Lore looked around and slowly shook his head at our agreement. “Fuck you guys. I have never heard a female make that sound before Aria. Everything about her calls to me, and I don’t understand why. I wasn’t alive when our women made those noises, let alone went into heat. I have never smelled anyone like her. Sorry if needing to experience what she is makes me a creep, but I don’t fucking care. She’s like watching the discovery channel, but with our species on it, ya know?” Lore frowned, sucking his lip between his teeth while crossing his arms over his chest. “And she fucking fought an entire stronghold wearing a unicorn raincoat and rocked the shit out of it too.”
I frowned at his response, knowing we were all in the same fucking boat. Aria was something none of us had seen in a very long time. In Lore’s case, ever. I hated that she felt right against my body, cradled in my arms. I hated that I enjoyed everything about her, even the snarky comments.
“So she did,” I muttered.
“She actually did that shit,” Brander snorted, smiling. “Only fucking Aria.”
Only fucking Aria.
Only Aria turned me inside out and made me want more.
Only Aria made my heart beat like lightning in an electrical storm with her heated looks and kisses.
Only Aria rattled to my beast, challenging him openly as she bared her pretty, soft throat to him, uncaring that if we crossed that line, she’d be more than mine. She’d be ours. That was a thought that made warmth flood through me, and yet it couldn’t happen.
Liliana and Sven deserved justice.
I was leading a fucking rebellion against Aria’s people, and even if she wasn’t one of them, the only way to stop the high queen from reaching the Hecate witch line was to slaughter them or remove them from the equation permanently.
“Get rid of the body,” I ordered. “Meet me at the tent so we can get Aria to that pond. She’s in pain, even if she won’t admit it.”
I bent in the creek, washing the blood from my hands before returning to the tent. Pausing at the entrance for a moment, I listened to the voices inside. Greer spoke, but Aria was silent.
My heart clenched at the thought of her in pain, knowing she wouldn’t complain no matter how much she felt it. She barely made a sound when she removed her rib and only screamed slightly when she’d pushed her arm back into the socket.
“Ever heard of twin flames?” Greer asked, and I closed my eyes.
Greer’s words from long ago replayed inside my head. Me, drunk and fueled with rage as I’d decided to set the world on fire.
“Why do tragedies like this exist and strike against us?” I’d demanded, on my knees, seated between the tombs of my wife and child.
“Because they made you to rage, and in your grief, you are to unleash it upon the Nine Realms, My King.”
“Why am I to unleash my rage? Why does everyone I love get taken from me? I have never wronged this world or any other. I am a good king to the people! My son was loved, as was my queen, Teacher!”
“You are to unleash your rage because you’re fueled with grief. Without grief, you would never find the true one who seeks you. This world will never know the truth without her, or you. Someday this will fall away, and a new fire will burn. When you find the twin flame, the other part of your soul, and you become whole again, this grief will no longer consume you.”
“You think I will ever love anyone again?” I demanded harshly, rising to my feet to look at the man who had become closer to me than my father. “I never want to feel this weakness again. I was vulnerable because I loved them and let others see that weakness. I won’t ever make that mistake again.”
“Love is never a mistake, Knox. Love is two souls that meet and intertwine and then burn brightly together. When you meet your twin flame, she will challenge everything about you. Your mind, beliefs, needs, and whom you will become will be because you chose her over this rage, trying to consume you. You are destined for her, as much as her destiny is to be yours. You can’t see it right now, but someday she’s going to walk in and knock you straight on your ass, and by the time you realize who she is, you won’t be able to walk away from her. Your attraction will be more intense than either of you will understand. You will fight hard against one another, tearing each other apart to reach the bare bones that you crave. Your laughter will be intense, as will the pain you will endure.”
“I don’t fucking want her, or that for myself. I love my wife.”
“Loved, as she’s dead, Knox,” Greer amended, unafraid to speak plainly or guard his words in my presence. If he had been anyone else, I’d have taken him to the courtyard for punishment. “The hardest part of losing someone isn’t saying goodbye. It’s learning how to live without them. You will not fill that void growing within you until your twin flame is born, and then you’ll become restless without ever knowing why. It will fuel you with the need to find her and claim her as yours. You will unleash this pain upon her because you won’t have healed by the time you find her. Her anger won’t stay long, but it will be sharp. She will have a warrior’s soul and a lover’s heart.”
“I have a mate,” I snarled, daring him to argue it again.
“So you did, and she was beautiful, and everything good in the world,” he stated, but there was a look of unease in his eyes as if he hadn’t thought so. “She was an amazing queen to her people and greatly loved you and your son, My King. At the end of the day, that is all that mattered.”
Killian stood in front of me when I opened my eyes, peering into eyes the same shade of blue as Liliana’s. Frowning, I exhaled as Greer exited the tent, turning to me with a tight smile. He nodded to a guard who slid into place at the front of the tent and moved toward me.
Greer didn’t speak because we didn’t need words. He did the same thing Aria did, speaking with his eyes; which was another thing I enjoyed about her. I didn’t need to tell her what I was thinking. She saw it playing out in my eyes in vivid, delicious details.
Greer, on the other hand, asked if I’d heard their conversation, and the quick nod of my head told him his answer. I didn’t drop my gaze, hating that he’d bring this shit back up now when Aria fit every fucking checkbox on my wish list.
I didn’t need to tell Greer that Aria wasn’t my twin flame.
He didn’t need to tell me to wake up and open my fucking eyes and see what was right in front of my face.
I didn’t need to tell him to suck a dick.
He didn’t need to tell me he would enjoy it immensely.
“Asshole,” I snorted.
“If you hurt her too much, you’ll lose her beyond anything you can repair. Don’t burn out that beautiful flame, because once it is out, that’s it. It’s gone forever.” Greer kicked a rock beneath his foot, which slammed into my knee, a sadistic smile playing on his lips while he tilted his head, shaking it. “You don’t fucking deserve her. She’s so much better than all of us. We’re all just too fucking jaded and fucked up to see it anymore.” He shook his head and moved toward the horses with the others, leaving me to retrieve Aria on my own.
I swallowed hard before entering the tent, stifling the wince that came at the sight of her swollen face and dented cheek that no amount of quick healing was going to fix.
“Not a fucking word, woman.” I moved to her, watching her slight flinch as I reached for the hood.
Ignoring her reaction, I pulled the hood over her head, hiding her identity while touching my mark that adorned her shoulder.
Frowning, I stepped back, turning on my heels to move out of the camp and past the high queen’s spies who continually watched our every move. We led Aria away from the war party she had engaged during her battles at several keeps she’d taken in the last couple of months.
Aria gasped, and my gut tightened, turning to watch her slow movements as she fought to hide the pain she felt. She was a born warrior, but worse, she was born to be a queen, crafted in fire, and built to wage battle against anyone who opposed her. The best part of it all? She was
mine.
Chapter Forty-Five
Aria
The moment we stepped from the tent, Knox’s men surrounded us until we reached the horses. Knox mounted, holding his arms open to receive me, as Brander grabbed my hips, wincing as I gasped, smothering the cry with my hands. Knox gently grabbed me, helping me onto the horse as he reached for my hands, pulling on the chains until they snapped.
The instant it happened, I brought my hands to my mouth, stifling the scream trying to escape my lungs. Red-hot pain flashed through me as Knox softly purred. Pain from my shoulder and rib mingled with the wrist. Knox forced my body to lean against the large warhorse’s neck, allowing me a moment as he held my hips, silently allowing me to give in to the pain for a moment.
Knox carefully pulled me back against his body, cradling his arms gently around me. The horse started forward at an easy gait, but it still caused more pain to fill me. Knox was careful, and even so, my body rebelled against the jerks and bouncing of the horse.
It was over an hour on horseback to where we dismounted as the trail grew narrow, forcing us to walk into the lush greenery that thinned out as we moved into the mountains. Knox passed me to Brander, watching as Brander studied my face as he set me on the ground. He wasn’t satisfied with whatever he found, moving to the side to speak to Knox as Greer stood beside me.
“And here I thought having a nose job would improve your overall appearance. I was wrong,” he announced.
I laughed soundlessly, turning to look at the worry shining in his eyes, causing another laugh to expel from my swollen lips. Greer studied me as I laughed almost hysterically until tears filled my eyes. The pain dulled as my immortality slowly healed my body, but the magic-nulling cuffs on my wrists seemed to prevent the magic in my blood’s ability to heal me fully.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there, Peasant,” Greer whispered.
“I’ll live. It’s not the worst beating I’ve endured since being born,” I admitted after a moment of silence filled the group.
“You’re stronger than you look. You’d make a horrible princess. I don’t believe you’d be whiney enough for that role, I’m afraid.”
“I missed you too, Greer,” I whispered through swollen lips, wrapping my arms around his neck as he stood awkwardly. “If you don’t hug me back, I’m going to gnaw on your neck.” His arms wrapped around me softly, and I pulled back, plugging my nose. “I thought we discussed aftershave and cologne.”
“I believe you had a conversation without me agreeing,” he chuckled, guiding me toward Knox, who watched us through narrowed eyes.
I passed, ignoring him to follow Greer into the narrowing pathway. The rock cliffs that stretched high into the mountain’s side were golden sheen obsidian that glittered in the sun while appearing black in the shadows. It was a naturally occurring crystal formed from the volcanic glass with higher silica content. Though rare compared to regular obsidian, most preferred it for the beauty it offered in the light.
Witches often built around obsidian for balance and used it as an energy shield or for meditation. It made sense that it would be near a healing pool since witches used it to determine when someone needed to heal one’s true self.
Greenery covered the rocks, reaching up through the cliffside to find the sun. The higher we climbed, the narrower the path became, until we had to walk in pairs through the slender passageway.
My eyes slid to the golden obsidian, discovering ancient writing, which gave me an excuse to pause. I leaned against the wall, running my fingers over the scrawled lettering. The men remained silent, but a shiver snaked down my spine. The sound of shuffling feet drew my attention as a hand touched my shoulder, causing me to peer into striking azure-blue eyes.
“Hecate’s native language,” Knox announced.
“I’m aware of what it is,” I snapped, turning away from the writing that bespoke of peace and new beginnings.
I felt Knox’s irritation at being dismissed as I moved ahead of him. I paused, taking in the cliff’s changes, becoming more colorful, the higher we climbed from the multitude of other crystals within them.
This land was created by magic, not naturally formed. I could feel it pulsing, and the need to reach out and run my fingers over the magic within the air was becoming rampant. I balled my hands at my sides, fighting the urge as we climbed higher, and the air grew thinner.
The sound of rushing water exploded around us, and I paused, peering over the cliffside to where the water flowed beneath us. Hundreds of spouts poured water from the mountainside below us, cascading into one large whirlpool that rushed in a cyclone formation down into the earth below. On each spout sat a large, raw crystal rock formation, and the moment the sun touched it through the clouds above, thousands of rainbows glistened over the falling water.
I gasped, leaning over further, even though it caused me pain. Knox grabbed my arm, pulling me back as my footing slipped. He didn’t speak, didn’t even acknowledge that I’d almost fallen to my death as he shoved me away from the edge and took that side of the trail for himself.
My fingers touched the cliffside, and I smirked as it lit up, sending fluorescent light burning through the narrowed pathway with the single trace of my fingertips against the surface.
The further up the path we moved, the cleaner the air became. No sound followed us, nor filled the space of the trek up the mountain other than the water below. Even that sound diminished as we turned into a cave.
Knox slid his arm around my waist while his other grabbed my hand, touching it to the cave’s mouth. His eyes held mine, smirking at the way I shivered from his touch. The entire cave lit with violet hues, causing everything white or lighter within the cave to glow.
The power pulsing inside the cave was stifling, pressing against me as I walked inside, uncaring that my hair glowed brightly. Amethyst clusters covered the cave walls, and the ground under our feet was fire opal, creating an illuminating pathway through the mountain. I paused as it became too much, leaning over to close my eyes while my hands rested on my knees.
Exhaling slowly, I fought the magic that searched for a host. Someone had banked and stored an immense amount of raw magic within this cave.
No one spoke, as if they knew the issue, waiting to see if I had the power to take what this place offered. But I couldn’t. It wasn’t good magic. It was dark, oily, deadly magic that would usurp the user, turning them evil until the magic ruled the body and the soul, and the host withered and died.
Standing, I hurried forward through the cave only to emerge on the other side to a wooden, moss-covered bridge that precariously swung in the wind. I paused, narrowing my eyes on its rope sides, and then did the worst thing I could do. I peered down into the drop below it. Only you couldn’t see where the drop ended because clouds prevented you from finding the bottom.
My gaze slid to Knox, who smirked as he realized the problem. He moved ahead, waiting for me to join him.
“It only holds two people at a time,” he explained. “You can hold on to me. I won’t let you fall, Aria.”
“I’m good,” I snorted, watching him turn toward me, pausing as he took in the damage to my face before spinning back around and starting forward over the bridge.
I followed him in silence, my heart pounding painfully against my ribs. My hands slid through the moss, watching as it fell into the clouds below the bridge.
The wind picked up, and Knox slowed his progression, tilting his head like he was ready to turn around and retrieve me if it made the wrong sound. A gust of wind caused the bridge to whine loudly, and my breathing grew labored as panic rushed through me.
My hands tightened on the rope as a burst of wind sailed toward us, sending us rocking as we reached the middle of the long wooden bridge. Panic took control of my mind, and everything within me screamed to run from the bridge. Loud purring sounded when I moved back in the direction we’d come, calming me to an almost subdued state.
“Just breathe, Aria.”
“I
am breathing,” I whispered, as his soothing purr calmed my panic and replaced it with a silent strength.
It took several more moments before we were finally off the bridge, and Knox pointed to a large bounder for me to rest on while the others made their way over. Knox handed me a canister, and I shook my head, but he pushed it into my hands, ignoring me.
Crouching in front of me, he stared up, “Drink. It will help ease the pain. We have a few more miles to go, and you insist on walking it yourself, which I have respected. I won’t watch you suffer in pain, not even for your foolish pride, Aria.”
I removed the lid, happy to have the chain off the cuffs, even if it now hung and jangled every time I moved my arms. I pushed the canister to my lips and gasped in pain as the whiskey burned the cuts inside my mouth.
I closed my eyes, ignoring the agony, drinking deeply of the smooth whiskey, letting it soak into my bones and soothe my discomfort.
“You’re not nothing, Aria,” Knox whispered, and I snorted, passing back his fancy canister.
His words burned in my mind, knowing it mattered little what I was or wasn’t to him, since I wouldn’t be sticking around for long, anyway.
I tore my eyes from his stare, studying the moss while doing my best to pretend he didn’t exist. Varying shades of sage and lavender covered the side of the cliff to calm travelers that passed through. It was a nice touch, and something witches did to relax weary people or force their enemies into a false sense of calm before they turned them to ash.
Once all his men crossed the bridge, Knox held out his hand, and I ignored it, moving past him to start up the trail which was growing wider. We neared another large cave that was more like a tunnel, pausing at its moss-covered mouth. My hand moved to the sign with a mass of symbols announcing a place of sanctuary. It also warned that once you entered, you could not exit along the same path. A shiver snaked down my spine as I turned, staring at the men who watched me silently.
My attention slid to the altar, and I snorted as apprehension filled me. This was a place of sanctuary for wayward witches. It was a place where they came to find blessings and purpose, reclaiming their place among the Hecate ruling high queen.
Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms Book 2) Page 32