“How did they beat us down here?” Juda asked. “How did they get down here at all?”
“I portaled them down,” Nathan answered when he finally pulled himself away from Kota.
“Why didn’t you tell us that when we asked you where they were?” I yelled as I whipped my entire body around to face him and Kota.
“When did you ask me that?” he seemed confused.
“Are you kidding me?” Deja groaned. “Those two are useless right now.”
“You’re not stopping me from going to that tavern,” I told Declan as we reached the bottom. A part of me wanted to push Nathan and Kota off when I was sure they would not die from their fall, but Nova stopped me. Instead of going back through the gate to the Castle I walked along the fence heading for the village, Nova right next to me.
“Luna, this is not a good idea,” Declan called after me. “Not so nice people go to taverns.”
“Then come with me and make sure nothing happens!” I shouted back.
I heard him groan but I eventually heard his feet behind us. It was not long before the rest of our group was following us, Nova and I grinning devilishly knowing that we had won. All the guards along the fence nodded as we walked by, no one questioning what we were doing. It was not until we reached the front of the Castle gates that we encountered a problem.
“Miss Nova,” a guard called out. “Miss Nova, I have been instructed to tell you that the Alpha is looking for you and wants us to escort you to him.”
“Tell my brother that I am busy, and I will come find him when I am done,” she told him politely before turning away from him. The guard seemed nervous, but I was no longer surprised by this when the guys were around. Something seemed off though and I do think it has anything to do with oversized men who accompanied us.
“Miss Nova, I encourage you to please come with us so that we may take you to the Alpha,” he said again. Nova turned around to face him once more. She did not look angry like I had expected, but she did look like she was getting ready to rip this guy a new one.
“As I told you, I am in the middle of something and I will find the Alpha later,” she repeated. “Please tell the Alpha what I have said. Thank you.”
Roman stepped forward slightly, probably sensing the same thing I had. The only light around us were the fire lit torches every few feet of the gate but other than that it was pitch dark and I could not see everything. There was another guard leaning up against the fence who seemed to be horrified by how his friend was talking to Nova. He did not try to stop him though. He just stood in the background hoping we did not notice him. I noticed him but if he was lucky, the guys would never look his way.
Nova turned away from the guard for a second time only to have that very same guard grab her shoulder and pull her back, “Miss Nova, I will not tell you again to come with me, so I can take you to the Alpha.”
“Get your hands off of her!” Roman yelled as he stomped in their direction. Nova stopped him, wanting to handle this herself.
“I gave you instructions and you can either do as I say or stand here at your post,” she scolded. “I will be going into the village with my friends and you will not stop me.”
It all happened so fast that I was not sure it actually happened. One minute they were just standing face to face and the next his right arm pulled back and moved forward in a quick motion, his fist smashing into Nova’s face. She fell backwards but she did not land hard. I bent down at her side knowing she would be fine, but I wanted to check on her anyways. She did not need to do anything, and she knew it.
Looking up, Roman was right in front of the guard, lifting him up into the air and throwing him like a ball towards Hudson whose fist connected with his face smashing him into the ground. I saw Nathan move his arm in a swiping motion, flinging the guard up against the iron fence, pinning him to it without even touching him. Gavin seemed to be pulling something out of the ground and before I could blink, roots from the trees popped up to the surface, wrapping around the guard, tying him to the fence so that Nathan no longer had to hold him there. Declan approached the guard whose face was black and blue already. Hands in his pockets, he looked directly into the guard’s eyes and spoke.
“These roots will not release you until you tell the Alpha what you have done to his sister,” he cocked his head to the side. “Nathan is going to spell the roots so don’t try to lie when the Alpha finds you. You will tell the Alpha that he can find us at the tavern in the village. Hopefully, you’ll still be able to talk when he’s done with you.”
“Why does Declan think this guy is going to listen to him?” Nova whispered in my ear. She healed quickly, and the bruise on her eye was already fading away.
“He’s compelling him,” I told her. “The guard has to do what he says.”
“Nathan is going to spell the roots,” Kota repeated what Declan had said. “If he somehow breaks the compulsion and lies the roots will not release him.”
“You can’t break compulsion,” Deja pointed out.
“Some can,” I sighed. “It’s rare but it can happen. Usually only the strong minded can and this guy does not seem strong minded to me, but stranger things have happened.”
“Are you okay, Nova?” Juda asked looking concerned like I did when I first saw her hit the ground.
“I’m more angry than hurt,” she answered.
This guard was going to regret the night he punched the Alpha’s sister and the second in command’s girl. I still could not believe that it happened. None of the guards ever spoke to any of us the way this guy did. I cannot shake the feeling that something is off about him. The way he looked nervous and the way he pleaded with Nova to come with him. It was not like the guards to beg. He was scared but I could not figure out why.
Chapter Seven
Nova
I was still having trouble comprehending what had just happened. Once minute I was telling the guard to relay a message to my brother and the next a force so strong came towards my face, knocking me to the ground. I was thankful that I did not fall backwards hard enough to hurt my backside, but my face did not feel so great from the punch. Luna said I was already healing but I was still feeling the throbbing just underneath my eye. I could not believe what the guys had done to the guard. I knew Roman would knock him around a little, but I did not expect the others to step in and help him. Looking at the guard hanging from the iron fence, tree roots wrapped around his limbs and his waist, I knew something was off about him. He was the fighting the roots that held him up against the gates as the guys walked towards us. Roman was the first one to push through the girls to check on me. He gripped the sides of my face gently and pulled me towards him, so he could get a better look at the damage. Gavin had come over with his fire lit hand and placed it close to face. I was slightly uncomfortable with how close the fire was to my eyes.
“Do you feel any pain?” he asked as he let go of my cheeks and placed the strong hands on my shoulders as he spoke to me. He had to bend down a little in order for us to speak face to face, but at least he tried. I had to give him credit for that.
“Just throbbing,” I answered. “It’s not as bad as it was. It gets better as the time goes by.”
“We should go back into the Castle,” he suggested looking over at the gates. The second guard had disappeared, no doubt he left to find the Alpha and tell him what had happened.
“No,” I said quickly. “No, I don’t want to go back to the Castle. We’re going to the tavern. The bruise is already gone so there’s no reason why we can’t go. This guard is no going to ruin my night.”
“Nova, just think about it for a minute,” Roman pleaded. “Even you know that it’s better if we go back inside. We can go to the tavern another night.”
“I can’t hear you, Roman,” I shouted. My back was to him as I continued to walk towards the village. The girls had caught up with me looking back over their shoulders to see if the guys would follow us.
I sensed the frustratio
n coming from the group of testosterones behind us but, eventually, they started to follow us. They probably realized they would get in more trouble if they left us by ourselves at the tavern. Just as we were about to enter the village, Roman pulled my arm to the side and motioned for the rest of the group to follow.
“What are you doing?” I demanded.
“We’re going in the back way,” he answered.
“There’s a back way?” I questioned before Luna was at our side.
“What’s the big idea, Roman?” she scolded. “You could’ve given us a little bit of warning instead of pulling Nova away from the group and expecting us to know what to do.”
“You’re here aren’t you?” he questioned as he stopped at a large black painted wood door.
“Yes,” she sighed deeply.
“Then you knew what to do,” he told her as he turned back to meet her eyes. He winked once and then opened the door to the tavern, entering slowly at first before picking up the pace and sitting down at a large round table in the back corner of the room. It was extremely crowded in the tavern. Every table was filled and contained plates and large glasses that had a foamy liquid in them. Well, the top was foamy. This had to be the ale that the guys were talking about. I think I would rather stick with wine. The others joined us around the table and I was actually surprised that we all fit. It was a little cramped, but I did not plan on being here long. I was just proving a point and then we could leave.
“This place is…charming,” Kota said hesitantly, right after she watched the man at the next table grab the woman’s butt that was serving him.
“Hey, hands to yourself!” Roman yelled before anyone could add to Kota’s observation. The man turned around looking for a fight. His whole body tensed as he rose from his seat. His expression changed when he laid eyes on Roman who had always stood up from his chair. The man measured up the rest of the guys and figured out he was no match for a fight. That was not what stopped him though.
“I’m so sorry, Roman,” he bowed his head slightly. “I did not see you there.”
“What if I wasn’t here?” Roman asked him. “Would you continue to harass this woman who is just trying to do her job?”
“No, sir,” the man seemed ashamed of himself now. He was tall but not like the guys. His dark brown hair was long and tied back with a band. His black pants and white shirt were dirty almost like he had been working in the mud all day. He looked like an average werewolf. I did not realize how respected Roman was in the village. He was back at the Castle because he is the Second in Command, but I did not think that mattered out in the villages.
“You better hope I don’t catch you doing anything like that again,” Roman threatened. “I’ll get the Alpha involved next time.”
“Thank you, Roman,” the man bowed completely this time. “It won’t happen again, I promise.”
Instead of sitting back down he turned to walk out of the tavern. He placed a handful of coins on the table and zig zagged his way through the tables until he reached the front door. He took one look back at our table and then he left, catching the door before it slammed, letting it shut softly. Roman sat down as soon as the man was gone. The woman who was serving the disgusting creature came over to our table and thanked Roman for standing up for her. I got the feeling that she knew Roman. He did say that he came to the tavern often in a conversation we had had a while back, but he never mentioned this woman before. She brought us some ale and wine when she finished talking to Roman. Roman let me try his ale but I decided quickly that I was not a fan of that taste and instead I drank the wine.
Originally, I only wanted to stay for one drink, but I found that it was kind of nice here at the tavern now that the pervert was gone. I had found out that Roman was, in fact, a regular here at the tavern but it was more so he could keep an eye on the men and how they treated the women. There were rumors going around involving men taking advantage of the women even when the women told them no. I also learned that the second floor of the tavern was meant for a different job. A job that my mother would kill me if she ever found out that I was in that line of work. I quickly questioned whether or not Roman had any experience with the women upstairs, but he just as quickly denied ever stepping a foot up on the second floor.
“What they do upstairs is their business,” he said. “It is not my place to tell people what to do for a living or what to spend their money on.”
“I’m not judging them or you,” I assured him. “I was just curious, that’s all.”
Just outside the window of the tavern I saw quick movements going towards the center of the village. I thought it strange but considering I was now on my fourth glass of wine I chalked it up to my mind messing with me. I focused my attention on the woman coming and going from our table and smiled as I thought about how pretty she was and how nice she has been to each of her tables. I also thought about how brave she had to be to work here knowing men tried to touch her inappropriately. I knew this was the world that we lived in but that did not mean I had to like it. That poor woman certainly did not deserve it either.
The front door to the tavern slammed open, ripping off the hinges, leaving an indent in the wall. I recognized the oversized male standing in the doorway and if I had to guess, I knew the men behind him, too.”
“Shit,” Roman muttered under his breath as he stood up for the second time since we entered the establishment. Nico stomped over in our direction, the rest of the Alphas and our brothers following him. Our brothers seemed calm as they followed the Alphas, but the Alphas were angry. That much was very clear.
“Nova, get up right now,” Nico ordered, attempting to stay quiet so that we did not cause a scene. It was not working though. No matter how quiet he was, everyone was going to be focused on him and his entourage because they were all huge. They all stood well over six feet tall and that was something that no one was going to miss.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” I told him, crossing my arms across my chest.
“Are you drunk?” he asked as he pushed Luna and Declan out of the way, dropping his heavy hands on the table. I thought he was going to break it in half with force of his muscle.
“I can’t even believe you would suggest such a thing,” I screeched. “Just because I have some wine does not mean that I’m drunk.”
“You are if you have several glasses of wine,” Nero added from behind Nico. He was laughing, and I could tell he was enjoying this. I did not think I was drunk. I felt the same but usually I was more respectful towards Nico when we were in public. I was talking to him as if we were in his study back at the Castle. I did not even realize it until he mentioned it.
“Shut up, Nero,” Nico shoved our brother towards Declan. “You’re not helping.”
“Instead of being cranky and breaking up the party, why don’t you just join us?” I asked, standing my ground, refusing to leave the tavern.
“Roman, help me get her back to the Castle,” Nico told his second in command. “The rest of you are coming back to the Castle as well. Don’t even try to argue you with me, Luna.”
Luna looked appalled that Nico would call her out, but the fact was, she was about to argue with him. Her mouth was open and ready to go the second he stopped talking. He just beat her to it and she did not like that. She looked as if she were going to jump the table and go after my brother, but Declan and Levi held her back.
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll knock it off and listen to him,” Levi told her.
“We didn’t do anything wrong,” she shouted letting the entire tavern know that we were being taken against our will.
“You’re the Alpha’s sister and you’re in a tavern,” Liam corrected her. “Yes, you did do something wrong.”
“This is not the place to discuss this,” Dion reminded us before walking out the back door of the tavern, holding Deja’s arm tightly so that he could make sure she did not leave his side. Deni and Gavin were right behind him and one by one the re
st of us left the tavern only to be assaulted by the cold air. The breeze had picked up since we entered the tavern and it was much colder than it was before. It was almost like ice was stabbing me in the face.
“I can walk on my own, Roman,” I barked at him, ripping my arm away. He looked defeated as he glanced over at Nico hoping he would know how to deal with me. It had been eighteen years and he still did not know how to keep me under control so Roman was looking at the wrong person for help.
“Let go of me!” I heard Deja scream behind me. I am not sure when the fairies fell to the back of group, but they did and now there was a full-on fight happening. I am not quite sure what Dion said to her, but he upset her in some way and now there were fireballs being thrown back and forth at each other. Vines from the trees were summoned by Dion who seemed to be trying to catch Deja. She did not seem to be running away so I am not aware of how he found himself attempting to catch her. We all surrounded them, Deni and Gavin looked like they were trying to find the right time to intervene and stop them. Dion seemed to be mostly defended himself because he knew he was stronger than Deja, but I also knew that this would upset Deja when she finally realized what he was doing.
I did not want to admit it, but my brother was right when he accused me of being drunk. I do not think I was too bad, but I was definitely not myself and neither were the girls. Deja was angry, which I have never seen before. She has been frustrated and annoyed, but she did not express this with feelings and emotions. She just told you that she was upset, and her body stayed calm. It was a skill I wish that I had.
Dion finally went on the offensive and began throwing a mix of fireballs and clumps of dirt that he somehow picked up from the ground and threw them at Deja without touching them. She blocked most of them, a few of the dirt clumps hit her but not hard enough to hurt her. I realized quickly what Dion was doing, distracting her with two different elements and making her think that she was defending herself and right when he had her where he wanted her, the vines were going to come and restrain her. I wanted to yell at her so that she had some kind of warning but Nico and Roman stopped me. It was not honorable to cheat and if I told Deja about Dion’s plan that is exactly what I would be doing.
Deprived (Daughter of an Alpha Book 2) Page 11