CHAPTER 38
Waking to find her gone, my heart begins pounding in my chest, my eyes instantly going to my hand and looking at the promise mark.
My skin is charred and black from where she broke the blood promise and effect from breaking it, it causes intense pain and burns into us like a reminder.
I still remember when she stepped out of the borders, the tingling sensation that moved over my palm.
I initially thought I slept on it funny and gave myself pins and needles until it started burning and I knew she left me.
Left the safety of the kingdom and never have I felt fear like that.
She was completely unaware of what resided beyond those gates.
Looking at my hand though, I felt no pain.
So, I know she is in the castle somewhere or at least within the kingdom.
Matitus rolls into me, his hand searching for something as he throws it over me, pulling me against him and realizing my skin is a lot hotter than hers.
Matitus sits up in one swift motion instantly alert.
“Where is she?” he says, looking around the room.
“She is still here,” I tell him. One thing Elora doesn’t realize is she made a blood promise which won’t go away for as long as we live, it will just inflict pain on the one they promised to, every time they break it.
Matitus wriggles closer putting his head on my chest, Dragus is snoring beside him so loudly I am almost tempted to smother him just to shut him up.
Instead, I relish my time with my mate, running my fingers through his hair.
They hardly let me touch them anymore, and I know it’s because of what I did, what I put her through, so for now I would just enjoy my time with them.
“You did the right thing,” Matitus tells me.
“You should have done it earlier, but you eventually did it,” he says, sitting up on his elbow and looking at me. I can see something behind his eyes as they reflect back at me. He almost looks happy for once, instead of his mind clouded with the shadows of the past.
“You and Dragus were in a good mood last night considering everything that happened,” I tell him. His lips turn up in a smile.
“Because we are now, now that you have accepted her”
“I never didn’t accept her, she is just.”
Matitus scoffs, his eyebrow raising at my words and I can’t help the corners of my lips turning up slightly trying to repress myself from smiling.
“Stubborn like you,” Matitus offers. I shake my head.
“So, are you going to tell me what got you two into such a good mood?” I ask, ignoring his statement.
“You’ll find out soon enough”
“What did you do?” I ask.
“Nothing, it’s what you did, and I am not giving away anything, not until I am positive,” Dragus suddenly moves, yawning and sitting up. I feel alarm hit me when he looks across at us.
“She is still here,” I tell him knowing that is what he was about to ask, and he lets out a breath, flopping back down on the bed again and chucking an arm across his face blocking out the light.
“Ah I don’t want to get up,” Dragus groans. I chuckle at him.
“We have work to do, besides it’s your own fault you shouldn’t have been up all-night fornicating,” I tell him.
“Like you didn’t enjoy it,” he retorts. Suddenly I get hit with Elora’s feelings, embarrassment hitting me when I hear what sounds like someone squeal and laugh.
Getting up, I walk outside the door peering over the landing to the floor below.
I see Dakari running down the corridor with Elora and Abigail chasing after him in fits of giggles.
Matitus comes over leaning over and looking too.
“What’s happening?” he asks, just as Marian comes rushing out from god knows where a tea towel in hand chasing after them yelling profanities telling them what rotten girls are.
I laugh making Marian look up and she averts her eyes stopping. “Sorry my Llords,” she calls out but Matitus chuckles. “I don’t know what you have been up to but it’s good to hear laughter in this dark place” Matitus answers.
“Sorry, my Lord,” she repeats without looking up. Elora suddenly walks out from underneath the landing we are on looking up at us, Abigail too before she snorts her face turning crimson. Elora elbows her.
“It’s alright Marian, I know you haven’t seen one in a while” Abigail chuckles and Marian smacks both with the tea towel making them laugh. Dakari walks out and Matitus and I look at each other trying to figure out what’s so funny.
“Free balling it now bro, watch out you will give some of these old birds a heart attack,” he says and we realize our mistake. Elora places her hand over Abigail’s eyes as we look down to realize we are still naked. Completely forgetting when we walked out to see what was going on.
Matitus chuckles not caring in the least instead jiggling his bits. “Oh, for Pete’s sake has everyone around here lost their marbles,” Marian says, turning and walking off. I quickly duck into the room putting on some shorts. Matitus walks in behind me doing the same, while Dragus remains in bed.
“Get up,” I tell him, and he rolls over onto his stomach pulling the pillow over his head drowning us out. Matitus chuckles walking over and ripping the covers off him, and he mutters some curses at him.
“Now Dragus,” Matitus warns him.
“And what are you going to do, spank me like Elora,” he spits at him. Matitus makes a noise in the back of his throat.
“What is it with everyone today, starting to think Elora is becoming a bad influence on everyone, talking back, people making eye contact, and now even Dragus has an attitude,” Matitus says shaking his head.
“Things are definitely changing around here, and I am not sure I like it,” I mutter with a smile.
Dakari suddenly walks in the room, sniffing the air slightly and wrinkling his nose. “The girls want to know if they can go to the greenhouses and help someone named Victor,” Dakari announces.
“They sent you to ask permission?” I ask.
“No, pretty sure they sent me as a distraction, I heard them duck out the moment I stepped foot on the stairs.”
“See bad influence,” Matitus mutters.
‘So, what happened with you and Abigail?” Matitus asks wiggling his eyebrows.
“I marked her; her daughter is a little strange, cute but strange.”