Page 25 of The Raven Queen

I angled my face away from him but couldn’t escape his fetid breath. “I haven’t the faintest idea.”

“That Liam’s not my son.” He gripped my jaw in one hand and jerked my face back toward his. “That you were whoring around and got yourself into a bit of trouble before we married. Is he Garath’s bastard?”

I forced out a bitter bark of laughter when what I really wanted to do was scream in terror and run away. “Don’t be ridiculous,” I said. “Liam looks just like you.” At least, his coloring was the same.

Alastor’s cheeks twitched with the ghost of a smile. “Yes, well...” His gaze dropped to my lips. “You can’t blame me for being jealous.”

My stomach turned.

“Take off your pants, wife,” Alastor ordered. “I need to plant my seed.”

“My mother just died,” I said, wrenching free of his hold and backing away. “I’m not in the mood.” I sidestepped to walk around him. “Now let me go to our son.”

Alastor shifted to block my path.

Sid rustled his feathers on the windowsill, preparing to launch himself into the air.

When I attempted to evade Alastor again, he mirrored my movement, and a cruel smile twisted his lips. “You’re not going anywhere.”

9

Fin

Everything was a frenzy of rapid heartbeats and chaotic thoughts between leaving my friends at the outer wall, creeping through the hidden escape tunnel Del had taken me through a decade ago, swimming under the castle bridge, and making my way through the torchlit courtyard to the servants’ entrance dripping wet. Every part of me was hyperaware, and my nerve endings were on the highest alert. Nulling myself was one thing, but it wasn’t as easy to hide myself in the shadows as it had been ten years ago.

Thankfully, the foggy night helped, and the animal senses around me alerted me to the guards stationed within the castle walls. But still, there was a disquiet in the air. Humans were on edge and distracted. Strange as the atmosphere was, there was little time to think about it and even less time to waste.

Calling on a feline mind within the castle, I found one of the servants’ quarter’s cats willing to provide eyes into the oversized kitchen before I walked through the servants’ door. I’d expected there would be a handful of staff still cleaning after a day of meals and duties, but it was empty.

As I stepped inside, greeted by my black furry friend, I noticed trays of partially touched food—fruit, cheeses, and meats that had barely been eaten. Decanters and dirtied goblets were discarded on the counters as if they’d been hastily forgotten.

Hearing footsteps coming down the corridor, I dipped into the pantry, where I remembered there was a concealed door that would lead me into the secret passageways of the castle. Right toward Del.

I stared at the lamb shanks hanging from the ceiling for a beat, and a pang of longing filled my chest. The last time I was here, Beast was with me, and our clandestine night in Castle Corvo was one of the most pleasantly surprising adventures we’d had together.

Clearing my throat, I opened the hidden door in the wall and climbed into the secret corridor. Bursts of light filtered through the darkness from hidden openings in the wall, illuminating the path enough to see, and I made haste toward Del’s wing of the castle.

The pathway was narrower than I remembered, my shoulders nearly brushing both walls, but my steps were careful. Like any other time I was tracking in the forest, I made no noise for someone to notice me.

Weaving my way through the labyrinth was a bit of a haze but one I navigated well enough. After all, I’d only ever been in this castle once before, and it wasn’t an experience I would ever forget. Instead of years, it seemed like only months since I took in the garish decor and unnerving artwork of my ancestors hanging on the walls. It was so eerie; it remained unblemished in my memory.

The closer I drew to the castle’s east wing, the sweatier my palms became and the more chaotic my thoughts were. As soon as I reached the back of what I hoped was the giant portrait of Dani, I knew I was close.

Left to my own senses to guide me, and perhaps a bit of luck, I popped the painting open as quietly and slowly as I could and peered through the crack, looking for movement and listening for voices. I heard a squawking bird in the distance. Then the sound tapered away.

Pushing the portrait open farther, I poked my head out to find the hallway was clear, and I hurried down the corridor toward Del’s old rooms. With each step, I told myself this needed to happen, that I needed closure from Del as much as I needed answers for my people and to ensure their safety.

The squawking started again, louder and closer this time, and the hair rose on the back of my neck. A familiar sound. A frantic sound.A raven.Dread pooled in my belly as I connected with the bird’s mind to see a red-faced Del struggling beneath a hulking male figure. Sid swept low, his beak snapping at her attacker’s back.

I heard Del’s garbled pleas and shrieks from down the hall, cutting into me like a blade shredding through my heart. I sped to her chambers, nearly tripping over two unconscious guards outside her rooms.

More cries met my ears. Then the man’s curses as Sid attacked him again. I barreled through the open door and the sitting room into Del’s bedchamber, where the man pinned her down on the bed, one hand gripped tight around her throat. She hit and scratched at the man’s arm and face, bucking against him as he pulled at her pants, trying to tear off her clothes.

All I saw was red. All I could feel was rage and desperation as my steps swallowed the distance to Del.

“You will do your duty,” the man gritted out.

Before I realized what I was doing, I was behind him, wrapping my arm around his neck. I wrenched him off her and refused to let go.

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