I stalled briefly in the hallway as I thought of Killian. I was pretty sure he was the one who had picked me up as I passed out—and what was with the hand thing? Did he have some sneaky plans he was going to use me in?

My stomach growled loudly. I took a deep breath then lurched into a walk.

Staying was going to be a gamble I’d have to take. But while I didn’t trust Killian, I felt pretty certain that he wouldn’t actively try to ruin my life. He found me amusing—maybe diverting and potentially useful. After what I’d gone through, that was enough for me.

Chapter Twenty-One

Killian

I stood and let my arms drop to my sides as Hazel Medeis walked down the hallway, leaving me with a very troubling question.

I rubbed my head and glanced at my First Knight. “Celestina.”

She straightened and swung around so she could face me. “Yes, Your Eminence?”

I paused, carefully choosing my words. I couldn’t reveal too much. Not even to my second-in-command. “How bad does Hazel smell to you?”

“You mean her wizard blood?” Celestina adjusted her grip on the empty potion bottles. “She’s smelled quite neutral to me for a few weeks.”

I kept my expression still. “Neutral?”

“Yes. She doesn’t smell bad, but she doesn’t smell good like humans.”

“You trust her, then.”

Celestina tapped the bottles against her thigh. “To an extent. I know she would never mean to hurt any of us, but she is a wizard.”

“Yes.” I stared at Hazel’s bed, as if it could give me answers. “She’s still a virtuous idiot—which, as she’s proved, can make her dangerous.”

“What do you mean, sir?”

“She doesn’t regret killing the vampire,” I said. “She didn’t bat an eye or stop to think about it when I asked.”

“The vampire was a mad murderer.”

“Even so, she was trained to avoid physical conflict. With years of conditioning, I would have thought she’d be an emotional wreck. But she’s not…because she believes strongly in what’s right.” I gazed at the door Hazel had disappeared through. “If she believes in what she’s doing, I don’t think there’s a force on earth that could stop her, or make her double guess her decisions. That is why she is dangerous. That earnest, unflinching belief.”

I was no fool. I lived in a world of gray. Yes, there was darkness and light, but between the political maneuvering and selfish ambition, most supernaturals were varying shades of gray. Even I wondered from time to time if I’d made the correct decisions about issues.

Hazel apparently had no such problem. Once she decided what was right, she did it. No matter what others thought.

“I don’t think that’s something you’ll be able to change about her, Your Eminence,” Celestina carefully said.

When I glanced at her, she had a bland, unconcerned expression on her face. But I had known her long enough to see the flicker of concern in her stance.

Celestina had become fond of the wizard. She didn’t want to see me break her.

Unfortunately, it seemed like that was already beyond me.

“Naturally,” I dryly said. “I have seen her in action long enough to be certain of that.” I swatted a hand at her. “Go after her. Some members of our Family are rather exuberant about her actions. If they happen upon her in this state, they might accidentally hurt her.”

Though my voice dripped with sarcasm, Celestina nodded, taking the charge seriously. “She has become a favorite. I will see to it, Your Eminence.” She slipped out of the room with the softness of a leopard stalking its prey, leaving me alone with an untimely and—galling discovery.

I rubbed my mouth, grimacing in distaste.

To Celestina—who doted on the stubborn wizard and clearly counted her a friend—she smelled neutral.

To me, Killian Drake, Elder of the Drake Family, Eminence of the Midwest—paranoid and hardened beyond feeling…Hazel Medeis smelled amazing.

I couldn’t pin the scent down. She didn’t smell like food—as other humans did. Rather, she smelled like sunlight used to feel before I was turned and found it less pleasant—warm, inviting, and dangerously pure. There was an undertone of wildness to her scent, too—something almost electric. I suspected that was her magic flowing in her veins.

But here was the problem. If she smelled that decadent, that welcoming…just how much trust had I placed in the smart-mouthed wizard? And how on earth had I let it happen?