Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Jace
I'd expected a lot when meeting my mate...being punched in the face was not one of them.
An authentic laugh rumbled from my chest as I went from having her body pressed into mine while I kissed her soft, pouty lips to being pinned to the ground after someone punched me hard enough that I'd heard a crunch from my nose.
A sharp metal object was now resting against my throat, and when I looked up, despite the blood pooling on my face, I found a pure-blood Reaper staring down at me with disdain. Immediately, I found myself grinning at the blatant jealousy and anger on his face.
Fuck this guy.
"Drayven." An elegant, tanned hand with long fingers that were currently covered in mud tugged on his arm hard enough that he finally looked away from me. It was all I needed to roll over and stand up, taking the opportunity to shift through space and grab my mate.
When we reappeared, we were nearly ten feet away from the group, and her firm, curvy frame—namely, her ass—was pressed up against my cock.
Damn it, I really had wanted to make a better impression than this, but my clothes were back in the forest, and I didn't trust these men to not try to take this glorious woman away from me.
I didn't know why they were all together, but nothing good could come from a hybrid woman being surrounded by pure-bloods, let alone when that woman was my mate.
Possessiveness, lust, and affection all rippled through me, along with a sense of concern for her well-being as she shivered, her entire body drenched to the bone and covered in mud.
That was fine. I could find her a fresh change of clothes and a hot bath. Or just a hot bath and she could be naked. I would love that.
My eyes ran over her face, and I caught her peering up at me curiously, a blush invading her cheeks as her pink eyes turned darker in shade.
Her magic was so unique, and she was even more powerful than most hybrids I knew, the mixture of her clear Succubus heritage paired with…
? I examined her appearance, and while I was really good at telling which lines each hybrid was from, I wouldn't lie: she was throwing me for a loop.
"Can you let me go?" she asked, her voice somehow full of both strength and softness. She wasn't afraid of me like many were, but she did seem a bit confused. Did she not realize we were mates?
"No."
I never said I was good at compromising.
A Wraith appeared in front of us, his cold, blue eyes examining me with vague disinterest before inspecting my mate's jaw. Had he been worried she had been hit in the scuffle? I would never have let that happen.
A growl rose from my chest as I tugged my mate back into my arms and she stilled, a worried sound coming from her throat at the look the Wraith offered me.
"I highly suggest you don't pull Ama away from me. Ever." His words were threatening, but I wasn't scared of him. My nose pressed against my mate's neck. Ama. What a gorgeous name.
"Adrien," her voice was soft, "I suggest we talk this through before escalating..."
"You don't touch my mate," I responded sharply to this Adrien bastard.
"Fucking hell!" The brown-haired Incubus asshole threw up his hands and slouched on the ground. "I give up. Everyone is Ama's fucking mate."
Ama shrank down, flinching, and tried to blank the emotions from her face, making me suddenly furious at the asshole who had made her feel that way. The Fallen Angel offered the Incubus a disinterested look. "Nico, shut the fuck up."
"Oh," Ama mumbled in surprise at the man’s words.
There was a knife against my throat once again, and I stilled, the blade cold and hard against my skin, the person behind me clearly very confident in what they were doing. The voice almost sounded bored when it said, "Let her go. Now."
I looked down at my mate as she offered me a small, hesitant smile. I dropped my hands from her, and she was immediately pulled into a Hellhound's arms, his chest producing a rumble I tried to not echo. I was better than that...sort of. Not really. My primal side desperately wanted to claim her.
"Who the hell are you?" the Hellhound asked, his voice dark and angry.
Did I tell them? I wasn't in the business of informing pure-bloods of anything we fucking did. I glanced at Ama, who was staring at me with curiosity, her face bright pink, as she very purposefully kept her eyes up, reminding me I was naked.
"Let me get dressed first," I ground out. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable.
The person behind me, a Dark Elf, guessing from his runes, stepped away. I immediately strode towards the tree line, knowing they had nowhere to go other than off that cliff, and that wasn't happening.
I pulled my clothes out from behind the tree where I’d stashed them, tugging on the pair of dark pants and keeping the shirt over my shoulder, still wanting Ama’s eyes on me.
I hadn't realized how important my mate's opinion would be until I finally met her.
Now, I very much wanted to know what she thought.
The Wraith—Adrien—and Dark Elf were staring at me as I approached, my mate wrapped up in the Hellhound's arms while I eyed the Reaper, Drayven.
The Fallen was standing near Nico, who was stretched out on the ground.
It wasn't the normal habit of pure-bloods of different species to hang out together like this, so I had to wonder what was bringing them together... or who was bringing them together.
"Let's just talk to him," Ama suggested softly, my ears picking up her soft words as I neared them. "We were looking for hybrids anyway. This works out well."
I made a soft humming noise, wondering what they were doing trying to find hybrids. More so, did I need to worry about their intentions? They clearly had no army, and my mate was obviously not being held captive. So, what was the dynamic here?
"You're looking for hybrids? Why?" I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.
Ama looked at me before sighing, "That's a long story. But first...I'm Ama. I'm Mortem's heir, and these are the heirs to the other houses of the Kingdom of Pura."
Oh.
I let out a low growl, "The very people who wanted all of us hybrids fucking gone. So, what the hell are you doing out here? And better yet, what are you doing with pure-bloods?"
Ama frowned, "I mean...I don't know how to answer that. I was raised by one? I didn't even know other hybrids existed in large groups. Actually, I still don't know that—you're the only one I have met!"
I examined her face, finding only honesty, before tucking my hands into my pockets. "You didn't tell me why you were looking for hybrids."
Adrien spoke then, "The leaders of Peccatum and Tenebris staged a coup and attacked the other houses. We escaped, but they have infiltrated most of the capital, and probably most of the houses' hierarchies. We need help."
I nearly smiled at that. Hybrids helping pure-blood princes? Yeah right.
My eyes shifted to my mate again. If she was asking for help, though...
shit. I had no idea what to do with this.
But my parents would know, and considering this group didn't have much of an army with them, I figured it was safe to bring them into the Kingdom of Impurus.
Mainly because, once Ama was there, she would realize where she really belonged. With her kind and her people. With me.
"I see," I nodded. "Well, I can take you there."
"You will?" Ama grinned. "Wait, what's your name?"
"Jace."
She nodded, turned to the Hellhound, and began to introduce the men. "This is Damien. Adrien. Finias. Drayven. Colt. And Nico is the one lying down." I had gathered some of the names, but as she pointed at each, it was nice to fill in the blanks.
"Well, little mate, I would be happy to show you where the kingdom is at," I walked around them towards the cliff before looking back.
"If he calls you that one more time, I am going to lose it," Drayven ground out, making me smile.
"So, where is this place?" Ama ignored him and walked ahead a bit as I motioned to the jagged cliff and cavernous void that followed after. It really did look fairly terrifying.
"Right..." Nico muttered. "Follow him off a cliff. Solid plan."
I rolled my eyes and took my hunting knife from my pocket, causing Damien to growl, before bringing it to my hand and slicing across the soft flesh of my palm. Immediately, my blood dripped into the void...until the drops hit the glamoured gate.
Ama made a surprised noise as my hybrid blood unlocked the illusion of the massive void, instead showcasing a grand set of stone stairs that led from our spot on the cliff down into a massive, grassy valley with a large river and metropolis filled with hybrids.
I suppose to someone who wasn't used to seeing it, it really did look like a utopian oasis set amidst the depressing darklands.
Unlike the darklands though, the Kingdom of Impurus wasn't dangerous. Well, at least not for hybrids.
I motioned for them to follow me down the wide stone pathway towards a large set of marble gates that led into the kingdom.
Ama's footsteps were light behind me, and when I looked back, I saw she was examining the city with an open curiosity that made me smile.
We were the only two smiling, though, because the assholes behind her looked pissed.
When we neared the gate, the guards immediately gathered to open it. They bowed their heads as I motioned for Ama to lead the way, but she stopped and looked at the men behind us.
"They have to come with me. I won’t go without them."
Now, how the hell had she known that I'd planned on locking them out?
Her eyes were wide, and she didn't seem angry at me—she just offered me a knowing look that had me feeling guilty.
The woman was clearly exhausted, and as much as I hated the bastards, if separating her from them right now wasn't going to work, then I would wait.
It wasn't like they would feel comfortable in a city full of hybrids for long, anyway.
I inhaled and then nodded, motioning for the men to go through as well, knowing I just had to bide my time until she realized she didn't need them. Besides being pure-blood and not understanding her, they couldn't protect her.
Who had saved her from the Umbra? Me. I had felt her panic from where I was hunting miles away and raced to find her. I had saved her. Not them.
Didn't that make her mine? I was positive it did.
The guards offered the others dark looks, and I knew if it wasn't for me, they wouldn't be getting in.
However, the kingdom itself was sentient and had the ability to recognize those with hybrid blood, as well as allies.
So, in a way, I felt a bit better bringing them in because, even if I had wanted to let them in—which I hadn't, but I had decided to anyway, for my mate—and they turned out to have nefarious intentions regarding the hybrids here, the kingdom would not have let them in. No matter what I did.
"They bowed," Ama noted and let out a surprised sound, "Are you someone important?"
You could say that.
"Everyone is close here. You learn who people are," I explained softly, continuing down the pathway towards the city, lush gardens surrounding us on all sides.
While I knew the others were close behind us, Ama was walking next to me happily, allowing me the fantasy that I was bringing my mate back home without any of the annoyance of reality.
Ama nodded eagerly before looking up at the dark sky, "Is that an illusion?"
"It's hard to explain." I tilted my head, "Not so much of an illusion as a pocket within a different universe. Both exist, but the entrance to this one is hidden from anyone lacking hybrid blood."
"For safety," she murmured.
"For safety," I agreed.
Then she was off. I let out a chuckle as Ama stripped off the shirt she had on, revealing a black tank top beneath.
Her wings sprang from her back, and she soared upwards.
I paused, in awe of how beautiful she looked silhouetted by the moonlight, and I was distracted enough that when Finias stopped next to me, I was taken off guard.
"I have no idea what the fuck you are playing at," Finias’ voice was a sharp hiss, "but after we get the help we came here for, we are leaving. With her. So stay the fuck away."
My lips pressed into a smile as he stalked ahead. I understood why he thought that, but what he didn't realize was the lengths to which I would go to ensure my mate's safety and wellbeing.
They would all realize soon enough exactly what I was willing to do.