She flashed a smile, teeth shockingly pale against the blood covering her face.
“My husband, the man you all believed had a right to me, did this. And he did it because he thought that exact thing. Hethoughta contract drawn up by him and my father over a decade ago meant he had a right to me.” Her chest heaved as she looked out over the crowd.
Ducking, she scooped a handful of water from the fountain and used it to clean her face. As she straightened, she pointed at the cut on her lip. “This is where he hit me.” With a wince, she touched the back of her head. “This is where he slammed me into the floor.” She splayed her fingers over her stomach. “I have bruises here where he kicked me because he thought I was carrying another man’s child and couldn’t stand the thought of someone else sullyinghis property.”
Bile flooded my mouth, and my hands fisted so tightly my knuckles ached.
If that man wasn’t already dead, I’d rip him apart. Maybe I still would. There wouldn’t be enough of him left to bury.
My shadows curled around me, demanding it, and people nearby edged away.
After all she’d been through, she could so easily be a wreck curled up in a corner. I’d have cared for her if she was.
