Fae Guardians Series

Chapter 10: Evil is as Evil Does

Malcolm

I leaned my forehead against the cool wood of the door. Anger and s****l heat pulsing through my veins. Everything in me roared to claim Avery. To bury myself inside her until she screamed my name and begged for more.

Fuck! The scent of her desire when I pinned her down was almost too much for me. My c**k strained against my pants and I clenched my fists, forcing myself to walk away. Since she broke through my wards at her home, I needed to increase the magic. It would take all three of us to keep her here. In the meantime, we had guards patrolling the outer palace walls.

I needed to check on Darrius to see how he faired with his healing now that Avery was cured and awake.

Simeon met me in the hallway, his gaze going past me to Avery's door. "How is she faring?"

"Not well." I shook my head. "I'd give her some time before you go in there. She's liable to throw something at you."

"What did you say to her?"

Simeon was the tenderhearted out of us three. Something we'd been worried Amber's deception had strangled. Still, he wasn't as trusting as he used to be. Which, had to be a good thing cause even if Avery was our queen, I didn't think she'd be ecstatic about the job.

"Nothing. Just told her the truth about her Fae heritage."

When Simeon nodded and brushed past me, I grasped his arm. "Don't tell her about the monarchy. Not yet. I think it might push her over the edge."

"I'm not stupid." He yanked his arm away. "We don't even know if she is the missing queen."

Despite his words, the hopefulness in his green eyes shone. If Avery did anything to hurt him, I'd crush her skull. Didn't matter who the f**k she was.

"Where are you going?" Simeon asked.

"To get Darrius. We need all three of us to set up wards to keep her from escaping the palace until we've had a chance to test her." I nodded up the hallway. "You can stand guard outside her door if you like, but I've given her orders to finish eating and get dressed."

A crash sounded behind her door.

I started back when Simeon held a hand up.

"Leave her. I think she's angry about her situation." He fisted his hand over his heart in a vow. "If she tries to escape, I'll alert you and Darrius."

I nodded. Trusting him where a year ago, I would've drilled him with questions and demands. It had been Darrius to punch me and tell me to back the f**k off our youngest cousin. He needed time to heal from Amber. And maybe there was a chance his heart and trust had begun repairs.

I rounded the corner to Darrius' chambers. His door stood open and rage wafted into the air around him.

"How is his healing going?" I asked Helga.

Her hands were bright white and a sign of her fatigue. I hated having to use her this much, but we couldn't let Avery die from the venom nor leave Darrius' wounds untreated.

"If this bastard would stop complaining, I'd be done by now."

"Want me to knock him out for you?" I cracked my knuckles, eager to release some pressure after dealing with Avery.

"Ye couldnae even if I let ye get a punch in." Darrius tried to stand, but Helga whacked him on the shoulder.

"No fighting until I get these wounds sealed so they can heal properly." She huffed. "Or so help me, I'll grab one of the lass's daggers and stab ye myself."

Darrius gave me a help-me-please look, but I shrugged.

"Helga's right. We need you at full strength to test Avery."

"Test 'er fer what? She's an assassin, Malcolm." He spat out a curse. "f**k knows I expect this blind belief from Simeon, but ye too? What spell has she enthralled ye with that ye cannae see 'er fer what she be?"

"No one has bespelled me," I shot back. "But she's the closest we've come to a possible heir. So far, she meets all the criteria we know."

"Amber did too, an' she was more Fae than this human."

"And how do you know the heir isn't half?" I leaned against the wall. "The queen died in childbirth and never revealed the father."

"The father donnae matter much." Darrius' jaw twitched as Helga's hands glowed a pale green now and the wound on his thigh crusted.

Our lines of succession went through the females first, because they were so rare. "You know as well as I do, that she had a human among her lovers. There is a chance he fathered Avery."

"A slim chance." Darrius hissed, bringing up a flask of ale to his lips and taking a deep swallow. "I say we send the b***h back ta the human world. Or hell, turn 'er loose on our enemy. Let 'er prove 'er worth as queen ta see if she can survive. Then I might entertain this belief of yers."

Helga smacked his shoulder again. "Shame on ye for speaking such if she be the queen. Ye know as well as me the lass, even a full-blood Fae queen, wouldn't survive against the Unseelie."

Darrius took another long swallow of his drink. "Well, that's aboot the only way I'll believe in this obscene story."

"Let's do the normal challenges before we throw her to the monsters, shall we?" I crossed my arms. If Darrius knew my heart, he'd throw me out with her. Because even now, I longed to touch her. To feel her lips on mine and taste her everywhere. Her arousal had been so seductive earlier that even now, I was nearly drunk with it. If I had a guess, I'd say she'd never been trained in how to use her Fae magic or charm, which made her all the more dangerous.

If it had been the Unseelie who had gotten their hands on her instead of us...I ground my teeth, wishing for something to tear apart.

"There." Helga flopped back in the chair. "Best I can do without rest."

"Thank you for everything." I pushed off from the wall and held out my hand. "Allow me to bring food and drink up for you? We've got an extra bedroom across the hall if you can stand Darrius' snoring."

My cousin charged at me from his bed, but Helga cried out.

"Nay! You undo my work and I won't stop the blood when you bleed out all over the floor."

He gave me a look that had he been one of the Greek myth gorgons, would've turned me to stone. "I donnae snore."

"Then I guess you've come to sleeping with grunting hogs at night."

A whisper of a step outside the door had me dashing forward to protect Helga. Then Avery straightened, her face flushed red, and she cleared her throat. "Where's the bathroom in this place?"

I glanced back at Darrius and Helga. The healer slept in the chair.

"Take care of the assassin." Darrius bent and picked up Hela in his arms. "I'll put Helga ta bed an' leave bread an' wine fer 'er if she wakes before sunrise."

"What's wrong with her?" Avery asked, concern lining her voice.

"Healing takes a toll on her kind," I said. "After she got the leminax poison out of you, she had to repair the damage you did to Darrius - Wait, where is Simeon?"

Did Avery hurt him? I should have checked her for more weapons. She could've had some stuffed in her bra or underwear. I pushed passed her into the hall.

"Simeon!" How could I have left him alone with her?

My boots pounded on the stone floor, but inside I felt frozen like time moved too slow. "Simeon!"

Darrius' footsteps echoed behind me. If she had done something to Simeon, even I wouldn't be able to stop Darrius from ripping out her heart nor would I want to. First, I ran into the guest room we'd put her in. The door stood wide open and no sign of Simeon. The wooden tray lay on its side, the food spilled all over the floor as though there had been a struggle.

"Are one of you tyrants going to tell me where the bathroom is or am I going to - ?"

I jammed a hand onto Avery's throat and hauled her to me.

"Where is Simeon?" I drew out each word, wanting to shake her.

She clawed at my hand, yet no fear reflected in her eyes, only anger and hatred. Good. I didn't want to have to murder the queen and remember the terror in her eyes afterward. Her defiance told me she knew exactly what she had done. She'd pay with her life.