Filed to story: My Kidnapper Is the Wolf King
A smoky wave of amusement washes through me, though I’m not sure where it originates from. It is strange, I suppose, hearing them talk to one another almost as though they are friends.
“So they say,” says Blake.
“But you didn’t kill him.”
“No. It just weakened him enough to knock him out.”
“Can I ask you something?” There’s no response, and I presume Blake must have shrugged because Callum continues. “The scars on your back. How did you get them?”
“The same way as your pet, I presume.”
There’s a shift in the air. “How do you know about-“
“Calm down. I saw her in the bath that time, remember?” I hear flames crackling in a hearth, and the wind rattles a window. “It’s an old Southlands tradition. If they suspect you have wolf genes, they try to beat the wolf into submission.”
Something Blake said earlier ebbs into my mind, but I’m fuzzy with sleep and I can’t quite grasp it.
“They did that to her?” Callum’s voice is filled with horror.
“It seems like it.”
A dark lull spreads through the room, and, whatever they’re talking about, I’m not ready to face it yet.
“What about the scars on your front? The one near you hip. . . it looked. . . nasty.”
“You know, it’s not particularly polite to ask a man about his body,” says Blake. “What next? Shall we compare cock size?”
“It’s not the size of your cock that concerns me.” Callum’s tone is pointed, like a sharpened blade.
“Oh, relax. I have no interest in your pet.”
“That’s not the way it seemed. She was dying, Blake. Is that what does it for you? They say you have dark tastes-“
A ripple of exasperation, of irritation, surges through me and I frown as I push it back. I do not know why I feel this way. I’m warm, and safe, and comfortable.
“Oh yes, you’ve figured it all out. My origin story. That’s why I became a healer. Sick people turn me on so much.” Blake’s tone is dripping with sarcasm. “I don’t know why they say those things about me. If I wanted Aurora, you’d know about it.”
“Hm. Can I ask you something else?”
Blake exhales. “What?”
“My father let you into his inner circle because you healed him.”
“Yes.”
“You were the one who made him sick in the first place, right? I’ve thought about it a lot over the past couple of years. I can’t think of how else it could have happened.”
“What? Poison a king just so I could heal him and gain his favor? Does that sound like something I’d do?”
There’s a weighted silence, but then Callum huffs a laugh. “Aye. I thought as much. You really are a piece of work, Blake.”
“Thank you.” I hear the smile in his voice. I feel it.
“It’s not a compliment,” replies Callum-and yet, I think that it is.
“Your pet is awake, by the way,” says Blake.
Footsteps thud across the room. I open my eyes as Callum crashes to his knees beside the bed. “Rory! Goddess, are you alright?”
His eyes are brimming with wonder, and concern, and relief. No one has ever looked at me like that before, and I smile.
I’m not sure how to answer his question, though. Am I alright? I was captured. I killed a man. I almost died. I should have died.
And yet I feel alive.
My side throbs a little, but other than that, I feel good.
I touch his cheek. “I’m alright.” My voice sounds raw and I clear my throat. “Are you?”
A wide smile spreads across his face. “Aye. I’m alright.”
I groan as I push myself into a sitting position, resting my head against a wooden headboard. One of his hands moves across my lap, his thumb softly stroking my hip. “Goddess, I was worried about you.”
I try to piece together what happened but my memories are distorted. “Where are we?”
The bedchamber is modest. There’s a fire crackling in the hearth. The mantelpiece creaks beneath books, small trinkets, and a decanter of whisky. The bed I’m in is small, but comfortable. Night seeps through the window behind me. I’m not sure if I’ve been asleep for a couple of hours, or an entire day.
Blake sits in one of two armchairs by the door, his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles.
Both men are now dressed, though Callum’s white shirt is ill fitting and it strains against his broad shoulders. Blake has clearly bathed, his face is no longer covered in blood and his hair is wet, while Callum has dirt smeared across his cheek and smells like perspiration.
“We’re at Blake’s castle,” says Callum. “Safe for now.”
“How long have I been asleep?”
“Just a few hours.”
“You were captured,” I say.
“Aye.” A flicker of shame crosses his face. “I was. But one of Blake’s men set me free. I came as fast as I could.” His jaw hardens. “I’m sorry I was too late to spare you from it all. Can you remember? Can you tell me what happened?”
I take a deep breath as I try to sort it all out in my mind. Then I spill everything that took place since I was taken from Callum. When I tell him the choice James gave me, a low growl rumbles in Callum’s chest and the wolf flashes behind his eyes. His fist curls into the sheets by my thigh.
“James asked you to marry him?”
“Yes. And Blake persuaded him to present me with that choice.”
Callum’s head whips around, and Blake raises his hands-though a smile plays on his lips.
“Tattletale.” A strange ripple of amusement passes through me, even though I am far from pleased by his response. “I was trying to save her life. It’s not my fault she was too stubborn to see that.”
The lie just slips off his tongue-and I know it’s a lie. Why do I want to laugh? This isn’t funny.
When Callum turns his attention back to me, Blake winks.
I ignore him, and continue with my story. When I get to the part about the Heart of the Moon, and how the Wolves all shifted, I feel Blake’s attention on me once more. Callum looks over his shoulder again.
“Sebastian really gave up the Heart of the Moon?”
“Apparently,” says Blake. “Perhaps he didn’t know what is was.”
He doesn’t believe that. Neither do I. But what other explanation could there be? The thought that the Moon Goddess answered my prayer is too ridiculous to voice out loud.
“Then what happened?” asks Callum.
I tell him about the carriage ride and my blood turns cold. I reveal the moment when I slid my blade across Sebastian’s throat, unsure of what Callum will think of me now I am a killer.