by L. J. Stock
“They were protecting you.” He groaned as we hit the first step.
“No.” I sighed. “You protected me. They were exercising their animalistic sides.”
He rested his cheek on top of my head as we climbed the stairs in silence with Rasmus and Shannon following. I'd never believed I could be ashamed to be the Princess of Mortisali, but in that moment, it was all I could feel.
Chapter Thirteen
Grigori was heavy. Being as out of it as he was, he was practically a dead weight, and even with Rasmus on his other side, we were slow moving. None of us had our strength, but we worked together and managed to get him to the castra before having to rest against the cool stone walls. Everything in my body ached. My ankle screamed under the extra weight I was forcing it to carry, and I seemed to have bruises on my bruises. I was certain my hair was a caked bloodied mess as well. The four of us must have been a sight to behold. We all wore scars of a battle only we'd been included in.
Shannon was almost unrecognizable. It was the first time I'd actually looked at her since she'd arrived in the dungeons behind me. Her red hair was pulled up into a messy knot, and her fair skin was marred with bruises and swelling, and small, healing cuts. She gave me a loose hug of greeting and thanks as we rested, her right arm almost completely purple where she'd used it to defend herself from the blows of the latros.
When our small group limped onward, I had no clue where we were headed, but I wasn't going to let Grigori out of my sight until I'd spoken rationally with my family. In order to understand my trust for the man, they needed to understand what had happened in the cell I'd been held in. I needed them to understand that he'd sacrificed his own life for mine, as well as Rasmus and Shannon’s.
I wasn't looking forward to re-living the waking nightmare I'd somehow managed to survive. I had already forced the memories of the ordeal into a box in my head until I was inclined to visit it once again. It was true, most of it had been mental and emotional warfare, but that last night… that last night had been hell and if we’d failed, there was no telling where I would have ended up. The thought alone made my knees weak. The unfortunate truth was, when I did dredge it all up again, it would have to be for an audience, and I knew that it wouldn't be easy for the people I loved to hear. I may have been mad as hell at them for what they'd done to Grigori now, but they were still my family, and I would forgive them. I just hoped that they would understand what I had to tell them.
I hated that Damon had been the one executing the torture. It was a part of him I'd never seen outside of a legitimate battle, and though I knew part of it was his anger at being separated from me and the shape I had turned up in, I hated it more that he hadn't waited to hear the whole story from me before reacting. As petty as it was, I was hurt that he hadn’t waited for me to gain consciousness. I’d really needed him and he hadn’t been there.
“Cass?” Melody's voice pulled me out of the thoughts I'd been ruminating over and over again in my silence. Being locked into my own head had helped me move without being reminded of how much pressure had been on my body under Grigori's weight.
Starting toward us, she froze as her eyes took in the big guy hanging unanimated between Rasmus and I.
“Is that...?”
“It's a long story,” I said quietly. “One that I will tell you about, but until then, do you think you could have one of the chamber maids ready a room in my wing for me? I hate to ask, but...”
“It would be my pleasure. I have been sat with you most days. I went up to see you and you were gone. Anker said you would be down here. I'll get some medical supplies from the medicus on staff as soon as I've sent someone up.”
“Damn, I've missed you, Mel.” I grinned, my hand reaching out to steady my weight on the wall before I collapsed.
“And I you. I've been so worried...” She trailed off and I could only deduce that she’d noticed the pained expression on my face. “We'll talk about that later.”
With a half curtsy, she darted off toward the great hall, leaving us, and our slow moving progress behind her.
“Who was that?” Shannon asked curiously, walking beside me as though ready to relieve me should the need arise.
“That was Melody, my friend and chief lady-in-waiting.”
“Well, she's got the thumbs up from me. She barely blinked at the situation we're in and did as you asked without question. That, my friend, is loyalty.”
“And I know it.” I smiled, rearranging Grigori's arm over my shoulder. He was getting heavier and heavier as we moved, his consciousness waning with every step we took. “She's sacrificed so much for me. She lost the man she loved in the battle in Dullhurt.”
Grigori sighed into my hair. I'd thought he was beyond consciousness, but he'd just been suffering in silence. I felt bad for bringing up the fight, but it was something we all had to live with. Lives were lost. Lives I would have to amend with each of their relatives because ultimately, they'd given their lives for me.
“This is all my doing,” Grigori said, the pain lacing his tone until he sounded slurred.
“Don't think about that now,” I said gently, squeezing the hand that was slung over my shoulder. “Just concentrate on getting better. We have a lot to talk about once you’re back to full strength again.”
“You challenged your family for my freedom, Cassandra. That is a debt I can never repay.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Gori. You risked your life to save me. I won't allow any more pain to come to you.”
“I would do it a thousand times over.” He groaned as I rearranged myself under his arm. “You are fair and just, and seeing you fiercely stand up for what you believe in has proven to me that you are the rightful ruler. My life is yours.”
I shifted uncomfortably under his weight, unsure of how to respond. He'd taught me so much of my own powers, forcing me to keep going when I wasn’t sure I had it in me to dig any deeper. He'd kept me afloat when I'd been desperate, and he'd done everything he could to make me comfortable in an uncomfortable situation, and yet, here he was offering his life to me. I felt I should be offering him the world for giving me my life back. I wasn't the only one indebted to him. Every person in Mortisali was once again given hope because he'd liberated me. Yet his thanks had come in the form of torture at the hands of the people I loved.
I realized then what I had to do.
I was a princess for crying out loud. The title alone held some sway for me to use, but the people in this palace and this kingdom trusted me. I just had to walk into my father’s chambers with my head held high and make them understand the situation, no matter what discomfort it brought to remember what had happened. They needed to hear the truth and they had to show some trust even if they would never knew how desperate things had become in the silence of solitude.
The four of us traveled the rest of the way to my wing in silence. The stairs were trickier than we'd anticipated, and we had to stop every fifth step to regain our breath and reposition ourselves. Nobody stopped to help us, but I was certain that my determination was written plainly on my face. I needed to be the one to do this, even when my body was screaming its protests.
We found Melody waiting outside my room and she directed us to a large suite across the hall, the entrance mirroring my own. It was decorated beautifully, as were most of the other rooms. The bed was huge, and could have easily fit six people side by side, so I knew Grigori would be comfortable in it. We lowered him as slowly as we could manage onto the bed, and while Shannon and Rasmus removed his bloodied clothes, Melody and I filled bowls with warm water.
We tended to his wounds for what felt like hours, the three of us working in companionable silence while Rasmus found some clothes that would fit his tall frame. Grigori slept through the whole thing, his breathing coming in a rhythmic pattern that sometimes stuttered when we touched a particularly sensitive spot. Melody never said a word. She just worked alongside us, helping us to fix the man who had led the enemy army into battle again
st us. She'd lost Aric, yet her warm heart hadn't placed the blame on the man in front of her.
“I think that's as good as it's going to get.” Shannon sighed, dropping the pink stained cloth into the bowl as she wiped her forehead with her sleeve. I followed suit and tried to rearrange myself so my ankle was elevated. After the trek it had been throbbing painfully enough to make me feel sick.
“I'll get some clean water so I can at least clean your hair, Cass,” Melody said gently, picking up the bowl with the dark water and turning to leave.
“Not now,” I said, holding out my hand to her. “Come and sit with us. Tell me what happened after you left.”
Melody nodded and set the bowl on a small table then wandered back to the edge of the bed and hesitated. I patted the spot next to me and smiled encouragingly. I hated that she was still stuck between formalities and etiquette sometimes.
“Girl, get up here.” Shannon laughed, spreading out along the foot of the bed. Even with Grigori's height, there was still at least three feet of space between his feet and the drop from the edge. “We're all friends in this room. At least that’s how this one described you.”
Melody's eyes widened and she looked at me unsure.
“You know it's true.” I laughed. “You may have to be formal around the king but you and I have always been friends. Get up here for some girl talk.”
Her eyes flickered to Grigori's sleeping form and I knew that it was still hard for her to see him as anything but the enemy. It would be a battle to convince people to stop viewing him that way. It was a stigma he would more than likely be laden with until he proved his loyalty to the others. I was already converted, and now I needed to work on everyone else.
“He never wanted to hurt us,” I said quietly, keeping my eyes on her. “There's so much you don't know about him, Mel. Shannon is his aunt. She knows him well. He saved her life and was punished for it.”
“It's true. He's made mistakes, as all of us have, but his hand was forced. Anton was sent with him into battle. He is the man who was responsible for so much death. Grigori had to prove himself. It's a long story, but you should know he touched no one in that battle.”
Melody sighed. Resigned, she climbed up on the bed and sat by my foot that was elevated by a pillow. It was going to take time to bring her around, but it was a start at least. She was here, and she was on this bed with a man she wasn't sure she trusted. Maybe she finally understood something about the man she'd probably seen as the reason for losing Aric.
“Did you have any trouble with Dunamis?” I asked, leaning forward and taking her hand in mine.
“No,” she said, looking down at her hands. “Like you said, he was fast as lightning. I was at the top of the ridge before they even realized I was gone. When I got back to the palace, Damon was saddling up his horse. He knew something was wrong. When he saw me, he just... Well, he… He fell apart.”
I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath through my nose. I knew it would be bad, but this made my heart ache. I could almost feel what was going through his heart and mind. He'd begged me not to go, but...
“He blamed himself,” I said with a sigh. “It's probably why he wanted to be the one to question Grigori. I should have fought harder to stay awake and explain who he was. I should never have left either of them alone when everything was up in the air like it was.”
“Cass, you literally made a sword out of the damn bathtub. You depleted every ounce of your energy,” Shannon said quietly.
“That was real?”
She nodded in confirmation, her eyes full of pride. I thought I’d dreamed it. I was already losing myself to darkness when it had happened, but I was grappling to eradicate the threat before I let go of consciousness completely. The memory was hazy and surreal. Part of me thought I’d grabbed a sword Rasmus had left within reach.
“Rasmus and I were fighting to stay awake, but it was impossible. It was only when you appeared that I forced my eyes open. You were magnificent. You didn't hesitate once. The moment you were stable, you gripped the edge of the tub and in a blink, the...” She started laughing. “The ugliest sword I have ever seen came into fruition. You did what you had to but the second you were safe, you were out. Grigori caught you and pulled you away from Harker’s body. I tried to stay awake and help, but it was impossible.”
“He truly saved your life?” Melody asked, avoiding looking at the massive sleeping figure.
“More than once, really,” I admitted, glancing at Grigori’s sleeping form.
“I’ve always heard they’re bred evil, that none of them have feelings or a conscience. Does this mean that there's humanity in all of them?” Melody asked gently.
“Oh no, sister.” Shannon laughed. “This boy is one of a kind. There never has, nor will there ever be another one like him. My sister showed him love and fought to keep him. She managed it until he was fourteen, but that was never allowed again. When he was caught trying to help me escape, they almost killed him for the trouble. They took a risk sending him out to capture the princess in a bid to prove his loyalty. He was told it was the only way he would be redeemed, but even then they didn't trust him and sent the best men they had with him. Anton was told to take control should there be any sign of failure.”
“How do you know all this?” I asked, attempting to rotate my ankle.
“I was the only person he could talk to. I've been with him since he was born. The only one who knew who he truly was.”
“So they knew he wasn't like the rest?”
“Not completely,” she said, rolling onto her back, her fingers tangling in the loose strands of her fiery hair. “They knew he had a weakness for me. I was the last link to his mother, which was why they kept me alive. He's strong and a good fighter, and they needed him. I think the battle at Dullhurt was a test. He passed, of course, because you murdered Anton, but he still brought you in. They didn't realize his guilt was eating him alive.”
“He's a curious man,” Melody said, finally allowing her eyes to linger on the mountain of blankets. “Losing Aric was so hard for me to comprehend. The only way I could deal with it was telling myself he died honorably in battle. I still believe that. He died protecting you, Cass, but there's so much we take for granted, so much we assume. They come at us so hard and heavy you don't think of them as having families. But they're all somebody's child.”
“No,” Shannon said strictly and rolled to the side. “You have to understand, most of the veneficus and latros are taken from their mothers before they've had a chance to bond with them. All they know in life is being a soldier. All they know is you're a threat to their way of life. Grigori is different, but don't count on being that lucky again. Most are like Harker. They feel as though they're owed something. They will kill, rape and maim without blinking. The believe it’s their right to do so.”
I shuddered. I wasn't sure how I’d managed to get the one man who was questioning the ethics and morals of his people, but fate had smiled on me, and I would never take an unnecessary risk again. At least, not until I had to. Coming face to face with Thánatos was inevitable. It was written in a prophecy that I just couldn’t escape. I just had to make sure I was prepared for the moment it happened.
There was a quiet knock at the door before it opened wide. In its place stood Rasmus and a couple of kitchen staff with trays of different food and drink. Over Rasmus’ arm, as he limped inside, were clothes that I could only assume were for Grigori.
“What's all this?” I asked, trying to sit up straight, my stomach growling violently. I ended up taking Melody's offered hand to help me up.
“The king.” Rasmus grinned. “He cornered me in the castra and asked where you were. I honestly thought I was getting discharged, but he thanked me for being a part of keeping you alive. I think he feels ashamed of what they did to our friend here. He told me he would have the kitchen send up something and that if we needed a medicus, they’re at our disposal. He also said that he would arrange for the room next t
o this one to be made up for my lady friend.”
“Your lady friend?” Shannon guffawed, sitting up and circling the table where the kitchen staff were placing platters. “I hope you told him I'm no lady.”
I snorted at her comment and she grinned at me.
“I don't think he really knew how to address you.”
“I think I'm used to fiery redhead,” she teased. “Or, less favorable, impertinent whore was a favorite of the veneficus.”
I shook my head and laughed, even as Melody squeaked at the self-inflicted insult. Shannon would take a lot of getting used to for her as well. Watching the kitchen staff, I found myself smiling. I was proud of my father. He was at least making an effort, and reaching out in the hope of apologizing. I had a feeling he knew what they'd been doing was wrong, even when he was furious and accusing. He knew that treating Grigori in such a way made them no better that the veneficus and latros, but he also wanted vengeance.
“He also asked me to beseech you to speak with him,” Rasmus directed at me. “He said it was not how he'd imagined the reunion going with his only daughter. I believe your mother and brother's wife may have had a few things to say to him also.”
“It seems all the women in your family are as assertive as you are,” Shannon said, popping a slice of tomato into her mouth.
I shrugged. I wasn't ready to face any of them yet, least of all my father and Damon. They'd both been in that cell—a cell very similar to the one I'd been held in. Seeing the symbiotic images in my head was too much to formulate into words, and I didn't want to address them with my emotions this raw.
“And what are you not saying, warrior?” Grigori asked, making us all jump. His voice was hoarse from disuse, and his only good eye was barely open.
Melody scrambled off the bed, but caught herself by the edge, trying to make her actions look nonchalant. I couldn't blame her for being nervous. Grigori had a way of being intimidating. Hell, you couldn't help but feel his presence when you were in a room with him. He was a formidable force, even if he was flat on his back looking like a punching bag.