Chapter 117

Chapter 117


I couldn’t process this. My father was alive. This entire time, he was trapped in another dimension. And my mother … was most likely alive as well. How? I never did get to see her body when she died. She had requested that my last memory of her not be of her being dead. Was that really all a lie? Did she fake her death and leave me? Where was she now?

I sat down on the bed, trying to wake up from the shock. I told Darren to go and get cleaned up, that I just needed a moment to process everything. He hesitated, not wanting to leave me. I promised I would wait for him, that I needed a moment to think. I knew he was afraid I would be upset with him for leaving my father behind. Never. I’d lived without my father for years, but I couldn’t survive without Darren. I needed him back, and then we could go from there to free my father. Darren suspected that my mother might be in the elven forest, because that was where the watch had reacted. I figured we would start there.

All this time … my parents weren’t dead. I didn’t know how to feel. I couldn’t be happy because my father was trapped, and who knows about my mother. I didn’t understand it. Why would the gods test them like this? What was the point? Was it really for their protection? Or was it for mine?

“Ally.” I snapped my head up, meeting with Darren’s eyes. I was so absorbed in my own thoughts, I didn’t even notice him. He leaned in front of me, his hands sliding down my shoulders. He sat on the bed next to me and pulled me onto his lap.

“Dare, don’t. I’m too heavy, and—”

He latched his mouth around my earlobe as he held me close. I smiled and leaned back against my big baby mate, who was using me as a pacifier again.

There was a moment I thought I wouldn’t make it back here. I’ve been so worried about you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. You should have been safe, and you weren’t. I’m sorry I have failed you.

“Darren, you didn’t fail me. You made it back to me—”

And left your father there. I failed to bring him back to you.

“That wasn’t your task. Darren, I’m not upset with you.” I felt his emotions swirling inside of me. He was afraid I would resent him for not saving my father and for taking so long to find me. “Dare—” I pulled my ear away as I turned to face him. I gave him a small smile and leaned my forehead against his. “It’s been too long—”

“I’m so sorry—”

“Now, I know you can feel my emotions, too. Maybe feel them before speaking. I’m not talking about since I was taken. I’m talking about since I’ve been in your arms. Dare … you know, had I not been taken, I wouldn’t have you with me right now. Would I?”

I watched his eyes flicker with emotions before he slowly nodded his head. “No, we would have continued to push. I was hoping to still make it back in time, before the baby was born, but then I would have had to leave again afterwards. And now … now I can’t. Right now, I’m going to be selfish. After everything that happened, I can’t return to the battlefield.”

“You won’t have to.”

Both of our heads turned to the door to see Magnus standing there. He rubbed the back of his neck with a crooked grin. “You left the door open, so I … I wanted to talk. This situation is a bit awkward, but I wanted to clear the air between us. For a little while, my beast felt the mate pull to Allissa.” I noticed he was looking at Darren and not at me. “I guess in case you didn’t return, I was the one who was supposed to be by her side.” Darren let out a low growl and Magnus nodded his head. “I understand. I don’t feel anything at all now. It’s weird, and oddly empty. I’m sorry. I don’t want there to be any hard feelings between us because of it.”

“You were as much a victim to the gods as we all were. You were given a mate pull and had it ripped away from you. If anyone is to blame, it’s the gods. As long as you don’t have any lingering thoughts—”

“Not at all.”

Darren nodded his head. “Then there are no hard feelings, as long as Allissa says there aren't.” They both looked at me and I smiled at Darren. He wasn’t here, and he isn’t sure how I was treated. As long as I didn’t have a problem with Magnus, he wouldn’t either.

“Of course there isn’t a problem. After all, I believe you’ve gotten yourself into trouble because of the mate pull. You have a strong character. Even willing to be punished by your king on behalf of the woman you thought was your mate. We would love for it to be more than no hard feelings. How about a friendship?” I watched as Magnus’ lips curled up into a big smile, and he nodded his head.

“A friendship would be great.”  

I understood him, and so did Darren. He made a pass at the Lycan King’s queen. Regardless of whether he felt the mate pull or not, he should not have made his feelings known, but he couldn’t help himself. It could have caused a war. A war that Darren and I had no interest in. To be honest, we were both over wars.

“So, about what you said, about Darren not having to return to the battlefield?” I asked, wanting to know more about this. Because from the moment I was in Darren’s arms, I was already dreading the moment we would have to part again.

“The dragons will be joining this war soon, but we have to find Angelica first. We can’t make our move until we do. I know you need to be filled in on this. We’re planning to discuss everything at dinner.”

“We’ll be there shortly.” I looked at Darren curiously. Was he still wanting to talk about our plans on finding my parents? When Magnus left, I heard the click of the door shutting, and then hot lips covered mine.

Darren was on me, all hunger and heat and fury. He caught my jaw, his lips crushing mine. He bit down, not gently, and I arched into it, the pain sparking like a fuse inside me. His hands found my hips, hauling me up with a strength that bordered on violence. I wrapped my legs around his waist, clawing at his shoulders, and his hands moved wildly over my body.

“Mine,” he growled, the word flaying the air. He kissed me again, tongue invading, claiming, marking every inch of me as his. I gave it back, scraping his neck with my nails, biting his lower lip until he groaned into my mouth. “Forever, mine.” He was feeling extra possessive. I guess the thought of another mate bond forming in case he couldn’t return didn’t sit well with him. It didn’t sit well with me either. As if my Darren could be easily replaced by another bond.

His hands dove under my shirt, palms searing against my stomach, then higher, his touch desperate. The fabric shredded … I felt it rip, thread by thread, until he yanked it up and over my head, tossing it aside like prey he had no use for. The cool air slapped my skin, but his hands were already back, roaming, kneading, owning.

He buried his face in my neck, inhaling like he’d die without my scent. “Fuck, Allissa,” he said, the words shuddering out of him. “I thought I’d never—” He stopped, teeth grazing my throat, and I felt the tremor that ran through him. “I can’t … there’s no stopping—”

“Then don’t,” My voice was a rough breath of need. I wanted him just as bad … wanted him so deep. It felt like I’d been empty my entire life, waiting for this. I bit his ear, hard, and he shuddered. “I want all of it, Darren. All of you.”

“They can start dinner without us.” Darren moved me to the side, discarding his clothes and the remaining parts of mine. He looked over my body. I could see his eyes moving over my stomach as he thought about how he wanted to take me. Then he grabbed my ankles and pulled me to the edge of the bed. He wrapped my legs around his waist and lined himself up, sliding the head of his cock through the wet heat between my legs, teasing, and pushing in slowly.  “Mine.” He held still and locked eyes with me. “And I’m yours.” He waited for me to nod before he began moving, thrusting his hips into me.

He didn’t stop, kept moving, pushing, pounding, lost in the rhythm of us. It was wild, quick, and needy. My release was building up way too fast, and I could see he was getting close, too. My hips bucked to meet him, and he rammed deeper inside me, grinding against me. I screamed, didn’t care who heard, didn’t care if the whole palace shook with it. He continued to thrust while I orgasmed until he was groaning my name. He gripped my hips and buried himself deep, putting pressure on my sensitive mound that made me come again.

It was fast, greedy, wild, and everything we both needed. He slowly pulled out and lifted me up in front of him. He leaned down and kissed me, slowly, taking his time this time.

“Now that we’ve had the appetizer, let's get a quick shower and then real dinner.” I giggled as his eyes moved to the bed again. “I mean real food. You haven’t eaten properly, and you’ll need your energy to keep up with me tonight.”

“That’s exactly what I have in mind, too. Glad we’re on the same page, my queen.”

He washed my body in the shower, and I washed his. We let the hot water cascade over us, holding each other. For a moment, we just needed us, needed this, to be connected, and to be one. Before we got back to the war, and all the trials that still awaited us.

We just needed … a moment.