Page 45 of Randall
Darvon gave credit to his own royal upbringing for keeping a straight face during that exchange. Flynn, however, pressed his face into Darvon’s back to muffle his chortles.
Randall side-eyed Flynn but pressed on, for which Darvon was thankful. They didn’t have many hours for themselves until they had to be on the move again.
“We must leave at first light.”
“Why?” came from multiple sources.
Randall blew out a breath and lied, “I had another vision. We must make for the foot of the Wintervale Mountains.”
Valter glanced at his mates, then down at his feet as Kat brushed against his legs before he asked, “We can’t wait for Jarrah, Marius, and Quinn?”
Darvon smiled at Valter’s use of all their names, but he rationalized that to Valter, Marius and Quinn were like brothers-by-marriage.
Randall peered at Kat, then met Valter’s gaze. “They’ll join us en route.”
“You’re sure?” Duke interjected.
Duke’s question mirrored Darvon’s own. He sent,“What did Kat say?”to Randall, but his mate gave a tiny shake of his head, keeping his focus on Valter.
“As sure as I can be with anything that’s happened since the night of the ball.”
“What of the soldiers? Will they join us?”
Timur’s question was a valid one, though none of their visions had included them. Darvon hoped Randall would decline. He’d grown to respect Lanter in the short time they spent together. The captain seemed capable, but humans had no magick to protect them in this fight against monsters and demons.
However, it wasn’t Randall who answered. “No. We go on alone. Humans are too fragile for the battle to come. I won’t risk having our attention diverted.”
They spun to face the stairs, where Jarrah stood on the landing, dirty and dust-covered. Behind him, his mates, Marius and Quinn, looked equally exhausted and disheveled.
As they slowly sank to the floor, and Jarrah seemed about to buckle, Kat shouted in Darvon’s mind.Quickly! Help him.
With Kat’s plea ringing in his ears, Darvon sprang into motion, grabbing hold of Jarrah in a bear hug. He held him up as the others rushed around him. Valter joined Darvon while Duke and Flynn helped Quinn, and Baron and Artor went to Marius’ side.
“What’s going on here?” the mayor’s seneschal demanded. Master Nicholas and Baron’s sons slipped up and around the seneschal. Darvon could see how much the younger vampires cared for Marius; their gazes never left him. Nicholas’ gaze, however, was riveted on Artor.
“What room can we use?” Randall snarled, standing apart, waving his arms in the air. “And we’ll need food quickly. Baron, Marius needs blood.”
“Connor!” Baron shouted.
“Here, Father.” One second behind Randall, the next, kneeling beside Baron and pressing a bloody cut on his forearm to Marius’ mouth. Marius took a few sips before his mouth opened and he sank his teeth into Connor’s flesh. The vampire hissed but held still.
“Just a little, Marius. You know you won’t get as much fulfillment from them as you would from your mates.”
Marius’ eyes fluttered, and he stared at Baron, releasing Connor’s arm and readily accepting Cormac’s in its place.
“This is highly inappropriate,” the seneschal muttered angrily, looking around at them.
Valter, startled from his concern for Jarrah, glared at the man. “You heard the Royal Magician. We need food and drink for our friends.”
The seneschal jumped and quickly apologized to Valter, bowing low, and then he pushed open a door to an empty bedroom and hurried away, passing Herulf as he came up the stairs.
“Apologies, Your Majesty. It’s the price I pay for being mayor. The people insisted I have a few humans around.”
Valter and Darvon guided Jarrah inside and laid him down on the bed. Duke carried an unconscious Quinn in next and placed him beside Jarrah.
“Brother…” Darvon scanned Jarrah’s body, looking for obvious injuries. It was so rare for the Fae to become weakened in any way that he wasn’t sure what to do. “What happened?”
“Let me…” Randall said, running his hand soothingly across Darvon’s upper back. Darvon stepped to the side, allowing his mate to reach the bed. When Randall placed his fingertips on Jarrah’s chest, they both winced. “By the gods and goddesses…”
