Page 43 of Obsessively Yours (Fae Kings of Eden #2)

43

Griff glared at Babs, who adorned a pink fluffy shirt with a matching bow attached to the top of her head. “Why did you bring the chicken?”

Violet smiled down at the hen strutting beside her as they walked through the thick jungle, thoroughly enjoying herself. “She gets upset if I leave her.”

“And a chicken being upset matters why?” Griff asked, drawing out the last word. Babs pecked at his leg with an indignant flutter of her wings, and he moved quickly to Violet’s other side.

Ares brought up the rear of their group and snorted at Babs’ antics. “Can she understand you?”

“I like to think so.” Violet looked pointedly at Griff. “She understood him insulting her.”

Griff grumbled under his breath and whacked at a low-hanging branch. They’d ventured far into the jungle looking for a rare flower Violet had heard about. The petals bloomed out flat like a star, but what had piqued her interest was the color. The entire flower, from root to petals, was bright pink. Most flowers and plants had a different color stem, but not this one.

“How much longer until you give up?” Griff griped. “It will be dark soon.”

War appeared before them, halting their movement. “What are you doing here?” Violet asked the beast and then mentally kicked herself. She reworded her question so he could answer. “Have you been hunting?”

War nodded once, but he scanned the area around them. His quill sheaths raised, and Violet hurried toward him. “What’s wrong?” Dammit. “Is something out here?”

The tigon contemplated for a moment before nodding again.

Ares appeared at Violet’s side. “If something is out there, we need to leave. We’ll find your plant later.”

“Flower,” Violet corrected on instinct while bending down to scoop Babs into her arms. “War, are you coming with us?” The tigon shook his head.

“Violet.” Vivian stepped out from behind a tree.

Griff and Ares drew their swords, and War jumped in front of Violet with a warning growl.

Vivian held her hands up. “I’m not going to hurt her. I just need to speak with her.”

“You two can speak once we’re at the palace with Roman,” Ares told her coldly. “Remove your weapons or I’ll remove them for you.”

Vivian’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I’m not going to hurt her,” she repeated and focused on Violet. “Vi, I just want to talk.” She looked pointedly at the two men flanking Violet. “Alone.”

Griff barked out a laugh. “You’re fucking delusional if you think we’ll let you anywhere near her.”

Vivian’s hands clenched at her sides. “She is a grown woman who can speak for herself.”

“And Roman is a grown man who will separate your head from your body without hesitation for endangering his mate,” Ares countered.

Vivian’s eyes flared. “I’m his mate. She’s nothing but his girlfriend.”

Violet’s shock quickly turned to anger. Babs, sensing her emotions, screeched loudly. “You lost that privilege when you married my ex-boyfriend,” Violet spat. “On our twenty-fifth birthday, the gods bonded Roman and me, and hours later, we married. You should be on your fucking knees before me, begging for your life.” Violet’s venomous words surprised her, but she’d meant them. Violet didn’t want her sister to die, but she’d not have this bitch thinking she had any claim to Roman. “Say what you need to say and leave before I let War rip your throat out.”

Vivian’s lip curled. “You can lie about being Roman’s mate all you want, but the truth is, the gods chose me , not you.” She moved her eyes from Violet to War and back again. “War is a familiar . He wouldn’t hurt me unless I tried to kill an innocent.”

War roared and lunged forward, snapping at Vivian. She screamed and stumbled backward.

Violet’s arms tensed too tightly around Babs, and the hen pecked at her arm. Violet set the bird down and removed her leash. Straightening, she crossed her arms and stared at her sister. “Think what you want, but I am Roman’s mate. You had your chance, and you threw it away.” She stepped forward, her two guards moving with her. “Your hatred for me drove you to lose the best thing that ever happened to you, all because you couldn’t stand my happiness.”

“Titus was mine ,” Vivian ground out, clenching her teeth hard enough to crack bone. “He said he loved me , and you stole him. Perfect little Violet, always needing someone to protect her. Always getting whatever she wants by playing the victim.”

Violet reared back. “What are you talking about? You had everything, Viv. Dad spent all his time with you. The gods bonded you to Roman first. Boys fawned all over you. Titus fucking chose you over me. Stop looking for reasons to hate me that don’t exist.”

The bitterness in Vivian’s laugh crawled across Violet’s skin like a battalion of ants. “Playing the victim again. The gods may have bonded me to Roman, but it was you he wanted. Dad only trained me because he didn’t want his daughter to be an embarrassment amongst his warriors. The boys chased me because Roman wouldn’t let them have you.” A tear rolled down Vivian’s cheek, and Violet had the stupid urge to hug her. She hadn’t thought her sister possessed the ability to cry. “And it was you Titus wanted all along. His father leads the southern rebel faction. I was a pawn, but you were his obsession.”

Vivian couldn’t have shocked Violet more if she’d grown a tail.

“Were you in the rebel camp?” Ares demanded as Griff said, “You need to come with us now.”

“Viv,” Violet began.

“Just shut up,” Vivian snapped.

Violet drifted toward her sister, stopping next to War. “No. This is ridiculous. It’s clear we both had misconceptions about the other.” She shook her head sadly. “Even if what you said was true, how is that my fault? I never blamed you for anything, and all I wanted was for us to be how we used to be as kids.” She swiped at her own tear. “We felt the same, but you unfairly twisted your feelings into hate.”

“I don’t hate you,” Vivian corrected her, “and believe it or not, I’m trying to save you. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done it at the border.”

Griff moved between Violet and Vivian. “What do you mean save her?”

* * *

“You need to come to the southeastern forest,” War practically shouted down the bond. “I tracked Vivian to Violet and her guards. Something else is amiss, I can feel it.”

Roman knocked over his chair at the council table in his haste to leave.

His father stood as well, poised to fight. “What’s happened?”

“I don’t know,” Roman said, throwing open the door. “Vivian approached Violet in the jungle, and War said something is wrong.” He took out his key to the bunker and handed it to his mother. “Get those in the compound who can’t fight to the bunker and send someone to alert the townspeople to find safety.”

Throwing open the council chamber doors, Roman sprinted through the halls, across the courtyard, and into the dense trees, praying he reached his wife in time.

All the hours of studying and training Roman’s father had forced him to do as a child served him well because he knew every inch of his kingdom like the back of his hand. Branches scraped against his exposed skin as he ran, but he didn’t care. Nothing mattered more than getting to Violet.

Somewhere a woman yelled, and the closer he got, he realized the voice belonged to Vivian.

“What do you mean save her?” Griff demanded seconds before the world around them erupted in chaos.

The sounds of shouting and footsteps trampling the brush surrounded them, and to Roman’s horror, rebels, dozens of them, maybe more, burst into sight. “ Violet ,” he yelled. She ran toward him with terror written all over her face. “Use your glamour and run northeast toward the palace,” he yelled to her, pointing toward the capital. “I’ll find you.”

His mate nodded and switched course. The rebels descended upon them, and glamouring himself, he ran to Ares and Griff, cloaking them too. “I glamoured you two. Find my parents and warn them.” The two men spun around and crashed into one another. They couldn’t see through the glamour. “Ares stay to the left and Griff stay to the right,” Roman instructed.

Roman looked around for War. “Meet us back at the palace.”

“We won’t let them get to the capital,” War promised. “We’re coming.”

Roman tried to make sense of the statement but failed. “We?”

Everything happened in slow motion. Fae beasts of every kind appeared behind the rebels with War leading the charge. The ferocious roars were deafening as they attacked the rebels, ripping them to shreds. The fighters never stood a chance.

Roman stared slack jawed at the blood bath and took off running to find Violet.

* * *

Vivian watched Roman call out to her sister. “Violet!” Violet ran toward him. “Use your glamour and run northeast toward the palace,” he instructed, his voice betraying his worry. Vivian noted the direction and watched her sister flicker out of existence.

Dammit. Vivian stood off to the side, having been forgotten by the king, and waited for him to turn away before she ran after her sister.

She strained to hear her sister’s clumsy footsteps and loud breaths and slowed herself as she neared. Violet screamed and appeared on the ground; her head covered in blood. She must have tripped and hit her head.

Vivian dropped beside her sister and assessed the damage. The fighting behind them grew louder as the rebels closed in. “Can you stand?”

“I think so,” her sister replied in a daze and grabbed Vivian’s hand to stand. “Where’s Roman?”

“I don’t know, but we need to get to the palace where it’s safe,” Vivian said, throwing her prior plans of handing Violet over to Titus out the window.

Vivian wanted her rightful place on the throne that she’d allowed her jealousy and stupidity to throw away, but that dream died amongst the trees today. She hadn’t believed Violet’s claim of being Roman’s bonded mate until Violet’s glamour hid her from the other fae. The bond didn’t make a royal love their mate, but Roman never needed a bond for that. He’d loved Violet since they were children, Vivian had seen it written on his face every day.

Nothing in this world would stop him from getting to Violet, not even death. Roman would send himself to the gods and claw his way back with Violet in his arms.

Jealousy stabbed at Vivian, but she shoved it down. It had done her no favors in the past, and it would do her no favors now. Her sister hadn’t ruined her life. That crime belonged to her hatred for Violet, and it was time to let it go.

Vivian stood with Violet and steadied her wobbly steps until someone yanked her back by the hair and threw her to the ground. “What did you do to her?” Titus snarled at Vivian.

Violet gasped and stumbled, stealing Titus’ attention, and he lunged forward to catch her. “You’re safe now,” he cooed, gingerly touching the gash on Violet’s head.

She tried to free herself from his hold. “Let me go.” Violet shoved him to no avail. “You lost the right to touch me.”

“It wasn’t like that,” Titus insisted and cradled one side of her face. Vivian almost laughed when Violet tried to bite him. “You’re all I want, but it had to be her, but not anymore.”

Violet struggled in his hold, his arm tightening around her. “You’re a rebel and a liar and married to my sister! Had I known she loved you, I wouldn’t have given you the time of day.”

Vivian blinked at her sister. She wasn’t oblivious to Violet’s feelings for Roman when they were younger, nor did Violet’s efforts to distance herself from the prince go unnoticed. Would she have turned away Titus too?

Vivian scrambled to her feet and yanked Titus back. “Unhand her, you asshole.”

Titus whipped around and shoved Vivian. “You were supposed to bring her to me in exchange for your freedom, yet you tell me to release her?”

Violet gasped and the betrayal on her face hit Vivian in the chest. “I thought you would keep her safe, but not even you could save her now that she’s bonded and married to the king.”

“Step back,” Titus growled at Violet and withdrew his sword. Fuck. He was a better fighter than Vivian, but she couldn’t let him take her sister.

In her peripheral vision, Vivian watched Violet, waiting for her to move far enough from Titus that Vivian could stand between them and fight him off without hurting her sister.

“Put your sword away, Titus,” she said with a steadiness she didn’t feel. “You’ve lost her. Roman will never let her go. He’ll search for her until he finds you, and when he does, he’ll gut you like the pig you are.”

Titus sized her up and scoffed. “You’re not worth the blood on my sword. Walk away now and I won’t hurt you. Consider our deal done.”

Violet crept far enough away and poised to run. Poor girl wouldn’t make it three steps before Titus grabbed her again, and Vivian knew she had to make her move. One thing she had that Titus didn’t was speed, and she darted between him and her sister. “Violet, run! ”

Titus roared and charged forward, the metal of his sword colliding with her own. “I was going to let you go,” he grunted and swung his sword, narrowly missing Vivian’s arm.

“Fuck you,” she sneered and sliced the side of his leg.

He cursed, but Violet’s retreat caught his eye and he made to follow her. Vivian rammed him with the side of her shoulder. They both went sprawling to the ground, their swords hitting the earth beside them.

If she could reach the dagger in her boot, she could take him out.

But she’d never get the chance because Titus drew his first.

* * *

“Titus, help!” Violet screamed, not knowing what else to do. He snapped his gaze to hers, and she glamoured Vivian invisible, hating herself for not thinking of it sooner.

Vivian shoved Titus hard enough to roll out from under him. “You’re glamoured, Viv, run,” Violet cried, glamoured herself, and ran in her sister’s direction.

Titus cursed and followed in their direction. “Violet don’t do this,” he pleaded. “I can keep you safe. You belong with me. I love you.”

A condescending tsking sound followed his declaration, accompanied by Roman’s deep voice. “I thought the men in this kingdom would have learned by now that loving my wife is as dangerous as harming her.”

Violet stopped cold and twisted around in time to see Roman fist Titus’ hair and rip his head from his body.

Violet thought she heard the faint sound of clucking before her world went black.