Page 28 of The Magic of Eternity
“What can I do for you?” he asked, standing tall.
“We’re here for our woman,” Fischer told him, his voice deadly calm.
The male nodded. “Ah. You’re her mates.” A statement, not a question.
“We are. Half of them, anyway. Now, where is she?” I demanded, stepping closer. The male was just a smidge shorter than me, but he was trimmer, and still, he didn’t back up.
“This room needs to be spelled against those who might seek to listen in before we speak. Allow me to do this and I’ll tell you everything you need to know,” the doctor negotiated, and I knew Fischer was already reading him. I wasn’t sure if it was mating with Saige, bringing Bram into our family, or what exactly—but I was fucking glad he was able to use his powers on demons now.
Kai and I waited for Fish’s verdict. “He’s being truthful. He wants to cast a silencing spell. I suppose it’s a good thing we don’t need him to get that done though. I’ve already sent out signals that will divert anyone who attempts to walk down this hallway.”
The doctor’s mouth fell open at Fischer’s words. “Then why did you probe my brain like that?”
Fish shrugged. “Because I fucking can. Start talking, doctor.”
I clapped a hand on his shoulder and guided him to a small table before pushing him down into the chair. “What’s your name, Doc?”
“Balor. I am loyal to the rightful heir of the throne, King Bram Carlisle. This includes his queen and the queen’s mates. I oversaw her medical treatment during the time she spent unconscious. I did induce this condition as I felt it would be less stressful to her and the unborn babes, and I knew it would delay Asrael from being able to further his plans. This was the best course of action, I hope you understand.”
“I see,” I murmured. “And where is our mate now, Balor?”
For the first time since we’d entered this room, I saw a bit of panic in his eyes. Electricity sparked between my fingers, the familiar sensation comforting after so long without my powers.
“There was an escape yesterday,” Balor explained, and quickly rattled off the rest of the story. “The queen, she spotted a dragon flying and called out to him from the window. It was her dragon mate. Somehow, he was able to break through Asrael’s control and approached the castle. When Asrael realized this, he came here in a fit of rage.”
My initial smile at the fact that she’d escaped quickly fell at the thought of that motherfucker putting his hands on her.
“How do you know all of this?” Kai demanded, slamming his hands down on the table.
“I was in the supply room next door when all of this happened. There was an... altercation. Whatever Asrael planned to do to the queen, she fought back and prevailed. When I realized she was in danger, I ran to her room, but the door had been sealed with magic. I was unable to enter so I went to the next room and stuck my head out of the window. It was there that I saw her leap—leap—into the open claw of her dragon! Oh! Wait a moment.” He stood and raced over to the bed. What the fuck was he doing? He threw the pillows from the mattress and grinned with triumph. “The knife is gone! She must’ve found it…”
“What knife?” Fischer asked, unamused with this male’s theatrics.
Balor traced the room with his eyes. “Aha!” He rushed to the window. Sure as shit, there was a knife handle protruding from beneath a small bookshelf. Before he could bend down to retrieve the weapon, Kai was there, stepping on the handle. Balor looked at him in confusion.
“I don’t know you. I don’t trust you. You’re not touching a weapon, doc,” K sneered down at the demon.
“I’m the one who left this weapon beneath her pillow, you buffoon. You should be thanking me,” Balor snapped, rising to his feet. “She escaped; she bested Asrael. It is all any of the loyalists can talk about!” Balor was full-on grinning now, his face glowing with pride for our mate.
Kai arrived at the same conclusion and he pounced, grabbing Balor by the collar of his shirt. “She. Is. Not. Yours,” he snarled, practically nose to nose with the demon. Balor threw his hands up in a nonthreatening pose, his mouth open in shock.
“Of course she isn’t! She is my patient. She is the queen. Now, get your hands off of me. I’ve never been so offended. She may be yours in the way of mates, but she is also hope for my people. Hope for the dragons. So I suggest you all get used to seeing looks of admiration and adoration on others’ faces, because she’s gods damned earned it! Besides, we have more pressing matters at hand,” Balor added ominously. Kai released him, brushing down his shirt as if that would release the wrinkles he’d caused.
“Apologies,” K muttered, easing himself down into a chair. Fischer was standing so still he could’ve been mistaken for a statue. I figured he was doing whatever mind stuff he could, getting a sense of Balor’s truth.
“Where are the others?” Fish suddenly asked, his voice low and commanding. Balor turned to look at him, and I already knew I wasn’t going to like whatever was going to come out of his mouth.
The demon cleared his throat. “As I said, more pressing matters. There’s an execution scheduled for dawn.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“Who? Who is being executed?” My eyes closed as I let out a deep exhale. The silence in the room was fucking terrible, but I think I almost preferred that to hearing the truth of whatever Balor was about to say.
“Bram,” he whispered, and I clenched my fists so tightly that my fingernails were surely drawing blood. “And Khol.”
My eyes snapped open. “Khol? He’s alive?”
“Aye. For now. I have been in contact with him through others who fight for the real king.”
