Of claws and chaos, p.20
Of Claws & Chaos, page 20
Unlike the soldiers of Nightfall, Eventide didn’t rely on loyalty to keep its forces strong—rather they used prisoners for their front lines and paid the rest of their forces. It was why it had been so damn appealing to my brothers and I when we were young. Having that knowledge also made it far too easy to convince the Eventide soldiers to surrender upon capture.
It had taken hours, though it felt more like days, but we finally fought our way into Eventide. They’d dedicated most of their forces to defending the pass, leaving very few for us to fight once we were on the other side. I stood at the base of the mountain, looking over the kingdom of Eventide and narrowing my eyes on the castle where Evera was being held prisoner. Her once home.
“The castle is being guarded minimally. Most of their forces were moved forward for the attack, and our scouts have gone ahead to warn the towns to not get involved if they value their lives,” Rhaegal said, his body rigid with tension. I knew that both he and Arnoux were bothered by the concept of leaving their mates back at the Midnight Keep, but I needed them completely focused, and there was no way that would happen if they were here.
“Let’s go.” I signaled to Oliver to join my brother and myself as I shifted into my wolf form. Captain Arnoux would join us later, currently in the thick of battle. As soon as my paws hit the ground, they ate up the space between us and the kingdom. Carnage soaked the land around us, and I easily avoided soldier after soldier, not wanting to waste my time fighting pawns. The pull to get to my mate was so intense that I was certain she could feel me coming for her—that I would extinguish this final threat to our future.
As we approached the castle, I noticed the significant lack of guards, many of the normal stations deserted. My gaze ran over the familiar facade as I instantly clocked a large window in the ballroom, meeting her father’s gaze. His face turned ashen, and he backed out of sight as I shifted into human form and strode forward. I had no intention of going after him first, though.
No, my full focus was on getting to Evera.
Reaching the entrance hall of the castle, I looked around the once familiar space, Oliver and Rhegal at my side. Eyeing the terrified staff, I noticed none of them were bothering to run, all of them holding household items close to their chests as if they were going to use a pillow or broom to defend themselves from us.
“I have no intention of hurting any of you if you don’t attack first,” I announced, my voice echoing in the terrified silence. “I’m looking for where Princess Evera is being held.”
The staff exchanged looks, some of the younger members keeping their heads down in submission, causing a frustrated sound to leave my throat. Fear was useful for getting information, but it could also be the reason why someone wouldn’t speak up.
Finally, an older woman stepped forward, wringing her hands anxiously. “The princess has been locked away in the dungeon—”
A lethal noise left my chest at the concept of who else might be down there with her. My brother’s hand on my shoulder had the noise cutting off as I tried to restrain my fury, not wanting to scare the woman who’d been so helpful.
“I can show you the way,” she continued hesitantly.
“We know where it is—thank you.”
I began striding across the space, but her voice rang louder. “Thank you, King Axel. Please take her from here. The ceremony is set to happen soon, and none of us want to see her hurt.”
“Or for Reynor to take over,” another man spoke up.
“Neither of those will be happening,” I spit out with venom while moving toward the dungeon. There had been only a few times that Evera had gone down to the dungeon, and each time I had fucking hated it.
“Why are there so many down here?” Evera asked quietly. “I didn’t realize my parents were so harsh.”
That was an absolute understatement.
The cold, damp air of the dungeon was far too rough for her skin, but she’d asked to see it and I knew if I’d denied her, she probably would’ve found a way down here on her own anyway. Plus, her elegant arm wrapped around mine as she leaned against me made me feel far better, as I was able to shield her from the vision of many that we passed.
I was pretty sure I knew who she was looking for, and it wasn’t any of the bastards gawking at her.
“Your parents are harsh,” I agreed. “They believe a slight against them is a slight against the crown.” And I was extremely critical of that. It wasn’t my place to say that to her, but I could see how she felt. Even my own brothers thought the crown was far too reactionary, and our father had been a lead advisor before his death.
“There she is,” Evera said, slipping past me and going to a cell where a young girl, no more than fourteen, sat huddled against the bars. Evera knelt down in her silk dress, the others around the girl staring in silent shock.
My assumption on why she’d wanted to come down here had been correct, then—this was the girl who’d been taken in for theft only a few hours ago. She’d stolen food, no doubt for her family, and I’d been too late to intervene before other guards got involved—ones far less likely to look past an opportunity to lock someone up for the hell of it.
Their conversation was quiet as I kept an eye on the others in the cell with the girl, and when Evera finally stood, I wondered what her plan was.
“Axel, I would like her freed tonight. Can we do that?” she whispered as we walked up the stairs, looking hesitant to ask. “And…and I want food delivered to their home. Her father died a few months ago, so no one is able to work except for her. She has five younger siblings.”
“Of course.” I nodded, knowing that even if I didn’t have the power, I would find a way to make it happen. I would make anything happen for this woman.
The echo that followed us as we made our way down the stairs would no doubt alert Evera we were here. I could hear her heartbeat, loud and strong, and my wolf immediately surged forward to connect with hers.
Rhaegal and Oliver followed me but then turned and went to a far cell in the back, the only other one occupied. A faint heartbeat caught my ear, but I couldn’t focus on that—no, my entire attention was on Evera.
“Axel,” she whispered, almost in awe. Her hands were wrapped around the bars on the cage and she looked exhausted, bruises covering her exposed skin. I kneeled down on the ground and reached forward, trying to gather as much of her as possible against me. I knew I needed to grab the keys and let her out, but I gave into the desire just to hold her as close as I could—needing to assure myself that she wouldn’t disappear the minute I turned away.
My throat felt thick with emotion that I’d allowed this to happen. I had no idea what to say, so I just buried my nose against her hair, assuring myself that she was here and in my arms.
“They will die for this, çiçeğim.”
Evera pulled back and looked up at me, her eyes filled with a fierce determination and anger, tears welling as she nodded sharply. “Help me get Gwyn out of here before we leave. She’s been down here for fifty years—”
A sharp growl sounded from Oliver down the way, and my head snapped over. The sound hadn’t been made in response to my mate’s words, but something going on between the three of them. Rhaegal was backing up a bit, giving Oliver and Gwyn space, but I didn’t like looking away from Evera long enough to figure it out more than that. Refocusing my attention on my mate, I was confused to see her attention focused there as well, her brow furrowed.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I think the two of them—”
The sound of voices upstairs instantly had me standing and striding towards a compartment where spare keys were kept for the dungeon. They were hidden, but I’d worked here long enough to know exactly what stone to pull out to retrieve them.
We could deal with everything else later. Right now we just needed to get Evera out of here so that I could hunt down her parents.
Tossing a set of keys toward my brother, I knelt down in front of Evera’s cell and unlocked the door before turning my attention to her wrists. She hissed as I released the metal there, fresh blood dripping from her skin as I pulled her against me. My mate’s body melted against mine as I kissed her hard, a whimper slipping from her lips.
I pulled back and grasped her face gently. “I love you, Evera. I am absolutely never letting you go, çiçeğim.”
A spark of joy filled her gaze as she brushed her lips against mine, whispering, “I love you too. So incredibly much.”
It shouldn’t have been a perfect moment, trapped in the confines of this dungeon with my mate bleeding, but her sweet words were everything…until it was darkened by something far more dangerous.
A sharp sensation pierced through me as a guttural sound broke from my chest, feeling like my body had been burned by a brand that had buried itself in my heart.
Evera gasped and immediately pulled back, blood covering her dress. She didn’t seem injured, so where had the blood come from? Her gaze darted behind me, her expression filling with horror. I couldn’t move, my body frozen as pain eclipsed everything.
“Reynor,” Evera hissed as I looked down at my chest, finding the tip of a blade sticking through it. Fuck.
“This is for thinking you can have her.” He plunged his sword deeper into my back, the blade slicing through my sternum. I coughed, struggling for breath, as blood poured from my mouth. The swipe of a blade at the back of my neck had my eyes shutting as I fell forward, bracing myself at the last minute on my forearms, my entire body void of feeling except for pain.
Evera’s scream echoed around me.
It was the only thing I could hear before everything went dark.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
EVERA
All at once, every single moment and experience with Axel collided in my memory as horror rushed over me, blood coating me from where he’d been pierced through—stabbed in the back.
By a coward.
My mate fell forward, landing on his forearms, and I tried to help him up, supporting him with as much of me as possible. Reynor smirked as he withdrew his sword and put away the dagger he’d used to cut the back of his neck. I held onto my mate, his breath raspy as if a lung had been punctured, his eyes closed. A dangerous growl sounded from somewhere in the dungeon as I began to shake, a red haze filtering over my vision as I kept my gaze on the sole threat here.
“Don’t fucking move.” Reynor pointed his sword toward the others. The sound of boots filled the air as soldiers rushed down to the dungeon, separating me, Axel, and Reynor from Rhaegal, Oliver, and Gwyn. Their silence spoke volumes for what they would allow to happen down here at Reynor’s hand.
“If you move or try to fight them,” he said in warning, “I’ll kill her.”
“You fucking sniveling, low-life coward.” My voice was a low hiss that had Reynor snapping his gaze to me. “You stabbed him—in the back.”
“Call me whatever you want; I don’t care what I have to do to rid this realm of him. Maybe now that he’s almost dead you’ll see the benefits of your remaining options.” Reynor looked smug as I gently put Axel down on his side, letting his heavy frame rest.
Straightening up, my body shook with rage as I stood in front of my mate protectively. “I see the truth—I see that you are a coward. A fraud. A worm so terrified of Axel you could only kill him by surprise instead of in an honorable way.”
“Honor?!” Reynor scoffed. “He’s no different than I am. He slayed hundreds of men outside—those that used to serve under him—and for what? We would have left his kingdom alone. He did this only for you. Where’s the honor in that?”
“There’s always honor in doing things for the ones we love,” I retorted, unable to even begin unpacking that backward logic.
While we’d been arguing, my mother and father joined us, apparently believing there was no more threat. My gaze darted to Axel, whose breathing was slowing. This was bad…but shouldn’t he be healing? Why wasn’t he?
“Poison.” Reynor said as if he’d guessed my thoughts, his voice laced with amusement. My spirits sank with dread. Fuck.
“You finally managed to do something right,” my father drew out, my mother staring at me with nothing but contempt and disgust.
“Come now, Evera. Your mate bond is broken—or will be soon…”
“Shut up!” I screamed, my body shaking. “He will not die. I will not allow it. The only ones dying will be the three of you.”
Before they could react to my words, my magic sparked like wildfire—and I shifted.
Pain radiated through every nerve ending as my skin split open, and a savage howl broke from my throat, filling the space with a deadly energy blast. Throwing my head back, I howled again, bloodlust and fury like I’d never experienced infecting every single part of me. I was a predator, and the prey standing in front of me wouldn’t make it out of here alive.
I absolutely snapped.
I didn’t hesitate to lunge right for Reynor, flattening him to the ground before burying my teeth in his throat and tearing. The bloody gurgle that left him as I spit his skin from my mouth was satisfying, my blood pumping loud in my ears.
This was for Axel. This was the least Reynor deserved for what he’d done to my mate.
My mother’s scream pierced the air—until my father slit her throat. Fast, efficient, his face filled with annoyance at her fear. This was far from the first time he’d killed, but no matter how skilled, he was next.
I stalked forward, baring my teeth as her body went limp, my father’s eyes widening as he realized he was cornered. I let out a dangerous growl as he put his sword out in front of him, his grip shaky at the prospect of facing me.
“I’m warning you, girl, you will not survive this. You’ll end up just like your mate—dead.”
It was the wrong thing to say.
Lost in a haze of rage, I poured every ounce of heartbreak and fury into what I did next. I may have ripped out Reynor’s throat, but I absolutely ruined the king of Eventide, ripping pieces off of him one by one until he was no longer recognizable. He deserved it for everything I’d watched him do in my previous life and now this one. My mother and Reynor had played their parts, but I knew who held the power, who was truly responsible for this—and my magic, my wolf, demanded that I destroy him.
I hated every drop of blood I tasted in my mouth, not wanting anything belonging to him. When his heart stopped beating I felt relieved, felt safe enough to back away slowly and shift.
I stood on shaky legs and looked over my slain enemies. I’d been right from the start—my magic had been hiding, waiting for the right moment to reveal itself. Waiting for the opportunity to eliminate the true threat to myself, my magic, and my mate.
Which was why I couldn’t believe it was too late to save Axel, poison or not.
Plus, I’d finally shifted, and I needed…I needed to tell Axel that. He would be so excited for me, I absolutely knew it. So why couldn’t I move my eyes from the three corpses around me? Why did I feel numb with terror at the idea of looking at my mate? Why did our connection feel almost…invisible now?
No. He wasn’t dead. They were dead.
They were finally dead. Blood coated my hands, Reynor’s dead eyes staring at me from where he lay on the ground. My mother’s form was crumbled against the stone wall, and my father’s body was…somewhere. I couldn’t see past the blood around me. Voices filled the dungeon, but there was only one that stood out to me. Gwyn.
“They’re dead,” she said loudly, walking forward. None of the soldiers even tried to stop her. “I promise you, they’re dead, but your mate—”
My head snapped toward Axel and I sped to him, kneeling in the blood pooling around his body. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was labored and so incredibly slow. His life force was dwindling. Rolling him onto his back, I clasped his face gently.
“Axel,” I whispered, my voice so faint it was nearly inaudible. “You can’t…you can’t die.”
There was no answer, and I could feel tears streaming down my cheeks. I’d heard his brother call for medical aid, but we couldn’t move Axel in this state, and help wouldn’t make it in time. I could feel how long he had left, and it wasn’t enough.
“Please don’t leave me,” I begged louder, sobbing as I rested my forehead against his own.
Axel’s voice rumbled under my ear, and I tightened my hold on him. “I could never leave you, whether in this life or the last.”
Hot tears dropped onto his face as I kissed him softly, feeling desperate and lost. My entire body was trembling, and something in the center of my chest shuddered at the thought of losing our other half. The man we loved. Our mate. The castle around me creaked as the stone underneath me shook, the power from the land pushing upward, its golden threads reaching for my magic.
This land was mine. This kingdom was mine. Axel was mine.
The threads wrapped around the two of us, pulling on our magic and pulsating its own into us in waves. The realm recognized us, and I refused to let him be taken from me. We were the rightful heirs of the entire territory, and I knew the magic here would recognize that. That it would help me right the wrong that had been done.
Reynor’s selfish action was nothing compared to our love, which had transcended the confines of life. Memories of our time together flashed before my eyes, and his own memories fueled mine, showing me how he viewed us.
Showing me how much he’d always loved me.
Like a movie reel, they played behind my closed eyes that were hot with tears. I valued each and every one, the moments like precious stones I wanted to collect and keep forever. Axel had known from the start what was between us, that a mate bond could easily form for us—but instead of pushing for that, he’d promised me his protection and nothing else. He had pledged his life to me…and now he’d given his life to save mine.
