13. Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirteen
River
They made Ember fall asleep again, a thing healers often did to make sure the patient stayed still.
The way his back was rubbed raw, the skin torn off in places…
My dragon and I fought for control. All it wanted was to kill Vrenus for this and all I wanted was to stay by Ember’s side, and make sure no more harm came to him.
My brothers were just as worried. They cared for Ember already and likely feared for their future omegas as well.
We all believed our palace was safe, but Vrenus had proven us wrong.
I was glad Ciris was the king and not me.
He would deal with Vrenus, using his alpha bark on him to make him talk.
Ciris was the only one in our kingdom who could use it on other alphas, and I was glad I didn’t have to hear whatever excuse he made. Nothing would make this okay.
My body was aching after my rut and Ember’s heat, and I’d yet to really sleep after the attack.
It had drained me to use that amount of magic, too.
I was dead on my feet as I now carried Ember back to our rooms. He was fully healed and put into a heavy sleep to help with the internal bruising, something I hated knowing he even needed.
Penelope and Herrold were both exhausted as well and were promptly sent off to bed.
Once we were back in the safety of our rooms, I placed Ember down on the bed, carefully moving the nest around a little. The scent from it was full of our shared cum and sweat, and his sweet heat slick. It was oddly comforting to get back to after this horrible day.
I left Ember on the bed and hurriedly bathed myself, needing to feel clean after the fight with Vrenus.
After I was cleaned up, I curled my body around Ember, pleased to have him safe in my arms. Midos had promised to order food from the kitchen for when Ember would wake, and that meant all I could do was to just sleep and hopefully everything would be well come morning.
Ember woke a couple of hours later, his stomach growling with a demand for food. My own ached with emptiness, so we were in clear agreement now that food was our next goal.
“I smell awful,” he groaned, rubbing his eyes.
“You smell like us,” I grinned, nuzzling his neck with my nose as I inhaled loudly.
He giggled, batting me away. “I meant the blood, you silly dragon.”
I hated the reminder that he’d bled, but he was right, it needed off. “I’ll draw you a bath and then we can eat in bed. How does that sound?”
“Perfect,” he sighed, smiling lazily.
I carried my wonderful mate into the bathroom and did as I’d promised, only leaving his side for a second to alert the guard outside our rooms to bring the food. Then I was back inside the bathroom, gazing at my omega as he rested with his eyes closed. He was just so beautiful.
With soap in hand and a fluffy sponge, I approached Ember, loving that I got to take care of him like this.
My poor omega needed all the pampering. Stupid Vrenus had ruined our recovery period after the heat, which should’ve been a fun and intimate experience between Ember and I.
At least Ember didn’t seem to be angry with me, but I still felt guilty for leaving him alone and defenseless.
I should’ve just done without the soap and candles, but I wanted it to be perfect and romantic.
I’d failed spectacularly on that front, though.
“Mmm,” my omega hummed as I ran the sponge over his back. I wasn’t in the bathtub with him, wanting this to be all about Ember. “That feels so nice,” he sighed, nuzzling into my touch.
“After we’ve eaten, I’ll give you a light massage,” I purred, needing to touch every part of him. My dragon needed to see and feel that our omega was fine.
“I’d love that,” he grinned, eyes closed as he accepted my light touch.
“I’m sorry for leaving you yesterday,” I finally said, feeling lighter just from acknowledging my failure. The guilt sadly remained.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Ember whispered, biting his bottom lip as his eyes blinked open. “But I am interested in learning why he attacked me. He didn’t even give me a chance to say who I was.”
“And that is why Ciris went to see him,” I said, adding soap to his hair. “He’ll tell us the reason soon, we just need some food first.”
“Food,” he agreed, smiling lazily. “I feel all hazy. Did Penelope do something to make me so… mellow?”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “No, she just made sure you got enough sleep. I’m the one forcing you to relax, because you need it.”
“Only you, though,” he said, eyes meeting mine.
“Only me,” I agreed, knowing he needed reassurance.
“Or if you decide that’s what I need,” he added.
His trust in me was honorable. I would be the best alpha ever from now on. “My one goal in life is to make sure you’re happy, Ember. And I promise to do that as best as I can.”
He smiled. “I know. I can feel it.” He held a hand over his heart and like he’d reminded me, love and affection poured from our bond, mixing between us.
We ate on the bed, both of us clearly still exhausted, but now we felt tired from finally being well fed.
There just sadly wasn’t any time for napping.
Ciris knocked on the door and upon entering, announced that he wanted us to come in for a meeting.
This was rather normal as we often held meetings just with us brothers, but now my omega would be a part of it too.
The first outsider ever to be introduced into our most sacred meetings. It felt right.
I’d given Ember some clean clothes to wear, picking out the most comfortable ones I could find.
He would appreciate something that wouldn’t be too tight around his stomach right after his heat, even with the healers having helped on that front as well.
We then met up with my brothers in the shared office, sitting on the couches like normal.
Today there wasn't any wine, much to my disappointment, but it was still considered early so I couldn’t really complain.
Knowing Ciris would soon discuss why my omega had been attacked made me briefly consider grabbing a bottle anyway, but Ember’s hand on my thigh had me rooted in place on the couch.
His touch was like a warning, telling me without words that he needed me to remain next to him.
It was likely hard for him to hear about as well, his feelings on the matter still fuzzy, as if his own emotions had yet to catch up on what had happened.
There was no surprise there, considering he’d been either unconscious or asleep for most of the time.
“I interrogated Vrenus for hours,” Ciris began, the only one of us not sitting as he paced the short space between both couches. “He was reluctant to talk, so I had to use my alpha bark on him. More than once, sadly.” My eldest brother looked exhausted, and I wondered if he’d even slept.
“Is he still in the dungeon?” Midos asked, sitting on the edge of the couch to look at Ciris who was still pacing.
“He is,” Ciris confirmed. “I wish I could tell you he had a good reason for attacking Ember, but I sadly don’t.”
“Why did he do it?” I asked, feeling a mix of trepidation from my mate.
“He thought Ember was in there to seduce me,” Ciris sighed, making all of us frown in confusion.
“Why the fuck would he think that?” Reinos asked. “He was in the royal hot spring, why specifically you?”
“Because,” Ciris began, sighing again. “His omega brother is a servant here and has tried to seduce me on more than one occasion. He’d come to me and asked if I wanted to spend the evening with him.
I’d lied and told him I needed to refuel the hot spring, a lie, I know, but I was tired of his persistent attempts at flirting.
Vrenus wants his brother and I to mate and for me to dismiss my claim on my fated mate. ”
I gasped, holding Ember closer to me. “Why on earth would he even think you’d want to do that?!”
Ciris held up a staying hand, silencing the rest of us before we could ask further questions.
“Vrenus decided to check up on me in the hot spring, knowing I would be there, but instead he found Ember. An omega he’d yet to meet and who was sitting in the royal hot spring alone.
He came to the conclusion that Ember was either there to seduce me, or I’d asked him there.
His dragon’s instincts took over, his protectiveness over his brother making him do something stupid, which was why Ember was attacked. ”
“Is his omega brother Loui?” I asked, or rather, growled.
Ciris sighed. “Yes. The one I’ve already told you about numerous times.”
“And this time, he’s getting fired, right?” Midos asked, his tone almost a growl.
“They both are,” I declared. “But I still want Vrenus killed for what he did to my mate.”
Ember said nothing, but I felt his turmoil. He was afraid and something else that was hard to pin-point. Maybe he felt like a burden, or guilty over being attacked?