The Beast And The Blessed

Seventy-Seven: Killian

Killian’s P.O.V.

My skin was itching, and my body was tense as I waited for the vehicle to make its way through the trees. There wasn't much room in the off-road cage, but we didn't need much... just enough to get the bodies to take them back to their families.

Two had survived the patrol of six. They had been found chained up, hanging from a tree, as their blood slowly drained into the rune in the dirt. They had several bite marks on them that seemed old, but the injury to drain them hadn't healed yet, so we knew someone had just been here.

It was horrific to find them this way, and after what happened with Heath and Nolan, I was going to take no chances with our two survivors. They would be restrained with medical help until we could be sure they hadn't been cursed too. I didn't want to risk losing more of my men and women than I had to, and I especially didn't want Natalie to have to witness it again.

But it was good news that we had found them here this way. With this and the thick magic in the air, we now had a more narrow section of mountains to search. The enemy seemed impatient and hungry, meaning they would make more mistakes.

Now that we had a location, we could take action instead of sitting around, waiting for them to attack.

It also meant that I could go home to my mate.

I had my men searching the forest as we waited for the car and the bodies to be picked up. I was pleased to get back several reports of tracks the enemy had failed to hide, and the rotten scent of vampires wafted through the air occasionally.

They were here. They were close. But they were hiding.

Until I could get even more men out here, I wouldn't be risking more lives to hunt on their land. They knew it better than we did, and I was positive they had traps in place.

So, we played it discrete, taking notes of everything around us and discussing it through our pack link, but putting on the show for anyone watching that we were disappointed that we didn't find anything.

We would go back, regroup and then go from there.

was going to rain hell

***

for hours, getting home just as the sun was starting to set. The power from the castle made me groan, and I knew nothing good

thing would be seeing Natalie. I had shut myself off from her, something I didn't want to do but knew I needed to. If I felt her, I would be distracted, wondering what she was doing when I felt her get frustrated or angry. I would be jealous when she was happy, wishing I was there to make

there could be no

want her to feel anything from me. That side of me was something that I never wanted her to see or experience. She deserved

held themselves as if they were ready to run, flinching when there was a loud

walked past several maids scrubbing a singed part

to see five of the seven council members bickering, but not a single one was sitting and eating their meal. Two of the witches

in time to see Cora pressing her palms to the dining table with a malevolent

over each other, and my eyes widened when Cora's

knew Cora was picking a fight. She hated Rona for costing her a leg in battle a few years prior. Bringing up her mother, knowing Rona had been the one to kill her, was an obvious threat to out

and buried face down." Rona laughed darkly as she glanced down at where Cora's leg would be if the table hadn't been in the way. "It's a shame your fat ass is

of the table calmly, taking another bite of her

sure of that personally!" Cora's yell of outrage was followed

anger, looking even more beautiful as her drink was knocked over her dinner plate,

she got to her

you going to do? Turn the car around?" Rona sniggered

All of the women sat stiffly in their chairs, and the knives clattered to the ground. Rona was dragged back by force as Natalie's magic wrapped around

took my feet from beneath me and pulled me across the room to the table, locking me against the wood. Natalie's wide eyes

it gave me a moment to look her over for injury. Only I could see that her strength