Bird of a Nest (bow 3)

Chapter 33

"You left him behind," Ryraso repeated, his eyes furrowed horror filling him. Flashes of what had happened to Cai'ress running through his mind. All that he had seen and what he had not. "You have to go get him," Ryraso demanded, trying to sit up but Dyn'ad kept him pinned. "Gods know what they have done to him by now if he's even still alive!"

"Ry "

"Don't you dare! Find him, now," Ryraso roared the word, anger trembling in his body.

"He almost killed you," Dyn'ad tried to calm the man down, keeping Ryraso pinned in place. "You can't move! You're still injured!"

"Because Tai'ray got jealous, kicked him out of court, made him useless to his family who sold him a slaver! Cai'ress has been beaten, tortured and raped. You are the cause of this Dyn'ad. You! Now go do your fucking duty for once and get Cai'ress out of there before I list in detail just why it is your fault loud enough for the whole court to hear," Ryraso yelled, his voice practically turning to a screech.

Dyn'ad looked at Pol'ar with an uncertain expression. The healer pointed to the door. "I.."

"Go," Ryraso commanded, forcing himself to remain still. Dyn'ad was right; his torso was in bad shape. He couldn't think for a moment, slapping Dyn'ad away as the man tried to kiss him. He glared at him. Dyn'ad looked suitably cowed and left, Ryraso's heart beating fast. The idea of how he kissed each of the royals made bile rise and his head spin slightly. He'd wanted more.

They'd left Cai'ress behind.

"Ry," Nel'os appeared in the doorway.

"You can fuck off too. I don't want to see any of you until you find Cai'ress safe," Ryraso growled with a low rumble. Each of the Royals had their part to play in this. Each of them had contributed to what had befallen Cai'ress, including himself. Ryraso's eyes watered, and he gripped the blankets under his fingers, trying to stay still for Pol'ar. He would be no good to anyone if he was hurt. Otherwise, he'd been running to get help himself. The warrens would be hard, but there must be a way to break through the link blockers. Tai'ray had done so before.

"Ryraso, he stabbed you in the stomach. I saw it myself. He was going to kill you," Nel'os countered, anger filling his voice at the idea that Ryraso wanted to help this man. "You can't be expecting us to save him. If anything if they kill him, it saves us the trouble."

Ice.

Cold filled Ryraso's heart, and he sat up, ignoring Pol'ar trying to keep him down. He stayed sitting and looked at Nel'os. "Did you even look at him?" Ryraso asked, all emotion gone from his voice. "Did you even look at the man you claimed to love?" The demand echoed in the room. Nel'os had moped over Cai'ress. He had cried and struggled to deal with the mention of his name. Yet, now? Now it was gone.

"Enough to see your blood covering him," Nel'os sneered.

"Enough to see he was naked?" Ryraso challenged, holding his top-up for Pol'ar as the head healer reapplied the bandages. "Enough to see the handprints on his wrists and thighs? The caked makeup mocking his former status crumbling from his cheeks? Did you look at him?"