The beast and the blessed novel by Ashley Breanne

Forty-Three: Killian

Killian's P.O.V.

I was blinded by rage. I wanted blood more than I wanted my next breath.

Then I heard those words, "The queen has already placed the order. Anyone who had been in contact is being quarantined.”

The Queen.

My Queen.

She had not been handed the crown yet, but she was acting every bit within her new title.

She was my queen, my woman. I would have to be dragged down to Hell before I would let anyone get their hands on her. As soon as I heard that one of my men had been threatening her, I wanted to end him. But Joselin was right. She needed him. She needed to use him to trace the magic and learn more about the curse that seemed to be infecting my people.

If I couldn't kill him myself or have him killed by my guard, I wanted to lock him up until I was free to do so. Once Joselin was done getting the information she needed, he would die by my hand.

But Natalie, my future queen, had already placed the order for any potentially infected person to be held in quarantine until they were able to be cleared. She was wise, and I felt a small amount of weight ease off my shoulders as I ran back to the castle, back to my mate.

She would make a capable and excellent queen. With a little training, she would excel at her new role. I was proud to have her by my side, but once Joselin vanished at the gate to return to her tower, I was driven by the desperate and primal need to confirm for myself that my mate was safe. Multiple men stood guard in the hallway as I reached my bedroom door, and I lowered my eyebrows in confusion before deciding not to add additional delay in seeing my woman. I would just ask her directly.

She sat rigid on the couch, her eyes staring off into the distance as I entered the room. Her empty eyes blinked once at me before the recognition flashed over her face, and she took a step forward. I moved to meet her halfway, but she stopped, lifting her hands and staring at me warily. "What is it, my mate?"

She shook her head as she moved around the armchair to my right, keeping a lot of space between us as she examined me. I did not know what she was looking for, but I stood still as I waited for her to finish her search.

"So, it wasn't the location. It had to be through contact.” Her small muttering made my ears twitch as I listened to her think out loud.

It was fascinating watching her mind work. She was smart, quick, and sexy as hell when she had that focused expression. Her eyes narrowed, and her lips slightly pursed. I could see her coming to the same conclusion I had.

As soon as I was informed Nolan had been infected, I pictured the small stream of blood that I had watched fall from Heath's mouth and onto Nolan's arm when he was carrying him back to the city.

I was grateful that the healers were immune to diseases having to handle the blood, but they were not immune to curses. They just had a higher resistance to them. How many of my men had been infected? How many of the last healers on Earth were going to be tainted by the dark magic? "Great minds think alike, Little One.” The words came out in a purr. With my enhanced Lycan vision, I watched as her pupils dilated. She loved it when I called her Little One. She may have been small, but she was strong.

I found her more attractive with every passing moment.

“There is a darkness around the men in the infirmary. At least one of them wants me dead.” Natalie continued to move around me, stopping when she was between me and the door. I moved with her slowly, keeping my eyes on my woman as she looked over my Lycan form.

An involuntary growl left my throat at the idea of her being threatened or possibly injured. Had Heath touched her, grabbed her..harmed her?

"I was worried you would come home infected too since you went back to the road, but I don't feel it... the darkness.” Her hands relaxed at her sides as she whispered the confession. Her feelings.

She cared.

"No one will ever harm you, least of all me," I said as I stepped forward, curious as she shuttered and her eyed darkened.

She was curious.

'I heard that you took care of things here while I was away," I said as she stood still, allowing me to approach her. My hand, a mixture of human and beast, lifted. My fingertips ran down her arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind. "You handled it the exact same way I would have. I take it the extra guards in the hallway were your doing as well?"

She snapped her mouth shut, nodding silently.

"Good Girl," I purred. You will make a worthy queen.”

My head tilted to the side as I spotted her hands trembling at her sides. Her desire tickled my nose, and I took a greedy inhale of her scent.

Good Girl.

She enjoyed praise. I would have to make a note of that.

"I want you to get comfortable with me in this form. Touch me." I demanded sharply, feeling my chest swell with pride as she immediately reached up and placed her hands on my chest. Her fingers were chilled, and I bit back a groan at how good she felt. * Tell me what you are thinking." "I wasn't expecting you to be so... human like this."

I wanted to watch her hand as it traveled over my chest and shoulders, but I couldn't look away from her as she stared at me in wonder. The skin there was rougher than before but had no more hair than when I was human. My fur was primarily over everything except the front of my torso. My head had taken on a closer resemblance to my beast. My arms were longer, and my legs were more animalistic.

I knew when she found a scar because her eyes narrowed, and she took an extra moment to trace over the jawline-shaped scar. She would find a lot of those on me.

She was beautiful, and as much as I didn’t want to look away from her, my eyes instinctively closed as she moved up to feel my neck, head, and face. It was pure bliss to have her touching me so calmly... so lovingly. I wanted to experience it forever.

"Your fur is rough and soft at the same time, how is that possible?" She mused as she let one hand run over my jaw and toward the end of my halfshifted muzzle.

A low growl left my throat as I forced my eyes open. My body was frozen as she walked around me, but I wanted more than anything to turn to her and carry her to the bedroom so I could shift back to my skin and have my way with her.

She spent several more minutes familiarizing herself with my form, her hands leaving invisible burn marks across my skin everywhere she touched.

I looked over my shoulder as she moved to my side, her hand running down my arm until she reached my deadly claws. Her fingers moved between mine as if she were testing whether we could hold hands in this form before she pressed the tip of her pointer finger against one of my nails. The sharp surface sliced through her skin like butter, and I quickly withdrew my hand.

She let out a gasp at the sudden movement as my other hand grabbed her wrist, and I lifted it until I could see the damage done. It was small. So small that if she had shifted, she would have already been healed.

Instead, I lifted her finger to my mouth carefully and licked the cut.

Her eyes locked on mine, deepening as I licked it once more.

It was then that I smelled it. It was small... subtle. My eyes trailed over her face, from her wide eyes to her parted lips. Further they fell as I listened to her rapid heartbeat crashing loudly against her ribs and observed the vein in her neck pumping at an accelerated rate.

Fear.

She was scared of me.