Chapter 30 Loyalty
Verena
I t feels as if time stops when we reach the castle. The Aurora Borealis twinkles in the sky as if welcoming us home.
A guard yells, unsure of the two beings stumbling upon their foyer. Our throats become dry from lack of water.
More guards tumble out from the entrance halls as they surround us. I can barely focus on them. I am entirely exhausted. I want to sleep for a week. My skinned forearms burn from the dirt and grime on them, as do the rest of my cuts and scrapes.
“Move!” My bond pulls, my sight and my hearing focus in on that one voice, immediately soothing me. My knees give out, causing Ruelle and I go crashing to the floor. I can’t see who grabs her but the scent of freshly baked dessert surrounds me and I know Eryx holds me close to his chest. “You insufferable female.” His voice cracks from emotion, “I was about to burn this continent to the ground to find you.” I choke out a sob as he tightens his hold and I whimper from pain and longing. “Medic!” Doctors come quickly, laying down cots on the floor, “No, I’ll take her. Show me where.” Eryx tells them and starts moving, trying to be as gentle as he can. “Call off the search parties!”
“Ruelle,” I moan out from pain and exhaustion.
“She’s fine. Hadeon has her.” I nod to him, inhaling deeply .
“I am so tired…” I barely speak before my eyes shut. I can’t understand the words coming from him as my vision goes black.
* * *
Pain is what I expect when I stir from sleep but it never greets me. All my muscles are sore but no pain from any of the wounds inflicted upon me. I move my hands, feeling the fabric beneath me. The softest sheets I have ever felt. The plush comforter covers me to keep me toasty warm. Sunlight shines from a window glowing the back of my eye lids and the scent of my mate encompasses me. A whimper escapes me from my sore arms and legs.
I go to move, barely cracking my eyes open, but a gentle hand lays me back down.
“Verena, you need to rest, love.” My eyes fully open, revealing Eryx and Hadeon standing next to me.
“How is Ruelle?” Is my first question in a whisper, immediately thinking back to when we arrived. We were both barely conscious.
Hadeon smiles, “She’s stubborn and strong. Just like you. She wasn’t awake last time I checked on her but she was bleeding more than you.”
“I don’t want to push you,” Eryx starts up, “But we need answers. What happened?”
Hadeon nudges his shoulder against the king’s. “She just woke up, Eryx.”
“It’s fine.” I speak again, my voice scratchy. Hadeon motions for a maid to bring me water and I sip it slowly, sighing in relief at the feeling of it against my throat. “Ruelle and I were in the garden on a bench just talking. But she had told me someone was angry. She could feel it. It was dark and dangerous. So we start heading back inside and Mya comes out of nowhere pretending to be Hadeon. I guess she has some sort of shape-shifting ability,” I tell them.
“Mya? From Zorya? Your old maid?” Hadeon questions me, confusion lining his features and suddenly I am reminded about her true self.
“Well, she told me her real name isn’t Mya at all…” I trail off. They both look at me, waiting for me to finish. This will hurt him. Finding out his ex-betrothed was in fact alive and obsessed with the crown enough to kill his mate, who in turn killed her instead. “Her name is Amaelya.” I state, watching his face carefully.
His expression changes from patience… to surprise. “What? No,” He says in denial. Now he looks angry, hurt. My bond aches, wanting to soothe him but unsure as to how. “There is no way. She was burnt to a crisp.”
“Eryx,” Hadeon places his hand on his best friends shoulder in support .
He shrugs him off, “No. We saw her body, Hadeon!”
“Eryx.” I say his name with a soft voice, forcing him to look at me. “ It was her. Ruelle was there. She knows her, knows what she looked like. They spoke as if they had known each other for decades. She wanted the crown. She wanted you and she was about to kill me for it. Even knowing I am your mate. Who do you think gave Ruelle and I all these wounds?”
His expression turns dark, his eyes as black as his hair. He turns to Hadeon, “Go prepare Draven for me.” His voice is full of hatred until he turns back to me, grasping my hand in his own and bringing it to his lips. “I am so sorry,” He tells me. “This is all my fault.”
My hand reaches up to his cheek, “No it is not, Eryx. This is on Amaelya. She was so angry at your father. She almost killed Ruelle! This is between her and the late king of Khyrel. I…” I was unsure on how to tell him about me murdering his ex-love but deciding to just come out with it. “I killed her, Eryx. I didn’t have a choice.”
“I am not angry at you, Verena. Not one bit.” He removes his hand from my other one and places both of them on my cheeks, “Amaelya’s alleged death had done something to me I can’t even explain. But I think I was more angry at myself because everything my father had said was right in front of my eyes. We were to be wed because our fathers made a deal but that is it. Did I love her? Maybe at some point I did but it’s friendly. She is nothing and was always nothing. You are the love of my life. My fated mate. A gift to me from the Gods that I in no way, shape, or form deserve but I will thank them everyday because of it.” Tears brim my eyes at his words. “I was terrified at the thought of losing you.” He pulls me to him, wrapping his arms around my body and I shove my face into his chest in comfort.
“I killed her…” My voice breaks. I killed her. Whether it’s self defense or not. I took someone’s sister from them. “I slit her throat and watched as the light left her eyes and felt nothing but hatred for her.”
“I know,” He says, not bothering to coat his words with sugar. He understands. He has done it. And he knows it isn’t easy even if it is their life against yours. Except, it wasn’t just my life on the line. It was all of Khyrel, if not the continent. It was Eryx, Ruelle, Esmeray, Hadeon, and the people I care about. It was everyone or it was her. I know I made the right decision. I know I would make it over and over again.
He holds me for a while until I get sleepy again.
“You need rest, Seren Fach. Go to sleep, I’ll be here when you wake.”
* * *
Eryx
As soon as I hear her breathing slow as she falls into a deep sleep, I stand from my place beside her and walk out the door, seeing Esmeray in the hall with one of her trusted soldiers. “Watch them, I’ll be back soon.” I tell her as she nods. Ruelle’s room is practically next to hers so it’s easy for her to guard them both.
I walk through the hall and down the steps, all the way to the lowest level— the dungeon.
Hadeon is by one of the cells, staring in wait at the male in there. Once he hears my footfalls against the dirty floor, he looks at me and moves over, unlocking the cell door.
Before I go in, my realization sets in. Draven was involved in the harm of her and it will be his undoing. My shadows unfurl around me, angry just as much as myself. I can feel my eyes swim with darkness, blackening with emotion and hatred.
“Draven.” I greet him as I stroll in. The male was already stripped of his palace uniform and groaning in pain from the infliction Hadeon’s caused in my lack of presence. I take a glance at the cart of metallic items gracing it, some bloodied and some rusted. I look at Hadeon over my shoulder with a brow raised in question to which he shrugs. A smirk dawns my face and I turn my attention back to the man hanging from chains in the air.
“Why?” Is all I ask.
He can barely speak. “I… you know how she is, Eryx. She’s my s-sister. I had to help her…” He trails off, body weak already; likely from the lack of food. His voice hoarse.
I slice a blade across his chest. “You performed a high act of treason because she is your sister?” I question him. The darkness inside me cannot be tamed much longer. It is hungry for pain. “When you took an oath as a royal guard, which your father begged me to have you as, you took an oath to the crown swearing unwavering loyalty regardless of family, friends, or personal beliefs. That has been our rule from the beginning. I have always let you have personal opinions without punishment. I’ve allowed you to slack off and this is the thanks you give your king? You slander my fated mate, my betrothed, because your sister asked you to? You harm her because of a coward who was against this crown and what it stands for?” I question, my voice as dark as it can be with malice dripping thick from every syllable.
“I’m sorry…” He breathes. “I thought she was a distraction.” My hands go to his throat, squeezing tightly.
“That’s the problem now, isn’t it? You were thinking. And now, I am going to cut out your tongue,” I say, getting closer to his face, “And then we’ll see what else I am in the mood for. You will be the wedding gift for my wife.” I grab another blade and get to work removing the muscle from his mouth.
By the time I finish with him, A couple hours pass and I am covered in blood. I sent Hadeon to check on Verena and when he came back, it was with some of my staff to help clean up this mess. I can’t help but revel in the blood coating my skin, nothing feeling as satisfying as getting some revenge for Verena. I make my way to our room, seeing her still resting before walking to the bathing room and stripping off my bloody clothes, stepping into a hot bath that Hadeon had gotten a maid to start for me, and sinking down in it to relax. Most of the blood was on my clothing so there wasn’t much to wash off.
My eyes grow heavy once I finish using soap to wash off my skin and I’m almost unconscious when I feel it. There’s a presence in the room with me, however quiet. But once the scent of sugared red berries wafts through my nose, I know that it’s Verena. My eyes snap open wide, taking her in as she strips off the night gown, most of her superficial wounds healed now and the more serious ones were scarring. Thanks to her Fae healing and the herbs we have for wounds like that, she was almost back to normal. But it didn’t stop the worry etching its way onto my face.
My brows pull tight as she steps into the bath, sinking down onto my lap as we remain silent.
“Verena,” I start, trying to get her to go back to bed so I don’t accidentally injure her.
She shushes me, placing her delicate finger over my lips and grasping my suddenly hardening cock in her other hand. I suck in a breath of air at the feel of her wrapped around me, my head falls back and my eyes close briefly at the contact.
“Verena,” This time it’s a deep warning.
“I need you,” Her voice is needy, wanting and I’ll be damned if I can even attempt to stop her. She takes this as her cue and moves her hand up and down until my cock aches from being so stiff.
I let her take control, sensing she needs it right now and loving the sight of her taking me however she wants.
Her arms move to my chest, running up and to my shoulders where she holds on before grazing my chest with her perfect breasts and sinking her hot, wet cunt down my shaft.
Groans leave us in unison and my hands fly to her hips, gripping with desperation for her to move. She adjusts to me, fitting perfectly in place like we were made for each other.
“You are mine,” Her voice is deeper than usual, full of lust and… jealousy? My brows furrow this time in confusion and she answers my silent question as she slides up and back down my cock, another moan leaving me. “She believed no one else could have you but her. She was wrong and I made sure to tell her that.” Anger wants to brew up in me at the mention of Amaelya. “My only regret was not keeping her alive to fuck you in front of her.” Her words make me choke on a light laugh of surprise.
A smirk rests of her face now as she moves, grinding herself on my lap as she uses my body to pleasure herself. I could get off at the thought of it alone
I use my hands to help her grind harder, soft moans leaving her lips as I lean forward to suck a hardened nipple in my mouth, nibbling on it. Even with the water surrounding our bodies, I can feel her getting wetter. The nipple in my mouth pops out as I move to the next one, giving it just as much attention and care as her movements get faster, sloppier, and I know she’s close.
“Come for me, pretty girl,” I tell her, slipping my hand between us to help her as she grinds her clit against it. Her gasp catches in her throat, her nails digging into my shoulders as her body tenses, unable to move on her own now from the pleasure. I use my hands at her waist to help her ride through her climax as she shudders against me. Her cunt squeezes me tightly, enough to spur on my own release. My hands dig into her waist, surely adding to the bruises but she seems to enjoy it more than anything as I groan out my release inside her and she collapses onto my chest, her head nuzzled into my neck. I brush my hand down her hair, pulling it off her shoulders to gather at her back.