Wren stretched her wings and took off into the sky. Kieran shot me an angry look and flew after her.

Chapter Seventeen

Benedict

I was angry, but Wren was right. The status quo couldn’t continue. My queen was a warrior, but she couldn’t hide the telltale stiffness of her back or the tightness around her eyes every time another painful attack seized her. I wanted to simultaneously strangle Thad for having the foresight to give her the tattoo and run my fangs through his throat for hurting her.

“The latest from the fortress.” Ronan handed me a letter, signed by Astrid.

Her witches had been inching nearer to the mountain, observing the aftermath of Severn’s death. Wren hadn’t given too many details. She just confirmed Thad had killed him, and that he intended to take over when she’d left.

I wondered if I should be worried that she didn’t wish to divulge anything of her time there. Part of me wanted the information and felt she needed to get it out. Like purging poison from a wound. Another part of me didn’t want to hear any of it, knowing she’d been at the mercy of Thad the entire time. Fucking Thad.

“Thank you.”

Ronan raised an eyebrow at my politeness, but I waved him away. He had been invaluable lately, and I didn’t see what was so wrong with showing it. To my annoyance, he took it as permission to lean over my shoulder and read the letter he’d just handed me. I ignored him, and quickly scanned the contents.

“Well.” I crumpled the letter and threw it against the wall.

“So, he has simply taken over where Severn has left off? I would have thought since he was a draken—”

“He is just as much a demon as he is a draken.”

Ronan considered this. “Wren has not said much about his character. That leads me to believe she isn’t sure.”

I chuckled darkly. “If Wren is unsure, then the rest of us have no chance.”

Ronan grinned, but then his gaze flicked back to the crumpled letter. “Astrid didn’t ask for aid, so it can’t be that bad.”

I shot him a wry grin, running my hands through my hair. We were all feeling the strain of the mateship bond, but I was stubborn in my refusal to touch her until she was healed. I shifted my thoughts back to Astrid.

“Ronan, a woman never comes right out and says what she wants. If she has to, you’re already in trouble.”

He rolled his eyes and gestured at the crumpled letter on the floor. “Astrid is worried enough about attacks to mention it, so she is subtly probing if we can send more aid. She hasn’t heard from Spike, and Zara is out at sea.” Ronan tilted his head to the side. “I will go, if you need it.”

I normally would have no hesitation, but Ronan was as weak as Kieran and me. He wouldn’t be at his best if I sent him. None of us would be and definitely not until we could renew the bond. “We will wait. Once we heal Wren, we can renew our bond, and then you will go.”