Page 83 of The Night Prince

I’m attacked. Long dark hair distorts my vision as arms wrap around me and a chest bumps against my side. The scent of horses floods my lungs. I’m squeezed until I can’t breathe.

“You’re still shite at giving hugs.” Fiona pulls back and turns me to face her with a smile on her face. I’d expected her to appear drawn and tired. She looks surprisingly healthy. Her dark hair hangs loose and is a little wild, but her cheeks are rosy, and her brown eyes are bright.

A soft laugh escapes my lips. “Fiona! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. No thanks to James. I’ve been cooped up in my chambers for weeks. He didn’t have the balls to lock me up in the dungeons, the bastard.” She assesses me, and her expression darkens. “I heard what he did to you.” She shakes her head, then frowns. “Why is it so tense in here?”

Callum blinks. Once. Twice. His expression softens and he clears his throat. “Rory. Are you okay?”

I release some of the emotion that bubbles inside me on a shaky breath. “I’m not hurt. Are you?”

He smiles, somewhat sadly. “No.”

Fiona’s forehead creases. She looks like she’s going to say something, but Blake walks past me and slaps Lochlan’s hand away from the man’s shoulder. He leans over the wounded wolf, and I follow him, Fiona close beside me.

“This is Kai?” I ask.

Lochlan nods. The man on the thin mattress is barely breathing. I can tell that, under different circumstances, he would be handsome. He has jet-black hair and high cheekbones. His breeches and shirt are torn and stained with blood.

I balk when I realize he’s missing a couple of fingers, and his ankle is twisted at an unnatural angle.

“Can you help him?” Lochlan is trying to appear composed, but his shoulders are stiff.

Blake pulls aside the collar of Kai’s bloody shirt. There’s a mark on his chest. I lean closer, and stiffen when I recognize it. Someone has branded him with Night’s mark. The skin around it is mottled and burned, as if it was done recently.

Blake turns his attention to Callum. “We encountered Alexander a couple of hours ago.”

Callum’s eyes widen, and I realize that with everything going on, he must not have realized the new Borderlands lord had arrived with his men at the manor. “What?”

“He told us he’d be sending someone to us. He also expressed how keen he was to get his hands on Aurora.” Hewalks to the workbench behind me, where knives and scalpels are lined up by vials of herbs and medicine.

“The ambush was a trap,” says Callum.

“I’d say so. If Alex has broken him, he cannot stay. Neither can the others.” He gestures at the men lying in the two other cots. “You know what needs to be done.”

Callum slams his fist down on the workbench by the fireplace. “Fuck!”

I flinch, and Fiona stiffens.

Lochlan moves his hand to his sword. “I won’t allow you to kill him. You need Glas-Cladach—”

The temperature in the infirmary drops, and the fire flickers out. Kai opens his eyes, and they are completely black. “I know your scent.”His voice is low and raspy, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “The light and the dark. She always liked a good joke.”

Blake darts forward, pushes me aside, and grabs Kai’s throat.

Kai laughs. “He’s looking for you.”

Blake squeezes. “Who?”

Kai frowns. The fire flickers back to life, and the black drains form his eyes to reveal honey-colored irises. Blake releases his hold and glances at Callum.

The man visibly trembles on the thin mattress. His breathing is ragged. He tosses his head from side to side, as if he can’t figure out where he is.

Fiona grasps my sleeve, and her eyes are wide. Callum is completely still, and his hand is on the hilt of his sword.

Lochlan crouches down beside the cot. His skin is pale. “What happened to him?”

Blake shakes his head. “I don’t—”

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