The tic in her jaw said that she noted that his delivery of her title was more insult than obsequiousness. “You should watch your tone, boy. You have assaulted members of my direct family. You’re lucky you’re still alive.”
Actually, they were lucky he wasn’t dead. Had he not survived, he had no doubt his mother would have gone on a royal killing spree.
Starting with Eriadne.
But he refused to be intimidated by her. “Why are you here, Majesty?”
She swept a withering glare over him. “When I leave, my secretary will enter with forms for you to fill out. The pardon your mother and my daughter lobbied for comes with certain conditions.”
He quirked a brow.
“You are never to speak of anything that happened to you. Should anyone ask, you were off on an official assignment.”
Yeah…
“And my hair?”
“You were disciplined for your behavior.”
For his behavior. Priceless.
“Failure to fall in line, Captain, will have most dire consequences for you.”
“I’m a major, Majesty.”
A sinister half smile curled her lips. “Were. Again, let me reiterate how lucky you are to be let off so easily.” She slid her gaze toward the door. “Next time you assault a member of my family, it won’t be you we throw into a pit on Onoria.”
And with that, she walked out.
Talyn sat in bed, barely controlling the rage inside him. And when the secretary handed him the nondisclosure and he read through it, the lies and injustice scalded his throat and branded his soul even worse than the abuse he’d survived.
“Is there a problem, Captain?”
Talyn gripped the stylus and reminded himself that it wasn’t the secretary’s fault she served a whore queen. But really? He wanted to stab her with it. “No problem.”
He signed his name to the document and saved it. They thought they had him.
They were wrong.
Yes, he was a Batur, but more than that, he was a mighty War Hauk. So named for their willingness to bleed in battle and take the life of those who threatened their family.
This wasn’t over. He would have sucked up what they did to him and taken it.
Their mistake? Threatening his mother and Felicia. For he was a stralen War Hauk. No one, not even the fucking tadara of Andaria, threatened his family and got away with it.
That bitch was going down, and by all the gods, he was going to be the one to bind her in chains.
Or personally send her to her grave.
Chapter 17
Lorens ground his teeth as he read over Talyn’s medical report and saw what Jullien and the others had done to the poor kid. It disgusted him.
Talyn was barely older than Gavarian. At that age, Lorens had just been entering the military under his father’s direct tutelage and fierce protection.
He hadn’t been tortured for the pleasure of a demented tahrs and his court. Sadly, he hadn’t realized just how young Talyn was when they’d had dinner together. The warrior had seemed a lot older and far more worldly than he should be. That, too, said a lot about Talyn’s upbringing and past treatment.
“You summoned me, Commander?”
Lorens looked up from his files to see Colonel Anatole. In that moment, he wanted to put his fist through the bastard’s smug face. “A disturbing report has come to my attention. I want you to explain to me what happened to Major Batur.”
“Pardon?”
“Major Talyn Batur. Don’t play stupid with me, Colonel.”
More calm than anyone had a right to be, Chrisen met his gaze fearlessly. “As you know, Lieutenant Batur was transferred from my command. I know nothing about him beyond that.”
Bullshit.
“Fascinating. Your log reports show that you’ve spent weeks at the palace and not at your duty station.”
He shrugged nonchalantly. And why shouldn’t he? Chrisen thought himself above reproach and discipline. “The palace is a big place and the tahrs, my cousin, wanted extra security. Seems he feared an assassination plot from someone close to him.”
“So you know nothing about Batur’s arrest?”
“I didn’t know he was arrested at all.”
Lying sack of shit. But then, Talyn hadn’t technically been arrested. He’d been seized and tortured.
“Get out of my sight.”
Anatole paused. “You might want to rethink your tone with me, Commander. While you do outrank me in the military, you’d do well to remember that socially, I outrank you. It is my blood family that has ruled us all for thousands of years. Be a shame for your children to grow up fatherless.”