Page 23

Chapter 23

Della

M ikel was pacing around like a crazy man. I watched him as he looked up at me and then away again. I opened my mouth to say something but shut it when Pia walked in and saw him losing his mind.

“For the love of the stars, will you calm down?” she sighed. “All you are doing is working yourself up.”

“Someone sent Remiah an entire bouquet of red lilies.” He stared at her.

“Yes, we know, but you are about to combust.” She looked at me as if asking for backup.

I wasn’t sure what to say. He had every right to lose his shit, but Pia was right; he was working himself up more.

“She thinks I sent them, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her that only a sick fuck would do that.” Mikel sighed heavily and began pacing around. “Why an entire bouquet?” He looked at me.

“I have no idea, Mikel.”

“It’s not good,” he said confidently. “Maybe someone is going to take us as soon as I tell her she is my mate and claim her.”

I looked up at him.

“That’s why you haven’t marked her yet?”

That made sense. I was wondering why he hadn’t. I was still trying to get both sides of Haden on the same page before I told him. Well, and the knowledge that I had changed fate was making me worried that I would be punished if I claimed him. Gods, and the void was keeping shit from me.

“Yes.”

“Maybe you should talk to Avesh and see if he knows anything special about red lilies?”

Mikel stared at me, and I saw a flicker of relief in his eyes that I had any sort of suggestion. I should have asked him while I was there, but the thought didn’t cross my mind.

“Thank you; that’s a great idea.” Mikel came over and gave me a hug. I hugged him back, feeling like a piece of shit because I couldn’t tell him that Brim had seen Remiah dead. Maybe her fate would change if Mikel could figure out who this was. “I will go now.”

“Alright. I hope he can help.”

Mikel gave me a sad smile before disappearing. I looked at Pia, and she frowned.

“This is really fucking bad, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t know how to help Remiah or Mikel. Who would want to kill her? She was so kind, and I had never seen her be treated as poorly as Haden. Why kill Remiah when they were taking the other mates? I closed my eyes tightly. And why was I standing in the Crimson Kingdom with her?

I willed the heavens to tell me how to save her. Mikel needed to mark her so that she wouldn’t die; that was the only answer I could come up with, but he was too scared. There was no way I could convince him that he would actually be saving her.

Haden will be destroyed when this happens. How am I supposed to make him feel better when the only family he knows leaves him for good? Images of Haden’s funeral in his past life and watching his family grieve started taking over my mind. I needed to get out of here. I could feel my anger and grief taking over my already shitty mood.

“I’ll be back.”

I used my magic to go see Haden. He was about the only thing that would make my day better. When my star mist disappeared, I was standing on the pathway of his village again.

Confused, I turned around, and my rage doubled at what I saw. Kira, whose presence instantly pissed me off, and a group of men were surrounding Haden. He was looking at the ground as they spoke, not able to meet their eyes. Dark clouds rolled in at my already bad mood. They couldn’t see me, but I wouldn’t stand by and let them be cruel to Haden.

“The town freak has come out of his shitty home,” the ugliest one of the bunch laughed. My chest tightened at the sight. I moved toward him, my heart breaking at how he just took their cruel words.

“Haden, don’t take shit from them. Fight back,” I demanded. He looked up and noticed me for the first time, but he instantly looked back down.?

He still didn’t say anything. His damn parents had destroyed any worth he might have had for himself.

“Haden, you are so much better than them. This ugly one, for example, is sleeping with his father’s fiancé. And this blonde one with the crooked nose, his family is stealing money from other noble families; they are broke. And her… I can’t even tell you how many men she is crawling into bed with to get social status. All because no one wants to marry her.”

When I looked back at Haden, he was watching me as I circled around the group.

“Would you like me to kill them for you?” I half-joked. “You are so much better than them.”

His eyes filled with sudden emotion. He wasn’t used to someone thinking highly of him, but I would spend our life making sure he always knew how worthy he was. He was worth all the stars in the sky.

He took a deep breath.

“Shut the fuck up,” Haden snapped at them when they kept talking. I smiled proudly at him.

“What did you say, freak?”

“Shut the fuck up. I didn’t stutter.”

“Oh, someone thinks they can fight back.” The ugly one took a step toward Haden.

I moved so I could kill them if they touched him, but I needn’t have worried. His eyes filled with cold frost. “That’s it, Haden; use that magic pulsing inside of you.” Haden looked at me, and I saw the boys noticed him looking too. I was sure that this side of Haden was unaware of how much power his magic had.

“Look, the freak is staring at his invisible girlfriend.”

After a second, I saw the change for myself. Haden looked at me as he cracked his neck, and a shiver seemed to run through him. He closed his eyes tightly, and when he opened them, they immediately found me.

The stormy color of his eyes now almost seemed endlessly black. The void was here, and it made me swallow hard. Haden’s soft, friendly features had disappeared and were replaced by hard, unforgiving lines. Fuck me, I really liked the way he smiled at me when he was like this. Like he would make every dirty thought I ever had about him come true. His eyes drifted slowly from my feet all the way up my body, admiring, savoring. I swallowed hard as his gaze set my skin on fire with desire.

“Della, baby, you’re drooling,” he teased. I snapped my mouth shut as the term of endearment shot lust through me. I could feel my magic pulsing out of control, my eyes flashing white.

“The freak is talking to her.”

“Actually, Della, I think I do want to hurt them.”

I smiled from behind them. My magic was already causing more clouds to move over us, darkening the sky. Haden’s emotionless eyes watched me without a care that these bastards were witness to it.

“But first, Haden, let’s put these accusations to rest.” He watched me, confused. I smiled as I took a step toward him. The air shifted immediately as I let myself be seen. My eyes stared deeply into Haden’s as I continued to walk toward him. The group surrounding him gasped as I made my way past them, not breaking eye contact with Haden for a second. A big grin took over his face as I reached him. I could not stop my mating bond from overwhelming me as I reached out, my hands resting on his chest before they moved up to his shoulders.

“Touch me, Haden,” I whispered.

He didn’t need any more encouragement as his big hands grabbed me by the hips, tugging me closer to him and wrapping his arms around my back. Stars, he was warm as I pulled him to me for a hug. I inhaled his scent.

“You feel good, Storm,” he purred in my ear. His hands slid down the length of my body before coming back up and gripping my hair in his hands. He yanked me back enough so that he could see my face. Gods, we had an audience, and I couldn't care less. His eyes traced over my face before dropping to my mouth.

Would he kiss me if I begged? He gave me a sly smirk like he could read my mind. Haden pulled me against him, hugging me so his mouth was against my ear.?

“I haven’t stopped thinking about your pretty mouth, Storm. Tell me you’ve been thinking about kissing me again.”?

“Yes.”?

He hummed softly as his mouth kissed below my ear.

“Spill their blood,” he commanded. "And I'll give you a reward."

I sucked my bottom lip in and bit down on it, drawing it back out slowly in pleasure as his words turned me on in such a delicious way.

“Who the fuck is that?” one of the men asked, interrupting Haden and me.

I pulled back and smiled at the gaping faces of the mean men and Kira. I held Haden’s arm and rested my head on his shoulder.

“Who is that?” Kira hissed, demanding an answer imperiously.

Stars, Haden was like a statue, unmoving and unbreathing. I could feel his power rolling off of him in confident waves. I did not know what side of him I liked more, the shy, quiet one or this one that didn’t give a shit about anything— anything but me, that is. Both—I loved both sides.

“Him?” The ugliest man laughed humorlessly. “Sweetheart, I can give you anything you want. Haden can’t give you anything. Whatever he said to you was likely a lie. Did he tell you his family is one of the poorest in the village? His father is the town drunk, and his mother is a spineless whore. I can treat you better than he ever could.”

I released Haden and took a step forward, my power pulsing from me. The man thought I liked what he said, but in reality, I wanted to rip his ugly face from his body. He reached out and gripped my shoulder like I was his to touch.

Haden reacted instantaneously. Before anybody could move, he had formed a dagger of ice in his hand and immediately stabbed the forearm of the man who was still touching me.

The man grabbed his arm and screamed.

“Do not touch what does not belong to you,” Haden warned. “She’s mine.”

I didn’t move a muscle. I could not look away from Haden. I was utterly transfixed by his handsome face. He turned his gaze at me and smirked. My heart was going to explode. Haden was watching me closely, taking in the flush of my cheeks and the white flash of my eyes. I turned to the man who was now threatening to kill Haden and his family, screaming curses and obscenities while tears streamed down his face.

“I think you will be the one I make an example of first.” I smiled as my starlight mist circled around him and gripped him tightly.

“Do you know why Haden could see me when no one else could?” I asked. “Did it ever occur to you that Haden’s eyes are the only ones I want on me? He is the only man worthy enough to see me; in fact, I kind of want to rip the eyes from your sockets because you are disgusting, and I feel nauseated knowing I allowed you to see what belongs to Haden.”

The man was struggling against my magic, but he could never overpower me. I looked at Haden, who was watching me with great curiosity. His void eyes taking in every move I made. He looked so unbothered by the way they treated him, but it pissed me off beyond reason.

Without a second thought, I twisted my magic and snapped his neck.

Everybody gasped as his dead body hit the ground. I turned to the rest of them. They all looked terrified of me.

Good.

“You will leave him alone. You will not throw things at him; you will not look at him. And you,” I turned to Kira, “if you ever touch what belongs to me again, I’ll rip your hands off. You are unworthy of touching him.”

“Who is this, Haden?” Kira demanded.

“I’m his, that’s all you need to know. He owes you no explanation for anything.”

My hands fisted at my sides. When had I become this possessive and angry woman? I wanted Kira to fight me so I had a good reason to rip her soul from her body.

“Well, I’m the girl he comes to when he wants to feel good; he owes me an explanation,” Kira sneered like a bitch.

I didn’t flinch at the cruelty of her words. But the thought of Haden with another female made me jealous beyond belief. I turned to look at him, and I swore I saw a flash of disappointment in his eyes at whatever he saw on my face.

My bond demanded that I make sure all these fucks knew he was mine. He would never belong to anyone but me. Ignoring her, I walked up to him as confidently as I could. His pretty, void eyes tracked me like prey. He smirked when I grabbed him and pulled him to me. Haden’s hands immediately drew me to him, and my lips slammed into his.

He groaned as he twisted my hair into his hands, leaning in and deepening the kiss. His tongue dominated mine. Fuck, I wanted more. He tried to pull back slightly, but I refused to let him go and just pulled him back against me, kissing him with all the emotions swirling inside of me.

My body was on fire. I was overwhelmed by my lust and smiled as my magic exploded from me, causing lightning to illuminate the sky and thunder to boom so loudly that it startled even me. Haden suddenly broke away from me, his eyes full of something beside the void.

I looked away from him quickly.

Gods, I was never going to get enough of that. Fuck, I had missed the way he kissed me like this. I didn't need to look at him to see he was staring at me with intensity.

I turned my focus back to the assholes gaping at us. Kira’s face was bright red with her anger, and I gave her a smug smile. Haden was staring at me. I could feel his eyes, but I couldn’t return his gaze right then because Kira had stepped forward. This caused Haden to look at her in such a way that told her if she touched me, hers would be the next body to hit the ground.

“You touch her, and you’ll join your father in hell,” he warned.

Kira gaped at the threat.

“I always knew you were a fucking freak—” Kira’s words ended immediately as I shot my star mist through her chest, ripping her heart out of her chest and bringing it back to be held in my hand as it slowly stopped beating. Her mouth fell open, and her eyes blinked one last time as her brain comprehended that I had killed her. I watched her eyes roll back before her body fell to the ground, dead. The men were watching me as they tried to process what just happened. I tossed her heart at their feet.

“I suggest you get fucking moving before I lose my composure.”