I gaped at the tattered human drinking in mud as if it were oxygen at my feet. “What the fuck just happened?”
“Seems someone just lost a plaything,” Damien drawled, folding his arms and narrowing his caramel-brown eyes.
Yeah, a plaything that nearly damaged my pride and joy with that cruel jerk to the groin. Had I not shifted my thigh at the right second, I’d have been knocked down to my knees—a feat no one had accomplished in centuries. Not even Damien.
The female sputtered, her consciousness wavering between life and death. Another minute in that position and she’d drown herself. Maybe even less. She wasn’t in the best shape but had put up one hell of a fight. Not that Damien and I had been trying to harm her—we’d been too startled by her sudden appearance to muster up a reaction.
Yet she’d come at us like a damn hellcat, which I found oddly admirable. Hmm.
I glanced at Damien. “Anyway, as I was saying, Lilith has promoted me to temporary Royal of Silvano Region.”
My best friend arched a dark brow at me. “Is that supposed to be a punishment?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s more of a punishment for her than for me,” I replied, amused. “What do you think? Should I keep Silvano Region as my own?”
“I suspect there will be a few who will be displeased by that decision.”
“Which only makes it more appealing,” I admitted as the mortal began to choke in earnest on the ground. “That’s not a very attractive noise,” I informed her.
“Should we just put it out of its misery?” Damien asked, following my gaze. “Seems a bit pitiful.”
I cocked my head to the side, studying her. “She had a reasonable fight in her. I hear that’s rare these days.”
“It is,” he replied. As Damien spent more time with current society than I did, I took his words to heart and squatted down beside the fragile female. Her gaze locked on mine, blue flames dancing in her irises.
So much anger.
Pain.
Retribution.
All emotions I understood far too well.
Her pupils flared as I reached for her, pushing her just enough to draw her mouth and nose away from the mud.
“Seems cruel to torture it,” Damien pointed out.
“Yes, but I’m curious to see how long her fight survives.” Something about her intrigued me. And it’d been a long time since I had found anything remotely interesting in this life. “Did I tell you Kylan took Silvano’s head?” I asked Damien, my focus still on the sputtering female.
“That would have been a fascinating sight to witness.”
“It was,” I admitted. And yet, this human captivated me more. Particularly as she scowled at me with adorable menace. “You really are a little warrior, aren’t you?” I pushed her fully onto her back, then looked at Damien. “There’s something strange going on with Kylan and Jace, by the way. I want to know what it is.”
“Strange how?”
“They were getting along.” I swiped a lock of muddied hair out of the woman’s face, wanting to study her features. “And Kylan doesn’t get along with anyone.”
“I’ll look into it.”
“I’m going to need a survey of the region as well. A list of those who might oppose my leadership.” I wasn’t sure if I intended to remain as the royal or not, but having those details would certainly help me formulate an appropriate decision.
“Anything else?” Damien asked.
The female began to cough, her eyes losing their flare with each hacking vibration. “No,” I told him. “I think that’s all for now.” My brow furrowed as I watched her life flicker in and out of existence.
Humans were so pitiful.
Broken.
Weak.
However, she’d tried to fight me. It’d be laughable if it weren’t so sad. I ran my fingers through her matted blonde hair. What would she have looked like in another reality? I wondered idly, running the back of my knuckles down her cheek. “Dying beside the Sabine River,” I said, shaking my head. “Not the burial place I’d choose.”
Damien grunted. “Her body will be gone by morning. If it’s not a wolf, a gator will take care of it.”
“Hmm.” I started to stand, when I saw a flicker of something in her gaze that held me still once more. A golden shine. Like a wolf. There and gone in a flash, but the warrior remained once more. Murder stared up at me. The promise of death. A seduction I couldn’t ignore. “All right, little human.” I slipped my arms beneath her, lifting her slight form with ease.