Blood of the Wolf: The Crown (Mackenzie Grey Book 11), Karina Espinosa [top 10 ebook reader txt] 📗

craned my neck to get a look at the castle entrance, but no one else was coming. “Where’s Alexander and Bash?” I asked the most obvious question.

Ranulf huffed and bit his lip, keeping quiet.

William said, “We had to restrain them in the royal wing, Yer Majesty.”

My eyes widened in alarm. “What? Why?”

“Bloody bastards,” Ranulf grumbled. “At dawn when ye hadn’t arrived, we managed to convince them to wait one more hour. When we still didn’t hear from ye, they insisted on going into the forest to find ye.” Ranulf looked ashamed for a moment. “Ye must understand, Yer Majesty. If something had happened to ye, I could nae send the last MacCoinnich into danger. And, well, Sebastian just did nae have a plan. The lad was going to get himself killed if he went in as hot headed as he was.”

I grinned at Ranulf. “You made the right call.”

He released a breath as if he hadn’t been sure of his decision until that moment.

“She needs rest,” Raven interrupted. “I’m sure she’ll fill you in on the eventful night she had, but it’s important that she rests.” She gave Ranulf a look that told him everything he needed to know. Raven turned to me and winked. “I’ll see you soon.” Before I could respond, she took to the skies and disappeared in a flash.

9

Ranulf and William helped support me as I walked through the castle to the royal wing. When we entered the common room, I noticed there were guards posted at each door. Ranulf released the guards from duty so we’d have privacy for the looming conversation. When I entered, both Alexander and Bash shot up from the chairs where they’d been sitting.

“Mackenzie!” Bash reached me first. He gripped my face and scanned me from head to toe. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? The baby—”

“We’re fine,” I mumbled and smiled lazily at him. “All in a day’s work.”

“Sit down, darling, ye look exhausted.” Alexander took my arm and ushered me over to the sofa. I plopped down and sighed heavily. I couldn’t wait until I could lay in my own bed.

They surrounded me with expectant faces. While all I wanted to do was rest, I knew what was expected of me. I needed to recount what happened last night. I took a deep breath and released it before I started speaking.

“First, I learned that I get weak on the full moon and it’s not fun whatsoever,” I said flippantly. “I felt like shit. Second, Abaddon is smoking hot.” I grinned, which earned me a glare from Bash. “I mean, I expected a shockingly ugly, deformed demon with like, pus oozing from his pores or some shit like that.”

“Really?” Bash said dryly.

“Really,” I said seriously. “But the guy looked like an angel. No joke. We could have passed him on the street and never thought twice, except for, ‘Damn, that guy is hot’. If I were him, I never would’ve shown myself.” I shrugged. “But to each their own. I’m no villain. Anyway, he told me who made the bargain with him … It was King Dougal.”

“What?” Alexander gasped. “I don understand. My grandda would never! How? Why?”

I expected this response. “You know that King Hamish was born ill. He didn’t specify what from, but I assume it was something even the witches and warlocks couldn’t cure. We might want to find out what it was,” I added as an afterthought, and Ranulf nodded. “Anyway, in exchange for curing his ailing son, King Dougal promised the first fae-blooded MacCoinnich to the demon.”

“Fae-blooded?” Bash furrowed his brows in confusion. “Our child isn’t fae.”

I looked at Bash and widened my eyes purposefully, giving him a look that said, ‘you know’. He caught on a second later.

“Since there is fae magic in my blood, Abaddon is staking a claim that he has rights to the child because of King Dougal’s promise.”

A quiet passed through the room as Alexander and Ranulf processed that piece of information. I only looked at Bash, trying to understand his expression. He was stuck in his own thoughts. I think this was the first time he’d considered that our child would have fae blood.

I shrugged. “I assume it’s how I became a hybrid; the magic Drusilla blessed our bloodline with. But it’s doing something inside me and affecting the baby.”

“I was wrong,” Bash mumbled, zoned out.

“You were wrong about what?” I asked.

He peered up at me. “It’s not you Angus wants. It’s the baby.”

I frowned. “Huh?”

“What are ye talking about?” Ranulf grunted.

Bash scooted to the edge of his seat and leaned forward. “Angus bargained with Mackenzie for a vial of her blood, which was how she found out she had fae magic in her blood. All this time we’ve been wondering why he wanted it so badly. I assumed it was because Mackenzie would have a claim to the fae throne and they wanted to cover their bases and stay on good terms with her, but now I think I’m wrong. If the baby has fae blood, then our child will have a natural claim to the vacant throne.”

I shook my head in frustration. “None of this makes sense! How did Angus know I would get pregnant?”

Everyone stayed quiet, avoiding eye contact. I frowned as I thought back to the night in Central Park when I met with Angus and the fae for the blood withdrawal. I remember being freaked out when they encircled me and started chanting something in their language that I didn’t understand.

My eyes widened as realization settled.

“Did he …?” I started to say.

Bash grimaced. “It’s possible. Fae have many enchantments for fertility.”

I saw red.

My eyes silvered and I let out a growl that was partially a scream, loud enough to rattle the picture frames until they vaulted from the wall and fell, the glass shattering on impact. My claws extended and I dug them into the cushion of the sofa to keep myself steady as the scream ripped through me with a monstrous force.