Chapter 29: Stubborn
Akon
After I put Layla to bed…Fuck! I actually put a woman to bed without fucking her and then sending her on her way. Layla makes me a different person, or perhaps, she brought out the man I was supposed to be. Not this ruthless killer and power-hungry beast that challenged my own brother and forced him to share his rule with us all.
Showering with her felt natural, as if we had done it in a previous life. Maybe we have if such things exist for dragons. I know I told my brothers we could keep her here until we decide what to do with her, but the thought of killing Layla feels like a knife twisting in my gut. She’s my mate, for fuck's sake. The gods didn’t pair us together just so I could end her life. I need to talk to Adrik, Ashton, and Ayden before I bring her down for breakfast. We need to be on the same page, or this whole fucking situation could go to hell. I also know that Adrik had initially planned to collect the ransom for her and then hand her over to Kai, but we didn't attend the emergency meeting he called. I need to find out why.
I take a deep breath, the cool air doing little to calm the storm raging inside me. The hallway stretches before me, its intricate tapestries and gilded mirrors a stark contrast to the chaos in my mind. I set off to find my brothers, as I walk, my boots are thunderclaps on the polished marble floor. I find them in our training room. “Brothers, put down your weapons. We need to talk.”
I see a few eye rolls and hear a few sighs. My brothers might be some of the most vicious and dangerous dragons left, but they are puppies when it comes to discussing what I am about to. Adrik huffs, “If this is about earlier, I wasn't going to rape her. I wanted to scare her. The way she looked in my eyes pissed me off.”
I know why because it is the same look I gave him before I kicked his ass years ago. I suppose that is more proof that the little princess is our mate, but I have to get the others to see it. This goes beyond the black diamond. This is fate set into motion by the gods and goddesses. We would be fools to abandon such a treasure.
“She still fears that any of you might force her. However, she is willing to trust us, at least for now. I want her kept here permanently because I found her in our secret chamber, and she is a mate to us all.”
Adrik roars, “You found her where?!?”
I put my hand up. “She was in the chamber. She opened the door without force. Scrolls were everywhere, and a schematic was on the table.”
Ashton cocks his head. “That takes elemental magic. There aren't many of us left who possess it. She must have used the diamond’s powers.”
I shake my head. “That's just it, she didn't. I was going to put her in her room and leave.” I chuckle. “Instead, I gave her a shower and put her to bed.”
Ayden gasps. “You what?!?”
I shake my head as I slump in the chair. “I did what I said. The fucking shocking thing is that I would do it again and again.”
Ashton comes and sits beside me, as do the others. They look into my eyes. Adrik stares the longest. “No magic, no charm or allure. Fuck! She's your mate!”
I raise my eyebrow. “She is not just my mate.” I let out a breath. “She’s not like the others, she’s… different. She’s got this fire in her, this strength, and it’s not just the diamond. It’s her.”
I am met with silence as they all look at each other before their shocked gazes fixate on me. “I don't know if she could read all of the scrolls, but I know that she could read some. She knows that we aren't normal royal dragons. She knows of our ties to Kai and the Syndicate. She knows the layout of our kingdom, but beyond that, I am unsure. I do know that she feels the fated bond, and it pertrified her.”
Adrik glares at me. “She isn't the only one pissed by it.”
I can already hear him say that he doesn't want a mate and that my brothers and I can have her, but that's just his fractured soul talking. It isn't his dragon. His dragon knows and nearly went primal. I nearly did in the shower, but I remembered the fear in her eyes when he suggested using her as a breeder. But I also saw a fire in her eyes, and I felt the lightning in her touch. I know he felt it too. “Adrik, I am not saying that you have to accept the bond right now, just merely suggesting that all of us might one day. A fated bond is the ultimate treasure.”
“It is only a treasure because it is imaginary,” he sarcastically retorts. “Go believe in your fairytales. We are done here.”
“Fine, but she stays here and is under our protection.”
He turns and glares at me. Adrik’s eyes narrow, his fists clenching at his sides. “And if she turns on us? If she uses that diamond against us? What then, Akon? Will you be so quick to defend her when she’s got a blade at your throat?”
“She won’t,” I say, my voice steady, my conviction unshakable. “I’ve seen her, Adrik. I’ve looked into her eyes. She’s not a killer. She’s just trying to survive. And if we give her a reason to trust us, she’ll stand with us. She’ll fight with us.”
I see the war in Adrik’s eyes between his urge to run from fate and his trust in me. His fists clench and unclench before he says, “Fine. She stays until Kai is dead and I run the Syndicate.”
I look at my brothers, and they both nod. “Agreed,” I replied. He storms out, and we hear the door slam so hard it makes the swords on the walls shake. I chuckle. “He will come around.”
Ayden laughs. “Yeah, when hell freezes over.”
I look at Ayden. “It just might.”
“So what now?” Ashton asks.
“We get to know our little warrior princess mate and figure out how it is possible. Because the only logical explanation I can come up with is that her parents were fated mates,” I explain. “We know that the gods and goddesses don’t make mistakes.”
Ashton shakes his head. “If that were true, King Edward would have died when she did, and it wasn't because of the black diamond. It hasn't been unearthed yet, or I would have felt it. We all would have.”
“I know, but that's the only theory I have.”
Ayden puts his hand on my shoulder. “Fine, let’s just go with it. I am going to go shower, take a nap, and then meet you for breakfast.”
“Sounds good,” I reply.