by K. Rea
“What do you have in mind?” Aiden asked.
“Whip the alphas again,” Gaius said, removing the whip from his hip and tossing it to Aiden.
“You whipped them already?” I asked softly.
“We did. It would be unwise to mark Wolfrik up further. It is unfair to the woman; she shouldn’t be punished for his stupidity and heritage,” Aiden said. Orion looked at him sharply, but Aiden ignored him. “I’ll happily scar the other if it pleases my king.”
“Proceed,” Gaius encouraged, as he settled back in his throne.
Aiden uncoiled the whip as a hand gripped my upper arm. Gerald pulled me away from them all despite Aiden’s threat. The other vampires watched as Orion awkwardly lifted Jane into his arms and moved away from Mason. Aiden tested the whip once, its snap echoing through the space.
“Pay attention, princess, this is the vampire you married,” Mason growled loudly for all the Court to hear.
“On your feet, Faolmen. Stop flirting with my wife,” Aiden said. “Turn around.”
“The Court of Light is coming for you, Dark Prince,” Mason muttered, then did as he was told and turned his already bloody back to Aiden. The king smiled as Aiden looked to him for the go-ahead. With a wave of the king’s hand and my husband’s nod, the sham of my marriage ended. My wolf seethed with rage.
Aiden pulled his arm back, claws erupted from my hands. I swiped at Gerald’s face and neck, then threw myself over Mason’s already damaged back. I felt the panic echo down the bond a moment before the whip landed across my back, and chaos erupted around us. A moment of blinding pain struck me, only to burn away by a healing warmth coursing through the bond. Mason twisted around and pulled me into his arms. I felt his blood against my chest and seep into the fabric of my dress.
“Foolish woman,” Mason said harshly, trying to hold me and see the gash where the blood poured from. Gerald was on the floor groaning and being seen to by the vampires around him. I watched Aiden approach over Mason’s shoulder, like an angry dark storm ready for a reckoning. He looked absolutely furious with me, his gray eyes like smokey embers.
“Again, Aiden. If your wife wishes to be involved, she too will be whipped,” the king said coldly, though, from his expression, he enjoyed seeing my blood run.
“Five strikes each. Don’t hold back; otherwise, I will grant Gerald a blood debt of his own against your wife,” Gaius ordered. Aiden and Mason’s soft growls filled the room, both warm—both dangerous. Orion said nothing as he clutched Jane in his arms, though it was clear in his expression that if she wasn’t involved, he’d be at the king’s throat already.
“King Gaius, Prince Aiden—please allow me to take the punishment for her,” Mason requested. Aiden nodded; the king sneered.
“No, if I hear you speak again, I’ll double it. She will take your punishment instead. Let that be a lesson to you all. Aiden, begin, or I will,” Gaius ordered. Aiden gripped the whip. For a moment, I thought he would turn it on the king. Then his face hardened, his eyes glowed.
“You will not say a word, you will not make a sound. You will take this lesson in silence,” Aiden ordered, his compulsion pushed through the bond. The audience murmured their approval. I nodded even as a tear slipped from my eyes; I raised my chin. He turned his gaze to Mason. “Turn her away from me, hold her still, keep her standing, or I’ll kill you myself.”
Mason grunted and spun me around without another word. He gripped my shoulders tightly, and I stared into those brown eyes. His sun-bleached hair matted to his head with sweat and blood. He growled a soft rumble, almost a purr of reassurance. I could sense Aiden behind me before he tore the seam of my dress, exposing more of my back. Mason nodded at him with a menacing growl.
Trust me, little wolf, Aiden begged through the bond. By the Goddess, do not move.
The surrounding crowd watched with a mix of delight and horror on their faces. Vampires’ fangs descended with the smell of fresh blood. The only warning I had was a flash of heat along the bond and Mason’s hands tightening on my shoulders. I felt the strike; I felt blood trickling down my back, but there was no pain. My gasp caught in my throat, Aiden’s loud public compulsion preventing me from making a noise.
I felt only warmth, even though I could smell my blood in the air. The bond between us was silent. Ten times, scorching heat melted into warmth, then nothing.
“Satisfied my king?” Aiden said tensely. I watched him as he slowly, methodically coiled the silver whip in his hands. He gestured to a vampire nearby that brought a towel and a bowl of water. He washed my blood from his hands and handed the man the whip.
“Yes. Take these wolves to the dungeons until I decide what to do with them. We may execute them still,” King Gaius ordered. Mason’s hands tighten on my shoulders.
“As you wish, my king. As you can see, my wife is in no state to attend the gala, and we need to have a brief chat about her behavior. We bid you goodnight,” Aiden said.
Aiden walked over toward Mason and me; we both stood mutely. Aiden looked pointedly at Mason. Mason removed his hands from my shoulders. Aiden tucked a lock of hair behind my ear before carefully picking me up into his arms and turning to leave the audience behind us. The ever-present warmth coursing through the bond masking my pain encompassed me in waves.
“You misunderstand me; she also goes to the dungeons. If I find her anywhere else an hour from now—she’ll pay with more than blood,” King Gaius threatened. The warmth rippled; pain laced with rage hit me, then it was gone.
“Understood. Guards take the wolves to the dungeons. I will be there shortly with Lady Evelyn,” Aiden ordered. The vampires flanking Mason grabbed him by the shoulders and tugged him in the direction Orion already walked with Jane in his arms. I couldn’t see over Aiden’s shoulder where they were being taken before Aiden was moving swiftly from the room. Ruby followed behind us, a hand casually resting on her sword. Only once she slammed the black oak doors shut behind us did Aiden take a ragged breath.
“Evelyn, speak. Do you feel any pain?” Aiden asked, his voice no longer smooth but like gravel. He took another ragged, slow breath.
“How could you? You’re just as much of a monster as he is. You do his dirty work,” I growled. “You always have, you always will.”
“That may be true, but do you feel any pain?” Aiden asked softly.
“No, heat. Almost unbearable heat,” I admitted, thankful that he had dropped the compulsion order.
“Do you think you can you walk?” he asked quietly, as if every breath pained him.
“I think so,” I said.
“Good,” Aiden said. He gently placed my feet on the ground.
“You’re injured,” Ruby admonished. “I can smell your blood.”
“I’ll be fine. Any word from Court of Light?” Aiden said.
“No. Where are you hurt? Based on the smell, you need blood. When did this happen?” Ruby asked.
“Evelyn, I need you to follow me. There’s not much time,” Aiden said with a stiff step away from the throne room.
“No. I don’t trust you,” I said. Aiden froze and laughed a dark and sad chuckle before he turned to on me.
“You don’t need to trust me. You need to obey me if you want to live to see your niece born,” Aiden stated. I swallowed the shock at the knowledge.
“Niece? Jane’s pregnant already?” I asked; he nodded. “You found out when you bit her. It’s why you wouldn’t whip Orion.”
“If they’re true mates, which I suspect they are—she would feel every ounce of pain if he doesn’t know how to shield her from it. Given how little you know of bonds, I doubt he knows how to protect her. I don’t punish the innocent,” Aiden said stiffly.
“What you did in there wasn’t right,” I argued. “Orion is innocent.”
“He’s not as innocent as you think. We’re all still alive; it’s the best I c
ould do, love.” Aiden said as he ran his finger along the silver band he had put around my neck.
“I don’t love you; I won’t forgive you,” I whispered. He smiled softly and dropped his hand. His stormy eyes were sad for a moment.
“I know, my fierce little wolf, I know. Follow me,” Aiden said. He took another step toward his quarters and waited for me to follow.
“What about your injuries?” Ruby asked.
“Ruby, not now. I need you to arrange safe passage for the Rose Hall girls, now. Alex should have moved Lucy to his sanctuary. Send the others there. Then meet me in my quarters. Evelyn, follow me, I need to see to your back, and you’ll need a change of clothes. The dungeon is cold this time of year,” Aiden said, then walked away from us toward his quarters. Ruby was right; the smell of his blood and mine hung heavy in the air. It was nauseating.
I followed begrudgingly, and we came to a stop in front of a familiar black door. Aiden threw open the door and stepped back for me to move inside. I stepped inside, and he locked the door behind him before sagging against it.
“Please help me to the shower, quickly before someone comes,” Aiden said, his black shirt stuck to him and appeared wet. I reached out to touch him, he flinched. My fingers came away red with blood. Behind him, blood was smeared on the door.
“Evelyn, please, before we both pass out,” he whispered on a ragged breath. I grabbed one of his arms and looped it over my head, across my shoulders, and guided him to the shower. He didn’t wait to take his shirt off before turning on the water. The icy water hit us both as it warmed. He leaned himself against the shower wall out of the water; gritting his teeth, he moved me under the water before he ripped my dress further open along the seam. Inch by inch, he ripped through what was left of the navy material and pearl buttons.
“I’m sorry for this, I tried to keep you from the worst of it. The king’s whip is designed for damage. There are no dress fragments in the wounds. It’s safe for you to heal fully,” Aiden said, letting out a deep breath before a wave of power pushed through the bond, and he turned up the heat on the water.
The power and the water worked together, scalding me from the inside and out; a yelp escaped my lips. Then it abruptly stopped. There was no heat, no power. Aiden even turned the water off before he slid down the wall. A pool of blood beneath him. Silence. There was only a cold, dark silence in the bond. The occasional sound of water droplets hitting the floor were the only sounds in the room as steam rose from my body.
“Aiden?” I asked, standing there holding remnants of my wet dress against my chest. “Aiden!”
The Dark Prince didn’t groan when I joined him on the floor. I pulled him away from the wall, a streak of red against the tiles from his back. I began ripping his shirt off. I pulled the stiff, sticky black fabric up and over his head.
Across his back was a mirror to my own, only worse. Ten even, deep, perfect cuts, and one from the lash that had landed poorly when I threw myself over Mason. I looked behind us at the mirror to look at my own unblemished back, blood-free and unmarred. Aiden had taken my pain and my wounds. He knowingly whipped us both.
Aiden knew. He knew he was going to steal my pain away when he compelled me to silence. Every flash of heat was him pulling the pain away through the bond. I looked back at the pale prince; he still hadn’t moved. His chest barely moved with each soft, ragged breath. I could leave him; he wouldn’t be able to stop me. Shame filled me the moment the thought crossed my mind. I grabbed him under the shoulders and, inch by inch, I drug him underneath the shower. I leaned him forward and reached for the water to rinse his back. The shower had just reached scalding temperatures and steamed the room again when the door flew open.
Ruby stood there with her sword in hand, ready to strike. Her face went slack at sight.
“Fuck,” she whispered. “There’s no time. Leave him now, get dressed. When he wakes, his bloodlust will be raging. He may kill the first person he encounters, stubborn bastard. That can’t be you.”
Ruby pulled me from my crouch and roughly rolled Aiden on his side. She left his back in the water’s path, but his head out of it. She pulled my dress clean off and handed me a towel. “What’s going on?” I asked numbly as I toweled my body, ignoring the fact I was mostly naked in front of the warrior guard with her unconscious prince at my feet.
“Moon shadows, witches, and werewolves have declared war on Gaius. The Court is divided, and the Court of Light will move against us immediately once they know. We need to get you out of the palace. You need to get to the dungeons immediately before the king sends for you or Aiden. Get dressed in something dark, warm, and easy to move in,” Ruby ordered. “I’ll take care of him.”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked when she followed me into my former room. I dressed quickly.
“If Aiden damn well nearly killed himself to protect you from the pain of a few lashes of a whip, then it’s what he would want. The rest of the Rose Hall girls are safe. Piper and Alex got them out. Come on,” Ruby ordered with one last look at the prince lying on the bathroom floor. “The sooner we get you to the dungeons, the sooner I can return for him. Now move, Princess!”
TWENTY - SEVEN
Ruby stowed her sword, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me from the doorway where I stared at the fallen prince. She forced me to run. Our steps echoed down the hall, adding to the rising noise around us. Werewolf and wolf howls grew louder. The urge to shift into wolf form pulled at me as we ran down the black halls. The wolf wanted to join the hunt; pack blood was spilled. Pack must be protected, who exactly that pack consisted of was unclear.
We passed others fleeing. Some people were armed, whereas some people carried children and possessions. No one gave the red guard a second look after realizing she didn’t carry a sword and was focused on pulling me along behind her. We stopped at a stairwell. She checked it before ushering me forward. She picked up a familiar worn pack that sat next to the marble archway. She pulled a torch from it and handed it to me before she lit it. The flames crackled brightly.
“Go down, to the bottom now. Do not stop! Whatever you do not let the flames go out, do not leave this bag behind,” Ruby ordered. I did as she said, and she followed me. Her boots clicked with each step. I ran down the steps as quickly as I could; my feet barely touched the stone step before I moved to the next. It felt like an hour had passed, and the temperature in the stairwell plummeted. Before we reached another set of doors, we stopped at last.
“It’s freezing,” I said as she pulled the door open.
“Did you think a dungeon would be comfortable?” Ruby asked. “Your family is just ahead through that door.”
Ruby pointed and waited for me to pass through the door. She closed it behind us and locked it. Ahead of us, rows of doors waited. Some were made of wood, others were metal, iron, and silver woven together that shone in the firelight. The smell of mold, mildew, and blood tainted the air. The oiled torch flickered, sending light dancing along the walls.
“Evie?” Orion asked, looking at me through the barred metal door. He was careful not to touch the metal. He didn’t look any worse for wear since I had seen him last. Mason, though, was crumpled at his feet. “Are you alright?”
“Where’s Jane?” I asked as I ran to the door, careful of the flames in my hand and Ruby at my back. I could see a little cot set up in the corner. Under a blanket, and one of Orion’s blazers, was Jane. She was breathing, but she did not stir as I approached. “Is she okay?”
“She’s resting; she’ll be okay. Who is this?” Orion asked.
“Ruby, she’s a friend. She’s helping us,” I said.
“Princess, if you stand back, I can open the door,” Ruby said. I stepped back to give her access. She opened the door, I handed her the torch, ran inside and threw my arms around Orion. He grunted as my arms landed against his back. The door slammed shut, and the lock clicked loudly i
n the cell. I pulled away from Orion to look back at Ruby.
“What the hell are you doing?” I asked and walked up to the door. Ruby tossed me the torch, I barely caught it before it hit the floor.
“They’re coming for you. This is the safest place for you. Trust in the Goddess; your people are coming. I’ve seen it, and you’ll need this. The prince needs me, I have to go. Don’t forget the flame! May the Goddess watch over you and keep you in the shadows,” Ruby said, tossing Aiden’s pack within reach.
“We will meet again,” Ruby said, then ran away, her red hair disappearing through another entrance. I heard the click of another lock as she left us behind in the prison cell.
“I don’t think I care for your friends.” Orion said disgruntled. “Has the rebellion started?”
“You can’t hear the wolves?” I asked, their howls still audible to me even now.
“No, I barely heard you on the stairs before the door opened and I could see the torch light. We’ve been in darkness since they threw us in here. There’s another torch on the wall, see if you can light it. Mason, wake up!” Orion ordered as he nudged Mason’s shoulder. It was healing slowly. “Evelyn is here.”
“Evelyn, you should have left that piece of shit vampire when I came for you,” Mason grunted. He turned over to look at me, his brown eyes almost black in the darkness. “Did he heal you at least before throwing you down here?”
“Yes,” I responded, I held the flame to the old torch in the wall. It sputtered to life slowly as Mason pulled himself up off the floor.
“You ran from me; I want to know why,” Mason said.
“He compelled me to escape anyone who attempted to capture me.” I explained.
“Do you love him?” Mason asked softly.
“After what I’ve seen tonight, I don’t want to talk about it until we’re out of here. What did Ruby mean when she said our people are coming? Who is coming for us?” I asked as I picked up the hefty pack and hoisted it onto my back. Orion went to Jane’s side and roused her from the cot. He held her in his arms.