The Blessed Curse (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #4)(55)

“Really?” he asked in amusement. “I think that I can,” he added as he took a step closer to the bed. He moved with a predator’s grace and in utter silence.

“You claim children that sin and Legacy is innocent. You can’t have him,” Zoelyn said in a louder voice as she quickly unbuckled her glove. The realization of why Jala was wary of crows hit her full force and the memory of the High lady’s sadness banished her fear. She could do this. With one touch she could destroy the creature haunting Jala. She could drain him and save Legacy. All she had to do was touch him and the curse would do the rest.

The Crow King watched her pull the glove free and his head cocked to one side. With slow measured steps he moved from the child’s bed toward her. “Are you going to stop me then?” he asked in a low voice that would have been seductive coming from any lips but his.

Swallowing heavily, Zoelyn nodded and held her ground. He stopped just inches from her, so close she could feel his breath. “Just go away and leave him alone. I don’t want to hurt you,” Zoelyn gasped, as her fear came creeping back in. She could smell the blood on his armor and the intensity of his gold eyes made her want to bolt for the door. She wouldn’t abandon Legacy, though. She couldn’t.

“How sweet of you. I’m afraid I can’t do that, though,” he purred as he smiled down at her. His breath smelled of mint and spices, far more pleasant than she had expected from a creature of nightmares.

“I tried to warn you,” Zoelyn whispered as she flattened her bare hand against his chest and closed her eyes. For the first time in her life she willed her curse to work swiftly, and for the first time in her life it didn’t work at all. She could feel the warmth of his flesh through his armor, and yet she wasn’t draining him. She felt nothing through the contact aside from the solid muscle of his body. Slowly she opened her eyes and stared up at him in complete confusion.

“What now, little Undrae?” he asked softly, his head tilting to the side once more. His smile returned and it seemed far colder than it had before.

Quickly, Zoelyn pulled her hand back and stepped away from him until her back pressed against the wall. He advanced with each of her steps and flattened a hand against the wall on either side of her face. Leaning closer, he raised an eyebrow once more. “Weren’t you going to stop me?” he asked in amusement.

“Honestly, Seth, do you have nothing better to do than terrify young girls?” Jala’s voice cut through the room like a knife and the Crow King pushed off the wall with a smile on his face.

“If you would stop using them as guard dogs for your son, I would stop tormenting them,” Seth replied in a voice that was far more friendly than any he had used with her. Silently, he moved away from her, once more pausing beside Legacy’s bed.

Zoelyn slowly turned to look at Jala in utter confusion and willed her heart back to its normal pace. “You know him?” she gasped, once she was sure she could speak again.

Jala nodded and stepped into the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Pulling her night robe tighter around her, she nodded once more and looked at Seth. “He is a friend, and I knew he was coming for Legacy,” she explained softly. “He was supposed to be awake and alone,” Seth pointed out in a conversational tone.

“He was the last time I checked on him,” Jala countered.

“I didn’t understand. I’m sorry,” Zoelyn began, still wretchedly confused.

“As it turns out, this works out well,” Seth cut in with a smile before Jala could respond. “What?” Jala frowned, her expression growing confused as well.

Seth gently picked the sleeping child up and advanced on Zoelyn once more. “I didn’t know about the girl. Now I do, and I’m taking her with me as well,” he answered as his hand wrapped around her wrist tightly and yanked her closer to him. “Goodnight, Jala.”

Zoelyn tried to pull back from his grasp but it was like a vice on her arm. “Settle down, little Undrae,” he whispered in the same low voice that made her heart race. Vertigo washed over her as the shadows darkened around them. In a panic she realized her curse was not absorbing his magic either. Transport spells had never worked on her before, and now when she desperately wanted them to fail they were working.

“Seth, no!” Jala’s voice echoed through the shadows. She had been just a few feet away moments before, but now her voice sounded a thousand miles away. Fear welled in Zoelyn’s chest and she tugged against his grasp again.

The air around them darkened further and Seth pulled her closer. “Stay close, little Undrae. There are things in the Darklands much more frightening than me.”





Chapter 7





Merro





Neph settled against the wall, his gaze on Legacy’s bedroom door. The draw of magic had caught his attention, and then Jala’s entrance had prodded his curiosity past ignoring. He waited in silence until the bedroom door opened once more and Jala stepped into the hall looking almost frantic. Her pale hand was over her mouth and it took several moments for her to even notice him. Eyes widening, she looked from him to the room behind her, reminding him of a startled hare in every movement.

“This requires an explanation,” Neph said simply, his gaze moving to the empty room behind her.

“Neph,” Jala murmured and her shoulders slumped. Swallowing heavily, she pulled her son’s door closed and leaned back against it. “You want my secrets, then?” she asked after a long silence.