Free The Immortal Prince by Jennifer Fallon

Crasii some comfort, she supposed, as she drifted into death.
    â€œOnce upon a time, she’d have been able to avenge herself,” Jaxyn remarked.
    Arkady glanced over her shoulder at him. “What are you talking about?”
    â€œDoesn’t Crasii legend claim that if a feline died in battle, the Tide Lords would bring them back over and over again, to keep on fighting? Nine times was the limit, wasn’t it, before they couldn’t revive them any longer?”
    â€œPlease don’t mock their beliefs, Jaxyn,” she asked, wondering how he’d learned of that particular legend. The Crasii didn’t share their lore with humans readily. But Jaxyn had a habit of surprising her with little snippets of information like that. Things she’d taken years to coax out of the Crasii, even those who trusted her.
    â€œI wasn’t mocking anything,” he protested. “I was just wondering why you can never seem to find a Tide Lord when you need one.”
    Arkady cursed his callous flippancy under her breath, turning her attention back to the dying feline. Moved by the Crasii’s silent fortitude, she stroked Tipsy’s forehead gently, feeling the cold settling under her soft pelt. Tipsy’s breathing was increasingly laboured. Arkady feared she would be dead before Mitten returned with another lantern.
    â€œIt would be kinder to put it down,” Jaxyn repeated behind her.
    â€œThat would be murder.”
    â€œDo you think it’s more humane to watch it suffer?”
    Arkady rose to her feet and turned to face the young man, wishing Stellan was here now. This was the Jaxyn Aranville her husband never saw. He was all sweetness and light when his lover was nearby, but this side of him, this cruel, unfeeling wretch, was something only Arkady knew. Jaxyn probably realised she saw through him and figured there was no point in pretending otherwise.
    â€œGet out!”
    â€œTemper, temper, my lady. You’ll upset your patient.”
    â€œSo help me, Jaxyn, I’ll do more than—”
    Arkady never got a chance to finish the sentence. The door banged open in a flare of light just as Tipsy’s strangled breathing fell silent. Jaxyn forgotten, Arkady dropped to her knees beside the Crasii but it was too late to do anything. It had been too late before they got here. Mitten, the feline who’d brought the extra lantern, raised it high, glaring at Arkady, as if she was personally responsible for the death, a low growl building in the back of her throat.
    Choking back a lump, inspired by fear as much as grief, Arkady pulled the covers over Tipsy’s still form and rose to her feet. “Your blood-sister will be avenged, Mitten,” Arkady promised, trying to ignore the Crasii’s unsheathed claws and threatening stance. “Tell your sisters I’ll have Boots declared outlaw. She’ll be found. And made to pay for what she’s done.”
    Mitten said nothing, her twitching tail the only indication of her mood. Her silence was enough to make Arkady sweat. An angry feline was something to be feared and once word spread of Tipsy’s death to the other warriors, the problem would only get worse. It was a long way from this hut to the gate, with several hundred angry felines between them and safety.
    â€œBack off!” Jaxyn warned.
    To Arkady’s amazement, the Crasii lowered the lantern, bowing her head in acquiescence. “Forgive me, my lord.”
    â€œNow thank the duchess for her concern,” Jaxyn ordered. “And for her consideration in coming all this way—in the middle of a dinner party—to see to a mere slave.”
    â€œThank you, your grace. We appreciate your sacrifice and I’m sure you’ll see to it that Boots is made to pay.”
    â€œNow leave,” Jaxyn added. “And tell your friends out there to return to their quarters.”
    Without question, the feline did as the young man ordered,