Chapter 22

In an exhausted sleepy haze, it registered that Arius was patting my hip and kissing my neck. “I need to show you something.”

I smirked. “I think I’ve seen it already.”

He chuckled. “Not that, after this.”

I dropped my arm from my face and rolled to look at him. His hair was all over the place. The shower and more playing in bed had been a bad idea. “Your hair is going to be a challenge.”

He nodded. “I know.” He leaned over and kissed me quickly. “Get dressed.”

I rolled my head to the side and looked at the gown. “I don’t have clothes here.”

He looked around the room. “Okay, let me get dressed and we’ll pop to your room. It’s almost dawn, so we need to get moving.”

“Dawn? Where did the night go?” I sat up, every muscle in my body buzzing from the long night.

He turned and looked at me over his shoulder, sending me a shot of passion through our bond.

I shivered and blushed.

I watched him pull on some jeans, then pick up his phone and tuck it into the pocket.

As he pulled a shirt out he motioned to the other side of the room. “We’ll get you a bigger sound system and set it up over there.” He put the shirt on then looked at me again. “Just as long as you promise not to try and teach me how to dance.”

I grinned, “Oh you have rhythm, and there’s no music required.”

He paused, then continued trying to pull his hair into a loose, tatty braid. “Don’t distract me.”

I got up on my knees, dragging the large sheet with me, watching him quickly put on socks and head to the closet. “You dress faster than I do.”

He smirked as he came back out of the closet. “Take my age and figure out how many times I’ve gotten dressed in my life.”

I opened my mouth then frowned. “Good point.” I jerked the sheet and stood up. “So where are we rushing to?”

Walking toward me, he smiled. “You’ll see.” He grabbed me, then we were standing in the closet in my room.

“Uh,” I touched my stomach, “warning.”

He walked along the row of clothes, grabbed some jeans and a simple black top. Turning, he handed them to me and cocked his head to the side, “no need for underclothes.” He grinned.

My cheek grew hot, but I took them and quickly put them on. As I struggled into a pair of running shoes, I paused and ran my hand over the pattern on his arm. “That looks good on you.”

Leaning down he kissed me. “And only you could have put that there.”

I smiled up at him. “I like that.”

Hugging me, he kissed the top of my head. “Porting.” He said quickly.

I opened my eyes and we were standing on some sort of stone balcony. I looked around. “Where are we?”

He hugged me against his chest. “The old palace.” He motioned so I’d turn and look. “You can see so much from here.”

I turned and looked. We were on top of a mountain. I moved closer to him and looked out as the sun started to reveal the land below. I could make out small towns and larger ones, miles of countryside. “Wow.”

He leaned down and kissed my cheek. “This is your new realm.” He hugged me. “You can walk all the way around this balcony and look in any direction.”

“Why doesn’t the family live here still?” I looked down. “Other than the whole way up in the air thing.”

He put his arm around me and walked toward large glass doors. “It was too hard to keep secure. My great-great—” he shrugged, “I don’t know how many generations back started building the tunnels to keep the royal family safe. It kept getting expanded into what it is now, with each king.” He paused and stood in the middle of a huge room.

I looked around, it may have once been a ballroom, or similar.

“Some still lived here while the younger ones moved to the underground chambers.” He took my hand and started walking to the open doors on the other side of the room. “Once the twin kings came to be, the whole family moved. Too many felt if they died, the throne was open.”

I frowned, “Troy and Chase? People wanted them dead when they were babies?”

He nodded. “There has always been one main family to contest my family over which was the true royal family.” He shook his head. “Willis Hubert’s family.” He motioned down the long hallway, where the faded outline of portraits would have once hung. “Hubert is older than the elders, I think it was his grandfather that fought in the first challenge for the throne.” He started walking again. “That’s when it was discovered that royal blood heals. And that only we could port without a device.” He smirked, “how you can contest that, I don’t know. No other line has that ability.”

“It’s like a neon flashing sign that the gods chose the royals.” I said in awe.

He nodded. “Exactly.” With a quick shake of his head, he opened a door and we began to walk down a winding staircase. “We didn’t ask for this responsibility, but for as far back as history goes, my family has always held the position and the burdens that go with it.” We reached the bottom and he slowed his pace, so I could look around at the tall pillars and molded stone arches. “We do so with as much honor and integrity as possible, despite the pain that goes with it.” He shrugged, “it’s a thankless task. My brothers and I, early on, decided we weren’t going to rule from a gilded platform and that we would personally see to the armies and protection of our realm and the other.”

I hugged his arm. “That’s so unlike most.”

Arius looked down at me and smiled, then his brow furrowed.

I turned to see what he was looking at. There were some crates in the corner, set up like a table and chairs. “Wow, that’s some ambitious teens, hiking all the way up here to hang out.”

He chuckled. “I was never that energetic.” He motioned to it. “I suppose if they got it up here, I could allow them the bragging rights that they accomplished it.”

Tugging on my hand, he pulled me toward large ornamental doors. “The original throne room,” he bowed dramatically, “Princess.” He smirked. Reaching for the door, he jerked his hand back when purple sparks flew from it. He backed up, pulling me with him. “Son of a bitch.” He hissed.

Going over to the crates he kicked the table and it flipped over onto the floor. Grey material fell out on the floor. Reaching down he held up a grey jumpsuit.

I held my hand to my mouth. I knew that jumpsuit. They were bringing captive women here.

Grasping my hand, he turned to a door. With long strides, and me almost running to keep up, he was out the door and standing on the stairs that would have been the main entrance. He looked down the long winding road and cursed softly.

I looked at it, trying to see what he saw.

Pulling my hand gently, he went around on the balcony until we were around the corner. He pulled his phone out and tapped it with jerky movements. Putting it to his ear, he hugged me close to him.

I watched the direction we had come from, my hand raised from my side.

“Yeah. I think I know where Hubert has been hiding.” His tone was quiet. “Don’t tell Michael until we know for sure. I just hit a barrier when I went to show Paisley the throne room.” He smirked. “Where else is there a throne room, Leone? Get everyone together, we’ll be there soon.”

He hung up and looked down at me.

I could see the vengeance in his eyes and reached up to touch his cheek. “Guess you better show them my beast.”