Captive of Wolves (Bound to the Fae #1) - Eva Chase Page 0,45
about it,” I say. “You can’t push knowledge out of a being if it’s not there to begin with.”
“You can push it from her dust-destined body. Terrify her and see what comes out when she’s provoked enough. Aerik and his lot left her to languish, but who knows if they ever really came down on her.” Kellan’s eyes flash. “You complained that I wasn’t following your orders, but all I want to do is test her to find out what you claim to want to know. Or do you not really want answers after all, my lord?”
He puts such a disdainful sneer on the title that my lips itch to draw back in a snarl. Instead, I take a step toward him, my chin high and shoulders flexed, reminding him that I’m more powerful than him in more than just name. “Your ‘test’ resulted in nothing more than putting her into a state of panic. Or did you make some useful observation you haven’t bothered to share?”
Kellan tenses, but he holds his ground and my gaze. Oh, he is getting bolder with his defiance. “You haven’t given me the opportunity to pursue my approach further. It seems you value this dung-body over your own pack—over your cadre. Most would see that as an absolute failure of rule.”
I do snarl then, my voice coming out in a growl. “If you’re unhappy with my leadership, I’ve already made it clear that you may find yourself another lord at any time, kin-of-my-mate.”
“I’d be happy to show you the door if you’ve been having trouble finding it,” Whitt pipes up, ever cavalier.
“Threatening rather than facing up to your failures. How impressive of you,” Kellan snaps back at me.
“It wasn’t a threat. It was a statement of fact. Here is another one—one you should heed. I rule this keep and this pack, and I will not be insulted to my face or have my orders disregarded without consequence. The bond between us can be broken, Kellan, and if you break it, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself for the result.”
We stare each other down for a few seconds. A glimmer dances in Kellan’s eyes that’s so wild I’d almost think he’s caught in the full moon’s light. With a twist of my gut, I brace myself for the worst, but to my relief, he lowers his gaze. He dips his head just enough to indicate he’s recognizing my authority.
Recognizing it only by a thread, though. I don’t like how close he’s coming to forcing my hand. I swore I’d do right by him, that I’d give him the best life I was capable of offering, but if his behavior outright threatens the stability of the cadre, I can’t give him a pass.
Does he think I will? Or is he simply testing just how close he can get to that line so he can stay right on the other side of it?
In that moment, I’m not sure which would be worse.
“You are soft on the girl,” he says, still keeping his head bowed. “The crutch, and now this brace for her foot?”
“I explained my reasoning before,” I reply. “The more comfortable she feels, the more she’ll cooperate. If you hadn’t interfered, I might have asked for a sample of her blood to test already and had her willingly offer it, no torment necessary. You’re letting your enjoyment of the torment cloud your judgment.”
He says nothing more, but his denial radiates from his stance. He probably thinks blood gained through torment will serve us better.
And he might not be entirely wrong. Did I need to share that brief story of my childhood follies with the girl? Does it niggle at me more than it should when I see her off-balance?
Surely she’s earned at least that much respect when we’re asking so much from her, though.
I can’t see anything more to be gained from this discussion. I motion toward the door. “It sounds as though we’ve covered all our observations and made our stances clear. Let us continue to observe, and I will take additional steps as I see necessary. If you wish to test the girl in some way, you pass it by me before taking action. Are we understood?”
My cadre gives me a round of murmurs of agreement. Kellan hurries out, muttering something inaudible under his breath. As August moves to follow him, I hold him back.
“You returned from roaming late these last two nights. It’s not like you. Have you found some new