Damnit. This was somehow super intimate. I blinked and he was gone and reappeared, wiping my face with makeup wipes before finally coming back with a cup of tea.
“Is your head alright?” he asked and tried to move my hair as I winced. He came back with pain medicine a moment later, a herbal remedy Koa had actually made. I took it without question.
“Oliver,” I mumbled as he shook his head looking like he was on the verge of something or maybe about to break some shit.
“In bed,” he demanded and I crawled in cautiously as he kicked off his shoes and joined me, his chest warm against my back. I wish I could tell you I thought about the absurdity of this, but instead my eyes closed as if this was natural.
I wasn’t positive when exactly I fell asleep. Possibly right away.
Chapter 11
Oliver Grimald
Blood Sacrifices Against Stone
I was furious.
The moment her breathing evened out, I was down the steps and stalking towards the maze. But not until I’d added to the ward my brothers had placed in the room, making sure she wouldn’t even be able to get out tonight. I wasn’t risking shit. Too many fucking dangerous people around here. My jaw was so tight I was afraid I may break my own fucking teeth. I was shaking with fury, and I looped through the maze towards the center, following the scent of magic.
Immediately, I slammed Rain up against one of the statues, a growl ripped from his throat as I punched him square in the jaw. His magic hit me solidly in the chest as I crashed into the rose bushes across the way, narrowing my eyes at the asshole.
“What the hell is your problem?” he snarled.
“My problem is that you had one fucking job to do,” I growled standing up and moving forward. “You and Merrick couldn’t fucking keep her safe for two hours. She’s been safe for literally over a decade without you assholes around, and the night you are here she almost gets fucking assaulted?”
Rain’s eyes flashed with darkness. “She stormed out of the kitchen, we assumed she went upstairs.”
“Proving my point that you know nothing about her. I don’t give a fuck what type of heir claim you think you have over Ophelia, until we are in Underside, stay the fuck away from her,” I spit out. My eyes darted to where the fat bastard that had assaulted her was held by the spelled statue, locked in place. I could tell he was already close to death,
Koa’s face filled with pure satisfaction at his pain, and Bard covered in blood splatters from the punches he threw at the asshole. Better get his temper out on a dead man than anyone else.
Merrick sat on one of the benches, his eyes dark and guilt wracking his expression. I didn’t really give a damn about his feelings.
“I’m not leaving her alone,” Rain stated softly. Instead of trying to attack Rain, I snapped the other bastard's neck as the satisfaction of his life slipping rolled over me. I inhaled and tried to gather myself.
“I don’t care what you do,” I stated softly, “but she’s never going to be without one of us three, so you can fuck off or stay around. Just keep out of us doing our actual fucking job.”
A rumble sounded and the statue let the body fall onto the soft earth as it opened up, sucking in the bent, broken, bloody pulp into the soil as if it had never happened. I looked back at the house, “You two head home, I’m staying with Ophelia tonight.” Neither Koa nor Bard argued, and like I said, I didn’t care what the others did.
Instead of walking through the house, I unraveled my wings and flew up to her false balcony window and slid into her quarters. I froze finding her curled up on the couch watching the news instead of in her bed.
“Princess?” I asked gruffly.
She sat up. “I thought you left.” I could hear the slight sad accusation.
“I just had to handle some shit,” I muttered, slipping off my shoes, “why aren’t you in bed?”
She watched me and spoke quietly as if what she was saying was odd, “The shadows are bothering me tonight.”
I hummed in understanding, washing my hands of blood in the bathroom before coming back out and tugging my shirt off. Her mouth opened in surprise as I tried to not chuckle at that. I lifted her up and settled her against