“Very good.” He turned to go.
Before he made it through the door, however, she got her own jab in. “This is why we could never be married!”
He slammed the door behind him and mounted his horse. They rode hard to the castle, but the exertion and the frigid air did nothing to calm him or cool his temper. Passing through the tall gates, he realized he’d be a madman if he didn’t expend some of the searing energy within him. He hopped to the ground and handed his coat to a stable attendant, along with Thunder’s reins.
“I need an ax,” he announced, his voice heavy with agitation.
Moments later, he had what he wanted and stormed off. He left the walled perimeter of the vast grounds and trudged through the snow to the thick woods inhabited by most of the shifters in his alliance, as well as other demons who preferred a simpler lifestyle than was the norm within the castle.
He found a fallen tree with a thick trunk and took the ax to it, his blows strong, angry ones. The base was wide and required a significant amount of time to break through, despite Darien’s power and rage. Chopping, however, was a mindless—and harmless—way in which to release his emotions.
As the sharp blade struck the wood over and over again, he blocked his conversation with Jade from his thoughts and focused only on taking out his aggression and angst on the lumber. By the time he had three cords piled in the drifts, he was breathing heavy, but feeling a little less inclined to throttle someone.
He knew better than to blame Tanner for the turn of events. Though the slayer was older than Jade by a few years, Darien himself knew how difficult it was to refuse her when she set her mind to something. Her virtually unwavering constitution and will were traits he admired when it came to her.
He’d be a hypocrite to want her to be meek and timid. Easily manipulated or directed. His interest in her would never have developed were she not so determined and, yes, stubborn. It was the complete package he’d fallen in love with, not just her beautiful face and enticing body. He couldn’t deny that.
What irritated him, however, was the fact he feared he’d never be able to keep her safe. It wasn’t a concern that had cropped up with her admission she’d been sworn in as a slayer, but one that had manifested itself deep within him from that day he’d found her weeping on the riverbank. She’d been alone and vulnerable to pain for a long time. Then the fire wraith had injured her twice, nearly killing her once, and Darien was not so arrogant that he didn’t blame himself for not shielding her from danger.
This nagging thought had him hacking away at other trees until the sun rose. Having stacked several more cords, he finally felt his tension had eased enough for him to be civil. He returned to the castle.
Entering his study, he tossed his leather coat on the sofa and sank into the large chair behind his desk. He needed a shower and something to eat, but when Sheena joined him, he knew he’d get no reprieve from the disaster he’d returned to—and the inevitable outcome.
She placed a pile of papers before him, but held a large, opened envelope in one hand. Instinctively, he deduced what was inside.
“Jade’s paperwork for the slayer’s registrar?” he ventured.
Sheena looked taken aback. “How did you know?”
“I already spoke with her.” He held his hand out and she gave him the packet.
His assistant took the chair on the opposite side of his desk. “My Lord,” she said, maintaining a professional tone, though he didn’t miss the concern lacing it. “You won’t sign those documents, will you?”
He let out a long breath and shoved a hand through his hair, which was damp from sweat and snow. “I will.”
Sheena shot to her feet. “How can you say that?”
Darien eyed her speculatively, but she didn’t back down. Or sit. Apparently, she was too fueled by her own emotions to remain objective.
“She’ll get herself killed,” Sheena admonished.
“She might.” It wasn’t the first time he’d considered the possibility.
“And you’ll stand by and do nothing to stop her?”
He set aside the envelope and said, “I’ve never blocked the recording of a slayer’s oath. It’s their choice to take the post. Not many humans possess the necessary traits, expertise or will to rise to the occasion, so I’ve never been concerned with an exorbitant amount of slayers on the continent.”
They served their purpose well, after all.
“There have always been two of them in Ryleigh,” he continued. “The village was down to one with Walker’s condition. I would have cataloged any new slayer they took on. They work with Morgan and me, and I believe their presence helps to promote a measure of assurance that those under my rule won’t revolt and massacre the villagers.”
“But we’re not talking about just anyone coming forward to assume the injured slayer’s position. We’re talking about Jade.”
He speared Sheena with a hard stare. “Don’t you think I’ve considered that? I’ve just spent the better part of an evening and the morning taking out my anger on several trees so I didn’t do anything foolish in the village. I’m mad as hell but…” He let out a harsh breath. “She’s not normal. In a lot of ways. And perhaps it’s time I fully accept that.”
Sheena collapsed into the chair with a dire expression on her face. “In order to become a slayer, my Lord, she has to know how to kill demons.”
He nodded. “She’s learning.”