Reign of Blood

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chronos laid awake that night in their good for nothing bed in a good for nothing pub in a good for nothing realm. He was taking the time to reflect.

He knew she was asleep. He didn't have to listen to her breathing or her heartrate for the confirmation. In her sleep, Annaliese did things she wouldn't normally do.

Like now, she was curled up against his chest, her little arm wrapped around him with her head buried in his neck. Sure, she'd done that whilst she was awake, but not like this. Annaliese wasn't just nestled against him now. She clung to him, as though someone was about to peel her away. Chronos wouldn't let them. He'd been breathing her hair in for the last half an hour, but he couldn't bring himself to move it.

Chronos was busy thinking about the future. Sadly, in order to think about the future, he had to think about the past.

Something was holding Annaliese back.

Something that had happened long before she met him.

Something had happened fifty-two years ago.

Upon getting to know her, he'd found she wasn't much of an enigma. She was straight talking and blunt. She wasn't afraid to admit things—unless they were personal.

But he was using his brain here. Something had happened fifty-two years ago that concerned her and his own people.

Why else would she target the castle staff? Somehow, they linked directly to her.

She wouldn't give him the answers he was looking for, but he wasn't going back to his old ways of tricking it out of her. Last time, he'd gotten her drunk and waited for her to spill the beans. This time, he was going to wait for her to tell him of her own volition. And she would. She'd soon realise that she could trust him. He'd never hurt her. Not anymore.

She stirred in her sleep, muttering his name as she groggily came to. It was still dark out- the middle of the night- so there was no rush to do anything.

He kissed her inner arm.

"Go back to sleep Leese. Busy day tomorrow. You'll need your energy. I've got you love. You're safe with me. Sleep now."

"Hmm." She snuggled into him. He froze when she did it. She wasn't flinching away. "I need to—tell you the plan."

"You can tell me once you've slept."

"No. Telling you now."

"Tell me the plan then."

She hummed, rolling onto her back.

He realised, in the darkness, that they were bonding. For the first time since he'd slammed his fist down on that portal jumper, the two of them were getting along.

"The demons seem easily changeable. That Duncan's too eager to impress and Rudy the barkeep doesn't know his up from his down."

"How do you know this?"

"Duncan blushes a lot. He wants approval. As for the barkeep, he was cleaning his glasses with a dirty cloth. The two of them seem to think they're breaking some major law with a bit of tax avoidance. All I have to do is spur them on until they agree to a castle break in. They're going to get us across the water. From there, I can handle the rest."

"And that's all you have to do?"

"Manipulating people is my hobby."

He smiled at her, but she couldn't see it in the dark.

"Can you manipulate them to get us some new clothes?"

"Yes."

"Just checking."