Page 9 of Their Crowned Mate
"Hey, man, let's talk about this," Damon pleaded down the hall, following someone who was storming toward us.
I braced myself as Cole spun around, putting himself between me and whoever was coming, but he actually seemed to relax a little when he saw it was Aurelius, which was far from my response.
"Good, you found her," the red-haired man muttered, looking at me with obvious relief in his gaze even though I was sure I was looking at him like I wanted to kill him. "Let's get out of here."
"He helped me track you down," Cole explained, even though he didn't seem thrilled about it, judging by the look on his face.
I looked between him and Aurelius in confusion. "You weren't a part of this?" I asked Aurelius, afraid to get my hopes up.
He shook his head. "Of course not," he said firmly. "I had no idea what they were planning until it was too late and they knocked me out and locked me up. I'm sorry. I came looking for you as soon as I could."
"He's telling the truth," Cole said grudgingly.
My heart filled with relief at the revelation. I realized then that there was still a part of me that did trust Aurelius, because I had certainly felt the sting of betrayal acutely. It was a small part, but it was still there.
Aurelius nodded, his expression solemn as he looked back at me. "Let's go," he said softly.
"Wait," Damon said, blocking the hallway. He looked panicked. "You guys don't understand."
"I understand you're fucking lucky I don't kill you," Cole snarled, jabbing a finger in his direction. "Not get the fuck outta my way or you'll end up like your friend out there."
I wasn't exactly sure what he was talking about, but I had a feeling it was Jax, considering he wasn't harassing us. They didn't kill him, did they? I hated his fucking guts, but I didn't want him dead. I didn't think, anyway.
Damon's eyes narrowed. "You got lucky with that sucker punch. You're still a coyote."
"A coyote who's gonna kick your ass if you don't move."
"If I were you, I'd do what he says."
I looked up sharply as I heard Alexander's voice, and while he hadn't been there a split second ago, he was suddenly standing right behind Damon, looming over the man who was almost always the largest guy in the room.
Damon froze and turned a few shades paler before he looked over his shoulder. "Let me guess. You're the vampire?"
"Move aside, son," Alexander said, flashing his fangs in the most menacing smile I had ever seen. "You won't like the alternative."
Damon clenched his jaw, and I could see the stubbornness in his eyes, but he was smart enough to know when he was outmatched. He and Jax didn't have that in common. He finally stepped aside, giving me a frustrated glance, as if I was somehow to blame for his plan going sideways.
Alexander's gaze softened as he looked at me, and he held his hand out for me to walk by as if to shield me. I wasn't sure where he'd been, but I couldn't deny I was relieved to see him. We still had plenty of ground left to cover, though.
I paused in the hallway with Aurelius and Cole at my back and stopped to look at Damon. "After everything, I still thought you were better than this. I thought you were at least a man of your word in some regards. Clearly, I was wrong."
Something like guilt touched his eyes, but I didn't stick around to see any more. When I made it to the living room of the small house they had taken me to and saw Jax's unconscious body lying on the floor, his right eye sporting a fresh shiner that was still forming, I frowned. Cole wasn't kidding about knocking him out. But at least the asshole was still alive.
I stepped over his body and resisted the urge to kick him while he was down, if only because I was still a bit unsteady on my feet.
The fresh air felt damn good as soon as I made it outside, even though it was evening. Could you have jet lag if you hadn't even traveled that far?
"Are you sure you're okay?" Cole asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.
I nodded. "Yeah. I think so. Just a little woozy still."
"We'll go back to the castle," said Alexander. "I'll have a doctor look over you there."
It was probably a good idea, even if I still had plenty of other questions. One of which couldn't wait.
"Where were you?" I asked, searching his face. I didn't want to believe he'd just bailed on me because of what he'd heard, without even giving me the chance to explain, but I couldn't think of many other explanations.
"I went to observe Paul," Alexander said, a hint of guilt in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I never should have left you, not even for a second. I made a mistake thinking these fools could be trusted." He turned a murderous glare on Aurelius, who had come out onto the lawn with us.
