Page 29

I woke up feeling a little sore, Cain snored lightly next to me.

Wiggling free of his arm around me I got up and put on his shirt.

Wandering out of the room I decide to make us breakfast. "Good morning, Nova!

" Vato says cheerfully. "Morning" I smile and search the kitchen for ingredients.

"Where is Ares, you aren't supposed to be alone" Vato questions.

"I'm not alone, I'm with you in the kitchen" I laugh.

"That's fair" he laughs. "Alara is busy this morning, the guests will be arriving shortly" he says.

"Guests?" I question. "You are being announced to all the royals of the land" Vato explains.

"What?! Today?" I was suddenly nervous. "No, tomorrow evening" he smiles.

"Nova, why are you not in bed?" his deep voice asks.

Vato and I turn to see a shirtless Cain yawning and stretching.

"I wanted to make you breakfast in bed" I blush.

"Perhaps you can tomorrow, today I am to start receiving guests I had Keeva organize breakfast" he says gently.

"Brothers! Sister!" Rinus enters the room beaming.

"Why are you so happy?" Vato squints at him.

"I'm generally a cheerful person" his eyes find mine.

"I'm going to get dressed for breakfast" I say standing up.

"Nova..." Cain sighs. "I can walk to our room, its so close, I will be back in a few minutes I promise" I kiss his cheek and run out the room before he can protest. As I am making my way to the room, I am grabbed from behind and dropped in a part of the castle I haven't seen yet.

"What the fuck?" my eyes try to adjust to the dimly lit room.

I feel instantly uncomfortable, when I see him my hairs rise.

"Nova, the hue-man, why have you been avoiding me?

" Talon's voice fills the room. "Talon, Cain is expecting me so if you will excuse me I have things to do" I lie.

Talon lets out an amused laugh "What can my son, give you that I can not? ".

I ignore him and move toward the door Talon drops down and blocks my path.

"No woman has ever refused me" he says taking a few steps in my direction.

I unconsciously start backing away. "Give me what I want and I will leave you alone" the lies fall off his tongue.

"Touch me and you are dead, Cain will kill you" I remind him.

"Cain, is weak and that's why he chose a hue-man as his queen" Talon snaps.

I noticed as he talked, he stopped paying attention to me, it seemed like he liked the sound of his own voice.

"Why do you disapprove so much?" I innocently ask.

"Cain was always a weak child, he was not meant to be King at all, he doesn't have what it takes".

I notice light coming through a cavity I could crawl through.

"I don't know the people seem to love him" I press.

"Love! They seem to accept anything these days, in my day we had more sense".

I watch as he turns and stares off into the distance.

I take the chance to run and shove myself through the cavity.

I feel rough hands on my ankles as I am yanked backward. Nooo fuck fuck fuck.

"Naughty girl, no wonder Cain likes you" he smiles at me.

I smell him all over you, was he able to satisfy you?

" he runs his hand up my thigh. "Get your fucking hands off me" I snap.

Talon ignores me and continues to slide his hands up my thigh.

With him distracted again I ball my hand into a fist and punch him right in the nose.

Shocked he pulls away, I make another attempt to the door successfully opening it only to find that I almost plummeted to my death.

"You drew blood" Talon growls. How the fuck do I get out of here maybe if I jump Talon yanks me by my hair.

"Ares!" I scream as loud as I can. Talon covers my mouth and I bite him hard making him throw me across the room.

Pain shoots through my body and my vision blurs a bit.

Noo I this cant happen right now, I feel Talons hands on me and I struggle against his weight, clawing at him until he pins my hands above my head.

"You will love this" he cooes. " Don't do this" I plead.

"Now why would I do that? Because my son tried to bend my will? " he laughs.

"Perhaps this will make a man out of him.

" He says thoughtfully. I let out a scream as I feel his hand on my core.

A loud growl nearly shatters my eardrum, and Talon is thrown off me.

Propping myself up I see Ares standing in front of me.

"How dare you, challenge your King" Talon hisses.

"You are not my King" Ares snaps. They become a blur and I start panicking, I couldn't tell who was winning.

I scream again when I see Talon reaching out for me.

Ares lets out a loud howl as his white wolf pierces Talon leg making him yelp.

A very angry Cain and Vato burst into the room.

I see Rinus right on their heels, he looked terrifying when he was mad.

In all fairness they all did. Their eyes were black as coal, claws out.

Cains eyes flickered between me and the men fighting.

"Enough!" Rinus yelled out, shocking everyone.

The authority in his voice was stunning.

Cain comes over to me and kneels "I can smell him on you, did he.

..?". I wrap my arms around his neck and hug him, not sure if I was comforting him or myself.

" No, I mean kind of. Well he run his hands up my thigh and.

.." I stopped because Cain had started shaking.

"And what" he growled. "Put his hand on my you know" I whisper.

Cain leaves my side and Ares replaces him, his wolf snarling the entire time.

I watch Cain grab Talon by the throat and squeeze.I see the blood leaking from Cain digging his claws into Talon's neck.

"You touched her?" his voice is so low its chilling.

Talon doesn't answer he just smiles which pissed Cain off because he throws him across the room.

"Vato, Cain" Rinus orders. Vato puts himself between Cain and Talon as Rinus stalks toward him.

"I've watched you hurt everyone I love, repeatedly.

Your sons were never good enough in your eyes, your wife loyal to a fault while you disrespected her at every turn.

" He places his foot on Talon's throat and presses down, I think I hear a bone break.

"You are a pathetic excuse of a husband, father and man" he spits.

"Cain is one of the strongest people I know, the only reason he hasn't ripped your head off is because that is my burden to bare as the eldest".

"I will not let your mind games hurt him or anyone ever again.

You see that girl over there?" he points at me.

"She has made Cain the happiest I have ever seen him; she is the embodiment of a Queen.

This realms Queen, someone worthy of respect, Cain's equal" he continues.

"What you have done and attempted to do is treason".

"You are a bastard; you have no authority not here or anywhere" Talon wheezes.

Rinus lets out an amused laugh "You think my mother left me on your doorstep?

I came to kill you for doing exactly what you tried with Nova.

When she wrote you to tell you the news you tried to kill her, like all the rest. For someone obsessed with having a pure bloodline you messed around with a lot of different creatures, some consensual some not.

" I couldn't believe what Rinus was saying.

"Boy you would kill your flesh and blood?

" Talon asks in disbelief. Rinus raises his hand and Talon dangles in the air, struggling to breathe.

I watch as Rinus makes a fist and punches him in the chest, I gasp as I see the gaping hole he left.

Blood poured out of Talon as Rinus held his beating heart.The blood pooled around his feet as he stared at the heart in his hand.

"And I would do it again if it meant the people, I love are free from your tyranny. "

"You are a fool Rinus" Talon spits up blood.

Rinus laughs, "No Talon you are the fool" he squeezes the heart, and it explodes in his hand splattering blood all over his face.

He then proceeds to rip Talon's head clean off his neck in one swift motion.

I had never seen exposed bone before it was unsettling, Talon's head spun splashing blood around as Rinus held it.

"Call the dragon" he orders. Cain lets out a loud whistle and I hear Attor's wings.

"My Queen are you alright?" he asks worried.

Alright was a big word, but I nod. "Burn this" Rinus throws the head at him.

I watch as Talon is incinerated piece by piece.

"Okay the mess is cleaned up, I suggest we all clean up before the guests arrive" he commands.

"You killed him" I mumble. Rinus turns to me, his eyes icy blue again "Mmmh perhaps I should have had Ares move you so you didn't have to see that".

I stand and hug Rinus tight. I ignored the fact that I now had Talon's blood on me.

"Not the reaction I was expecting" he chuckles.

I let go of him and jump into Cains arms, he runs making everything a blur until we are in our room.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight ever again" he says as he hugs me.

"I'm okay" I try and hug him tight. "Nothing about this is okay" he frowns pulling away.

"Are you okay, you just lost a parent" I say softly.

Cain lets out a bitter laugh "I have only had one parent".

"Loss is still difficult" I sigh. "Who have you lost?

" he looks concerned. "My parents when I was little and then my grandpa a year ago.

So I have no family" I tell him. "I'm your family, Alara, Rinus, Vato and even Ares if you want to include him" I laugh a little at the last part.

"Nova we can cancel the introduction, they can meet you at the wedding" he says wiping the blood from my face.

"Absolutely not, as they say in show biz the show must go on.

I am fine, it could have been worse but it wasn't" I get off his lap and am about to walk into the bathroom when Alara barges in.