Jayden resumed his task without uttering a single word as he looked at everything that had been done to her. When he was done, he covered her with the duvet and crouched next to the bed. "What did he use to whip you with?"
Mina knew to which he, Jayden was referring to. The terrifying moments she spent bent over a sofa while the Count hit her with his belt until she passed out made her sob. She did not want to cry in front of Jayden, but the stupid tears kept coming out of her eyes. Jayden stroked her hair until she calmed down to answer his question. "His belt," she said before asking him something she had been curious about for some time. "Jayden, what's in the manor's basement?"
"A torture chamber. And I plan to use everything on Count Dickman and all those that participated in your kidnapping!" Jayden replied.
Mina was glad that those who had harmed her would be punished. "When you mentioned your wolves, I thought you meant actual wolves, not shadows." She bit her bottom lip. "What happened to Caesar and the others?"
Anger danced in Jayden's eyes. "It was their responsibility to protect you while I was gone! They failed to do so, and I gave them a sample of their punishment!"
"Jayden," Mina softly said, hoping to change his mind.
"I know what you are thinking, little mate, and I won't change my mind. Aksel and Caesar promised they would take care of you, Kara, and the children. They left you unprotected, and I will make sure that will never happen again! If I could, I would let my shadows guard you, but they are part of me, and I cannot be without them for a long time."
Jayden kept stroking her hair while Mina stared into his eyes. She drifted to sleep before Caesar returned with the Fire Mage. When she woke up, she was in her and Jayden's bed. Her body was healed, and she could move without feeling any pain. A thin blanket covered her body; under it, she was wearing a nightgown. Her hair had been carefully brushed and braided.
Jayden was lying in bed next to her, his blue eyes fixed on her. "You are finally awake!" he said and buried his face in the hollow of her neck and wrapped his arms around her tight.
Mina frowned. "What do you mean by finally awake? How long have I been sleeping?"
"Two days," replied Jayden. His breath was warm on her skin. "The Fire Mage who healed you told me there was a possibility you could sleep for a day or two, but I was still worried... I will destroy the entire world before I let anyone else touch you again!" he vowed. Mina returned the hug.
"Thank you for saving me!" Mina whispered.
"I felt you were getting hurt, little lamb, and I was so enraged that someone would dare do that to you! Each time he whipped you, I felt it on my skin, and it drove me insane. If not for the chains, I would have destroyed Athea! It took the Lady a while to calm me down enough to let me free. When I saw you in that room, all bloodied and bruised... I will have nightmares about that moment for a long time. Each time I close my eyes, I see you like that..." He breathed hard, and Mina combed his hair with her fingers. "They will never sell any person again! I made sure of it!" Jayden said, and Mina wondered if he was referring to the Slave Hunters or another thing entirely.
"What did you do?" she asked.
"Hunt them down like the rats they were before taking them to the manor!" He kissed her neck. "Your prince came looking for you, but I sent him away, telling him you were sick! He seemed to be concerned about your well-being."
Mina huffed. "Prince Liam is not mine! You are!" She chewed her lip for a moment. "What about Ivy, Landon, and Violet?"
Jayden lifted his head and nuzzled her lips with his. "Aksel and Shin returned with them last night. Ivy's father is very grateful Aksel saved his daughter."
"Did something happen to them?" Mina asked and prayed the answer was no.
"Except for a few bruises, all of them are fine. The sea captain was not a bad person and claimed to have purchased Ivy and the little ones to save them from another buyer who did not have good intentions." Jayden thought for a moment before speaking again. "Mina, I am sending Violet, Belle, Landon, and the kittens to Ora Dorei. To my father. They will be safe there until we can join them."
"But—" Mina tried to protest.
Jayden narrowed his eyes. "I already told you we are leaving Athea to stay with an ocxoa tribe. Xander and Shin are coming with us. Shin is a Son of the Air and needs to learn things about his people. And I need to keep an eye on Xander. He is a troublemaker."
"That he is," Mina affirmed. "What about the coronation? I already missed King Baswein's funeral..."
"Since I let Prince Liam know you were sick, he understands why you could not attend. The coronation will take place in three months. Hugo has basically moved into our kitchen and refuses to leave unless he talks to you. Your uncle and Rosalyn, you know how they are—fuming because you were sick on the day of the funeral." He got out of bed. "I will ask Caesar to bring you something to eat. After that, I will prepare a warm bath for you. We are leaving in a few hours."
"Wait! Why do we need to rush things?" Mina asked, confused.
"I am not rushing anything. I hate this city with every fiber of my body! If I spend more time here than I need, I will end up burning it to ashes. And after what happened to you, my hatred grew even stronger!"
Mina could feel Jayden was on edge. While she wanted to visit Ivy, she knew it was better to do as Jayden asked. She slowly nodded, and Jayden went to the kitchen. When he returned, Caesar was with him, a tray of food in his hands. Caesar was walking stiffly, and his left eye was still swollen.
"Caesar, what happened to your back?" Mina asked after he set the tray on the table.
Caesar kept his eyes on the floor while Jayden replied to Mina's question. "It is part of his punishment. You can leave," he coldly said to Caesar before going to Mina, picking her up in his arms and taking her to the table.
He sat in a chair with Mina across his lap.
Mina folded her arms. "Why are you so cruel to Caesar?"
Jayden's eyes turned gold. "Cruel? I am not cruel! I am merely teaching my men what happens to those who fail me! They need to understand the consequences of their acts!"
"But what if I am the one to blame for this situation? That night I went to Oviella's Tavern and dragged Ivy and the others after me! I am sure the Slave Hunters saw us walking around town and..."
Jayden shook his head. "Someone sent them here. The house was empty when they got into the garden, broke the kitchen's back door, and got inside. Nothing would have happened if Aksel had been home, as I told him."
"But I am well now," Mina said in a low voice. "Besides, it was the Yeltane Festival!"
"Well? You are not well! You have been thrashing and screaming in your sleep! Crying! I do not care if it was Yeltane or not! Aksel could have used his right hand until it fell off!" Mina wondered what Jayden meant by using his right hand. "Do you know how fucking scared I had been? That fucking pathetic excuse of a human being could have raped and killed you before I could have gotten to you!" He stopped talking and clenched his jaw, and Mina leaned her head on his shoulder. He rested his palms on her waist. "Let me feed you before I change my mind and give Aksel another beating!" he growled.
After eating, Jayden prepared the bathtub for Mina. Once she was clean and dressed, she spent around an hour talking to Hugo while Jayden finished packing their clothes. Mina gave two sealed parchments to Hugo—one was for Prince Liam, telling him how sorry she was for missing the funeral, but her health was delicate, and she would have to spend a few weeks away from Athea. The other was for Ivy.
Hours later, two carriages stopped in front of Jayden's house. Three children, two men, and two kittens climbed into one, while in the other entered two children, a man, and a woman. Minutes later, the carriages left, one to Ora Dorei and the other to a small village close to the border with Hepys.
The next morning, Count Dickman was found hanging by his neck with his own belt from one of the warehouses in the port. All his clothes were missing. He had been severely tortured and castrated. Above the Count, written with blood, were the words, 'Count Dickless.'
The warehouse belonged to one of the most feared crime lords in Athea. Rumors said he used the warehouse as an illegal Slave Market. When Lord Ferry and the Militia went inside to investigate, they found the crime lord and all his men brutally killed.