Page 33 of Vathia
“My mind is clear now,” I tease when he pulls away, looking down at me with heated eyes. “I still want you to fuck me.”
He groans, dropping his head into the crook of my neck and pressing his hard length against me. “We should wait. And I don’t know how I’m managing to say this right now with you so soft and willing beneath me. But if we have sex, we complete the bond. You should know that first and think on it. Enough secrets have been kept between us. It’s why the marks are faded. I’ve been trying to find out as much as I can about mate-bonds but the information is scarce.”
I blink at what he’s saying. The words set in gradually. Am I ready to permanently tie myself to him?
When I don’t immediately respond he nods softly. “Come on. We should get some sleep, we have an early morning.”
He goes to get up but I stop him. “Don’t sleep on the floor. I can share the bed.”
His brow raises. “Are you sure?”
I pull him back down toward me and kiss him. “I’m sure.”
Aemon grins but still gets up. He grabs a cloth from the shelf near the tub and wets it before coming back. “Let’s get you cleaned up first.”
Before I can even take the cloth from him, he slips it between my thighs and clinically cleans me, but I can’t help the warmth that spreads through my belly. He kicks off his boots and climbs into bed next to me, pulling me against him, and something in me settles. With a flick of my hand, I summon the candlelight in the room into my hand and smother it.
“Thank you for coming after me today,” I whisper into the dark. “Even if I was pissed as the void at you.”
“I would follow you anywhere. You never need to be alone again, Little Dream.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
AWEEK AGO I WAS finally cleared by the Elemi healer, but I haven’t been able to convince myself to head to Vathia yet. Sabish was right about this being a rebel gathering area, and I find myself intrigued by the comings and goings of things. The four of us usually stay out of the limelight, preferring to work in the dark under our cover at Phixmery while Jesper’s brother handles more of the public details. Seeing what the four of us started, that everything we did is actually making a difference, is healing some part of me. I just haven’t figured out what yet.
We may have planted the seed for this, but the citizens have really taken this to a whole other level. They are working to get nulls to safety, helping fae who need to escape the tyrant Lords that now rule over Damorleia with an iron fist.
My knuckles strain as my nails bite into the leather of Zaddro’s saddle when I remember what brought all this on. The wind on my face keeps me grounded as I remember that I’m free. My brothers and I discovered our fathers’ plans accidentally back in the late years of our fledgling-hood, thanks to Jesper’s tendency to snoop through his father’s office. So of course the rest of us did the same, and after some digging we discovered how they plotted against the crown. Against Maeven’s family—or well, Ravina’s family. That they were the ones who ripped her world apart, and in turn, ours. We assume it was because they wanted to rule, but we haven’t been able to find a solid reason why. They destroyed a whole race of fae, for what? Greed?
We knew then that something needed to be done, so we worked in the shadows to start this—a rebellion. One day the Lords will be ripped from this world and hopefully we can start anew. We were struggling to find a new leader for the new realm, but now that we know she’s alive… Well, I suppose that’s one less thing we need to worry about.
Sabish now knows about my involvement thanks to Evander. She was shocked to say the least, but I needed a reason to stay here, to feel productive after what happened at the Craven estate. I know the others are safe, so my main goal is to find out where we are at now that the Lords know about a new royal rider.
News coming in and out of Phixmery is slow, thanks to all the covert measures in place there, but every day they send new warriors to the battlefield along the Wraithwater Channel where the war still grows stronger each day. It’s only a matter of time before something flips and I can only hope it’s for the better, but with those numbers it likely won’t be.
No more of the vile shadow creatures have been seen, but I don’t put anything past my father and the others. I know they are behind it, trying to pin the atrocities on Aemon and his family like usual. And, if the whispers I hear around the tavern are correct, it’s working.
These creatures destroy everyone in their path. I’ve seen the carnage with my own eyes. Burnt bodies laid strewn amongst the rubble of villages. No one was spared. Not even the young ones.
The bond I have with Zaddro pulses with rage.
My magick and bonds were restored not long after I got here, which is both a relief and a hindrance. Zaddro was with the other dragons waiting for me when our bond went silent, and had been flying around trying to sense me anywhere. When our bond finally returned, it took a lot of convincing for him not to breathe hallucinogenic gas all over the tavern before destroying it in retribution so he could get to me, and then another argument not to go after Lord Craven right now.
Sure, it would be easy for us to kill the Lords and rid the realm of them, but they have contingencies, and the few we know the details of are lethal for the realm so we need to becareful. As much as my brothers and I like to think our fathers don’t know what we are up to, it’s obvious that they know more than they let on, especially after I was held hostage and almost forced to… I shiver in disgust as my stomach clenches.
After thinking about the exchanges I had in the Craven estate with my father, it’s clear he wants another heir so that he can take me out of the picture. Why else would he be so hard-pressed to have me mated to that vile creature they call ‘Lady’? And since Cyn is now safe from his clutches, at least he can’t use her for breeding, which I know is what he would have done. But if he wants another heir so bad, why doesn’t he just do it himself? I feel like I’m missing a huge part of the picture.
“That was a good raid. It was nice to stretch my wings,” Zaddro purrs as we land in a nearby field outside of Winhol. “You know what else would really feel nice for my wings?’ he adds as I dismount from him.
A sigh escapes me. “We aren’t heading to Vathia yet.” I state, knowing where he’s heading with this.
He snorts, his chest grumbling with annoyance. “You’re putting this off for what? Because of your mate? Because you’re ashamed—”
“I’m not ashamed!” I rest my hand on my pommel as I gather my thoughts. He’s right, how can I look my mate—Ravina—in the eyes after what was done to me? She would be repulsed by me. Her mates and consorts are supposed to be able to protect her and I practically let myself be captured by my father. I know he plays dirty. I shouldn’t have drunk the drink he offered. I should have left with Killian. I should have done so many things differently...
A warmth radiates down the bond from Zaddro. “It’s not your fault, and your mate won’t fault you for what happened. Hiding away at this tavern and playing hero while the others wait for you is doing no one any good.”
“I’m doing good here.Truegood. We just stopped a bunch of warriors from getting across the border into Vathia. We saved a lot of people from the damage they would have caused. We’ve helped families and nulls escape cruel bastards. We are bettering the realm one small save at a time.”
