Protector (The Full-Blood Book 1)

by Serena Nova

  “Averey.” I waited for him to turn around and look at me.

  “I’m not a Queen. You need to know that.” I hugged my knees closer and looked at him.

  “Isa, you are a Queen, by power and blood. You are the strongest here. You are our only choice as Queen,” he added.

  My eyes widened at that. “No, no. I don’t want to be. I’m not a Queen, I’m not a broodmare. I just want to be free,” I murmured. I lay my head down on my knees, and tears started flowing, followed by sobs. Averey’s hand softly touched my back, slowly moving up and down, the bed dipped where he sat down.

  “Isa.” I pulled away a little, which made him growl out at me. “Isa,” he said again, his voice low with a warning in it.

  “What?” I asked and looked at him, he was blurred by the tears still in my eyes.

  “You will never be a Broodmare. You will be magnificent and free. You will always be free,” he said. “Only, we need you, not for the world, not for closing the Gate. We need you. All four of us, we can’t live without you, anymore.”

  “Why do you want to make me Queen then?” I sobbed out.

  “Because, Isadora. You are the rightful heir to the throne, you are the power that will keep this world in balance. If the High houses had never rebelled at the idea of your Queen Seraphina offering herself up, this all would have been prevented. We want to make it right. But most of all, we want you.” He kept stroking my back, slowly, and I eased into his hand.

  “That’s merely because of the bond,” I said. My biggest fear was that they wouldn’t have liked me without the bond.

  “No, Isadora, the bond is something that means we could be great together. It doesn’t mean we instantly love you. That is something that needs to grow, we can resist the bond if we wanted to.” I looked at him my mouth opening, and he shook his head.

  “We always looked for our bonded, for the one that would complete us. We never wanted to settle with a Witch that would be sort of compatible. Only, we needed to start searching. The power it costs to keep the Gate almost closed is too much for us alone. They are winning power on the other side. That is why we started searching for Queens.” He placed his hand under my chin and lifted it up.

  “Then, we found you. Our Natural Bonded, our better half, the lost pieces of our hearts. That you are meant for all four of us, it makes it even better. It meant we chose to get to know you, we choose to love you. And we will be by your side, no matter what.” He softly kissed my brow.

  “You aren’t going to make me into a broodmare?” I asked softly.

  “No,” was his answer.

  “Also, not to make more Full-Bloods?” I asked him.

  “No, we can make more,” he answered.

  “You have other Full-Bloods?” This had me sitting up right.

  “No, we don’t.”

  “What do you mean, then?”

  “If we cross powerful Witches and Elementals with each other, there would be a chance that they will make new Full-Bloods.” I started shaking my head with that. “What is it?” His brow pulled low.

  “I don’t know who told you that, only one of the parents need to be a Full-Blood. Why did you think my Gran made me promise to never come here?” I told him.

  “No, it can happen, Icas . . .” He stopped there. His face turned into a mask of anger.

  “I don’t know what Icas told you, but it can’t happen. Otherwise, there would be more Full-Bloods.”

  “I need to talk to the others.” He started to move away from me, and I grabbed his hands.

  “Don’t make me a broodmare. Please?” I begged, my eyes wide, new tears filling them.

  He lowered himself back on the bed, pulled me close and said, “You will never be something you don’t want, sweetheart. We will never let that happen, and I know for sure that you would fight against it every moment you get.” He held me closer against him, my head against his chest where I heard his heartbeat. It made me relax.

  “And you losing your freedom? That will never happen. None of us wanted to become Kings. We didn’t want to lose our freedom, either. What we didn’t realize at the time was that we would gain a new sort of freedom. One that would help this world and us.” He kissed the top of my head and moved away. I let him.

  “Go take a shower, prepare for the ball tonight. It will be alright, don’t worry,” he said while he pulled on his shirt. Then he moved towards the door and left. I stayed there for a while, sitting in the bed not wanting to move. My face had puffed up from the tears, and my heart still raced with the idea of losing my freedom.

  After a moment, I got up and walked towards the bathroom. A shower would help me calm my mind. I turned it on and waited for it to heat up, before I moved in. The hot water ran down my body, and I felt myself relax.

  They sort of loved me, all four of them wanted to be with me, for me. I rubbed my eyes, it was all so much. I wanted them, too, wanted them to be mine. Would it have been a terrible thing for me to be Queen? It meant I would keep them. Them with me, standing next to me as equals. Because that is what they would be, my other half.

  Still, how would the world react to me being a Full-Blood, being a Royal? That ball would be making one of my nightmares come true. People would know who I was, and I wasn't sure about how they would react. I had really hoped it would be nice. I turned off the shower and pulled on something easy. When I entered the room, there were three strange ladies waiting.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, my magic ready under my skin. I had never been a big fan of strange people, and after the roof encounter it had dropped even lower. All three of them bowed, their black clothing indicated they were maids. “We were sent to help you to get dressed.”

  “Oh, no need for that,” I said and waved them towards the door.

  “But, Miss, you need help with your hair and,” one of them started and had looked me over. My hair was still wet, hanging down my back. I arched an eyebrow, challenging her to say more.

  “No, it will be fine. I’ll help her,” I heard from my right.

  “Astra, hi,” I said as a greeting, not even looking at her. My eyes were still focused on the ladies in front of me, expecting one of them to become a half-dead thing at any moment. Only, they bowed again and walked out of the room. When the door closed behind them, I breathed out and turned towards Astra.

  She looked at me. “Why is your magic so close?” she asked me, indicating the shimmer that ran over my arms.

  “The servant girl,” I told her, and she nodded in understanding.

  “I’m here to help you, thought you might want to have some girl talk.” She smiled at that.

  “Yeah, love to.” She moved towards the dress that hung over the backrest of the sofa. She opened the cover and whistled low.

  “That looks amazing. And it will look even better when you have it on.” Astra pulled out the dress and held it up for me. The navy blue fell down to the ground, I saw some glimpses of the silver fabric Stella had picked. It looked beautiful, and I had to admit, I was curious about how it would have looked on me.

  “Come on, girl, let’s move to the bedroom and fix your hair then add some make up.” Astra looked me over. I could see her mind whirling around, she was always the one who knew how to look good. And I would be in safe hands with her. I walked after her when she walked into the bedroom, laid down the dress, and placed me on the chair before a mirror.

  I looked at myself, my wet black hair hung down. It came below my shoulders. My brown eyes looked back at me, I had always liked them. When I got angry, they seemed to turn black. Gran always said that they would become as dark as the night and that she knew I was really angry then. I wished that I knew what my mom had looked like, or my Great-Grandmother. Gran had said I looked like them, almost identical. It had made me feel empty, not knowing my mom. I shook my head and focused back on Astra, not wanting to go down that road. She had started talking to me, and I hadn't been listening.

  “What do you think, hair up or lo
ose?” she asked. She was holding up my hair and then let it fall.

  “I don’t know. You are better at this, go and do your thing,” I told her.

  She once more pulled my hair up and shook her head. “No loose, maybe if we made two braids at the side of your head, the rest loose and falling down at the back, it will keep your hair out of your face. Which I know you like.” She mumbled the last part and moved to grab a brush, she combed my hair out and started braiding one side. “Thank you,” Astra said.

  I pulled my eyebrow up in question. “For what?”

  “For being my best friend.”

  I turned around at that and looked at her. “Girl, you will never get rid of me. I’m here, and I will always be there for you.” I squeezed her hands. A tear rolled down her cheek, and I wiped it away. “You may know this or not. But, you are my sister, not in blood but by choice.” I squeezed her cheek, and she laughed.

  “Good, because you are mine, and I will be the best sister you could ever imagine.” She squeezed my hand in return and made me turn around again. She finished up the other braid in my hair and let the rest of it fall in waves. Then she applied some make up. Black around my eyes, making them stand out more. And red on my lips, it wasn’t that much makeup, still it had made me look like somebody else.

  I kept looking at myself. “Come on, let’s get you into the dress,” Astra said while she held up the dress.

  “Yes, but first,” I said to her as I turned around, so my back was now facing the mirror. I needed to get rid of this bandage. I pulled it off and looked at the soft-pink scar that sat between my shoulder blades. It wasn’t long, and people wouldn’t notice it because of my hair falling over it. Still, it would always be there; a reminder of that night.

  “Okay, now we can put on the dress,” I said to Astra and turned around again. She nodded at me and moved towards me with the dress.

  30

  Astra held up the dress while I pulled off my clothing, leaving my underwear on. She handed me the dress, and I pulled it on. It fell down my body, softly. Almost as a lover who kissed my skin. It had made me shiver.

  The dress had a high neckline that left my shoulders and back open. Trailing down my body, it reached the floor, and when I moved towards the mirror, I found the dress had a slit, which gave me room to move. I grinned at that. Stella had really thought about my need to keep my legs free. When I looked into the mirror, I saw I looked really good in that dress. The silver underneath the blue made it look like the night sky even more. When I moved, the fabrics moved separately from each other, giving glimpses of the silver. The back was even more beautiful, with the silver fabric falling over the top of my ass, and the blue one a little lower, cascading down towards the floor in a waterfall of fabric. Everything hung loosely on my body, but it still showed off my hips, breasts, and my ass in the most perfect way. I looked stunning.

  “You look amazing,” Astra said when she gave me a pair of heels that would match perfectly with the dress. I pulled them on and stood up. The dark-blue straps reached up towards my ankles. It took me a second to adjust and then move around. I walked back towards my bag and pulled out two small knives, placing them in their holsters on my upper legs. When I looked back at Astra, she had crossed her arms in front of her.

  “You really thought I would leave without any weapons?” That made her laugh, and she shook her head.

  “No. And luckily for you, you can’t see them.” She pointed at the spot where I had placed them. The dress fell loosely over the holsters covering them up. I grinned at her. “Stella is the best,” I said and moved towards the living room. When I looked outside, the sun was already setting.

  “They brought some food,” I said to Astra when I saw the table filled with plates of food.

  “I know, I let them in. You were putting on the dress,” she said when she moved towards the table, too. It looked great, so I filled a plate and started eating. I had totally forgotten breakfast when I woke up with Averey, finding the maids in my room, and having Astra dress me. I hadn't known time could go so fast. Maybe I had woken up late? I shrugged at myself and stuffed my face.

  “Isa, careful. Don’t smear your lipstick around.” Astra grumbled at me when she picked up her own plate and started eating, too.

  “Are you excited about it?” Astra asked me.

  “The ball?” I asked around a mouthful of food.

  “Yes, what else?”

  “No, not really.” I told her the truth. Why lie?

  “Why not? We can dance together. You get to dance with the Kings.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

  “Yes and no, the dancing sounds fun. Not in these heels, though. I’m not really excited about the part where they will tell everyone who I am.”

  “It will be fine, Isa, you will be great.” We both ate in silence after that. Both lost in our own thoughts. When we were done, Astra fixed my red lips and went to her own room to change.

  A knock sounded on my door a little while later, and I opened it. It was to find the four Kings standing there. Their eyes moved up and down my body.

  “Hi,” I said and waved a little. “What are you guys doing here?” I asked.

  “We couldn’t decide who would take you to the ball. We thought you could decide,” Cian said.

  “Maybe it is for the best if I go alone,” I said, I didn’t want to make a scene before I even entered the ballroom. I already knew people would be shocked when they found out who I was.

  “No,” All four of them said at the same time.

  “Oh, yes. We aren’t going to play like this. I’m not going with any of you. I’m going by myself.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest. It drew their eyes towards it, and I felt my nipples harden. “Please?” I added.

  “Okay,” Cian said, and he started moving away.

  “Thank you,” I said to him. The others walked behind him and moved towards the main hall.

  When I moved out of my own room, the door next to mine opened. Astra walked out of it in a red dress, her blonde hair in a neat bun on her head, red lips finished the whole look. She winked at me when Banu walked out of her room, too, all dressed in black, her weapons strapped on.

  “Can you take my swords, too?” I asked Banu.

  “Yes.” She looked a little confused at that question.

  “I want them close if something happens,” I told her. She nodded and walked into my room. When she came out, the swords were strapped at her back. “Thanks, girl,” I said to her and moved towards Astra.

  “Where are the other Witches?” I asked her.

  “They are already at the ball. It started thirty minutes ago.”

  This had me stopping. “What do you mean thirty minutes? I thought it would start in fifteen?”

  “No, didn’t they tell you that?” Astra asked me, I could see her looking back at Banu.

  “No. They didn’t. Those purple bastards,” I growled out at them, wiggling my fingers to keep them relaxed. No time to start punching someone. I focused on other things, like asking Banu if the other girls were ready.

  “They are ready and in position. Liv, the Protector you told me about, helped us set things up. They increased the overall protection of the room and the garden, too.” I nodded at her and moved towards the main hall again.

  “Keep her safe,” I whispered to Banu when I walked next to her.

  “Always,” she answered and moved towards Astra. I walked a little slower, not really wanting to go to the ball. Everything would change from the moment I walked into that room. I wasn’t sure how or if it would be good or bad. Things would change and that would be the biggest thing. I braced myself when I reached the main hall. Music filtered through the double doors, laughter and voices followed. I walked down the stairs, proud of myself when I reached the bottom, and I hadn’t fallen down in the heels.

  The light of the room fell into the hallway, the people who were dancing and the talking people hadn’t noticed me standing there. Except for the Protectors
who stood on guard. “Chief,” one mumbled, while another nodded at me. I squared my shoulders and moved into the room.

  The room was decorated beautifully, lanterns hung from the ceiling, the lights were dimmed, and the musicians in the corner played soft dancing music. Everything was covered in golds and blues, even the curtains had been changed from red to blue. It almost gave the room a feeling of the night sky and stars. I looked around, seeing so many people. I didn’t recognize any of them.

  I moved further into the room, seeing DeeDee near the musicians and Lena standing near the garden. I nodded at them, and they nodded back at me. I kept looking around the room, trying to find something wrong with it. My instincts had been screaming at me, telling me to run. I just couldn’t, not with my Kings there, not with Astra still under threat. I ignored my screaming instincts and moved towards the raised dais, wanting to be closer to the Kings.

  They were looking out into the room, Cian smiled at me when he saw me moving towards them. The others found me quickly, too. Flynn gave me a wink, which had me stopping, and a smile spread across my face.

  When I was almost at the dais, Averey stepped forward. The whole room slowly quieted down, and the music stopped. I made it to the front, finding the other Witches standing there, too. They glared at me, and I rolled my eyes. Just my luck. Before any of them could say anything to me, Averey's strong voice boomed through the room.

  “Good evening, Ladies and Gentleman. We are grateful for you coming here tonight. This night is a special night because we have an important announcement to make. However first, relax, eat, and dance.” He clapped his hands, and the musicians started playing a simple tune. Some people had moved towards the centre of the room, starting to dance.

  The Selection Witches were whispering to each other and ignoring me, which I was happy with. The Kings came down from the dais, as soon as they did, they were swarmed by the Selection Witches and some other people. I turned away from them and looked around the room, my instincts still screaming at me. I searched for the reason, only to find my least favourite person walking towards me.