Page 24

Chapter

Twenty-Four

A ZALEA

When Kyson gets out of the shower, he seems to be in a better mood. He wears nothing but a towel draped low on his hips while I pull my socks on. I have put on a loose-fitting off-shoulder top and jeans I only just managed to squeeze into.

Yet my skin itches and burns, the fabric irritating my skin. The clothes feels constricting, and I can’t stop scratching. Kyson eyes me, clearly happy to see me doing what he asked instead of arguing with him. The truth is, I am excited to leave the castle grounds. I don’t care where we are going, I just want out of this place.

Kyson walks into the closet before returning with some black suit pants and an undone gray button-down shirt. He tosses a jacket beside me on the bed. “It’s going to rain. Put it on,” he says, pulling his belt through the belt loops.

“Where are we going?” I ask him.

“Well, we were going to Kade’s pack, but now we are going to your old one,” he says, and I look up at him, tugging down my shirt, the seam rubbing against my skin.

“Why the change?” I ask.

“Cassandra told Abbie she was bought off Alpha Dean’s son by Kade.”

“So?” I ask.

“She was thirteen when she was sold to Kade, so I want to find out what deals they had on the side. With Kade now dead, only Alpha Dean will be able to answer those questions. Cassandra is apparently helpful now Abbie has decided to let her go.”

“What?” I ask, sitting up, my tone coming out harsher than intended. “You’re not letting her go,” I tell him. My skin feels tight under my clothes, and I scratch at my bump and sigh.

“It is what Abbie requested. We decided she could choose Cassandra’s fate,” he says, and I shake my head but still don’t agree that she should just get off so easily.

“Did Clarice change washing powder?” I mutter. My skin is now burning fiercely.

“Hurry, I want to leave, and we need to stop by the dungeons on the way,” Kyson says, ignoring my question.

I pull my shoes on, but my feet ache the moment I pull them on. My toes feel squished, and my feet feel puffy. Kyson watches me before bending down, tugging my shoe off, and looking at my feet. He presses his thumb down on it, and my skin indents. His brows furrow.

Kyson scratches his chest, raking his nails over his skin before his eyes widen, and he grips the front of my shirt and yanks me to him. He sniffs it before I am shoved back on the bed, and my clothes are shredded to pieces instantly. I shriek, wondering what he is doing, but I don’t have time to ask when he scoops me up and pushes me into the shower. The rush of cold water steals my breath when he starts scrubbing my skin furiously. Yet the cold water soothes my burning skin so I don’t fight him.

Trey and Liam rush in moments later, and I squeal, hiding behind Kyson’s body, using him as a shield.

“Find out who brought the laundry up yesterday!” Kyson growls, not even looking at them, solely focused on scrubbing my flesh raw.

“Ah, I did,” Liam answers.

“Who gave it to you?” Kyson asks.

“Clarice, why?” he asks, looking frantically at me.

“Her clothes are washed in wolfsbane,” Kyson snarls, and I gasp. Trey rushes off and returns with a handful of my clothes and sniffs them. He holds it out to Liam, who sniffs it too.

“I can’t smell it,” Trey whispers, and Liam agrees.

“It’s faint, but it’s wolfsbane,” Kyson growls, and I look down at my reddened skin, and Kyson’s hands are just as red from my scrubbing soap on my skin. My thighs and stomach are red and angry, looking swollen, and I try hard not to panic from the pain.

“Get me the laundry roster,” Liam snaps at Trey, who rushes off.

“Liam, go to my sister’s storage room and find her some clothes and ask Clarice to wash Azalea’s clothes by hand, and someone needs to sit by the dryer,” Kyson snarls furiously.

Liam rushes off, and I shake my head, and tears burn my eyes. Why does someone keep doing this? What did I do that someone keeps trying to kill me?

“Shh, Azzy, it’s alright. We will figure out who it is. I promise, even if I have to kick every person out of the castle until we do,” Kyson murmurs, and I look down at him.

Goosebumps cover my flesh as the cold water is rinsed over me. He kisses my thigh before turning me to scrub the rest of me. Kyson’s fresh clothes are now ruined and sopping wet and my teeth chatter from the cold.

Once done, we hop out, and Kyson goes through the drawers and rips all my clothes out, chucking them by the door and checking his own, but his clothes are fine. He pulls on new clothes when Liam knocks on the door. I tuck the towel tighter around me when he cracks the door but doesn’t enter.

“I found some of her maternity clothes. They might be comfier,” Liam tells him, handing them to Kyson. Kyson shuts the door and comes over to me.

“You kept her clothes?” I ask, and he nods.

“Yes, everything was suctioned down and packed away. I couldn’t bring myself to throw them out, and neither could…” he says, but trails off handing me some tights. He sniffs the shirts.

“They smell clean. Put those on,” he says, pecking my cheek. Once dressed, Kyson gives me an antihistamine to bring the reaction down. Though my skin is no longer burning, I think washing it off quickly has saved me from any permanent reaction.

“Come on,” he says, offering me his hand. I take it, and we walk out of the room.

“Liam, have the cleaners come pick up the laundry and strip the linens, even the drapes. Anything fabric needs to be cleaned while I’m gone. Check every person in and out as they come into this room. And don’t let anyone in by themselves. Gannon is to remain with them once we are done in the dungeons. No one in or out of my room without Gannon knowing,” Kyson tells him, and Liam nods. His cheeky mood is gone, and one of Kyson’s loyal soldiers is in its place.

“Find out who had access to her clothes, and I want every staff member questioned and have someone check the cameras,” Kyson adds and before giving Liam a list of things to organize before we leave.

Kyson leads me downstairs, and we pass Trey with a notepad in his hand. “Give it to Clarice to give Dustin, and you’re on guard with Liam Damian and me today. Meet us in the dungeons,” Kyson tells him.

“Yep, I will be down soon. Clarice washed the clothes and hung them on the line. Says they were on clothesline for most of the day,” Trey says, showing him.

“Are the outside cameras installed yet?” Kyson asks while flicking through the notepad.

“Yes, but not hooked up on that side, but we have the far garden ones and front ones working. We should be able to see who went up that way,” Trey answers.

“Have someone watch them while we are gone,” Trey nods, “Also, Clarice wants to know if you want her to pack you food and drinks.”

“No, I will buy anything we need on the way. I don’t trust anyone right now handling anything to do with Azalea.”

“Understood. I will let her know,” Trey says, rushing up the steps. We make our way to the dungeons. We had to go through the kitchens, and I can see Clarice busy going over sign-off sheet pages.

“My Queen, I am sorry. I will figure out who had access, I promise. I will wash everything myself and sit by the dryer,” Clarice says.

“Thank you, Clarice,” I tell her, and she nods, and goes to hug me but freezes, not her too. Stepping forward, I hug her. Kyson watches her warily. In fact, he watches everyone present in the kitchen warily, and his aura is deadly, making them cringe when we pass them, heading toward the colossal pantry that is nearly as large as the kitchen.

Kyson leads me to the back, where an enormous set of stairs lead underground. Kyson keeps a firm grip on my arm as we descend them because it is dark, and they are pretty steep. Once at the bottom, I look around and see this part is a vast wine cellar, filled with rows and rows of wine and spirits.

Kyson leads me around like he can walk this with his eyes closed and brings me to a dark tunnel. I see Abbie, who rushes toward me before freezing like she has hit a brick wall and becomes stunned. It is dark down here and cold, and I groan realizing I commanded her too.

“You can go to her, but when we get home, we are going to have to work on you removing the command over them,” Kyson tells me.

“You will teach me?” I ask him.

“I don’t have a choice,” he grumbles, and I get the impression he doesn’t like me being able to command anyone, making me wonder if I can command him, and that is why. Repeatedly, I have heard that Landeena’s blood is special. They have gifts, but after the way he said it and the feeling through the bond, it makes me wonder if my command would be stronger than his.

I reach for Abbie, who stands frozen, so I rush to her and huge her. Abbie explains about Cassandra and everything that she and Gannon found out. I wish she could come with us, but when I look over at Kyson to ask, he is in the cells with Cassandra, his entire body tense, and I can feel he wants to kill the woman but is respecting Abbie’s wishes. Yet he is angered because she didn’t just affect Abbie, but I was punished for it, and I know she won’t get off so easily.

“You will endure the same punishment,” I hear Kyson tell her.

“Kyson!” I call out to him. After hearing about Cassandra and Kyson commanding her to double-check what she said was true and confirming it, I feel the same as Abbie.

It is clear Kade brainwashed her. To her, he was a hero, yet she was entirely aware of her wrongdoings and apologized countless times. She just wanted to go home to her boys, and I agreed with Abbie she was as much a victim as we were in all this.

Kyson looks at me. “Let her go; I am fine. Enough blood has been spilled. Leave it be,” I plead with him. Kyson growls and glares at her, and she backs away from him when he bends down, gripping the chain off the ground that is wrapped around her ankle. He yanks it, ripping it clean off the wall. Cassandra shrieks, and my heart beats quicker. I think he is about to whip her with the chain when he growls and drops it, instead grabbing her face.

“You come anywhere near my mate or Abbie, or I hear even a whisper of their names coming from you, I will have my guard hunt you down and string you up, then I will make your boys watch as I kill you for it, understood?”

She nods and whimpers, tears rolling down her dirt covered face.

I feel his aura rush out, and she gasps like she is choking. “You will come nowhere near Azalea or Abbie. You will never speak or utter their names again,” he says, his voice so calm it chills me to the bone. She nods, and he shoves her away before turning to the guards, and his eyes fall on Dustin.

“Dustin, run her back to her pack and get back here and help Gannon,” Kyson orders, and Dustin steps into the cell and grabs her arm, dragging her out when Abbie runs over to a small card table and snatches some sandwiches off it and bottled water before chasing after them.

Dustin stops, and she hands them to Cassandra before shocking me and hugging her. Cassandra stands frozen and looks pained, probably because of Kyson’s command not to come near either of us.

“Thank you,” I hear Cassandra murmur, and Abbie lets her go just as I wander back over to her.

“That didn’t feel right,” Gannon says, glaring after Cassandra.

“It wouldn’t have been right either to punish her,” Abbie says to him before groaning when she tries to step closer to me.

“I wish you could come with me. I don’t want to go back there by myself,” I tell her, walking to Abbie since she can’t come to me.

“And play this tug of war. I can’t move to you. Only you can come to me, that would be an issue, but it’s ok. I don’t think I could go back there, anyway. I never want to see that place again,” Abbie says and smiles sadly.

I feel the same way, but Kyson would not change his mind, and much as I was not too fond of going back there, it may also be a good way to put that place behind me.