Chapter 64
Von
A muscle squirmed in my cheek, desperate to escape the clench of my molar-combusting jaw. Surprise, surprise, Folkoln was a moron—a moron who had just wasted twenty minutes of time I could have been spending with Sage. Or in her.
When Kaleb—who seemed completely fine post-tea—and Artemesia showed up at Folkoln’s door, a bottle of wine in each of their hands, asking if we wanted to join them for a round of cards, Folkoln quickly forgot about his blue balls.
He invited them in and happily said he would, his tongue nearly falling out of his mouth as Artemesia walked by him.
The bond was doing a number on my brother, but it seemed to have absolutely no power over her.
Although, that wasn’t uncommon. It did typically seem to hit males harder.
And for some reason, it was really taking a round out of Folkoln.
I didn’t know if I had ever heard of someone sensing the presence of their bonded long before they laid eyes on them, but that was exactly what had happened with Folkoln.
When we’d first arrived here, he’d sensed something pulling on him.
I wondered if it was something to do with the fact he could feel emotions; perhaps it made him more sensitive to the bond. It was a theory, nonetheless.
As the three of them went over to a small, round table, I spotted my chance to leave.
I told them to have a good night, and I made my way back toward Sage’s and my room.
Sage had been just about to open up to me about something—I wanted to get back to her so she could.
I didn’t know what she was about to tell me.
Regardless, I would support her through it, whatever it was.
I reached for the handle, stopping when urgent footsteps sounded to my left.
“Von,” Sage said as she came running down the hallway, straight for me, eyes wide with fear. A cape flailed out behind her. She was dressed in pants and a tunic.
Where had she gone? And why?
I raced for her, every protective nerve ending within me lighting up. I took her in my arms, eyes skimming the hallway behind her. Seeing no threat, I asked her, “What’s going on?”
“Something’s wrong,” she spoke frantically, pulling back from me. “Come on. I’ll show you.”
“Sage, wait,” I said as she spun and began to race down the hallway. Swiftly, I followed her, my long legs catching up to hers. “Where are we going?”
“To the room Naia took us to earlier,” she answered as we rushed ahead .
“Why?” We took a swift left.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you!” she exclaimed, quickening her pace. “It’s something you have to see for yourself.”
“Sage, wait,” I beseeched her, grabbing hold of her arm while I pressed down on the backs of my bootheels, bringing us both to an abrupt stop.
I spun her toward me. That was when it hit me—her scent.
Something was off about it—she no longer smelled of me, and considering I’d been a damn dog about marking her every chance I got, that struck me as—
Her faced twisted in anger, and a glint of silver flashed as she withdrew her arm from her cape and swung it toward me.
Pain exploded in my neck as a metal dagger sunk beneath my skin, sliding along my iron bones. My nerves screamed in agony as I took a few stumbling steps back, wondering what the hell she had just done.
“Fuck,” I snarled, my hand curling around the handle of the dagger. Wincing, I pulled that fucker out then studied the blade. There wasn’t a speck of blood to be found.
I growled at that truth, at the imposter standing before me.
I grabbed her by the throat and shoved her against the wall, the stone cracking on impact. Pressing the blade to her throat, I demanded, “Who the fuck are you?”
“Von, please,” she whimpered, her hands desperately trying to pry mine off. “You are hurting me.”
“You are not my mate,” I roared at her.
The throbbing sensation in my neck began to dull, my nerves no longer screaming as they once were. But it wasn’t because the wound was healing—this felt different. It felt like a foot going numb.
“Please, don’t do this,” the female pleaded with me in my mate’s voice. “What if I’m pregnant? Stress isn’t good for the baby .” A wicked grin spread across her lips. Whoever this imposter was knew exactly what they were doing.
But I wasn’t falling for it.
The strange feeling in my neck began to spread, crawling down the length of my arm, until it reached my fingers. I knew what this was—poison, and it was working fast.
“What was on the blade?” I hissed, trying my best to keep the imposter pinned against the wall, but my strength was beginning to fail me.
“Something that’s going to make you very weary,” the female said, tipping her head to the side. “But before it knocks you out, I want you to hear the truth come from my tongue, so you can suffer just as you made me suffer .”
My hand slid from her neck, the knife clattering against the floor. I willed myself to lift my arms, to move, to do something, but the toxin was taking hold. I stumbled backwards, my head swaying. I collapsed against the wall, sliding down it.
The female walked toward me, her gait more masculine than feminine. She dropped into a crouched position, her arm falling over her bent knee. “Tell me, Blood King . Did Sage ever confide in you about what Aurelius did to her while you were napping in the Spirit Realm? ”
Granite filled my stomach.
“Did she tell you how he chained her to his bed? I guess she put up quite the fight, to the point that he dislocated her arm.” The imposter’s lips curled into a masochistic grin.
“But the second he pried those sweet, sweet lips of hers apart and he forced his ichor down her throat, her legs fell open in welcoming invitation.”
I felt like I could vomit. I couldn’t stomach what I was being told.
“He knew she didn’t want it, and he said that made it even more satisfying when he stuffed his cock into her, giving her no time to adjust. He said it was like she turned into a mindless doll, disassociating from her body.
He told me he became disgusted by her for doing that, so he made sure she’d feel the sting of him when she returned from wherever she had gone.
He told me the sheets were stained with so much of her blood, the maids had to throw them out after. ”
No. No!
Fire burned through me, scorching my insides.
I was wild with anger.
Anger so intense, I had never felt the likes of it before.
It was blinding. Deafening. And it demanded retribution.
Blood for blood.
Thinking of that happening to Sage, of her choice being stripped away and that fucker forcing himself on her after he drugged her—it made me wish Aurelius was alive so I could cut his cock off and force it down his throat.
It made me want to hunt down every rapist, end their miserable existences, and lay their corpses at my mate’s feet in offering .
But most importantly, I would find Sage first. Because in all of this, she was who mattered the most. Not my anger or need for revenge. Her.
I would take her in my arms and tell her how strong she was, how strong she continued to be.
I would tell her how proud I was of her for fighting .
How proud I was of her for surviving .
She was a warrior .
Although she might not have physical scars to show for the battle she had endured, I saw her hidden wounds. I would do everything within my power to comfort her, to take care of her.
Tears stabbed at my eyes. I blinked them away.
Urgency filled me—I needed to get to her.
SAGE! I roared her name through the bond.
Silence was my only reply.
Fuck. FUCK!
I tried to clench my fists, tried to do something—anything—but my body would not comply.
Folkoln could, though.
FOLKOLN! I shouted down the line linking our thoughts.
Nothing.
“I wonder—” The imposter looked at her hand then used a finger to hook the neckline of her tunic.
She pulled the shirt open, looking down at her breasts.
“When I get my body back, perhaps the empress will let me have some fun with Sage.” She looked back up at me and licked her lips.
“Rumor has it, she tastes like apples. ”
That was when I realized who was standing before me.
“I’m going to destroy you, Nicholas,” I promised him, my words slurred.
“Eh, probably not before Aurelius and I destroy her first.” Nicholas grinned. “In every way you can imagine.”
Internally, I roared, but externally, my eyelids were beginning to close. I tried to fight them, warring with the poison, a raging tempest dragging me under.
He smacked my cheek. “Wait, wait, before you go night-night, I have one last thing to tell you.” He leaned in, whispering in my ear, “Did you know you have a son?”
A . . . son?
I fought to keep my eyes open. I fought so damn hard.
The poison was just too strong.
Nicholas pulled back, but it was Sage’s smiling face that followed me into the darkness.