by CY Jones
Taking only the katana he gifted Angelica, he left them both teary eyed and distraught. For the time being, they’ll want to keep a low profile and keep their distance from Morganstein if they want to stay alive. Give the asshole enough time to forget it was their estate she hid at. They probably won’t see their son again until the Founder’s Day festivities. I’m hoping Kirito is smart enough to know that mentioning mating to Morganstein is suicide. Mentioning a baby is even worse. If she doesn’t know who the father is, he won’t be pleased. Kirito should know she just said that to buy time, but after tonight, who knows. We’re both way too young to be a father. Our lives are so fucked up, but for her, we’ll do anything.
Sleep is uneasy, but each minute that goes by brings me closer to my angel.
Chapter 27
Angelica
Having been shaken awake from being firmly carried in an unfamiliar pair of arms is quite the experience, especially when you don’t remember how you got there in the first place. One second, I was scowling at Ruelle on top of the roof, the next, I’m being lifted out of a town car and held securely in his arms like precious cargo. He only has himself to blame for my reaction, so when my fist shot out and socked him in the face, I did not feel any remorse.
Luckily, Archer appeared at just the right time to catch me before my body hit the ground since I took him off guard and Ruelle dropped me. Now, securely held by my champion, I glare daggers at Ruelle.
“Where the hell are we?” I demand.
“On the academy grounds. Your father is staying in a house not far from here,” he answers too easily, which makes me uneasy.
“And you were planning to take me there?” I ask the obvious.
“That was the plan,” he answers.
“And now?” I prod.
“Now that you’re aware, I’m quite sure you’re going to make it hard on me.”
“Damn straight I am. You kidnapped me and did something to me,” I accuse.
“Did I? All I remember doing is escorting you here. Anything else must have been your imagination.”
“Don’t give me that. How good are you? To be able to lie with such a straight face. If you did nothing, I would not have slept all the way through a fourteen hour flight. I would never have allowed you to run off with me in the first place and leave my mates behind.”
“Yet, it happened and you did. You don’t have to believe me. I really don’t care if you do or not. My job was to bring you back, and I have accomplished that. If you don’t wish to return with me to your father’s, then I’ll leave you here. I don’t have the energy to fight you and your champion. Dealing with you has already been tiresome. I’ll take my leave now and report to Lord Morganstein that you’re back safe and sound and are staying in your cabin.”
Just like that, without another word, he leaves. I should be happy it was that easy, but we still have so much unresolved between us. And why is my head so foggy? He claimed he didn’t do anything to me, but how else did he get me to leave with him? All this is so unsettling, especially the blanks in my memory. I catch brief glimpses of standing on a roof, the melancholy sound of a flute, and a sweet kiss on the forehead, but I’m not clear if any of that actually happened.
“I wish I could help, but in Japan, I was prevented from getting to you. It wasn’t until you were asleep on the jet that I was able to find you,” Archer says in a low voice.
“Don’t worry about it. You’re here now.” In his arms, I shiver and he holds me closer to his body as he navigates the woods in the dark. I’m still only wearing a t-shirt and my feet are bare, so he maintains carrying me. We get back quickly, and as soon as my feet touch down on the heated floors, I moan in pleasure, sucking up as much heat as I can.
“I’m going to take a shower. Being held by that jerk, I feel dirty,” I tell Archer before disappearing in the bathroom.
I intended on enjoying a long blissful shower, but too soon, a crash followed by a loud commotion can be heard outside the bathroom door. As to the culprit, there were few possibilities. One being Ruelle is back and has somehow broken into my cabin, another is that overbearing mate of mine who has finally caught up to me and is going ballistic as Archer holds him back. Stepping out of the shower naked in a cloud of steam, I’m not surprised to see it’s the latter and he has company. Kirito is right beside him with the same pissed off look, facing off with Archer. My poor champion. He surely deserves overtime pay.
“Angelica,” Zion speaks. But only my name since I’m standing here completely naked. His eyes trail a slow trail up and down my body before he finally comes to his senses. “What the hell?” he grumbles angrily, before brushing past me into the bathroom and coming out with a towel. Like I’m an invalid, he wraps the towel around me himself, satisfied when my important bits are mummified. “Do you always prance around here naked?”
“Well, this is my home,” I reply dryly.
“Yeah, but you have a champion, and he’s a guy,” he argues.
“Yeah, so?” I really don’t see what the issue is. So Archer is a male? He’s also a spiritual being who no longer cares about such things. My body is probably as exciting as paint drying to him.
“You’re unbelievable,” he says exasperated, but stops arguing. We both know who will come out the winner. “Are you okay? Did that asshat do anything to you?” he asks instead, changing the subject.
“I’m fine, I guess. I’m still unsure on how I got back. I can’t believe I slept the whole way here.”
“He must have spelled you. How did you get away?” Kirito questions.
“I woke up and then hit him in the face when I realized it was him carrying me. Archer took over from there, and he let us leave because he said it would be a bother to fight us both.”
“Where was he trying to take you in the first place?” Zion asks.
“The place where Lord Killjoy is staying.”
“I’m surprised he let you go after going through the trouble of bringing you back. With everything you said, that’s what really worries me. It makes me wonder what your father’s plans are even more,” Zion muses.
“Who cares. I rather not worry about anything that hasn’t happened yet. I’m back, safe, and away from those two. To me, that’s all that really matters. If we sit here trying to guess the intentions of others, we’ll only drive ourselves crazy. Let’s just take this as a win and a be careful in the future since we know what they’re capable of.”
“That sounds really smart,” Kirito smiles, agreeing.
“Of course it does. I’m the one who came up with it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get dressed. I have people to apologize to,” I tell them, thinking about Milo and the twins. I’ve rested long enough, and now that I’m back, I need to make up for disappearing on them. I was wrong and did them dirty. I’m mature enough to admit that.
“Fine, whatever. Just stay away from that weirdo. I don’t need him taking you anywhere else,” Zion cautions.
“That’s easier said than done when it’s him that won’t stay away from me,” I remind him.
Ruelle
I hold in another cry as the whip connects against my skin, creating another scarlet line in my flesh. As it sings through the air, I brace myself before it collides. I repeat this action over and over, never crying out. Never giving him the self-satisfaction.
“You had one job.” Whip. “One job,” he hollers, pulling the whip back and letting it fly.
Blood drips on the dirty ground beneath me, and if it weren’t for the chains holding me up, I’m sure my body would be down there with it. After fifty lashes, he finally stops, and I take in a shaky breath.
“Am I counting on the wrong person? You have not been yourself since I had you follow the girl. Are you still worthy of my trust or has your allegiance wavered?”
“No, my lord. It’s you who I serve,” I cry.
“Then why did you let the girl get away? You should have brought her here like I ordered.”
“Sh
e woke before we reached the house. With her unwillingness, I would not have been able to bring her here and fight her champion.” I know this is the reason I’m stating, but I don’t think I fully believe it, and neither does he, which is why he’s punishing me and purposely forcing me to choose. I may have a reason for letting her go, but even to me, it doesn’t make sense. Ever since I first met her, nothing makes sense. My memories are broken, shattered into a million pieces, but within some of those shards, I see her face. Why?
Behind me, he pours water soaked with sea salt onto my skin, letting it drip down my back, and I finally scream an agonizing scream. The salt prevents the wounds from closing and makes the blood churn, so it won’t clot and heal, unless healed magically.
“I’ll leave you down here like this for a night and a day. After you learned your lesson, I’ll come heal you.”
I listen to his footsteps walk away and the soft snick of the dungeon door closing. Half naked, I shiver from the cold and the unbearable pain. With my head lowered, I think about my actions and repent. I serve Lord Morganstein. He is my lord and savior. My loyalty is to him and him alone. Whatever my reasons from before, they mean nothing. Are nothing. He is all that matters. I repeat this in my head over and over until I finally can’t take the pain anymore and pass out.
Chapter 28
Angelica
Staying away from Ruelle proved to be quite easy. For the first couple of days after being back, I didn’t see him. Not even in our classes, in which he was now enrolled. When he did come back, he made no effort to talk to me, choosing to glower or ignore me. I don’t know what changed between us since he brought me back, but he seems colder somehow. I foolishly thought that maybe I could pretend to be his friend so that he’ll trust me, and I could use him to learn where Lord Killjoy is keeping my brother’s soul. I already had a spell ready to return the soul to the body, I just needed the soul to be in the near vicinity. Oberon is having way too much fun with my brother’s body, and I have a promise to keep, but with Ruelle giving me the cold shoulder, I was getting nowhere.
After apologizing profusely to the other heirs on my back with their cocks in-between my legs, it seems like I have been forgiven. I also had to promise to never go off on my own ever again. I’ve never seen them so vulnerable and so scared, which really showed me how much they care about me. My nights ahead may have been filled with satisfying their fears, but it was well worth it.
To appease Lord Killjoy and keep him from coming after Kirito’s parents, Zion lied and told him he sent me away with Kirito to train me for the upcoming festivities in secret. That since the academy had too many eyes and ears, it could only be done in a secret location near Kirito’s family home, which made sense for me to stay there. He did not mention opening my mating bond or a baby. The point of lying was to keep the heat off Kirito and his family. I’m not sure if Lord Killjoy believed our story, but he accepted it for now. When he asked for me to show him what I learned, I told him he’ll see during the fights since I’m still perfecting the move. It’s a good thing Kirito was actually teaching me a new way to fight or we would have gotten caught up in our lie.
With just mere weeks until Founder’s Day, I have done nothing but train. In the early morning, I’d run in the woods to build my stamina. In the afternoon, one of the heirs would train with me and help with my control when my power wanted to go wonky. In the evening, they’d switch with another and we’d do mock battles, and every night before bed, I meditate. In a meditative state, I can feel my magical circuits better and all the things I’m connected to. I could feel Archer, Mr. Meow, and Zion, especially since it’s his blood that flows alongside mine in my veins like their two separate entities. I was never one for all that zen bullshit, but I have to admit, it’s working. With each day, I can feel myself getting stronger. I hope soon I’ll be able to function without Zion’s assistance.
My sexual life has gone up as well. Almost every night, one or two of the heirs stay at the cabin and fuck me until my lids are too heavy to hold open. Zion is the only one who doesn’t say the incantation for pregnancy, determined to fill me until my body can’t take anymore. I sometimes worry he’s taking on too much. Supplying me and Archer, being my mate, keeping an eye out for his father to try to kill him again and Lord Killjoy, being a student, and maintaining the number one rank in the top ten. It’s a lot, and if I were him, I would probably have cracked by now, if not broken. But Zion is Zion. Stubborn like a bull and thinks he can take on the world and still have time to come home and fuck me. I used to hate his attitude, his cockiness, but now I’ve learned, it’s well earned. We still argue. We still get into fights, but I’ve learned to counter them. Now when he gets into his overbearing, I’m going to tell you what to do phase, I’ll drop to my knees and blow him, which makes him forget what we were fighting about in the first place. See? Effective.
Today is the day. The day I have been training for. Founder’s Day. All yesterday and late into the night guests have been arriving nonstop. The who’s who of the mage community who once attended here and, of course, the parents of the founding father’s heirs. Kirito’s parents are here, but I haven’t built up the courage to meet with them just yet. So is Milo’s aunt, but he already told me she’s not worth meeting. The twins' parents have yet to arrive, but I’m sure they’ll get here soon. The twins seem close to them, like Kirito is to his parents.
My grandfather informed me that this year there will be a bigger turn out. The reason? Me. This is the first year Lord Killjoy has ever attended. Since he has been in seclusion ever since the death of his mate, no one, except Zion’s father, has seen him, so now everyone is curious. They’re curious about me too. A Boudreaux who was really a Morganstein. The long lost daughter has been found, and she’s being mated to a Hawthorne. So many power plays are being made, it would be unusual if the community wasn’t curious. I hate being the center of attention for such a reason, and I’m sure I’ll be checking my temper a lot as they look on, viewing me like an exhibit in a zoo. I wish we didn’t have to do another mating ceremony in front of all these people I don’t know, but Lord Killjoy’s mind is made up. For a former hermit, he sure loves attention and showing off.
“Are you ready to go?” Milo asks. He’s been sitting here quietly, waiting for me to get ready. Zion left for the colosseum long ago. He doesn’t have the patience to wait on a female to get dressed.
“I guess,” I reply, gripping the katana Kirito gave me, tightly. I don’t want to go. I won’t find out for sure until I get there, but I heard there are three challengers aiming for my head. Even with the heirs working together to scare everyone away, there were still those who lack brain cells to be deterred and think I’m weak.
“Are you worried you’re going to lose? You know we don’t care what you’re ranked.”
“I’m scared I’ll lose control. Even while training, it happened a couple of times,” I point out.
“Maybe losing control is a good thing. Like you, your power can’t be tamed. Holding it in only made it want to break out more. Zion may be supplying you mana, but it’s your power it’s feeding. He’s cut out the need for magical circuits. They were nothing but barriers, holding what you can do in, but now, they’re free. Let them be free.”
“That sounds right and crazy at the same time. I’m sure if Zion heard you, he’d punch you.”
“Possibly, but I’m not as uptight as him,” he shrugs.
“But you’re just as cold. In fact, you two are much alike.”
“You think? I know we have the same tastes,” he states, moving closer and leaving a light kiss on the lips. When I go in for more, the air shifts around us, and I know he’s transported us straight to the colosseum.
As part of the top ten, we have special seating in the balcony not far from the arena so the view is amazing. Like prime seating at the theater, but this is no play, and if you die, it’s for real. There’s no getting back up. On the other side is another balcony filled with the parents an
d guardians of the ranked ten as well as the headmaster and the Council. Standing to the side are staff to wait on them hand and foot since apparently they’re too good to get shit themselves. Sitting in the middle of the flock, like a fucking peacock, is Lord Killjoy, and I pin him with a scathing glare.
I thought we were the last to arrive, but I only count nine bodies. With my training, I haven’t been keeping up with the rankings. The last I’ve seen I was ranked fifth. A horn blast in the distance signaling the ten minute warning, and that’s when I hear steps of someone climbing the stairs before Ruelle enters with a bored look on his face. Without a care in the world, he takes a seat, sitting slightly slanted and crossing his leg on top of the other. “What the hell?” I mutter low, but Milo still hears me.
“I take it you didn’t know?” he questions.
“No. When did this happen?”
“You haven't been in class and have been training hard. While you’ve been working, so has he, taking out all those ranked lower than seven, easily snagging the ninth rank.”
“Why? I didn’t think he cared and was only here to spy.”
“Who knows. I’ve been trailing him, but he’s very good at keeping hidden. I believe concealment is a power of his. I did find out he has a chameleon for a familiar, so that does make sense.”