Page 38

CHAPTER 38

BOWEN

T he mud-coated woman folded her body into a ball as I hurried over. Raiden had his hand on his dagger, not sure yet if she was a threat or not. Flynt and Siara stood back, giving us space and keeping their guard up in case the person was a distraction for something bigger.

“Please. Please, don’t hurt me,” the girl cried, wrapping her arms tighter around her legs. “I-I’m looking for someone.”

That voice. So smooth and buttery, yet so full of fear and desperation.

Instantly, my veins awoke with a fury I’d never felt before. Smoke trailed through me, hunting, stalking, searching for a target.

Where , my smoke whispered. We will kill them. Slowly suffocate whoever touched her.

“Auria.” I knelt beside her, setting a hand on her dirtied arm. She was covered in thick mud to the point she was almost unrecognizable.

She flinched at my touch, her shoulder hiking higher, as if to protect her face. I glanced over my shoulder at Siara. “Start the shower. Hot water.”

Siara nodded her response, hurrying up the stairs.

I looked over what I could see of Auria’s body to find any blood mixed with the sludgy brown substance, and to my relief, there was none. Still, my teeth ground together, my jaw popping. I had to keep myself under control.

We will end them , it promised, the statement laced with lethal intent.

“Auria,” I said again, forcing that voice into the depths of my mind, far from where I could hear it. I needed to focus.

As if her ears finally opened, she released her hold on her legs, tilting her head to look up at me. “Bowen.” Relief hung to my name on her lips like a prayer. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know where else to go?—”

I shook my head. The tremble in her voice was killing me and lighting me up all at the same time. The need to take care of her and obliterate whoever put her in this state was so strong, my magic pulsed, ricocheting inside me. “You did the right thing. I’m right here.” But it fucking pained me that she even had to come. That she was in a position where she needed somebody. But if she had to choose, I was glad she chose me.

I brushed her tangled hair from her face, my eyes narrowing in on her bloody lip. Whoever did this to her would live to regret it. I’d tear them limb from limb, decimating them from this planet entirely. But not before I made them suffer. “Who did this to you?” My voice was rough, like the tip of a knife along splintered wood.

She tried to push herself up on one hand, muddy water dripping from every inch of her. Her hand slipped as a gasp tore from her lips, and I quickly wrapped an arm under her. Despite the need to find whoever did this and make them suffer, she needed me more. I wouldn’t leave her side while she was like this. She was quickly becoming, if not already, more important than a lot of things.

“I’m going to pick you up, okay?”

She nodded, and the look on her face, the relief she felt seeing it was me and not someone else touching her in this moment—it fucking killed me.

I slid my hands under her shaking form, lifting her into my arms. A whimper escaped her, and I feared her injuries were far worse than what met the eye. Standing, I looked to Raiden and Flynt. “You two go home. We’ll talk more later.”

They both nodded as Siara came down the stairs. “Water’s on.”

“Thank you,” I said to her. “I got it from here.”

Sympathy and worry mixed in Siara’s features, and I knew she regretted saying Auria needed to leave. She herself had grown attached to her. Siara wasn’t great at making friends, having a hard time trusting people, and seeing Auria in this state pulled at her, too. None of us knew what we were doing, and it was impossible to make judgment calls for the better of anyone but ourselves. Even tonight, I’d thought Auria would be okay getting home, but something as simple as that had almost killed her. In turn, we blamed ourselves for it. Even Raiden. The concerned look on his face was proof of that. Above that, he was furious with himself. His job was to protect—and here he’d been.

After the three of them left, I headed up the stairs, arms wrapped delicately around Auria like she might break in half if I moved too quickly or gripped too hard. The side of her head lay against my shoulder, a small noise escaping her lips as a shudder moved through her body. In an attempt to soothe her, my thumb brushed her thigh as I walked us down the short hall to my bedroom. Steam billowed out from the bathroom door as I entered.

The bathroom was big enough to fit the tub in the corner, a toilet and sink, and an open shower. To prevent mold, I’d laid brown stone tile on the ground. Two small woolen rugs sat in front of both washing areas.

“Clothes on or off?” I asked. She needed this mud off of her so I could examine her injuries, but I didn’t want to be impolite.

“Off,” she muttered into my still-damp shirt.

“Are you okay to stand?”

She nodded.

Gently, I lowered her to the floor, keeping a hand on her waist to steady her as she swayed.

“I can step out?—”

She quickly shook her head, fisting my shirt where she kept her hand on my shoulder for balance. Despite the mud, the smear of blood by her lip, and rain mixing the two substances together, her green eyes shone brighter than the meadows in the spring. “Please don’t leave me.”

I’d stay forever if she asked.

“I won’t.” Dropping to my knees in front of her, I hesitantly reached forward, looking up to find her watching me. “May I?”

She nodded, her hand still propped on my shoulder for support.

With deft fingers, I worked at the sodden laces of her boots. Once one foot was undone, I gently grabbed her ankle, indicating for her to lift it. She did, and I slid the boot off, tossing it aside. After her foot was back on the ground, I got to work on the other.

“You didn’t answer my question,” I stated, lifting her other foot to slide the second boot off. “Who did this to you, Auria?”

“They were wearing hoods,” she answered, a tad too quickly.

Standing, I leveled her gaze. “Why are you protecting them?”

“I’m not.”

“You are. You know exactly who they are.” My fingers worked on the front laces of her corset, undoing them before shoving it to the ground behind her. Her gaze on mine while I did so awoke a craving so deep, I nearly couldn’t hold it back, but now wasn’t the time.

I moved to her blouse, my hand wrapping around the hem, now completely brown and soaked through, and gently lifted it. I watched to make sure no doubt crept into her eyes. “And by the looks of it, you fought them off.”

Despite her current condition, her chin tilted up slightly. “I did.”

Pride seeped in. “Good girl.” In one swift motion, I lifted the shirt off of her, tossing it to the ground beside her boots. She wore nothing underneath, and it took all I had in me not to look, clenching my jaw to fight off the allure of her. “Pants next.” An inch closer, and my fingers were working on the tie of her leathers. Her breath, so warm and inviting, heated my neck as I kept my eyes on hers. This was torturous when it shouldn’t be.

Hooking my fingers in the waistband, I slid them down, letting them fall to the ground once they were past her knees. A brush of my hand found her underwear still perfectly placed. “These, too?”

She nodded, her throat working. We both knew she was capable of taking them off herself.

My cruel, tantalizing Auria.

Her lips parted as my thumbs hooked in the band. I was gentle with the sheer fabric, tugging them down until they slid the rest of the way off, landing atop her pants.

Her gaze fell to something behind me, her eyes vacant. “They asked how it felt to suffocate,” she said quietly, her voice almost lost in the spray of the shower. It was all I needed to know exactly who had done this. My smoke flickered inside me, urging me to go find our target.

“Well, you’ll never have the answer,” I told her. They wouldn’t live to see the morning.

“I did,” she admitted. “For a moment, I knew what it felt like.”

My hands, thankfully not touching her in this moment, instantly tightened into fists, my fingers nearly breaking as I imagined crushing them to pieces.

“Shower’s ready for you,” I gritted out.

I stepped to the side, giving her space to pass, but the moment her hand left my shoulder, she stumbled forward a bit. I gripped her elbow, steadying her. Had they broken a bone? Injured her worse than I thought? She wouldn’t be able to stand on her own in the shower.

But then my eyes fell to the contact her body had with mine, where her breasts brushed my leather jacket. Fuck, she was beautiful, so godsdamned jaw-dropping, even in this condition.

As she exhaled, I could see her stomach and the bruise blooming on her side.

“You’re hurt,” I ground out, my hand moving on its own accord to brush over the blue and purple galaxy already painting her side.

She let out a small, breathy laugh, but winced as she regretted it. “I didn’t think it was a secret that I was.”

But this was worse. Her ribs could be broken. Shattered.

I’d fucking destroy them for touching her.

“Maybe a bath would be better,” I muttered.

She shook her head, her cold hand coming up to wrap around my wrist. “You can help me.”

My eyes shot to hers.

Gods, what was she doing?

“I’d have to get in,” I explained.

“Okay.” She said it so easily, like that was exactly what she wanted.

Pulling myself out of my stupor, I helped her step into the shower and went to follow after her when she paused, eying my shirt under my jacket. “You don’t need to be shy.”

Even in her battered state, she was making me lose my mind.

“Auria…” The warning was evident in my tone. She was dancing along a line thinner than parchment, knowing damn well it’d never hold up.

Rather than responding, she stepped under the spray of water, mud instantly washing into the drain as the drops warmed her skin and trailed between her breasts. She was a goddess, and I’d do her bidding. Whatever it was—Auria had ensnared me.

I wasted no time shucking my damp clothes to the ground, leaving all of me bare, and stepped into the shower with her. The hot water sprayed off of her, misting me where I stood in front of her. I grabbed the bar of soap from the small shelf on the wall while she ran her face under the water. Foolishly, I was almost jealous of the droplets as they cascaded down the curve of her jaw, streaming down her neck to disappear beneath her breasts. Unable to help myself, I began to run the bar of soap along her collarbone, watching the rise and fall of her chest with each breath.

With the mud washing away, fresh bruises exposed themselves, littering the delicate skin of her neck. My vision nearly went red as the natural instinct to end those who had done this surged through me.

Her eyes, lit like the forest trees in the midday sun, found mine. That look alone thawed me, stealing my attention once more. I trailed the bar lower, over one breast, then the other. Once they were both coated and glistening, I moved down to her stomach, my gaze following the trace of the suds as they bubbled over her skin. My other hand found her waist on its own accord, my fingers tracing over the deepening bruise on her side. The absence of dirt and grime revealed what broke me inside—her pain.

While I practically worshiped her body with the bar of soap, she watched me. If she was looking for anything other than pure awe, she wouldn’t find it. She was the embodiment of beauty.

Bringing the soap back up, I ran it along her cheeks, ridding her skin of the mud that once coated it. Her face, so close to mine, reddened slightly, but I excused it for the hot water. I cupped her head at the base with my free hand, and once her eyelids fluttered closed, I tilted her head back to wash the suds away.

This entire moment was far too much, even for me, but I couldn’t step away. I’d wither away to a prune if it meant I got to stay in this shower with her, blocking out the world and any outside forces telling me I shouldn’t go further with her. And yet…

I stepped behind her, gently wrapping my hand around her hair to lift it off her neck, revealing her back. As soon as my eyes traveled down, everything within me froze. Her skin was littered in scars, old and new. It felt as if my breath had been stolen away and locked somewhere I’d never find it again. Auria had that effect on me all too often, but this time, it was with torture.

“You have scars,” I gritted out.

The slightest fall of her shoulders, the tilt of her head, and I knew shame and embarrassment had filled her.

“Bet you didn’t think a princess like me would have those,” she murmured quietly. She threw the nickname at me like quiet venom, and I wanted to rip my own tongue out for ever using it in such a way.

“Not that you would, but that you shouldn’t. Who gave you these?”

While I waited for her to respond, I ran the soap through her hair, doing my best to gently untangle the strands. Minutes passed, and I couldn’t remain quiet any longer. “Auria.”

“Not my father,” she answered, though it didn’t tell me who .

The smoke from the sconce in the corner swirled with the mist fogging the room, sensing my magic building to its breaking point.

“He leaves a different sort of pain,” she admitted, her voice too frail and vulnerable for my liking. If I didn’t leave and get this out now, the room would be nothing but ruins. I needed a release, and fast.

I set the bar of soap back on the shelf. The familiar gray streaks were crawling up my veins all too quickly. Against my better judgment, I left her standing under the spray as I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel from the rod. With too much force, I wrapped it around my waist, nearly tearing the fabric.

But rather than a polite goodbye or sticking around to make sure she was alright, I managed to grit out, “I want names.”

And left.

* * *

The ground shook as Vulcan landed, his talons digging into the soaked earth.

“You knew,” I spit at him.

“ You have hurt her on top of it, ” Vulcan replied, knowing exactly what I was getting at. He could feel her emotions from inside the house and most likely came to the conclusion I’d left her due to them. But it wasn’t because of the scars. It was because I wanted to rip the world apart, and I couldn’t feel that way. Not when it came to her.

It was unfortunate dragons could sense the emotions of those who were vulnerable, whether fae or human, for it gave us the underhand when they decided to use it to their advantage.

I stepped forward, not giving a shit about our size difference. We could both kill each other where we stood, and yet, I felt no fear in front of him. “I’m doing what’s best for her.”

A flash of white flew past us before giant wings folded in on the snow dragon’s massive body, her landing almost causing me to lose my balance. “ Staying away from every being on this planet is what is best for the girl. ”

Glacies had something coming to her if she thought taking Auria away would benefit her. “You try to take her, and I’ll?—”

But my voice was cut off as she snapped vicious teeth at me, the razor sharp fangs dripping with bloodied saliva, indicating she’d likely been hunting before coming here. Before she could come any further, Vulcan let out an ear-splitting roar, and Glacies swiped her tail at him, knocking it into his neck. The two of them never got along, but when it came to Auria, Glacies was protective for reasons I didn’t know. She had been the one who saved Auria when the bandits had attacked.

With blazing red eyes aimed at Glacies, who growled deep in her throat, Vulcan said, “ She will not take the burned one. ”

“Call her that one more time,” I warned.

“ Do not be so sure, ” Glacies gritted out, ignoring my threat toward Vulcan.

Vulcan stepped forward, his footfall as loud as the thunder that pelted the sky. “ She is too valuable. ”

The rain had slowed, but the night was dark, the rings dimmer through the lingering clouds.

“ For all the wrong reasons, ” Glacies hissed, her eyes glowing a bright blue as her ice threatened to release itself all over Vulcan.

As if called to the presence of power, smoke curled around my arms, nipping at my skin like a rabid dog wanting to attack. I was surprised it had stayed silent as I spoke. “Stop speaking of her like I won’t end either of you where you stand.”

Glacies swung her head my way, her large nostrils flaring as ice crystals formed in the air. She had a temper, and it was showing. “ You defend her, yet you could just as easily use her like she is nothing. ”

“I would never use her.” I, more than anyone, did not want to see Auria have to make a choice between her life and our mission.

“ He is not thinking with his brain, ” Vulcan sneered, shooting me a judgmental look.

“I won’t do it.” Bringing Auria into this would mean risking her life, and by the scars on her back, there was already someone in that castle who didn’t care whether she lived or died. I wouldn’t be the reason for another crater in her skin. “We can find it on our own.”

“ Years, and you are still coming up blank, ” Vulcan’s voice boomed through the meadow. “ How long until the corrupt king finds out? Until he not only attempts to decimate faekind again, but us in the process. ”

“I won’t let that happen.”

Vulcan’s face was in mine in an instant, heat radiating off his breath as it turned to steam. “ You are a single fae. You do not let anything happen . It happens.”

Glacies watched both of us with an intense stare. If she assumed there had been a shift in my loyalties, she didn’t speak of it.

“I do what I can for my kind, as well as yours. I don’t see you snooping around castles you have no business being in.” They had no hope if it wasn’t for me. After the dragons had wiped out the fae—so the humans believed—they were left to their own devices, so long as they didn’t come near the human kingdoms. If they did, they were shot down, killed on sight. The humans saw them as simply an unlikely ally, but they didn’t ever stop to think that dragons might have ulterior motives of their own.

Vulcan huffed, the burst of air warming my arms. “ I could torch them where they stand. ”

“Yet you don’t. Why is that?” I knew exactly why, but I wanted to hear his over-confident self say it. Dragons hated admitting their weaknesses, and I wouldn’t advise anyone to encourage them to do so, but Vulcan would never harm me. He’d just threaten roasting me like a kabob until the day he died—which would likely be never.

Glacies chortled to the side, her breath coming out in little puffs of white. “ You are a cruel one, even for a fae. ”

Refusing to answer, Vulcan turned around, his massive tail almost taking me out in the process. Dark magic worked just as harshly on them as it did on fae, and he wouldn’t risk dragonkind—despite his ego screaming at him to let his aggression out to play. He was a lot, but he wouldn’t risk his species.

Our conversation was cut short as the sound of light footsteps crunching over soaked leaves came from behind me. All three of us turned just in time to find Auria emerging from the brush.