“She may not believe in violence, but I most certainly do.” Finn’s voice echoed through the throne room and Seth whirled at once to face him. His fist connected solidly as Seth turned and the Assassin staggered back under the blow. Seth had shown no reaction when she had vented her fury on him, not even bruising on his pale flesh. Blood streamed from a gash in his face now, though, and it didn’t look as though Finn was finished. “I trust you with my son and you gamble with his life,” he snarled as he advanced on Seth once more.
“I didn’t consider it a gamble,” Seth replied calmly. He brushed his fingertips across his cheek and stared at the blood on his hand with a frown. His gaze rose once more to Finn as he closed on him. “You look angry enough to kill me right now, Finn. If you are going to do so would you send your son and Zoelyn away first, please?” he asked quietly and the Lord of Death’s advance stopped at once.
Finn swallowed heavily, his gaze flicking to her and Legacy and a flash of regret showed on his handsome face. “My temper has always been bad,” he offered in apology. His gaze returned to Seth once more and he shook his head slowly. The anger was still there, but Finn was doing his best to control it now. “We aren’t done, but you have shamed me. I won’t rip you apart in front of my son or Zoey.”
“I thank you for that. Watching someone you care for die is a painful memory, and despite their feelings for me right now, both of them consider me a friend,” Seth replied with a bow of his head. “Zoelyn, take Legacy to my quarters. Finn will summon you back when he has finished here,” Seth ordered in a louder voice.
“Daddy, don’t kill him,” Legacy pleaded.
Zoelyn stared at Finn for a long moment then looked to Seth. Her anger with the man evaporated like mist as she realized Finn was still angry enough to kill, and Seth looked more than ready to accept the punishment. He hadn’t even raised a hand to defend himself when Finn attacked him. He had simply taken the blow with the same calmness he had accepted her own punishment. “Please Finn. It was a horrible lesson, but he was just trying to help me.” The words were out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying.
“Zoey, please take Legacy to my rooms. The Lord of Death will deliver the judgment he sees fit, regardless of your words,” Seth repeated without turning to look at her. His eyes were on Finn alone as he calmly folded his arms across his chest. Blood still trickled down from the cut on his cheek, but there wasn’t a trace of fear or regret on his face.
“C’mon Legacy,” Zoelyn murmured as she pulled her gloves back on and took the child’s hand. She cast another glance back at Seth and Finn as she left the room, but kept her silence.
“Is Daddy going to kill Seth?” Legacy asked as they started toward the stairs.
“I don’t know, Legacy,” Zoelyn admitted. “I hope not,” she added in a softer voice. She had to fight the urge to run back to the throne room, and she knew the wait for the summons would be excruciating. Just a few minutes ago she had wanted to kill Seth herself, and now she was praying to every Divine that he would live. It made no sense at all.
*
The sound of a door opening brought Zoelyn out of her chair at once. Legacy had worried himself into a fitful sleep hours ago, and she had been waiting on pins and needles since then. Moving swiftly she crossed to the bedroom door and pulled it open. Her eyes searched the darkened entry room frantically until she spotted him by the small window. His back was to her, and she couldn’t see the expression on his face, but from the way he was standing she could tell he was in pain.
“Seth,” she whispered hesitantly.
“You should be asleep by now,” Seth replied quietly without turning.
“I couldn’t sleep until I knew what happened,” Zoelyn admitted softly. Taking a cautious step forward she tilted her head trying to get a look at his face. The cut on his cheek had bruised badly and swollen, but the angle that he stood from her and the shadows prevented her from seeing any more than that. “Are you OK?”
He inhaled deeply and crossed his arms on the windowsill. “I’m fine, little Undrae,. You should get rest,” he replied in a flat voice. He hadn’t called her Undrae in days and the word gave her pause.
Zoelyn watched him for a long moment, but his gaze never left the window. She had no idea what held his attention so fully, but he apparently found more interest in the shadows than in her. “Should I take Legacy back to Finn, first?” she asked cautiously.
“I will do it,” Seth informed her and pushed back from the window. Turning, he crossed the small entry hall and opened the bedroom door. There was a hint of hesitation in his posture as he stepped through the doorway and then he was returning with Legacy held carefully in his arms.
She studied him as he passed her and swallowed heavily at what Finn had done. Bruises lined both sides of Seth’s face and by the way he was moving she could tell he had other injuries. Her gaze moved to his hands and she stared at the unblemished skin on his knuckles. She had helped Dominic patch up enough brawlers to know what marks fighting left. Seth had none, which meant he hadn’t fought back at all.