my girl. Because she may not have loved Trice the way he wished she did, but that didn’t mean she had not come to care for him. So, I had to respect that, even if I didn’t fucking like it!
Not. One. Fucking. Bit!
“Back to the mortal realm and with her father, where she will be safe,” I answered gritting my teeth.
“Aye, tis fur th' best,” Gryph answered with a nod of his head, making that long plait of hair of his swing over his shoulder like a red snake bound in leather.
“The lady will most certainly be missed, for she is such a dear girl,” Vern said, his own body wincing on hearing for himself what a twat he sounded. Gryph chuckled, and Trice shot Vern a knowing grin.
“I beg of you, my kin, please refrain from calling me a ninny this time, for I fear my reaction to it would be to slap you both with the palm of my glove.” At this, Gryph burst out laughing making his large frame shake, as he said,
“Aye noo, that be big terrifying wurds fur such wee gentleman.”
“Aye, a'm feelin' mah kilt a quaking,” Trice added, making Vern give them a pointed look that even I could tell meant, fuck off.
“When dae we leave fur battle?” Trice then asked as he turned back to me, and I confessed I was surprised that this would be his first thought.
“You don’t, for your job is done,” I stated, making Trice frown before snapping,
“The fuck it is!” Gryph then placed a beefy hand on his brother’s chest to hold him back, then he took a step towards me and said,
“Whit mah brother is trying tae say is that th' fight is not over 'n' tae a McBain, th' jab is only finished whin th' enemy is dead.”
“This is not your fight,” I stated.
“Are yer nay trying tae stop Hell fae bein' taken over by a fuckin’ tyrant 'n' amassing an army tae dae so?” Gryph said pointing out the facts. So, I pointed out one of my own.
“You’re bounty hunters, not men of war.”
“Aye 'n' how dae ye think we git 'ere, after all, ye shud mind hoo we sold oor souls in th' first place,” Trice snapped, and my only response to this was a short,
“Indeed.”
“Forgive my impertinence, my Lordship, but I believe my brother just made a perfect point, and one you will find it difficult to argue against. We are first and foremost warriors, and you hold our souls as…” At this I held up a hand and said,
“Your souls are mine no longer, for I release them.” At this, all three of them became wide-eyed and clearly shocked. I closed my own eyes for a second before informing them,
“If you wish to fight for me then let it be done so through your own choices and with it the ownership of your own souls, for I am your king no longer. If you fight, we fight as one and we fight together and we do so for a common cause, not because I command it… now kneel for the last time, brothers McBain.” The moment I finished, I watched as Trice’s fingers uncurled from his sword before dropping his arm in shock. Then, one by one they fell to their knees in front of me, as the time had finally come. It had been all they had been working towards since their mortal demise and from the looks on their faces now, not one they truly believed would ever come to happen. In truth, had it not been for Amelia, then that might have been so. But then that was the power of a fated queen, as it was not only their King’s life they would affect but more often than not, that of his people.
So, it was time to give them back what they truly desired, and I had to say, it was a practice that I had not performed in quite some time. Unfortunately, it was also not one that would work on those that were made into my own kind. Because there was a difference between owning one’s soul and forging one with my own. And only one of these could be undone. Because once they drank from my blood and became a vampire, then the effect could not be reversed. However, for the souls I owned without them being gifted my blood, there was a way to undo what had been done, and it was one I