Page 72 of Wicked Thirst
When he only stared at me with an of course look on his face, I gave a single nod. “Fair assumption.”
“So, we have Marius’ right-hand man with a broken neck in our lab.” Titus rubbed at the stubble covering his chin and gave a little hum. “Interesting turn of events, wouldn’t you say?”
“The most interesting one I’ve had all day,” I agreed.
Titus turned toward the doctor. “What is the plan of action here?”
The doctor crossed his arms over his chest and glanced from me to Titus. “I will have to use one of the healing potions Ophelia left behind for us. I can straighten the bone, and the potion should help the healing process move rather quickly.”
“Excellent, then I’ll be happy to question him.” I strolled over to Theon and bent over his head so he could see me clearly. “And you’ll be very helpful, won’t you?”More of that rapid blinking. “I’m going to assume that’s a yes, because a broken neck will seem like child’s play compared to what I will do to you.”A small grunt. “Good.” I patted his chest.
Titus turned to the doctor. “How long until he’s fully healed?”
“I’d say a comfortable estimate would be three days. As he’s a prisoner, I’ll be sure to keep him restrained at all times.”
Titus nodded in agreement. “Until we know how or why he came to be like this, I think that’s best. See that he gets the best treatment but do proceed with caution and keep him contained.”
The doctor bowed toward Titus and turned back to Theon. Titus crooked his finger at me, motioning for me to follow him out the door and into the hallway where we could be alone. I knew what he was going to ask me, and I didn’t want to answer. I didn’t want to talk about it. I would either be disobeying an order from my King to find Grayson and bring him home. Or I would be breaking a vow to my best friend to put him out of his misery.
Titus lowered his voice. “What of the Prince?”
“He still eludes us,” I answered honestly.
“We need him contained as soon as possible.” His voice was a deep whisper. “If anyone finds out that the heir is lost to madness, it will embolden them.”
“We can’t be doing with any more of that.”
He placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. “I know you’ve cleaned up the mess this curse has caused for years, and it’s given you no hope for our Grayson, but I can’t . . .” He cleared his throat and swiped at the corner of his eye as though brushing away a tear. “But I can’t bear to think of losing him. Just bring him home.”
“I will do my best, Your Highness.”
“I know you will.” He dropped his hand from my shoulder. “What of Piper? Are you two working together?”
“In a manner.” I didn’t want to lie to my King. “She’s out there looking for him now.”
“She’s tireless in her pursuits.” A slight smile played on his lips. “It must be exhausting.”
I pictured that necklace Grayson had given her. He’d taken great pains to get it to ensure she didn’t go feral once more. In his absence, I didn’t think she was taking care as much as she should have. The memory of that pearl turning a darker shade of pink during our fight invaded my mind. I might be annoyed at her for getting in my way . . . I paused, thinking about that. Was I annoyed or was I grateful for her interference? She would need blood soon. As Grayson’s soulmate, she could only drink from him or she would sicken and die. He was my best friend, my only friend, I couldn’t let the only one he’d ever loved go feral.
“Yes, she is relentless.” Again, not a lie.It felt odd standing in front of Titus and dancing around the truth of the situation. I lowered my voice. “She will need to feed soon.”
His eyes darted up and down the hallway, checking to make sure no one was listening. “I believe Gray made sure he had a supply here for her.”
“Indeed.” I knew exactly where those bags of blood were kept. When she’d left the castle to go live with the Night Spawn, Gray had made sure she got regular deliveries of his blood and that there would be some left here for her. “I know where they are. I’ll see that she gets it.”
Titus gave me a tight-lipped smile. “Your loyalty knows no bounds.”
Like a shot to the heart, his words cut me deep. I’d prided myself on my infallible loyalty, and yet I’d failed Grayson over and over again. I’d failed him out of selfishness, out of grief, and out of the need to keep my one and only friend.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” I nearly choked on the words. Without another word, he walked away, leaving me there with my self-loathing and doubt to suffer with. I pulled my phone from my pocket and hit the number. “I need something done and it needs to be done now.”
She would have the blood she needed. I’d be damned if I would let her go feral on my watch. My best friend would be counting on me, and I’d never failed him. Not until now. I relayed exactly what I wanted and quickly hung up. I had no other reason to stay here. It was my duty to return to my hunt. The heart that I’d long thought dead wretched in my chest, sending a dark wave of sadness through my whole body because there was only one thing left for me to do, and for all my faults, I was loyal until my very last breath. There was nothing left for me in this world.
I was bound to my vow, bound to kill my only friend.
CHAPTER THIRTY
SANCHITA
