Ava sat with her back straight and her chin up, looking regal and beautiful, but even from a distance, he could tell her smile was tight. Bonnie said something, her hands coming up in an animated gesture.
“What shall I tell her?”
Edmond took a breath and returned to the form he favored and they were familiar with. “I suspect the truth might be best, Your Highness. You’re pleased with your mating, then?”
Damon didn’t take his eyes off Ava. “More than pleased. She’s perfect. You’ve done well.”
Then, without looking at the man, he strode to the table. Edmond was right. The truth would be best. He hoped she’d understand when he told her of the deal he’d made.
As soon as she spotted him coming toward her, she dashed over to meet him halfway.
“Is everything all right?”
Leaning into her, he breathed in her scent and gave her a kiss on the cheek. It was as much affection as he’d allow in such a public place. Otherwise, the dragon would get surly, and no one wanted a surly dragon at a mating celebration.
“They will be. For now, let’s join Axton and Bonnie and enjoy the rest of the evening. We’ll discuss things later when there aren’t so many prying eyes and ears.”
Taking away a woman’s right to choose the course of her own life was beyond reprehensible, but what choice had he had? He could only hope that Ava—and more importantly, her sister—would understand.
12
By the time the gathering ended, Ava wondered what all the fuss had been about. Many people in attendance had sought them out and introduced themselves, but otherwise, the gathering was much like any other party. Drinks and dancing. A lot of small talk. That was it. Maybe it was just a celebration for all the newly mated couples. Nothing more.
“Do you need me to come in?” Axton asked Damon as they stopped at the door leading to the tower. Even though it was obvious he wanted to leave with Bonnie, the man made his offer.
“That won’t be necessary. Thank you. I’ll fill you in tomorrow.”
Axton nodded, then tipped his head toward her. “Good night, Your Highness.”
Ava tsked at the man. “We’re back to this, are we? And here I thought we were friends.”
“I fear for my safety if your mate feels you’ve not been shown proper respect, as is your due.” His tone was light, and his eyes sparkled, but truth rang in his words.
She cast Damon a sidelong glare. He didn’t bother to deny the claim. Well, that wouldn’t do. “I’m asking you to call me by name, Axton. My mate is very understanding. I’m certain no harm will come to you if you do as I ask.”
Damon coughed and hid his mouth, obviously covering a smile.
“Then I’d be delighted to do so, Ava. However, as is proper, in front of our people and the general population, I cannot promise to do the same.”
She harrumphed, but it was obvious she wouldn’t win that battle—not yet, at least. “Thank you. It’s a good start.”
Bonnie giggled next to Axton. “Good night, Ava. Good night, King Damon,” she added.
“Good night,” they both responded at once.
Once the couple had disappeared around the corner, she turned her attention to Damon. Maybe now that they were alone, he’d relax.
He reached up and loosened his tie as he ushered her into the suite. “We need to talk,” he said even before the door closed behind them.
Rather than relaxing, his features tightened, and he sighed.
“What’s wrong?”
He brought her to one of the couches, then knelt on the floor in front of her once she’d taken a seat. He grasped one ankle and slipped off her shoe, then did the same for the other. With the pads of his thumbs, he rubbed her arch, making her moan. They’d been aching for a while, but she hadn’t dared take the heels off to ease the discomfort.
When he finally lifted his gaze to hers, worry shone in his eyes.
“Just tell me. What did Lady Anabelle say? Is something going wrong with our mating?” Her heart stuttered. She hadn’t known Damon long, but her soul recognized his. He was her fated. The budding feelings she had for him would grow. They would build a good life together. Raise a family.
“Lady Anabelle is from Tragris. She has a great psychic ability. She had a vision when she looked at you. It wasn’t a good one.”
Damon moved to her other foot, but he could have dipped her feet in ice water for all the good the massage did. “Tell me, please?”
He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “She saw a young woman, gravely injured. Near death.”
Ava’s heart knocked against her ribs. Had the woman looked into her past and seen the ugly truth of her existence? “I’m fine now,” she hastened to add. Surely, knowing the things she’d lived through would help her plead her case to bring her siblings to Tarakona.
“You—” His face reddened, and a vicious growl rumbled in his chest. “What do you mean? You’ve suffered the same abuse at your father’s hands?”
“I—who are you talking about?” Terror snaked through her entire being. She’d left Amélie, Marc, and Hélène with a neighbor. They’d assured her they would keep them safe until she returned. She’d given them all her meager savings to ensure it was so.
A muscle jerked in Damon’s jaw as he drew a deep breath.
“Who? Who’s hurt? I should never have left them,” she didn’t realize she was screaming until Damon lifted her from the couch and settled her on his lap. His hands stroked up and down her back, and he made soft, soothing sounds.
“Your oldest sister was hurt—”
“Please tell me she’s okay,” if Amélie had died because their father had used her to take out his grief, she’d never forgive herself.
Ava’s voice, small and lost, gutted Damon. He shoved the fury deep into the darkest recesses of his mind. He’d have time later to rage and rip everything in his path apart. Right then, his mate needed him more than he needed to expel his anger.
“She’ll be okay. Lady Anabelle has foreseen it,” he assured her.
Ava sniffled against his chest. Her shoulders shook. “I have to go back. I can’t leave them there. I had hoped to bring them with me once I was mated. They were supposed to be safe.”
There was nothing they could do tonight, or for the next two days for that matter, but he could give her some peace of mind. “They’re safe now. That’s all that matters. Our healers will ensure your sister is whole and well.”
“W-what do you mean?” her eyes rounded, hope shining brightly.
“I had them taken to Tarakona. Your sister will already have been seen by the healers.”
Ava’s mouth gaped open.
“You’ll catch flies, love.”
“You mean it? They’re on their way to Tarakona? Is Amélie well enough to travel that distance?”
He nodded. “Lady Anabelle and her team have already left to retrieve them. They are using the Tragris mode of transportation. I suspect they may already be in Tarakona.” Before he could say anything else, she locked her lips on his and wrapped her arms around his neck so tightly that he could hardly breathe.
When she finally released him, she shook her head. “I can’t believe it’s all working out. I was so worried.”
Guilt tore through him. “There’s more,” he said before he could change his mind. Sure, he could hold off on telling her about the rest of it, but he wouldn’t abuse her trust that way.
“Okay.” Ava’s smile dimmed a little. “What is it?”
“I had to make a deal with Lady Anabelle to get your siblings transported to the castle quickly. Your sister wouldn’t have survived otherwise.”
Ava wiggled off his lap and stood next to him, her brows furrowed. “What kind of deal?”
“I had to promise to return her to the Citadel on her twentieth birthday—unmated.” Damon had seen battles the likes of which would make most men cry, yet waiting for his mate’s reaction to the decision he’d made struck more fear into him th
an any of those combined.
Ava didn’t say a word. She just stood there, watching him. A moment passed. Then another. Nothing. He got up off the floor to stand next to her.
“And?” she finally asked.
“And what?”
“What’s the rest of it? The deal? What else?”
He shook his head. “There is nothing else.”
Confusion crossed her features. “So, to save Amélie and bring her, and the twins to Tarakona, you had to promise to bring her to the Citadel—presumably to be mated—on her twentieth birthday?”
“Yes.”
“This is what has had you so worried?” she asked incredulously. “You saved my sister. We can deal with anything else that comes along. I’ll talk to her. Make her understand. We’ve got three years before that time comes. Maybe by then, we can convince Lady Anabelle to reconsider. Either way, I don’t see that you had any other choice.”
He couldn’t have been more surprised had she grown a second head. Dragons tended to run with a hot temper. He’d heard wolves were much the same. “You’re not mad?”
She shook her head. Her smile, when it came, was watery but genuine. “Had you chosen to do nothing and my sister had died, I would never have been able to look at you the same. You made the best out of an impossible situation. Leaving my siblings in the care of others was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I chose this path in the hopes for a better future for us all. You’ve made that happen, so no, I’m not mad.”
She hugged him close and nuzzled his chin with her cheek.
A hard rap on the door had her jumping from his arms.
He marched over to it, ready to release his frustration on whoever dared interrupt his time with his mate.
When the door swung open, Lady Anabelle stood there with a panicked-looking Edmond next to her. Her cheek was smeared with blood, and she had a deep scratch on one arm. “What happened?” he asked as he brought them in and helped Lady Anabelle to a seat.
“She refuses to come. She’s shifted into her wolf form and won’t hear reason. It is highly unusual and against every rule, but I must expedite your mating so that your Chosen can be transported and convince Miss Amélie to come with us. She is weak, but she fights too hard for us to take her. The young ones will not leave without her.”
13
“Do it. Whatever it is that you need to do, please,” Ava begged. It didn’t matter what hoops she needed to jump through or what promises she had to make. She’d agree in a heartbeat to save her sisters and brother.
Damon came to stand next to her. “What does it entail? Will it hurt anything to hasten the mating?”
Lady Anabelle shook her head. “We were able to deliver the first burst of magic this evening. I won’t lie, placing your insignia will not be comfortable, but there will be no permanent damage. Once it is done, she will be able to leave the Citadel without ill effect.”
“We’re wasting time,” Ava cried. She wasn’t afraid of pain. She’d suffered through more than her share in the past. She would overcome this.
Damon looked like he might protest, but then he nodded. “Please, tell us what to do.”
Lady Anabelle came over to where Ava stood. “Did you feel anything when you entered the ballroom tonight?”
The pinching on her chest. Of course, it was magic. “Here, on my chest. It pinched and burned. I thought maybe I was reacting to the lotion on my skin.” She pointed to the spot right above her heart where the sensation had occurred.
“You’ll need to place your palm on her, King Damon. Skin to skin. Once you’ve made contact, bring your beast as close to the surface as you can without shifting. I’ll add the necessary magic to complete the ritual.”
Damon slid his hand beneath the sweeping neckline of her dress, pressed his palm over the sore spot, then closed his eyes. A muscle ticked in his jaw, and his body tensed. “I’m ready,” he said after a moment.
“Ava, when I tell you to, take a deep breath. The pain will only last a short while, I promise you that. Had we more time, I could have made this easier for you,” the High Priestess said, sympathy lacing her words.
“It’s okay. Do what you must. I’m ready.”
A whiff of something akin to sulfur soured the air, and when she looked at Damon, smoke curled from his nostrils, but he kept his hand on her chest and his gaze trained on hers. She would have liked to give him some reassurance that she’d be fine, but in the next instant, searing heat stabbed her from the exact center of his palm. Jolts of electricity tightened every muscle in her body before sending them into wicked spasms that stole her breath and had a pained cry tearing from her throat.
Another sound—deeper, rougher, and much more vicious—joined her anguished screams as Damon threw his head back and roared.
When her legs gave out, Damon wrapped his free arm around her waist and held her to him.
It might have been moments, or maybe hours, but when the agony finally subsided, each one of her muscles lay limp. She couldn’t bring her hand up to push a strand of hair out of her face had she wanted to.
“Get. Out.” Damon ordered, his voice rough and raw.
“But—”
“You heard me. Get the fuck out,” Damon screamed at Lady Anabelle. He didn’t give a fuck who she was. Ava shouldn’t have suffered through that kind of pain. Never again.
His joints ached from controlling the shift. If he had to look at the woman, even for a second, he would lose the battle, and she, her life.
“No,” Ava said, her voice barely a whisper. “No, Damon. We need her.”
Lady Anabelle came closer. “She’s right. I can transport you now. The mating is complete. Killing me won’t save Miss Amélie.”
“Please, Damon,” Ava begged as she regained her footing. “The pain is gone now. I’m okay. I promise you, but we need to go.”
He took a deep breath, willing his beast back. “Never again,” he promised, more to himself than anyone.
“I’ll give you a moment to change into more comfortable clothing, then we will go. You must hurry. Your sister wasn’t strong when I left. My team has been gently infusing power into her, but that can only last so long.”
“Thank you,” Ava whispered and took a shaky step.
Hell, no. Without asking or caring who was present to witness it, Damon scooped his mate into his arms, then carried her up the stairs and into their sleeping chamber.
He stepped into the closet and came out with a pair of jeans and a soft T-shirt, bringing them to where he’d sat her on the bed. If the gown and dress he’d seen her in so far were any indication, the clothes would fit like a glove.
When he got back in the bedroom, she was already stripped and was admiring the bright pink marking on her chest. The dragon’s mark was at the forefront with the Citadel’s emblem in what could have been black ink behind it.
“You’re sure the pain is gone? I can go alone. I’ll not return without her, no matter how hard she protests.”
Ava turned to face him. “No, she’s hurt, and she’s afraid. She’s not thinking straight. Having me there will help.” She took the clothing he held out and slipped them on without so much as a gasp.
Some of the tension coiling inside him, enraging his dragon, eased.
“Aren’t you going to change?” she asked.
He hadn’t even thought of it. He could go in his suit or as naked as the day he was born for all he cared, as long as she was okay. “No, let’s get this done.”
14
Ava had tried insisting that she enter her father’s home first, but Damon wouldn’t hear of it. Only once he’d determined that her father wasn’t in attendance did he allow her to enter. She flicked the switch on the lights, but nothing happened. No big surprise there. The power was out. These days, it was more shocking when they had electricity than when they didn’t. She didn’t have to guess at where her sister hid. They’d all found refuge in the small space beneath the house at one time or another to escape their
father’s violence, and this was no exception.
The coppery scent of blood mixed with musty soil filled the air, making her gag. Guilt flooded her. It should have been her. It would have been had she not left. Ava had stood in the way many times when her father raged against her younger siblings. Not once did she let him get his hands on them. But she’d gone, and now Amélie had paid the price. Her only consolation was the fact that the twins would never suffer the same fate.
“Amélie, mignone, it’s me. You’re safe now. I told you I would come back, and I have. Hélène, Marc. Come now. We have to hurry. Amélie needs a healer.”
A whimper came from the deepest, darkest recesses of the crawl space, then a small nose poked out. “That’s right. We’re leaving here, and we’re never coming back,” Ava said as she held her hand out.
Marc was the first to emerge, already, at such a young age, determined to be the man of the family and protect his sisters. They’d need to work on rebuilding the confidence that was torn to shreds each time his father had managed to hurt her and now Amélie.
Hélène came out right after. “Go into the house and get dressed. My new mate is here. He will keep you safe until I get Amélie.”
She waited until the twins squeezed past the small opening leading to the yard.
“I understand that you’re afraid, and you’re hurt. I’ve been that scared before too, but you know me, Amélie. I will always do everything in my power to keep you safe. We have a new home. There will be food on the table and hot water to bathe in. No one will raise a hand to either of us ever again.”
A small sound, nothing more than the shifting of dirt beneath a paw, told her that her sister was listening.
“Come now, Amélie. We have to go, mignone. Father will be back soon, and I fear that my mate will kill him for what he’s put us through. And as much as you hate him—we both hate him—I know you will never forgive yourself if he dies in that way.”
The scuttle came closer. When her sister approached, Ava wrapped her arms around the wolf’s neck, hugging her close. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to keep this from happening to you. Please forgive me,” she sobbed into her sister’s pelt, still sticky with blood.
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