I resist the urge to hug him.
Not only would that be inappropriate, but it’d also hurt like hell. Gunther’s not a soldier like the other guys. Just a faithful servant of the royal family. He’s shorter, thinner, and I’m not sure how long he’s been around, but he must be old. All the faeries I’ve seen don’t have gray hair or wrinkles. While I wouldn’t classify Gunther as elderly, his sandy hair is white near his temples, and he’s got crow’s feet around his eyes.
“Kai.” Kirian motions the burly, angry-looking man over.
Mr. Frowny Face doesn’t have any visible wounds, and his limp is already gone.
I’m still worried about the horses. Squinting, I look out at the dark landscape around us, searching for movement.
Then I see Kai reach for Gunther out of my peripheral vision.
At first, I’m not sure what he’s going to do. His large hands are open, and it seems like he’s aiming for Gunther’s neck.
Is he—is he going to strangle him? Rip his head off to put him out of his misery? I can’t let that happen.
“Don’t hurt him!” I jump between the two men, and Kai flinches back like I just slapped him.
Chuckling, Kirian places his hands on my shoulders and gently guides me out of the way. “He won’t harm him, love. He’s going to fix him. Kai’s a healer, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.” Now I feel dumb.
My face heats again, but this time, it’s from humiliation.
I watch as Kai brings his hands to Gunther’s chest, and there’s a faint glow under his palms. Right before my eyes, the damaged skin and tissues mend back together.
The sound is somewhat nauseating. There’s a lot of wet crackling and quiet popping. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long.
Letting out a sigh, Gunther rolls his shoulders and stretches his wings. “Better.”
“That’s amazing,” I say, dumbfounded, as Kai turns his attention to Kirian’s hand.
“Kai’s a good man to have around.” Healed, Kirian makes a fist and grins at his friend.
“And you’re a lady I want in my corner,” Gunther says, laugh lines deepening when he smiles at me. “You were willing to take on this ogre for me?”
Still embarrassed, I kick a tattered remnant of some white mesh panties on the road. “I thought he was going to snap your neck.”
All the men laugh, and I give a shrug. At least my awkwardness is good for one thing—comic relief. I’m happy to provide the lighthearted moment, even if it’s at my expense.
“How can you all find this funny?” Torius’s expression is downright murderous as he leads five horses out of the thick purple trees.
Kai responds with an uncharacteristic grin, and it’s slightly more disturbing than seeing him serious. “Our future queen isn’t one you want to go toe-to-toe with.”
Not included in the joke, Torius grunts. With reins in each hand, he tilts his head to the animals on his right. “Lady and Mosby are hurt. Their rear ends are burnt to a crisp.”
The healer rubs his hands together before getting to work on their injuries. Torius passes the three unharmed steeds to Gunther’s care and goes to inspect the carriage.
As Kirian joins him, I stand a good distance away while they take inventory of what’s left—which is nothing but some warped metal on broken wheels. Another ruined pair of panties gets tossed over Torius’s shoulder.
I sigh. No clean undies for me.
“What happened?” I slowly come up behind them, afraid to get too close to the wreckage.
“A bomb of sorts, made from strong magic,” Torius replies, peering down at the most blackened area at the center of the blast. “I can’t identify it, though. Can you, my lord?”
“No.” Kirian lets out a frustrated growl. “The smell is unfamiliar. A potion of some kind. I don’t recognize it.”
As he backs away, he reaches for me with shaking hands.
I don’t know how, but I can actually feel his rage. It’s like indigestion, simmering in my stomach and coating my throat.
I let him hold me—comfort for us both—and he takes measured breaths to control himself.
He’s pushing his anger down. For me. He doesn’t want to scare me like he did last night.
“It was probably stowed in the food compartment,” Torius observes. “The fuse must’ve been timed, making sure we were far away from the palace by the time it went off.”
“Who has that kind of power?” Kai asks, his eyebrows furrowed as he pets the side of Lady’s face.
“The former Night Realm Queen,” Damon pipes up, finger-combing his destroyed locks.
“Zella?” I don’t want to believe that.
Damon shrugs. “I’m not saying I think she did it. She’s just the only person I know who can light a fuse from so far away with that level of precision.”
“My mother wouldn’t do this,” Kirian states, his voice hard. “There’s no way.”
“Whoever did it, they wanted to make sure the damage was localized to the carriage.” Torius’s conclusion is troubled, and all attention turns my way.
Everyone’s silent, but I know what they’re thinking. I was supposed to be in there.
That bomb was meant for me.
Quinn
I get my own horse. The one named Lady. Since there’s five of them and five of us, it’s necessary. But I wish I could ride with Kirian. I feel too exposed, even if I am sandwiched between him and Damon. Torius is in the lead again, and Kai is in the back. They’re all surrounding me like the Secret Service.
The saddle is hard, but my concern over the welfare of my ass and the length of our travel is gone. Those things seem trivial now.
I feel guilty. And terrified.
Someone wants me dead, and people got hurt today because of it.
I take a deep inhale, and my lungs expand easily with the motion. As luck would have it, when I fell, one of the side seams of my dress busted. I can breathe. Silver linings, and all that.
“Quinn? You good?” Kirian is concerned.
He has every right to be, but the fact that he’s worried doesn’t do anything to calm
