Page 23 of Inheritance
“Drayven,” Ama’s father offered a smile, “how are we doing this morning? You seem tired out there.”
“I am, Your Majesty,” I admitted, straightening from the deep bow I’d offered and looking towards Ama. “Good morning, Princess.” I didn’t offer stupid Oliver any greeting.
“Hey Dray,” she offered happily, not noticing the scowl Oliver aimed at me. My eyes narrowed at the way his hand rested on her arm before she snatched it away, narrowing her eyes at him, but he didn’t notice—he was too busy glaring at me. I was certain he was pissed her attention was off him, and I couldn’t blame him. In the shade of the sunny day, Ama looked absolutely beautiful. She wore a light pink and red sundress, her eyes dancing with a level of relaxed contentment I envied. How was she not tormented by these insane emotions?
“I know it’s a bit abnormal to ask this,” I looked back towards her father, “but I was wondering if I could borrow Ama’s help. James and I seem to be in a disagreement over which hits count and which don’t. I would love an unbiased opinion.”
Ama’s father’s gaze filled with amusement as he looked towards Ama, who was now nearly bouncing out of her seat. “I will leave that decision up to Ama—be careful, please don’t run!” The last part was a concerned plea as Ama practically sprinted away from Oliver, darting out of the observation box and appearing by my side. She beamed up at me as I presented my elbow and led her across the way towards James, who was offering me a dumb-founded look.
“That was nice of you, saving me like that,” she whispered, offering me a knowing smile. “He was horribly boring, Dray. He kept talking to me about some metals back in his room and how I should come to see them—“ I came to a full stop, inhaling sharply before turning slightly to look down at her.
“Don’t go to his—or any other man’s—room alone, please? Ever—“
“I’ve seen your room,” she pointed out, blinking in confusion and completely unaware of the true connotation of his words at her age.
“But we’re friends,” I hedged.
“And I trust you.” She offered a soft smile. “I get it, Dray. Trust me, I wasn’t going anywhere near there. He totally creeps me out.” Thank the devil for that.
A massive boompulled me from my memory of the amusement I’d felt towards the odd coincidence that Oliver had ended up with a broken hand after that. The same hand that had touched Ama.
“Here they come,” Finias sang under his breath, and my eyes widened at the sight.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Damien
Ishouldn’t have been surprised that Holden had taken action while my parents and I were gone. The two of us stood next to one another, facing the barrier that was falling between us and the capital, and for the first time ever—I felt equal.I no longer felt as though I couldn’t compare to him. Instead, I felt proud to stand next to him and fight for the Kingdom of Pura alongside the other princes and our militia.
The two of us had been competitive most of our lives, like most brothers are, but where he had found it fun and more of a sport...I’d found it taxing. My parents had never made me feel like I was less than him, but there had always been a part of me that had wondered if he wasn’t a better fit for the position of our house’s future ruler. Now, though, with him not only standing equal to me but following my command, I felt every inch the role I was supposed to fill. I truly felt like a leader.
I felt like the king of the House of Hellfire with my parents trapped in the Capital, but I would happily hand the reins back over to them as soon as we freed them.
I was missing my queen, and that was a hard and bitter pill to swallow. As a Hellhound, I was beyond protective over my mate, and I couldn’t help but feel as though I’d failed her epically. I had let our soul mate,our other half, be taken. She had been just lifted from our lives, and I had no idea when or how I would see her again.
I swear, tracking her scent and finding that it led to a dead-end would be a moment of horror that would stick with me for the rest of my damned life. I think my stomach had dropped so fast I’d nearly stumbled when I’d realized that Ama hadn’t run…she’d been taken. And then, for Drayven to tell us about that dream and to insist that we continue on to the Kingdom of Pura instead of searching for her? My Hellhound had nearly ripped out his throat for that. It had taken Finias using his runes to constrain me long enough to see through the haze of anger.
We couldn’t deny our mate’s wants though, even if they didn’t seem to fit what we thought best. If she wanted us to fight this war before coming for her, then we would fucking fight. I would prove to her that I was worthy of being her mate.
Plus, the minute I had Ama back, I was going to mark up her tight, sexy body with even more marks so she always remembered whose mate she was. So every time she looked at her skin, she could remember just how deeply I wanted to imbed myself in her, physically, emotionally, and mentally. That thought gave me far more motivation than before to fight this war and find our girl. Only then could I find some peace.
Although, I had a feeling that realizing she was missing was going to haunt me for a long fucking time to come. That ingrained sense of fear and realization of the fact that I’d lost her wasn’t something I could easily ignore.
“You ready for this, brother?” Holden asked, looking excited at the prospect of fighting. I nodded sharply, knowing that he was already embracing his Hellhound.
It was one of the things that had always set us apart, but as I closed my eyes and surrendered to it, I knew without a doubt that things were different this time. I didn’t fear the change as much. I didn’t fear what I would become—not only because I was more connected to my Hellhound, but because my mate accepted us. Fully.
Where is our mate?
Those were the first words out of my Hellhound's thoughts as I opened up the connection while shifting. He had been growling and pacing around our subconscious now for the past two days. I’d tried to ignore him, knowing I couldn’t afford to have him let loose, but the time for that was over. I didn’t take pleasure in the idea of killing, but I also wouldn’t hesitate to if they attacked.
I let out a low growl as I realized that behind the barrier ahead of us were a large number of Dark Elves who had managed to gather. I could see the surprise on their faces at our numbers though, making me feel already half victorious.
Where is our mate?!
The demand pulled me from my thoughts of bloodlust to try to answer my Hellhound.
Gone. She was taken.
