Page 63 of The Rat King
I sighed. “After I realized the curse was more or less permanent, I spent about six months wallowing. Then one day, I woke up determined, as if something had shifted in the night. The Council of Warlocks met, and that’s when we decided to use a binding blood oath to sway the witches who’d yet to respond to our request for aid. The council members collected drops of blood from every warlock we knew of, and I traveled to your plane to meet with the Council of Matrons. I made the oath to the Goddess sealing it with our combined blood. It bound every Warlock to make good on the promise of revenge if the witches didn’t produce a witch bride within six months.
The first one’s name was Lisa. I told you on the day you married Xavier that she was lovely. I was nineteen and naively hopeful. Back then, I didn’t have all of the scars. I met her on the full moon like I did with you, and her eyes brightened as she took me in, realizing I was to be her king. But then when the curse took over, and she saw me transformed, she...” I didn’t mean to trail off, but the memory dredged up old painful things I had spent nearly two decades trying to forget.
“She saw you and screamed like I did, didn’t she?” Avery asked, filling in the gap. I cleared my throat simultaneously loving and hating that she knew me so well. There was almost a glint of pity in her expression as she watched me. “What happened to her? And the other women?” When I only frowned, she continued, “We have to find them and help them.”
I shook my head. “They don’t want our help, Avery. And it’s in the past. They would have made their way in this world by now, but if any of them come to us asking we’ll offer them our aid. I promise.” She didn’t look satisfied, and I sighed. “My point was, I got over it. And you will, too.”
Her eyes watered, and she brought her sleeve up to catch an errant tear. My pain was visceral to her, and I didn’t understand why she kept herself from me. How could she flip from her curse-breaking love to this damnable distance? The betrayal lingered like a cloud between us.
How could she not understand, especially after what I told her? After what Jane told me she shared. Could her heart be this hard? Had I broken it that completely? I studied her profile as we rode, sorting through the months we’d been together.
I had branded her heart as she had mine. We were truly one now, but now she hovered at the edges of my reach.
The silence and my wild, running thoughts overwhelmed me. I worked a pattern with my hands, then was riding in the fresh air atop Eclipse.
I gave her space the rest of the day, only interacting with her to take our meals and to slide in the center bench in order to make the bed. I rode outside until the wind picked up, becoming brisk. It took nearly as much power to halt the carriage and restart it, so I cast the spell and a second later, her scent drifted into my awareness.
Her head snapped up in my direction as I reclined inside the carriage at her back. She was shivering and glaring at me. My fingers itched to bring her into my body. “Cold?” I asked.
“I’m fine,” she bit out.
“Liar,” I said, and gave into my desire, pulling her into my arms as a blanket appeared at my command. Her trembling stopped and, while her body was stiff enough to tell me she would allow no more, she didn’t push me away. So, I pulled her closer, and we slept.
Chapter 46
Nighval
Aweekoftravelinghad done nothing to soften Avery’s heart. She was still nearly as angry as she had been the morning after our wedding, and I desperately hoped I hadn’t miscalculated. Still, I had things to do and a certain witch to pay a visit to.
“Where are we?” Avery asked, stepping down from the carriage the next morning. I had halted our journey, pulling off of the well-worn dirt road just at the edge of a clearing to our north. A dense woodland sprung up from the open field, dark and ominous, mirroring what lived inside.
Avery eyed the forest and the eight-person guard who joined us the night before. I owed my mother a visit, and I would not take my new bride. Getting her to stay put would be a challenge, but eight highly trained people on horseback ought to be able to keep her in line.
“The Wildwood,” I said, raking my hand through my hair. At the word, her attention snagged. Perhaps bringing her this way had been a mistake. I could have brought her to Ravsted and seen to my duties another way, but at least I had been able to hold her every night without resistance. And for now, that was enough. “Don’t worry. You’re safe. The carriage is warded, and your guard will protect you while I’m gone.”
“Wait, you’re going to send me into that forest and then leave me?” she asked and made a more detailed sweep of her surroundings before handing me one of the two wraps she made. Now that I had my power back, I could cast the simple spells needed to keep food at a safe temperature on the road, among other things. This was one of the few things that had made my new wife happy, as she, I learned, had very unusual eating habits she claimed were perfectly normal in the witch’s plane.
“We will ride together for a distance, and then yes, I have some things in the area I need to attend to. I will be back before nightfall.”
“If I am supposed to be your queen, shouldn’t I be attending to these things with you?” she asked, stuffing another bite into her mouth.
“We’ve been over this, Avery. There will be plenty for you to do whenever we reach the castle. Besides, as I recall, the last time you saw me exact my justice, you weren’t keen.”
“Won’t you even tell me what you’re doing?” she asked.
I sighed. I spent every day last week cleaning up the messes Xavier created while he’d been in control of Ras alhague. Some of the members of my kingdom required a firm hand. The last thing I needed was for my new wife to see that side of me again. She’d forgiven me about Musson, but she’d been under the influence of the pill’s magic then. Now wasn’t the time to add any additional strain to our relationship, and I certainly would not let her meet the witch that had cursed her own children.
When I didn’t respond, she said, “If you want to rebuild our trust, tell me.” A smug expression took root on her pretty face, and she knew she had me. But I wasn’t about to give this up without getting something back.
“Let’s get on the road. We can discuss this in the carriage.” I nodded to the surrounding guard and then held the door open for her, helping her inside.
“I’m getting really tired of sitting,” she said. “Another week of this?”
“Tomorrow, we can ride Eclipse. Just bear with this for one more day, okay?”
She nodded as she settled herself on the bench. “So, you were going to tell me what you’ve been up to, specifically where you are going out there.” She peeked out the window. By now, the thick canopy of the forest was blocking out most of the light and the air was still and cool.
Avery shivered as a brisk gust blew in through the window. Her waves lifted on the breeze, and she pulled her cloak tighter around her.
