I’ve got it, Kieran said through thenotam.
Frowning, I saw him at the end of the row, his eyes on us as he bent over a mortal.
“Aye. ’is Majesty is right,” came a rough voice from behind us—a mortal whose broken arms I’d healed a little while ago. “Ya done enough.”
“You don’t need to call him that,” I advised.
“And you don’t need to hurt yourself,” another voice said. This time, it was a guard. I rolled my eyes. “Let him take you back.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted.
“Ya almost passed out before you fixed up Harland,” a different mortal said, an older man with deep lines in his features. “I saw ya.” He coughed and winced. “Never thought I’d see a god pass out—”
“I wasn’t about to pass out.”
“She was,” Hisa argued, and my eyes widened on her. She cringed, a rare expression for her. “Sorry, but you need to rest.”
“Traitors,” I muttered. “I’m surrounded by traitors.”
Casteel smirked.
“My Queen.” He extended his hand.
I stared at his open palm as if it were a serpent.Don’t make me pick you up and carry you out of here.
My gaze flew to his.
Because I will.
Even though he didn’t speak out loud, the message in his tone was clear. There was no room for argument.
Shoulders loosening, I sighed. “Fine.”
Casteel wiggled his fingers.
Rolling my eyes, I smacked my hand onto his with enough force that a few of the older men—the ones less moved by being in the presence of gods and wolven—chuckled.
“Ain’t she a fiery one?” one of them muttered as Casteel tugged me to his chest.
Casteel gave them a half-smile. “You have no idea.”
I’m going to hurt you, I told him while smiling sweetly up at him.
In the best possible way, he replied, wrapping his arm around my waist. I gasped as he lifted me into his arms. The chuckles came again, stroking the essence in me. Clutching his shoulders, I glared at him.
“Hold on,” Casteel said with a wink.
Eather rose in him, and in the next breath, we were in our bedchamber.
“I really wish we hadn’t discussed that you could do that,” I muttered.
“I would’ve figured it out anyway.” Pivoting, he started walking.
The bathing chamber door swung open before us. “You can put me down.”
“I will.”
A light flicked on, casting the space in warm, buttery light. I was pretty sure he’d touched neither the door nor the light. AndI was also pretty sure if I used the essence to turn on a light, I’d probably accidentally rip the whole switch from the wall.
