11. Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
River
I’d only just grabbed the candles and soap when I felt my omega’s fear.
It was like my heart was in my throat as I dropped everything and ran back down the staircase, making sure I wouldn’t fall to my death while doing so.
Ember’s fear only worsened and I felt just how fucking afraid he was. Just what, or who, was scaring him?!
A man yelped, thankfully it wasn’t Ember’s voice, but then a dragon roar sounded and I knew it was Vrenus in there with my omega.
I saw red, shifting while I ran, letting my dragon take control as we dealt with our royal advisor.
I didn’t care who he was to us, no one attacked my mate, and that was clearly what was going on since Vrenus was shifted.
My dragon just barely made it through the open doorway, our water magic already ready to go as orange, red, and yellow flew across the room and landed in a heap on the stone floor. The pain that slammed into me was indescribable.
I roared, having never felt anger like this ever before. No one hurt my omega! Vrenus turned, clearly surprised, or acting like it.
“Your highness,” he began, but I ignored it, springing forward and slamming ice crystals against his hide, pleased to see the blood seeping out from between his scales, then I took the hot spring water and froze it around him, making him into an ice sculpture.
I needed to get to my omega. My brothers could deal with Vrenus.
Shifting back, I ran over to where Ember was laying in his phoenix form, his wing looking all wrong and mangled.
He was alive, that much I knew, but he was in so much pain, my poor omega.
I used more magic on Vrenus, adding tiny ice picks inside the ice-block, forcing them into his skin.
I hoped he would stay in there and feel the biting sting for hours.
Carefully so as to not make his injuries worse, I gathered Ember in my arms, pleased that he didn’t burn my skin. I doubted he could. Mates couldn’t harm one another, it was simply impossible, but I’d never met another phoenix shifter before.
I ran back upstairs, alerting several of the guards as they saw their prince running in a robe that may or may not be fastened, with a phoenix in my arms.
“Get my brothers to the healers wing!” I ordered. “And send guards down to the royal hotspring and detain Vrenus for attacking my mate!”
I yelled everything over my shoulder as I headed for the healers.
Movement sounded behind me as they all ran in every direction, following my orders.
I reached the final staircase that led to the wing, not even feeling my lungs as I continued to run faster than ever before, my Ember safe in my arms.
I shouldered my way inside, startling Penelope where she sat reading one of her romance novels. “Your highness!” Penelope gasped, dropping her book on the floor as she hurried over to us.
“My mate was attacked,” I explained, making her eyes widen.
“Come with me!” She ordered, running ahead and opening one of the private rooms. I was right behind her, holding Ember close to my chest.
“I think his wing is broken,” I said, trying my best to compose myself. If my anger flared again, my dragon would take over and I needed to focus on my omega and not the alpha that was hopefully chained in the dungeon right now.
“More than his wing,” she whispered, staring at Ember with compassion. “Please lay him down here gently.”
Carefully, I placed Ember on the bed, immediately wishing I could hold him again.
“I’ll do a quick scan of his body before I do any healing,” she informed me, her hands glowing as she worked, never touching Ember as her hands moved over his body slowly, just inches from him.
“River!” Midos yelled, his tone urgent. It warmed me that they cared so much for Ember already.
“In here!” I called, and not even a second later, my brother was by my side, holding my shoulder and offering me the assurance I so desperately needed. He didn’t say anything, didn’t ask questions, he just stood there. I loved him for it.
Penelope grimaced, then turned her gaze on me. “It’s bad, but he’ll be fine once I’ve healed him, it might just take a couple of hours.”
“How bad is it?” I asked, already fearing her answer. I needed to know what my poor mate had gone through while I’d left him alone, trusting that he would be safe here. We also needed to know so we could punish Vrenus accordingly.
Ciris walked into the room as Penelope began listing down his injuries. “His wing is broken in ten different places, his neck is partially fractured, and he suffers from a nasty concussion.”
Ciris growled when he saw Ember’s lifeless phoenix form on the huge bed, his feathers all mussed up.
“And,” Penelope continued, biting her lip. “He was strangled before shifting.”
We all growled at that knowledge, Ciris standing on my other side and holding my other shoulder as he squeezed it, showing me he was there.
The door to the healers’ wing opened and something crashed to the ground before Reinos appeared, looking frazzled. His shirt was unbuttoned and his pants unlaced, like he’d gotten dressed in a hurry.
“Your Highness,” Penelope said, bringing my attention back to her. “I need to get started immediately. Please grab Herrold, I’ll need his assistance with the healing. Also, once his phoenix form is fully healed, I’ll need to heal his human form as well. His neck is badly bruised.”
I swallowed and nodded. Thankfully, Reinos left and got Herrold, knowing I needed to stay with my omega.
Penelope began healing, this time touching Ember’s wing and pouring light into him, slowly making the room glow with light of red, gold, and yellow. The healing colors always turned to those of the form they healed, and Ember’s were beautiful.
“Please give me room,” Penelope said, still focused on healing.
Ciris pulled me back from the bed, making the three of us stand against the wall.
“Sit,” Ciris ordered, pushing me down on one of the sitting chairs.
I did, not trusting myself to remain standing for long.
I was both exhausted and filled with adrenaline, wanting to kill Vrenus for doing this to my omega.
I was also angry at myself for letting this happen.
“What happened?” Midos finally asked, and I sighed.
“I heard a dragon roar in the hallway to the hot springs. I’d left Ember there to go and grab candles.
No, actually I heard a man whimper in pain before the roar, so Ember must’ve fought him.
I shifted in the hall, only making it into the room as Ember was tossed into the stone wall, passing out on the spot.
I attacked Vrenus and then grabbed Ember and ran here. I have no idea what happened.”
Reinos came back, Herrold in tow, and made his way over to us, grabbing chairs for each of them. It was clear they were staying with me until Ember woke and I was glad for that.
“Vrenus will stay in chains until Ember is healed enough to tell us everything,” Ciris growled, staring at my omega with guilt. Vrenus was hired by him over one hundred years ago.
I just nodded and wished for Ember to wake up soon. I had so much I needed to apologize for and I doubted I’d be able to leave his side any time soon.