“We’ll talk about that later,” I acknowledged, hoping there would be a logical way to convince my people not to take such drastic measures. But as I thought about Siberia, or the two Immortals that had come to the Citadel, there wasn’t much in the way of convincing me otherwise.
I followed the direction Xavier pointed and braced myself for whatever I was about to see. Upon rounding the corner to the back of the ancient building I saw Amelia first, wrapped in her brothers arms. She was shaking, her face buried in his chest.
She was crying, her body trembling from the racking sobs that shook her chest.
“What’s going on?” I asked in my strongest voice, wanting an immediate read on the situation and an explanation for Amelia’s emotions.
Really, I just wanted to pull her into my arms and assure her everything would be alright, but at this point those words would feel like a lie. And I couldn’t lie to her.
Jericho turned at the sound of my voice, his face a mask of unfiltered anger. He gestured to the wall where bodies were slumped together in a pile of tortured misery. But they were alive.
Whatever I feared, everyone back here was alive.
I took a deep breath.
Maybe my first deep breath of the night.
I walked closer, using my magic to see through the heavy night and assessed the bodies lined up as if waiting for execution. They were mangled, beaten and abused. They looked up at me with distrustful eyes and bloodied faces. Their hair was matted and dirty, their clothes torn and frayed. They looked beaten and tormented. They were a sickeningly staggering sight.
“Human?” I gasped out, realizing that in the mixture of ten or so hostages there were at least five humans. If the realization and horror of the moment hadn’t sent me reeling I would have been able to make an accurate count. But I couldn’t even see straight, let alone do something as simple as count to ten. My vision was red, only red; a mixture of pure anger, fear and choking vengeance.
Amelia turned away from her brother and fled to me. I opened my arms just as she crashed into my chest. I pulled her close to me, letting her sob against my chest and taking her closeness as comfort. I kissed the top of her head that was covered in dust from the fight and whispered something soothing; although I wasn’t even sure I believed the mumbled words.
“Jericho?” I asked in a gruff voice.
“From what we’ve gathered, these are the victims of more experiments,” Jericho explained, his own voice was rough with emotion, tripping over the detestable word. “We think the…. the humans are being experimented on to see if there is a way to somehow inject magic into them…. Terletov is trying to make them Immortal.”
“What?” I bit out. I looked down at the shells of human beings intermixed with the tortured Immortals and gathered that whatever experiments they were trying were not going well. “Sebastian, get these people into the vans, now. But don’t leave them alone, I’ll send you help. Jericho with me.”
I turned away from the victims. They deserved my attention and sympathy but I had to get things moving. I had their safety to worry about now, plus the safety of my own men.
“First,” I kept Amelia tucked in beside me but walked with Jericho back toward the entrance where Gabriel and Silas were huddled together talking with the older Titans. “Why did we win? Was it planned, or were we better fighters?”
Jericho let out a rush of breath before he answered, “We were better, more skilled and practiced. They were weirdly strong, but they didn’t have any real experience. All of us have experience.” Jericho nodded around and I relaxed infinitesimally. It wasn’t enough that I could feel good about what was still before us, but at least they hadn’t thrown this fight in some bizarre master plan I didn’t understand.
I nodded in understanding before turning to my men. “Xander, Xavier, Titus and Roxie, go help Sebastian load those people into the vans. And someone find them water. Break into the gift shop if you need to.” Turning back to Jericho I lowered my voice and asked, “How many humans?”
“Five,” Jericho bit out, drawing the attention of Gabriel, Silas and the four older Titans. “Three of them are Gabriel’s nuns. One of those is badly injured, but she is alive. Then there are two other humans, American tourists. We’re not sure yet how they came upon Terletov, but they are pretty severely damaged. It’s two sisters who are still mostly in shock.”
I exhaled another breath of relief. It wasn’t good, but it helped that three of the humans were connected with Gabriel. I didn’t know how to explain all of this to humans without some serious consequences, but having a smaller number made things appear easier.
I looked at the men standing around me and knew there were decisions that had to be made. We would have to split up from here.
“This is what I want to happen, Jericho I want you and Sebastian to escort the Immortals and the humans back to Romania. Get them on a plane and get them to the Witch. He will heal them, even the humans. Jericho, I want them on a plane and out of here tonight, do you understand?” Jericho nodded and so I moved on. “Silas do you have any vehicles nearby?”
“Yes,” he agreed; his gray eyes were bloodshot and he looked disturbingly ancient in the darkness. “I have a garage that holds several vehicles not far from here.”
“Alright, then I want you to take Christi and his men and go find your colony. Check in with them, make sure they’re alright and then decide on a play to keep them safe. If you have to take them back to the Citadel do that. I don’t want them exposed and unaware of what’s going on anymore. In fact, I insist you get them back to the Citadel. After you’ve taken care of them I want you to start visiting every Shape-Shifter colony that we know about. I know some of them have started to assimilate back into society, but a lot of them chose to stay where they were. Make sure they all know the risks that they are facing and get them to safety. Gabriel you are going to come with me and my men. We’re heading to Omaha where Kiran and Eden are. I’m going to hold a conference with all of the Regents. It’s time we spread the word about Terletov and the threat he poses. The people need to know how dangerous he is. I cannot keep this a secret any longer. Does anyone happen to have a plane here? Most of us can travel commercial but I need the humans and Immortal prisoners to fly under the radar.”
“There is an airstrip here that Lucan used.” Christi offered. “I’m not sure what’s in the hangar, but it’s worth checking out.
“Alright, give Xavier and Jericho the location. Jericho you and Sebastian need to leave immediately. Go now and take whatever you need to out of the hangar. Call when you get there and let me know if there is a jet for us. Otherwise the six of us will fly commercial. Hey, take Roxie with you. She can be the soothing female we all know she was born to be.”
Several men around me snorted and I almost cracked a smile myself. I thought about the human women though, and knew they would need a face they could trust. And even if Roxie was tough as nails, she at least had a pretty face, a trustworthy face.
“Ok, Jericho and Sebastian will leave right away and the rest of us will stay to clean up this mess.” I paused and looked down at the girl wrapped in my arms, fragile, traumatized and afraid. “Amelia, go say goodbye to your brother,” I whispered in her ear. She still clung to me, although she wasn’t crying anymore. “I want you to stay with me.”
She didn’t argue, but she did leave my side to find Sebastian. I watched her walk away and tried to figure out how I was going to keep her safe but also by my side at the same time. A few weeks ago I couldn’t imagine hiding behind a throne and crown while I let other people fight my battles, but with Amelia in my life now I couldn’t convince myself that this was worth it if I put her in danger.
And at the same time I could not let her out of my sight. The sound of her screaming tonight had stopped my heart from beating, stopped my lungs from breathing…. and I had decided in that moment I could never trust her with someone else again. Not even her brother. She was too precious to me and her life was
too fragile. She was mine to protect, mine to fight for.
I just needed to ensure that she had the strongest magic she could. I needed to make sure she was as protected as Immortally possible.
Basically, I just needed to marry her.
I almost laughed out loud realizing I had just decided I would get married as easily as I barked orders for people to follow. And then the laughter died in my throat when I realized I didn’t just want to marry Amelia to protect her, I wanted to marry her because I loved her.
I wanted her to be my wife.
I needed her to be my life.
Now I just had to tell Amelia all that.
“Do you want me to stay with the humans while they recover?” Jericho asked, pulling me out of my life-changing thoughts. The men around us moved to deal with the dead bodies and repair what they could of the ancient ruins that had become our battlefield.
“No, make sure they’re set up. Make sure they won’t leave until things are settled and then I want you to escort Talbott and Lilly to Omaha. I’m throwing them an engagement party and they should probably be there for it.”
“Do you think this is the appropriate time for that?” Jericho asked, sounding very doubtful.
“No, it’s not the right time for a party. But it is the right time to remind our people what we fought for, what we defeated Lucan for. This Kingdom is fragile, and the announcement of Terletov is going to shake us up. But I want them to remember that freedom is our top priority. Lilly and Talbott’s wedding will do just that.”
“Plus, they’re your friends, right?” Jericho pressed and it felt good to joke a little after the traumatizing night.
“There’s that too,” I laughed low and deep.
Jericho sobered suddenly, “Avalon, is Eden…. I’m assuming she’s alright?”
“She’s fine,” I assured him, hating the way his eyes flashed and deepened with emotion at the sound of my sister’s name. “I just talked to her. We didn’t have anything to worry about.”
“That’s good news,” Jericho breathed a sigh of relief and then offered, “Good luck with the Regents. Say hello to my parents for me.”
“Good luck with the humans,” I echoed.
And with that we split up. I took my people and followed Silas to the path that would eventually lead us to his hidden garage. Jericho and Sebastian finished loading up the two eight-passenger vans and headed down the mountain to Lucan’s, my, the Kingdom’s airstrip.
Amelia was immediately in my arms after saying goodbye to her brother and I dipped my head to claim her mouth with mine.
“I have something to tell you later,” I whispered against her soft lips.
“Is it good or bad?” she asked in her sweet accent.
“It’s life changing. I hope you’re ready for it,” I teased, moving to pay her neck and jawline some much needed attention.
“Should I be afraid?” She asked in a breathy voice.
“Absolutely,” I murmured. Even after the sweat and dirt of battle caked her skin, she still tasted irresistible. I pulled her body flush against me so that I could feel every part of her. I was suddenly very, very excited about what marriage would mean for our relationship. Even after the horror of what we were facing, Amelia was still the best and brightest thing in my life. I could not wait to make her mine completely.
Chapter Thirty-One
I woke up on our beach, a little disoriented. The first reaction I had was panic and action, but two seconds of well thought-out decision reminded me this was the place I created for Amelia on her birthday.
The night was comfortably warm, a gentle breeze floated over me and the moon overhead was impossibly bright. Stars twinkled above for miles and miles, stretching as far as this dream world would go. The sand felt like a plush cushion beneath the cotton blanket I lay on top of. The water lapped against the distant shore in harmony with nature, musical and soft.
I was a little out of it as I tried to remember where my human body was and how I got here. I rested my hands on my stomach, completely comfortable and willing to think it over for a minute when I turned my head and met the biggest golden brown eyes ever created.
Amelia.
“Hey,” I whispered in the darkness.
“Hey,” she whispered back. She was on her side, on top of the pale blue blanket of her own creation. I fell in love with the fact that she recreated our world, and that she was contented enough to add her own touches.
Her hair spilled over her shoulders and framed her delicate face. Her lips were pursed and the emotion behind her eyes worried me. I turned on my side so that I could look her properly in the eyes. I ran the back of my knuckles along her jawline in concern. She lifted her face into my touch and I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face if I wanted to. This was so close to my idea of perfection, it felt unreal.
“We’re still on the plane to Omaha,” she explained. She must have read the confusion on my face.
“I figured,” I murmured. I was waking up, but taking my time coming back to myself. The battle in the Andes had taken it out of me, and the two day travel back to Lima and an international airport without sleep hadn’t helped. There was only one jet in Lucan’s old hanger and Jericho commandeered it in order to get the rescued prisoners back to Romania. Silas moved on with Christi Ludu and the other Titans to see if they could find his lost colony. And the rest of us were forced to fly commercial back to the States. I was fine; but it was just like somebody had slipped me a sedative the minute I finally sat down in first class. “Are you alright?” I asked Amelia, her pinched expression and furrowed brow had me nervous. She did not look alright.
Amelia shook her head, and then buried her face in the crook of her elbow. Her body shook once and her breath hitched into a sob. I scooted closer immediately, pulling her into my arms and wrapping her up inside my embrace.
“Hey, it’s Ok,” I whispered into her hair.
She nodded against me. She didn’t cry again, but she stayed close to me, burrowing as close against my chest as she could get.
“What’s the matter?” I pressed when I felt like she had gotten some control back.
She waited a full minute before answering. She took even breaths and kept her face flush against my chest. When I breathed, she moved with me. I loved the way she fit against me. “I was just…. I’m just trying to process everything that happened. Watching those men die was…. traumatizing. And then finding those nuns and the Immortals. Avalon…. I…. I just needed to feel safe.”
She took a deep breath and cuddled closer, although there was hardly any space left between us. I tightened my grip around her, loving that she called me here. Pride and testosterone spread like rushing rapids inside of my veins as I realized Amelia pulled me into a Dream-Walk because I made her feel safe. On the outside I was the perfect picture of comforting boyfriend, keeping her close and comforting her as best as I could. On the inside I was more like Tarzan beating my chest in victory.
Avalon, King of the jungle.
I pushed those thoughts down, or tried to and nuzzled my face into the crook of her hair, breathing her in. She was intoxicating. And she trusted me. I had never felt like more of a man in my life.
We laid like that for the rest of the flight, ignoring the outside world, wrapped in our own, isolated cocoon. When the “fasten seatbelt” light finally came one, Amelia was settled down and relaxed again. We exited our dream world and reentered reality closer than we had ever been. And I was satisfied with the knowledge that our relationship was equally as secure.
----
“You look like hell,” Eden mused when she picked us up at the Omaha Eppley Airfield.
“It’s good to see you too, sis,” I grumbled, throwing my backpack in the trunk of her Land Rover while Eden and Amelia hugged tightly. Amelia left her luggage in one of the vans in Peru when we split up with Jericho. I was lucky to have left quite a bit of clothing at Sylvia’s house from when I lived with her, but Amelia was going
to have to go shopping for a little bit of everything for now. The only thing she had managed to keep with her was her passport and ID to function in the human world. I appreciated her practicality.
I even found it sexy.
“I cannot believe my brother let you be a part of that,” Eden sighed irritably, squeezing Amelia even tighter.
“Please,” I grunted. “Amelia can take care of herself.” I believed this, I wasn’t ever going to let her take care of herself again, but I did believe she could. I had also noticed how Amelia bristled against Eden’s words and I knew that she hated feeling like everyone babied her. I wouldn’t baby her. I would protect her when she needed me, but I would never deny her the capable woman she was.
“That doesn’t mean she should,” Eden countered.
“Because you’ve always sat back and let others fight for you?” Amelia leveled her gaze with my sister’s and I bit back my laughter.
“Touché,” Eden huffed.
“She’s got a point, E,” I smiled. I put my hands on Amelia’s shoulders, loving the delicate feel of them beneath my fingers and pulled her back against my chest. I dipped my head so that I could feel her soft hair against my cheek. “Told you, she can take care of herself.”
“This is really happening, isn’t it?” Eden stared at us in disbelief.
“This is really happening,” I answered before Amelia could make up some excuse.
“Well, we’re uh, we’re just giving it a trial run,” she explained anyway.
Eden looked us over with a tight squint to her eyes and then laughed softly. I knew she was keenly aware of my feelings so I knew her scrutiny had more to do with Amelia’s emotions. I held my breath until Eden came back with something smart to say.
“Careful, Mimi, my brother does nothing half way,” she winked at me and I relaxed.
It wasn’t what Eden had teased Amelia with, it was the confidence in which she did it. Not only did Eden approve of us, she believed there was a mutual attraction between us.
The Reluctant King (The Star-Crossed Series) Page 25