Chapter 13 Erik
ERIK
Footsteps from the hall entered my living quarters. By the darkness outside, it was deep into the night. There shouldn’t have been anyone entering or leaving this area at such a time. Something was wrong.
I was instantly out of bed and at the door. As soon as it opened, Ariana and Kole froze in their tracks, the way rodents often did when trying to sneak by, believing that they might have gone unnoticed if they just remained still enough when in the presence of danger.
Taking a sharp inhale, I smelled blood. Her blood.
A slender red stream dripped down Ariana’s arm stemming from her shoulder. Instantly, a wave of heat surged through me.
I turned to Kole. “Why is she bleeding?” The anger in my voice was sharp.
His gaze dropped to the ground, knowing there was going to be no patience on this matter. Ariana was to be protected. That was his duty, and he failed miserably. What excuse could there possibly have been for whatever events led to this?
“She ran into a couple males in the hall,” Kole answered, while shifting on his feet, unmistakably nervous.
“And where were you?” My voice dropped an octave with simmering fury. Not only had Kole done a poor job of watching her, but other Lysians were involved. They harmed her. The girl who was too brave for her own good.
“She was hungry.” Kole offered a pitiful excuse.
My claws slipped to the surface of my fingers, barely kept sheathed. A growl ripped through me, and I refrained from taking a single step towards my friend, for I could have shredded him. My hands balled into fists to keep them at my sides.
Ariana appeared to have re-discovered a sliver of her briefly shaken bravery as she stepped forward.
“It was my fault. I was reading the books you left and was trying to be like one of the characters. You all are so silent with your movements, and so I just . . . I didn’t know anyone would be roaming the halls.
” Her voice wavered ever so slightly, her pulse racing while her eyes focused on the threat before her, me.
My attention snapped towards her. Kole nearly winced, allowing his attention to flicker from the floor to me.
Ariana was trying to make light of the situation, and I was not in the mood. Despite being a prisoner of war, she was to be treated as a guest. For her to side with us, she was not to be injured. Kole’s job was to ensure that.
Her being harmed without my desiring it was unacceptable.
Anger consumed me, quick and efficient, burning hotter and hotter. I felt nearly unhinged, capable of tearing apart anything that got in my way, even if it was her. The lives of Lysians—including my sister’s—depended on what happened in the next several weeks. Nothing could jeopardize that.
In an instant, I stood before Ariana and she recoiled at my sudden movement, bumping against the wall at her back. Good. We were not simple people; we were Lysians. She needed to understand that, to have a healthy caution towards us so that this would not happen again.
Her body reacted to mine, to the space that disappeared between us. A single tremble moved through her when I leaned toward her, baring my teeth. “I want no one touching you.”
Her body stiffened.
Taking in a deep breath, I caught the scent of the Lysians mixed with hers.
Though I did not lay a finger on her, she responded to every single movement I made.
Pulse climbing, breath shaky. When I stepped away, Ariana’s shoulders relaxed.
Yet her green eyes stared at me as if she were afraid to look away.
I glanced at Kole and his gaze dropped to the ground once more. His behavior was submissive, and it only further angered me. I didn’t need his submission. I needed him to do his damn job.
Neither of them spoke as I exited the room.
I left without saying another word. Instead, I focused on those who dared to touch her.
I pushed the thought of Ariana and Kole from my mind in favor of finding another two, the Lysians who laid their hands on the Bavadrin.
I hunted them.
They were still wandering some of the castle halls. I pursued them until they had no outlet left. The fools cornered themselves in an empty room. When I approached, words came from them, but I did not care to hear any of it. It was just noise.
“You will both regret so much as glancing the Bavadrins’ way,” I snarled. “Let alone laying a hand on her.”
My fists connected with their faces as soon as they were trapped with no exit besides the one at my back. My vision blurred till all that could be seen was red. If they begged for forgiveness, I could not hear it over the sound of the blood rushing in my ears and the rage in my head.
They put everything in danger. My sister’s life and the lives of countless other Lysians hung on the hopes that we could get to the Sidhe lands, which would be easier if the Bavadrins fell in step with us.
The Bavadrins were far more likely to cause less trouble if Ariana took control and did as we instructed her to.
I was still trying to figure out what exactly to do with her, and how best to broach the subject.
She needn’t fear for her life while under my protection.
Ariana stated she would not stand with us as a prisoner, but there was no other way.
Bavadrins were told to be cunning. It may have been easy to take control of their lands now, but there was a reason they withstood the great wars before.
They had gifts unlike ours. Gifts that could compete.
If given a chance to regroup and prepare, then they may become a formidable force to deal with.
As much as I wished her promise to be true, I did not trust it.
If the Bavadrins were working with the Sidhe, then as soon as she was freed nothing was stopping her from running and requesting aid.
My soldiers were powerful, but I didn’t want to risk losing unnecessary lives by fighting both Bavadrins and the Sidhe.
The entire situation left me infuriated and desperate for an outlet to release that frustration.
Kole and Ariana did not know, but this was exactly what I needed. Something to clear the rage and frustration from my body.
There was a welcomed sting every time my fist connected with one of the Lysians who harmed the Bavadrin. Blood seeped through broken skin, mine mixing with that of those I struck. I did not mind it; in fact, I welcomed the feel of the warm, thick liquid covering my hands.
Time did not exist. It was as if I were trapped in some sort of cyclone with the sole desire of inflicting pain. Even though there were two of them, they stood no chance against me. The constant roaring in my head slowed. The assault continued until I grew tired of it.
When finished, I left them both whimpering on the floor. At least they were alive. Hopefully, now they knew better than to venture too close to their King’s belongings. Not that I owned Ariana, but she was in my home and my responsibility.
Stopping by the kitchen, I washed my hands of the blood.
With my mind the clearest it’s been over the past few days, I began putting together a few herbs and creams into a small bowl, crushing the mixture together before returning to my living quarters.
Ariana gave me something similar when I was wounded while a prisoner.
It seemed appropriate to return the favor.
Kole rose from his seat as soon as I entered and dropped to one knee, head bowed.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Get up,” I replied, and he hesitantly did as instructed.
“Those two Lysians, are they in training?” I asked Kole once he stood upright. They were too young to have been anything more than trainees.
“Yes.” His lips set into a thin line.
“Not anymore.” There was no need for Lysians of that character to be a part of the royal guard. “They are never to step foot in here again. And be sure to remind whoever oversees them that recruits are not permitted onto these grounds after hours.”
“It will be done.” His chin briefly dipped.
I nodded, taking a step towards Ariana’s closed door. “You know, she tried to protect you and take the blame,” I pointed out.
“She doesn’t know when to back down,” Kole mumbled.
“Sure, she started out trying to take the blame, but then once you left, she wanted to sit out here with me. When I told her to go to her room, her eyes turned cold and she was all ‘call it what you may, a beautiful cell is still a cell’ and then slammed the door. That Bavadrin female has some bolts loose. Are you sure you know what you are doing with her?”
“She wanted to stay out here to protect you,” I pointed out, unable to keep the amused smile from my lips. Despite being Bavadrin, Ariana continued to wish to protect Lysians. She was sweetly misguided, trying to protect those whom she needed protection from.
“From what?” Kole looked confused, as if unable to comprehend what a Bavadrin could hope to protect him from?
“From me.”
Kole glanced at her closed door and back to me, scratching his head as if the thought made his brain itch. He then shook his head. “She really doesn’t comprehend who you are.”
I chuckled, for she truly did not seem to.
Despite my temper, I was capable of self-control, most of the time. I’d never truly hurt Kole. Though if there ever was a dark day when I wished to take someone’s life, Ariana could never hope to stop me from it. For her sake, she shouldn’t ever try.
I knocked on Ariana’s door. The soft sound of bare feet on the floor pattered closer, then a pause before the door opened.
Wide green eyes met mine, and I couldn’t help but notice the way her nostrils flared, taking in the scent of the healing herbs in the bowl I held.
Without a word, she shifted aside, letting me pass into her room.
Silently, she moved through the space before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. With a careful hand, she removed the rag covering her shoulder, revealing a red, angry cut that left jagged marks over her skin. The sight of it fueled my anger anew.