Page 44 of The Poison of the Earth
Kai frowns and scoops me back up again.
“Argh, stop, I can walk, I’m fine!” I protest as he spins and heads out of my rooms only to turn and kick open Lonan’s door. “Why do you both insist on carrying me for fucks’ sake?” I angrily yell.
He takes the steps two at a time as Lonan appears at the top, wrapped in a tiny towel and hair dripping.
“What’s going on?” He demands.
Kai snorts, “Didn't even hear your defenseless lover being attacked? You’re getting too comfortable, you lazy bastard.”
Ouch. He’s not wrong, but damn.
Instead of the couches, he carries me to the right of the stairs, to the door surrounded by book cases.
“Oh, no,” I protest again, squirming.I cannot be put in Lonan’s bed, in my underwear, by Kai.
But Kai ignores me, pushing the door open with his shoulder, Lonan trailing him. He skirts around us at a jog and yanks back the covers. His room is lit by several candelabras and I can see a bathroom to the side, a huge tub taking up most of it.
Kai deposits me on the bed and quickly tosses the sheets up over me, as he looks away. I feel a small pang of hurt that he isin such a hurry to hide my body.What the fuck was that about? And more importantly, why do I care?
Lonan climbs, still obviously damp, onto the bed to me, “Sweetheart...” his hand touches my neck.
I feel rage from him and he turns to Kai, “What the fuck happened?”
I huff, “You could ask me.”
They both ignore me.
“Achlys tried to garotte her. She bashed them in the face, from the looks of it, when I got there. I killed them. Probably too quickly but I... was too angry for control.”
I frown. His control felt absolutely precise to me.
Lonan grunts, “Naw, better dead, I don’t give a fuck about their motivations. We’ll search their rooms.”
He turns back to me, “Are you alright, Ollie?”
I cross my arms under my chest, oddly annoyed at both of them. “Yes.”
Kai looks pissed and crosses his arms too. “Tomorrow, princess, you’ll start training with me.”
“What? No, I–” I start.
“It wasn’t a suggestion.You will. I need you to be able to handle a blade if you’re going to be Lonan’s consort and... wife.” He finishes the sentence softly, rage simmering in his words.
For once, I decide not to push my luck. I just nod as I purse my lips.
Kai spins and heads out. Lonan follows and I can hear them have a few hushed words before Kai retreats down the stairs.
Chapter Fifteen
Lonan
Annoyance and wrath are warring inside me, but as I return to my room, seeing Oleander there, in my bed, looking so... vulnerable, all thoughts flee.
I take a deep breath as she silently starts to plait her hair. “Would you like to use my bathtub?”
She blinks. “No, I’d like to use mine as soon as that body is removed.”
I shake my head, “Absolutely not. You’re sharing my rooms now, like it or not. You can keep those rooms for when you want to be alone; myself or one of the Circle will be checking them before you enter. But you’ll sleep here.”
