CHAPTER TWENTY
Rave
Being in Chaos and watching Astrid mingle with her family here intrigues me. I hate that she comes here without me—outside of my control and protection—but the fact that she called me when she needed me means more than she could know. She still fucking needs me. I’m under her skin and in her mind and body, exactly where I want to be. Astrid might still be angry at me, but I can tell she is slowly forgiving me. My life is almost exactly how I want it, especially now that no more lies exist between us. However, if Bane doesn’t stop looking at Astrid like he wants to kiss her, I’m about to start a war by punching him right in the fucking face.
“Are you okay?” I ask Astrid, looking back at her after sending a warning glare in Bane’s direction. She is staring out of the dining hall window, lost in thought. “We can train your new magic when we get home. You don’t need to fear it, love. It protected you.”
I run my fingers across her back, and she shivers, bringing those beautiful hazel eyes to me. I love how my touch affects her because the feeling is mutual. Just a look from her can bring me to my knees, which is both humbling and fucking terrifying because no one has ever held that power over me.
“I need to ask Zython if he can do that,” she murmurs, stepping closer to me and resting her head against my chest. Her vanilla scent hits me, and I close my eyes, taking her in. My mate is fucking perfection in every way. I love everything about her, and I wonder if she knows just how fucking crazy I am for her. My fingers gently grip her neck, and her breath hitches slightly. I lower my head to her ear. “I’m going to the dungeons and see what information we can get. Why don’t you get some rest?”
Kissing her temple, I wonder if she’s going to listen or decide she wants in on torturing the man who just tried to kidnap her. Her eyes flicker, and I can tell she’s unsure what to do. But then, out of fucking nowhere, the Witch Queen shows up. Pandora is my childhood friend, although recently she’s become more loyal to Astrid than me. Instead of that annoying me, I feel grateful that Astrid has made a friend, especially one who’s female, considering all her other friends are simply men waiting and hoping for their chance to one day fuck her. I don’t know if women are just na?ve or only see what they want to see, but men aren’t just frien ds with women for the hell of it.
They all wouldn’t say no to fucking her if they got the chance.
She has a damn line formed, just waiting for me to fuck up again, and I don’t think she has any idea.
I fucking hate sending her here if I’m being honest, but she obviously needs it. Her soul needs it. And as her mate, I want to give her that even if it makes me feel sick to my stomach.
“Astrid!” Pandora calls out, a wide smile on her face. Her dark hair is a little longer than I remember, her violet eyes dancing between my mate and me.
Astrid lets go of me to hug her. “Where the hell have you been?” she asks, and Pandora smirks.
“Why, did you miss me?”
With her arms around Astrid, Pandora looks up at me. “Rave. Didn’t expect to find you here.”
“I’m just as surprised as you are.”
Albeit curious. I want to see exactly what my mate gets up to when she’s away from me. Although I do have eyes on her in the castle, it’s completely different from being here myself.
She smirks and finally lets Astrid go. “I couldn’t leave my kingdom until now. What have I missed? Obviously, you two have kissed and made up.”
“Something like that,” Astrid murmurs while I pull her back to my side. She suddenly goes still, her expression blank, and I turn to face her, bending down to cup her face in my hands. “Princess? What’s wrong?”
For a moment, it’s like she’s here but not here, but then her eyes focus once more, and she looks at me with furrowed brows and horror flashing in her hazel eyes. “Rave.” She grabs my arm, digging her fingers into my bicep. “Something is wrong. We have to go back to the castle. Now .”
Without another word, I zip her back home. My mother always told me never to ignore gut instincts, and I won’t ignore my mate’s either. We arrive just in time to see the vampires rush into the castle.
“Fuck,” I curse, turning to her.
“Before you tell me to leave and stay safe, I’ll tell you right now that’s not happening. I’m fighting with you. Now let’s protect our home,” she says, her hands out in front of her, power rolling from her skin.
Our home. I love her saying that more than I’ll ever admit.
She’s so fucking badass, she doesn’t even need a weapon anymore, but I hand her one of my blades anyway. Soren zips in front of us, unstrapping his sword from his hips and pointing it outward toward us.
“How in the hell did this happen?” I growl, rushing toward the staircase to fight the vampires who try to reach us. “How did they get through the palace wards?”
“I have no idea, but they created a damn good distraction,” Soren replies, his blade clashing as he fights two men. There must be over one hundred vampires storming into the palace. Astrid uses her shield to push the vampires backward, giving us a little time. I don’t know what distraction Soren is referring to, but I have to wonder if the incident in Chaos is connected and a way to get me out of Aravelle.
If so, it fucking worked.
Elios appears out of nowhere, sword in hand. We have always had an emergency plan in place where Cove and Nico would protect the king, leaving my youngest brother and me to defend the castle.
We rush to the bottom of the staircase, Soren and I in front with Astrid between us, Elios at her back. My priority is making sure she is safe. I knew she wouldn’t want to leave because she’s a match for me in every way.
I can only tell that woman what to do in the bedroom.
And there she will take whatever I give and fucking enjoy it.
She’ll even beg for more.
I can’t believe that before I met her, I once had the idea to take my future mate’s magic for my gain. I would never admit that to her. But the second I laid my eyes on her, I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Everything in me wants to protect, love, and own her.
I would never harm a hair on her perfect head, and I wonder if she knows how much she has changed me.
I haven’t always been the best man.
My reputation didn’t come out of thin air.
But she makes me want to try.
Astrid drops the shield, and my shadows drift off my skin and toward our enemies. I need to focus, not wanting any of ours to get hurt by accident, and if I’m being honest, I’m not at full strength after zipping back and forth and already using my darkness to kill the men who tried to kidnap my princess.
Astrid surges forward, stabbing a seasoned warrior right through the heart. She then turns and kicks another away from her before punching him right in the upper right-hand portion of the stomach, right where the liver sits, in a move I taught her.
“She moves just fucking like you,” Soren murmurs in between kills. “You’ve trained her well.”
Pride fills me.
My mate is fierce and strong.
And all fucking mine .
Astrid suddenly projects a shield around us and gasps loudly. I turn to her, wondering what the fuck is going on. “Are you okay?” I ask her, checking her over for injuries. The fighting commences around us like we aren’t here, with no one able to penetrate the shield, even though a few try.
“The king is dead,” she whispers, her eyes cutting to me.
A shiver runs up my spine at the look in them.
They are filled with fear and sorrow.
And knowing.
The sorrow is for me, but why is she scared?
And how the fuck does she know that? I share a look with Soren, who nods and zips out without me having to say a word to him while Elios steps forward, sending fireballs at five vampires who try to attack us.
They are fast, I’ll give them that.
But not fast enough.
The king can’t be dead.