Page 37 of Wicked Things

From somewhere I heard the sound of more men shouting frantically and running toward us from downstairs. For security’s sake, Captain Darragh and some of his men had spent the night here at Ehlbert’s home in the servants’ quarters, rather than at the camp, and we must have been making a great deal of noise indeed to rouse them.

Tadgh was pulling on my arm, trying to disentangle me from Fionn’s body and get me back to my feet as more people began to crowd into the room. Suddenly, I was pulled roughly away from Tadgh by my arm, and I was stunned to see Captain Darragh, his face a mask of rage as he threatened Tadgh with a short sword and tried to push me behind him. Meanwhile, some of Fionn’s other officers, who had arrived along with Darragh, knelt beside Fionn with soft cries of dismay and concern as they tried to rouse him.

As for me, I was still trying desperately to get back to Fionn myself. I managed to wrench my arm away from Darragh and threw myself down beside my lord again. Whether or not he’d suddenly gone mad and even if he still wanted to kill me, I couldn’t bear to see him hurt that way.

“No! Braden, get away from him!” Tadgh was shouting. “He was going to kill us both!”

Darragh pushed him away from me and back down onto the bed, shouting something harsh and ugly sounding at him in the Faery language. His expression was murderous.

By this time Ehlbert had arrived with his own sword and several of his male servants, all of them armed. Ehlbert was outraged as he saw Darragh pushing Tadgh around, and he got between the two of them as Tadgh tried to surge back to his feet.

“Get your hands off my son, damn you! Explain yourself, Murian dog! What the fuck is going on here?”

Everyone was shouting and shoving each other around in the narrow corridor and inside Tadgh’s bedroom. It was pure madness, and I was afraid there was about to be bloodshed.

“Stop all of this, please, and look to the king! Why isn’t he waking up?”

Tadgh flushed but raised his chin defiantly. “Why do you care?”

“Because he’s my husband, damn you!”

“Then why did you come to my bed in the middle of the night?”

“What?” I said, recoiling and pulling away from Tadgh. Frantically, I looked back toward Darragh in shock. “It’s a lie! I never went to him. I was in bed with Fionn and got up to find some water. When I came back, they were already fighting in Tadgh’s room.”

Tadgh reeled in surprise, and if he was acting, then he was doing a good job. “ Braden, stop lying! Don’t be afraid of him. Fionn already knows.” He grabbed for me again. “He saw us together, Braden. It’s too late for excuses and lies.”

I jerked his arm away from him. “Let me go! I’m not lying and I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was in bed with my husband, and I only went downstairs to find some water. I was returning when I heard all the shouting.” I tore myself away from him and went back to kneel beside Fionn, whose eyes were fluttering, as he seemed to be coming around. I reached out a hand to stroke his cheek, but he flung it away.

“Get off me, damn you!”

“Fionn, it’s all lies. I was never here with him! You have to believe me.”

“And not believe my own eyes? I saw you with him, damn it. I should kill you both!”

“N-no, it’s a lie…I didn’t do anything. You have to listen to me.”

Darragh was helping him to his feet and both of them were looking at me like I was dirt under their feet. It hurt so much that I stumbled back into Tadgh, who immediately put his hand on my waist and pulled me behind him, as if to protect me.

“He’s not listening, Braden. Save your breath.” Tadgh was saying, still looking stunned, as if something vital inside him had suddenly drained away and now reaction was beginning to set in. As far as everyone knew, he had been caught with the king’s consort. He touched a wound on his neck and then sat down hard on the foot of the bed, looking dazed. His father rushed over to him, pushing me aside and shooting me a black and angry look.

“Look at his throat, Lord Ehlbert,” one of the servants said, and everyone peered closer to see two large puncture wounds on the side of it, with blood seeping steadily from each one. Blood was beginning to drip down onto his chest, and he gazed vacantly back up at his father, uncomprehending what had happened to him. He wasn’t the only one.

“What the fuck have you done to my son?” Ehlbert roared at Lord Fionn, who snarled at him from the door.

“That wound on his neck didn’t come from me, you fool! It must have come from the one lying on top of him when I came into the room.” Here he looked deliberately from me back to Fionn and all the eyes in the room followed his gaze.

“His loud moans awakened me. That’s the only reason I came in.”

Ehlbert flushed and gave Fionn a belligerent glare. “We only have your word for that.”

“The word of your king should be enough, damn you. Look at your son, man. Do you think I’m a fucking bloodsucker?”

Obviously angry, but perhaps knowing what was good for him, as men like Ehlbert always seemed to do, he looked down and refused to look back up at Fionn. I tried to open my mouth to say something—anything to defend myself, because if Fionn weas innocent, then it would be me they accused of biting Tadgh’s neck.

“It’s all a lie,” I said, quietly this time, hopelessly, sinking down on the bed as my knees went weak. I knew Fionn had already made up his mind and then closed it against me.

He shot me another filthy look and then ignored me. “Again, look to your son. When you’ve bound his wounds, put him to bed. Call a physician but don’t let the fool bleed him. He’s lost enough blood already and needs time to recover. We’ll talk in the morning before I leave. I’d go now, but it’s the middle of the night and I still have a certain demon I need to take care of.” He came over to me and yanked me up off the bed by my arm, then turned to leave, still gripping me. He stopped when we reached the hallway and called back more advice.