Page 36

CHAPTER 36

BOWEN

“W hat?” Auria asked, her voice laced in disbelief. The look in her eyes pained me. Another detail of this world once unknown to her, being thrown at her with the rest of the secrets she’d been unraveling. That look alone made me want to keep her in Deadwood. Fuck the bridge and her father.

There was so much she didn’t know, and I wanted to be the one to tell her all of it. But piling too many stones on an unstable pile would surely topple the structure.

“Deadwood was one of the many kingdoms fae called home before the moon ruptured. After the humans barricaded themselves in Amosite, leaving the dragons to take out the population of fae, multiple civilizations were wiped out in the destruction. My people came out lucky, even though our population is a fraction of what it once was, but the others were burned to the ground. Their buildings and people succumbed to the chaos wreaked among villages.”

Her brows pulled together as she tried to piece it all together, and I saw the moment it hit her—the moment her perception of me would change, likely forever. “You’re a king?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

I loosed a breath. “Yes.”

“But—” She shook her head. “Why don’t they regard you as such?”

“I don’t want them to,” I admitted. I’d never wanted the title, but it had been thrust upon me at a young age when my father was murdered. “I’m one of my people, not some greater male sitting high above them. We are all equals, and the titles should remain as such. As was how it should’ve stayed between humans and fae.”

“Stayed?” she repeated.

My lips rolled together. There was so much to say, and so little time until she left. “Fae were always more powerful than humans, sure. But they never used their abilities in that sense—only to aid. Yet, the moment humans got the upper hand, they took over, trying to eliminate the fae species altogether.”

In the slight sheen of her eyes, I could tell her mind was spinning. “But how did they manage to?—”

“Auria,” I interrupted, taking her hands in mine. It wasn’t solely my decision whether she could know about our plan, and in telling her more, it would surely end up in questions I couldn’t answer without potentially upsetting my friends. I should talk to them first, but even if they disagreed, I wasn’t sure I was willing to keep anything from Auria. “Can we talk about this back in town?”

Her eyes, so full of betrayal—not from me, but for what she’d been taught to believe—searched for my honesty. I wouldn’t keep anything more from her unless it was to ensure her safety, but discussing it in a field with any listening ears wasn’t wise. And by the glare Vulcan was aiming my way, he was hearing every word.

“Okay.”

“So why did you want to come out here, exactly?” I asked, reluctantly dropping her hands.

“To see the bison. I told you that.”

I stepped over a hump of dirt as we continued walking. “Yes. But why?”

“Well, obviously I’ve never seen them in person before,” she explained, “and I figured, if I’m to go back to Amosite once the bridge is repaired, I might as well see all that I can while I have the chance.”

“You don’t think you’ll be able to leave Amosite again,” I said, coming to the conclusion myself.

She looked ahead, her gaze so full of hope. I commended her for gaining that emotion during her stay here, despite knowing that once she went back—once she left Deadwood—she’d likely never be able to leave those castle walls again. Some days, even I lost sight of hope. But without it, what good were the days ahead?

“I got my wish, so I’m content,” was all she replied, though I heard what she wasn’t saying. She would never truly feel as serene as she did right now if she was back inside that castle, so she was soaking up every moment of this while she still had the chance.

“And what was your wish?”

She was quiet a moment, likely debating whether to tell me or not. I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t.

“Meadows and forests. People and conflict. The world, really. One can feel quite small inside stone walls, but out here, I feel…invisible, but in the best way possible.”

“Like nothing can touch you,” I guessed.

She glanced at me. “Yes,” she admitted, her voice quieter than before. “Which is funny, I know, to feel untouchable outside of the prison rather than within, but…” She trailed off, and I silently wished she’d continue. I wanted to know what happened to her inside that demented palace.

“No harm will come to you here,” I said, filling in the silence so she didn’t feel obligated to.

Walking the rest of the way without another word shared between us, I stopped us a good distance away from the bison. Though seemingly peaceful, they were aggressive when they felt threatened.

We sat in the grass beside each other, her leg only a few inches from mine.

She watched as the bison grazed, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. I’d seen the herd hundreds of times, sometimes helping the male who watched over them and ensured they were healthy. My eyes didn’t stray toward them. Instead, they remained glued to Auria like honey in the combs of a hive. She was so different from what I’d expected, and I, like so many others, was guilty of assuming she was anything like her father. She had a heart bigger than any I’d ever seen in this world, longing for a taste of the life the rest of us got to live. But that feeling, sitting deep in my gut, wasn’t pity. It was longing. Longing to be the one to show her everything she had never gotten to see, to be the one to experience things with her for the first time. To watch those green eyes light up at the thought of doing something new.

“What are you looking at?” Auria asked, turning toward me and pulling me out of my trance. As of recently, she often had that effect on me—sucking me in so deeply, I never worried if I’d come out. It was a hole I jumped into willingly.

“You.”

Her breath coasted off my cheeks like a whisper—her face so close I could count the light spattering of freckles on the apples of her cheeks that had bloomed during her time here. If she stayed, would more appear? Would her beautiful eyes somehow turn more vibrant? Would her hair lighten a shade or two with the sun beating down on her for the rest of her days?

Even if Deadwood changed her, took the darkness off her shoulders and out of her mind and brightened her entire being, she’d be just as devastating as she was right now. Just as breathtaking as the night I saw her at the masquerade ball.

I’d been attracted to her since the beginning—there was no hiding that—but gods . Auria was every star that speckled the night sky, every ray of sunlight shining upon fresh blooms in the meadows. She was a temptress ensnaring me with her sweet scent.

Somehow, we both leaned closer to each other, like neither of us was aware of it but accepting of it all the same. Her sweetness enveloped me, tugging me closer. Her eyes fell to my lips, so many emotions warring in them, but the one that stood out the most had my body lighting like a flame—desire.

I wanted to give in, to close the distance and find out what she tasted like. At the thought of her ass pressed against my groin on Vulcan’s back, my smoke stirred inside of me, excitement and anticipation funneling like a tornado through my veins. It, too, wanted me to claim her. To press my lips to hers, and?—

We couldn’t. Not here. Not now.

It was just the predator inside of me, aching to consume the woman who had taken over my every waking thought.

So I spit out what first came to mind as I pulled away—what had been interrupting my thoughts all too often recently. “Does he touch you?”

Her eyes widened slightly as she dropped her arms from around her legs and straightened where she sat. A flash of disappointment and confusion crossed her face before she asked, “Who?”

Who else? I wanted to ask, but shoved the jealousy away best I could. “Lander.”

Her gaze turned back to the herd. “No.” She let out a sigh. I’d definitely upset her to some extent. Fuck . “We’re friends, if you couldn’t tell.”

I hadn’t seen them together all that much to get a read, but the knowledge settled my mind the slightest bit.

“It’s more so his brother who’s pushing all of this,” she went on.

That piqued my interest, shoving away some of my remorse. The hairs on the back of my neck raised. “Paxon?”

I stared at the side of her face as she nodded. She looked like she had so many things she wanted to say, but— “I’m not sure that my hand in marriage is all that’s going to come of this.”

My eyes fell to the grass in thought. “Does Lander know of your ability?”

She shook her head. “Only you and my father know, as far as I’m aware.” But one glance at her told me she wasn’t telling me something.

I didn’t mention that Siara had tried to come to the conclusion of what Auria could do. Siara could read anyone. Though her ability was to wield lightning, I would’ve believed her if she had told me she could figure out anyone’s intentions based on looks alone. It was impossible to hide anything from her.

“Are you open with him?” I asked.

Her brows pulled together as she studied me. “Are you jealous?”

I almost choked. “Only curious.”

She hummed a disbelieving sound, a smile pulling at her lips.

I quickly stood, holding a hand out to her. “We should head back,” I said, needing to change the topic at hand.

To my surprise, she grabbed it, allowing me to pull her to a stand. “Thank you.”

I gave a small nod, dropping her hand. “Anything you want to see, Auria, just ask.”

She offered a closed-lip smile before we turned to head back to Vulcan. Something had changed between us in this field—something I didn’t want to allow myself to think too deeply about, for fear my heart wouldn’t handle her inevitable departure well. Out of self-preservation, I shoved those thoughts aside, choosing to instead focus on the mutual understanding we had landed on. I wouldn’t harm her, and she wouldn’t share my secrets.

Perhaps what this was was trust.

It was a start.

* * *

On our flight back, a light sprinkle of rain had started. By the time we landed, it was a full on downpour. The sky had turned an ugly gray, masking the silver rings and the late afternoon sun. We’d been in the field longer than I’d thought.

I helped Auria down from Vulcan’s back, her balance already better than it had been when she first mounted him. The rain made his scales slick, making it difficult to find stable footing on the way down, but Auria didn’t seem to mind. If anything, she seemed to be enjoying the rain.

With a pat on Vulcan’s leg, he took off, flying toward the mountains. A majority of the dragons from the rocky biome congregated there to rest or catch up on anything happening around Serpentine. Though dragons usually stuck to the terrain they were born into, they crossed into other habitats if needed. It wasn’t impossible for them to thrive in other conditions—just inconvenient at times. They flourished where they were from, but dragons were stubborn. They’d do anything just to prove they could.

I swiped a wet lock of hair off my forehead as our boots trudged through the mud in the forest. It was pointless to shout over the pelting rain, so we hurried through the downpour, walking between two buildings to come out on the muddy street.

Immediately, I found Raiden standing by the saloon door. He left the guard he was talking to, aiming right for me. Auria stopped by my side as soon as she saw him approaching.

“Bowen,” Raiden said in his usual cool tone. Only someone who knew him like I did would catch the stiffness hidden beneath his calm exterior.

The look in his eyes confirmed something was wrong. “What is it?”

“A word?” He didn’t have to say it for me to know he didn’t want to speak about whatever it was in front of Auria.

I glanced at her. Her wet hair was stuck to her dripping cheeks, and her shirt clung to her form, leaving little to the imagination. Rather than let my mind wander, I mentally gauged the distance to the house she was staying in. It wasn’t far, but I still didn’t feel right leaving her.

As if she had read my thoughts, she said, “I’ll be fine. No one’s out anyway. It’s a short walk.”

Still, I hesitated, and Raiden took notice, that speculative look appearing. He was all too observant.

“It’s not very far—” I started, but she cut me off, stepping closer so she wouldn’t have to raise her voice over the rain.

“No one will harm me. Isn’t that what you said?” she asked, rain streaming down the bridge of her nose.

She had me there. “Okay. I’ll have Siara come check on you to make sure you made it home.” She held my gaze, looking so damn beautiful despite the storm raging around us. I mentally shook myself. “I’ll see you around, then?” As of now, all our run-ins had been coincidental, aside from the times I had watched her from afar. People were on edge with Auria’s presence in town, so I excused my concern for her as maintaining peace. Keeping her alive meant keeping her father off my back—nothing else. At least, that’s what I had told myself.

She looked as if she wanted to say something else, her mouth parting, but she settled on, “Have a good night, Bowen.”

She gave Raiden one last look before she walked away. My eyes didn’t stray from her drenched form, the way her hips swayed under the soaking fabric of her clothes. How her hair dripped down her back, the long strands even darker with the rain. Maybe it wasn’t to keep her father off my back if something happened to her that I had kept an eye on her in Deadwood and the night of Exitium Lunae. Perhaps it had been for my own selfish reasons—my predatorial side declaring that if anything were to happen to her, it’d be at my hand, no one else’s. Weeks ago, I might’ve felt my bloodthirsty instincts come out to play with that thought, but now, it was a different part of me not wanting to see another’s hand laid on her. I had gone from being okay with her fending for herself to being overly protective.

After she rounded the corner to head toward the rows of houses, Raiden and I headed off toward my home on the back side of Deadwood. It was nothing grander than the residences the citizens lived in. When my father had been killed, I wasn’t interested in sitting on the throne in that castle hidden in the woods. I wanted to be among my people, and to lose the title altogether. I made smart choices, so I hadn’t felt compelled to pass the enthronement to anyone else. My only request was that I wouldn’t be regarded as their king, but as an equal. Well, as much of an equal as I could be when the decisions fell on my shoulders. But that was why I had Flynt, Raiden, and Siara. The three of them helped me rule Deadwood. Raiden handled the army, Flynt was in charge of bringing me information regarding other kingdoms, and Siara helped keep us all in check, as well as keeping an eye on the town for any internal threats, though she had appointed that role to herself, wanting to be more useful.

As much as Deadwood was a home to many, it was also a hiding spot for criminals. Stealing magic, in our eyes, wasn’t punishable by death, but to other kingdoms, it was. If you were spotted with ink anywhere on your body, you were killed on sight. Deadwood gave refuge to those who had made bad decisions in the past, so long as they stayed in line with our rules. No murder, no rape, and you respected your peers. If someone was getting to the point that they were stealing, either for survival or boredom, they needed help, not the afterlife. Though, at times, the rougher groups could get rowdy, Raiden and our guards kept the peace. But still, my track record remained. I wouldn’t hesitate to cut someone’s throat and tear a limb from their body, and the people knew it.

Raiden held the door open for me as I shucked my muddy boots off, leaving them on the porch. As I stepped inside, the blazing fire instantly warmed my rain-soaked clothes.

“Gods, there you are,” Siara said, standing from the couch like they had all been waiting on me for hours.

“I leave for an afternoon and you all can’t handle my absence,” I grumbled, stepping into the kitchen to grab another apple. Auria had clearly needed my first one more than I had, even though my offering had been futile, given the apple was now likely caked in mud and debris where she’d let it fall to the ground. I could forgive her for that, though, given the circumstances at the time.

Raiden stood with his back against the wall, crossing his arms. “Well, that simple afternoon stroll was the same amount of time it took for the patrons at the bar to start a riot and cause a fuck ton of mayhem.”

Swallowing my bite, I said blandly, “A riot, huh.”

Flynt stepped up to the counter, both hands resting on the edge. “Fights broke out, chairs were destroyed?—”

I raised an eyebrow, taking another bite.

“Why are you so calm about this?” Siara asked, her voice taking on that high octave it always did when she was growing annoyed of me—which happened quite often.

I set the apple on the counter, dusting my hands off. “Let me guess. This is because of Amosite and Torbernite’s group.”

“Did you coordinate this or something?” Flynt asked, incredulous.

I crossed my arms. He wanted to point fingers, and I was not the right guy to blame. “Now why would I do that?”

Raiden shrugged from his spot on the far side of the room. “Bored, maybe.”

My eyes narrowed on him. “If I was bored, Commander, I’d simply challenge you and beat you at your own game.” Raiden was skilled, but we were almost equal in the fighting department—both with swords and fists. It was always a fun time trying to rile him up.

“Then let’s go,” he challenged.

“You’re all boys! Children, even,” Siara shouted. Her blonde hair was tied back, though strands had fallen loose from the rain, still wet from being outside. They’d shown up here not long ago, then.

“They need to go,” Flynt interrupted, his voice soft, like he didn’t want to say the words as he steered the conversation back on course.

My teeth nearly ground to dust at the thought of sending Auria back to Amosite anytime soon.

I brushed past them, moving to the living room. “Not until the bridge is repaired.”

“There has to be another way in,” Siara said, following closely on my heels.

I spun on her, stopping her short. “I said no.”

Flynt pulled her back by the shoulders, stepping in between the two of us. I would never hurt Siara, she was practically my sister. But Flynt was protective. A downfall for us all, actually.

“This delay is only going to cause more problems,” Flynt warned.

Again, my eyes narrowed. “Are you insinuating something, Flynt?”

His gaze was hard as he held my own. “You can’t protect everyone. Not when we have our own agenda. A plan, might I add, we are this fucking close to finishing.” He held his fingers a breath apart for emphasis.

I stepped toward him. He was barely an inch shorter than me, and I never used the dominance tactic with my group, but he was suggesting I practically throw Auria to the wolves, and for what? My own benefit? It wouldn’t be to anyone’s benefit for her to go back, especially not hers. What happened to them liking her?

“I will not be sending them away until that bridge is complete. Is that clear?” But even then, would I be able to? I knew what awaited her—the fate Auria was set to have. Even her marriage to Lander would still be controlled by her father. If she never left Deadwood, it couldn’t happen. But that wasn’t my decision to make.

“What do you think will happen when people find out you’re protecting them?” Siara asked from behind Flynt.

“I’m not protecting them,” I stated, which was only half a lie. I somehow had come to the point of protecting her .

Siara’s brows shot up. “You seriously think we’re that na?ve? Maybe the boys are, but not me. You don’t think I saw you step in for Auria at the market?”

“You weren’t going to,” I defended. “You walked away, losing sight of her so easily. Does she mean that little to you?” I paused, giving her a moment to let that set in. “You and Raiden stood up for her in the dining hall against Paxon, the son of Torbernite’s leaders. I threatened one of our own. There’s a difference.”

Her eyes flashed, hurt shining in them. My dig was too close to home, and I instantly regretted it. “Make your own decisions, Bowen, but remember where your loyalties lie. You can’t save everyone.”

I could.

“I thought you were her friend,” I said instead.

“I am, but I know it will end. She can’t stay forever,” Siara replied. “None of us want her to go back, but there’s no other option. Her father will tear this place apart, and we’ll be right in his path.”

But she could stay forever.

I shook my head, dragging a hand down my face. There were no options here. Auria would have to leave at some point. Deadwood would never accept her because of the target her father put on her head. It would take a lot of convincing, otherwise. And they were right. We had a plan to keep moving forward with.

“How long until the bridge is repaired?” I asked, forcing myself to accept the inevitable, all while trying to come up with a way out of it.

“A week, maybe,” Flynt answered.

I pressed my lips together in a firm line. “Then they’ll be gone in a week.”

“Bowen…” Siara started, presumably seeing the hurt in my gaze. It wasn’t over me wanting to keep Auria here. It was what I knew she’d go back to.

“Drop it, Siara,” I muttered.

Raiden shoved off the wall, taking a few slow steps into the living room as he finally spoke up. “Maybe there’s a way?—”

But he was cut off as the front door opened, and a small form stumbled in, falling to the ground.