The Frozen Prince (The Beast Charmer #2) - Maxym M. Martineau Page 0,27
beak. She flapped her wings a few times before settling them against her back and scooting closer to Leena. Her eyes never left her master.
Gently, Leena scooped Effie up and held her close to her chest, ignoring whatever pain may have sparked from her wound. “Shhh. You did fine.”
“Will that help him return to normal?” I asked. I prayed that it would. He had to come back to us. For Effie’s sake. For Leena’s. For all of us.
“Maybe? We’re in uncharted territory here. Kaori would know. Possibly Gaige.” Her head pivoted back to the man lying still before Kost. Problems from every direction, it seemed. I placed a gentle hand on her back, and she rolled her lower lip into her mouth. Squeezed Effie a little tighter.
“He’ll be okay too. Let’s see if Kost needs any help.” I led her back to Kost, my hand steady on her back. Would she blame herself for this? How could she? We never could’ve predicted the attack, and yet the way she’d stared at Calem… His predicament wasn’t her fault, either, but guilt had a funny way of ignoring logic when the heart was involved.
We came to a stop before Kost, and Leena sat Effie on the ground by her feet. He had summoned his Poi, Felicks, while we’d inspected Calem, and his fox-like beast was waiting with rapt attention.
“How’s he doing?” Leena asked, voice strained.
Kost never looked up from his work. With Gaige’s pant leg torn clean off, the jagged gash along his thigh was clearly visible. Blood flowed in a slow but steady trickle, and Kost sighed. “The blade should’ve dissipated with Kira’s death, but something is still in there.” With unparalleled precision, he dove two fingers into the wound and extracted a tiny silver needle. Then snapped it in half. “She must have propelled it in with her shadows.”
I scowled at the weapon. “But he’ll be fine?”
“Yes. Felicks, come here.” He never tore his gaze away from Gaige’s leg. Felicks moved instantly to his master’s side. Settling into his haunches, he angled his head down and began licking the length of the wound. Slowly, Gaige’s skin resealed. When the work was done, Felicks glanced around and let out a soft bark. Kost finally relaxed a fraction and turned to meet our gazes, pausing when he noticed Leena’s wound. “Let Felicks patch that up for you.”
She slumped to the ground beside Effie, nodding wordlessly. Felicks bounded toward her without needing a command and stood on his hind legs, licking her exposed wound. Magic saliva dripped from his chops and sewed her skin together.
Leena shivered. An iron fist wrenched my heart, and I sank to the ground beside her. No doubt the scratchy feel of this beast’s tongue was calling up memories she’d rather forget. Right on cue, her shaking fingers went to her legs. I caught her hands between my own and placed a kiss on her knuckles. After a moment, Felicks stopped and Leena rolled her shoulder, wincing slightly. The skin may have resealed, but the knife had gone clean through. Muscles would take longer to heal, even if Felicks’s saliva had dripped through to the bone.
Effie paced beside her, continuously tossing glances back to the open clearing where Calem slumbered. Felicks cocked his head to the side, tracking Effie’s movements, and then offered a soft nudge into her side as she passed. She practically wilted into him. Felicks didn’t seem to mind her added weight, and instead began licking the length of her neck, preening her feathers.
A soft smile touched Kost’s lips before he looked past them to the red-haired assassin, Brody, lying frozen on the ground. He glowered. “What are we going to do about him?”
Pulling Leena up with me, we towered over him. “Stand.”
Without hesitation, Brody stood, compelled by my blood. Wide eyes shifted between us. “Are you going to kill me?”
Kill. Gods, I wanted to. The languid red sheen threatened to close over my thoughts, but I steeled my ire and reached for Leena’s waist. The feel of her warmth and steady beat of her heart grounded my senses. I’d need to tell her—tell all of them—about the voice I swore I heard…but now wasn’t the time.
“That depends entirely on you.” I glanced at the decimated bodies of the fallen assassins. They had once been my brethren. I’d never wanted to kill them. But if it meant protecting my own… “You will answer all my questions. What was your mission?”