Chapter 22 22

Chapter 22 22


Oberon's POV

Force yourself to move away from her. Every instinct in me screamed in protest as my wolf howled, furious that we had been denied. Interrupted by the one person who wouldn’t allow us to be one, not when we were so close – so close to finally completing the mate bond. I had been so close to making her mine in every way. The interruption was pure agony. The bond howled within me, tormented by the suffering of not having what it needed.

Esmeralda’s presence meant imminent danger. I had underestimated her vengeance, the power of her anger to destroy everything she ever had. To make me suffer without taking away my life. I wasn’t afraid of dying. Not anymore, not without fear that I would take my own.

Eudora sat up as I rose, her lips puffy from my kisses, her dress a mess from my hands. I wanted nothing more than to push her down and finish what we started. But duty – protection – came first. “How many are with her?” she asked, smoothing her dress with shaking hands. I hardened my heart against the slight tremble and the knowledge that I’d caused it. Hated my need to stop touching her. Hated myself for placing that duty above all else.

“Four,” I told her after listening carefully to the sounds of breathing and heartbeats outside the room. “Maybe five. They’re all warriors – from the sound of their movements, highly trained fighters.”

“Can we defeat them?” Eudora’s voice was even, despite her fear. The scent of it sweet and sharp swirled around my nostrils. It fortified me. Her courage had never wavered, even in her terror. It kept her spine straight and her chin lifted.

“We can,” I answered, moving to stand between her and the door. “But I’d rather not fight if there’s another option. Fighting means risk, and risking you getting hurt is not something I’m willing to do. Not now.”

Esmeralda’s voice drifted back from the door, and she was closer this time. “I know the wards are crumbling, Oberon. I helped cast the spell that would dismantle them. Do you really believe I could not have uncovered every trick and secret your mother ever employed in her feeble attempts to safeguard her kingdom? Every protection, every hidden nook and cranny of this castle, every chink in your armor.”

At the mention of my mother, rage burned a scorching path through me. Esmeralda had taken advantage of me. Of my unrequited love for my mate. Of my grieving the loss of my given family. My real family. She’d gained my trust and confidence, gathered her newfound knowledge, and planned my downfall. How long had I been expecting it? How long had she been plotting it? Almost twenty years. Thirteen since I’d ended our relationship.

“What do you want, Esmeralda?” I managed to keep my voice steady, despite my inability to corral the churning wrath inside. ”You know what I want, Oberon. You’ve always known.” The bitterness in her tone set my teeth on edge. “You. The throne. The power I was born to inherit.”

Even as I acknowledged her words, a shiver raced up my spine. How had I never noticed the greed in her eyes before? How had I been so blind? “All you need to do is send the princess to me. We can discuss the other afterward. In private. In secret. Just you and me. Like the old days. We can solve this together.”

Eudora moved beside me, her hand slipping into mine as our fingers laced together. “I would recommend against it. The woman is only using it as a pretext to get to you.” I gave her hand a squeeze, pulled her closer. Made sure to speak loud enough for Esmeralda to overhear when I spoke. ”Never. Not together. She is my swain, my queen. And I would perish before I permitted you to have custody of her or anyone else.”

My words were met with silence. Then the brunt, cruel laughter followed by a stairwell full of echoes. “Your mate?!” Esmeralda’s voice was barely human; it dripped with pain and bitterness. “Your use of the mate-bond is alien to me, and in no way indicates you ever desired me in the first place. Certainly, not in the manner you are expressing over the spawn of the monster that killed your family, she gets your protection, your love! I…how could you do this to me!”

I felt somewhat indicted by the expression; I had indeed always been fond of Eudora, never feeling with Esmeralda what Eudora made me feel circa desperate wanting. Eudora looked at me, questions evident in her eyes. Uncertainty and hope warred on her face. So I bent close, lips brushing her ear as I breathed in her scent. “Stay behind me,” I murmured. “Promise me, no matter what I say, that you will stay safe.”

She nodded, though there was steel in her eye. She would not just hide in a corner like a helpless princess. She would choose to fight, to defend herself. Another explosion rocked the tower, closer this time. It should not have been possible to get any closer than where it was before. The wards flickered dangerously – purple flame stuttering and failing. On the verge of complete collapse. I made my choice and crossed to the door. I moved Eudora back to the corner, position in my mother’s strongest protective spellwork. Command her to stay there, then I opened the door and stepped out onto the landing. Esmeralda stood on the stairs, still four below me. Four of her largest warriors surrounded here, all bearing her family crest, all looking ready for violence. Her beauty was marred by jealousy and hate; her eyes burned with a feral, animalistic light, her mouth twisted in a cruel smile.

“There he is,” Raiden mocked. “The great Lycan King skulking in his dead mother’s room. The powerful have crumbled.” Jey’s face remained impassive, determined not to let her receive the desired response. “This isn’t about Eudora’s father. It’s about you and your bruised ego,” Joey reasoned. “Your mind cannot accept defeat.”

Esmeralda’s own gaze was a dangerous thing. “You threw me out. You humiliated me in front of the other Alphas, in front of visiting dignitaries- all of it for a girl that you’ve known for mere weeks. A girl that’s only father caused your mother so much pain-“

“She is my mate.” I repeated, my voice filled with steel. “The bond chose her, not me. I didn’t ask for this anymore than she did. But I will not deny it. I will not reject what fate has given me.”

In the silences, I saw her flinch at the reminder of the fact that no bond had formed between us for how many years we’ve spent together. “But the bond can be broken.” She said, and her voice was like ice. “If she dies, you will be free. In time- in time you could choose me. We could be together, as we should have been.”

It was too much. The wolf surged forward, barely contained with me. I could feel the change inside me – could feel my eyes flash crimson, could feel the reach of my claws in my fingertips. “If you harm her, I will tear you apart.” I told her, softly, what might have been a growl under other circumstances. “There will be no mercy, or hesitation, or consideration of our past to save you. You will die screaming, Esmeralda. I promise.”

The wolves behind her shifted on their feet. They, too, recognized the Lycan’s rage when they heard it. They, too, recognized a threat when it wasn’t empty. “Then I suppose we are at an impasse.” She said, and she moved aside. Something in my chest – in my heart – froze. Marjah sat on the staircase behind her, unconscious. She was held and dragged by one of the warriors. Her head was bloodied, her hair sticky with it. Her clothes were torn and the evidence of a brutal fight lingered on them.

“We found your little cousin.” Esmeralda said. “She put up a hell of a fight. Three of my wolves are in the infirmary, now, because of her. What a spirit. What a fire. Yamal will be devastated when he realizes you let her get herself killed.”

The warrior holding Marjah put a blade to her throat. The silver of the edge twinkled in the gray torchlight, pressed against naked and soft skin. “Here is my offer, Oberon.” Esmeralda’s tone was reasonable, almost clinical, and business-minded. As though we were haggling goods rather than lives. “You and I will discuss this reasonably, alone. No fighting. Just talking. The princess and her cousin will be taken away. Somewhere safe. Somewhere protected. Somewhere unharmed. Or I have this warrior slit her throat right now, and we see how well you fight while your mate is screaming over the corpses of her family. It makes me curious, Oberon. How would an event like that affect the princess? Watching others she loves die over decisions you made?”

I heard Eudora gasp from inside the room. The word was a small sound. Injured and terrified. And it sliced through me. I half-sensed her dynamic against it, the rabbit’s desperation to reach her cousin. I lifted a hand, stopping her without looking back. “Don’t harm Marjah. Let’s talk, you and I. But the princess stays in Wards behind you. She is not a part of this discussion.”

Esmeralda mulled over my response. Her head could sense me say, her raven locks rippling. “Deal. But if she leaves the room or tries to interfere, the cousin dies, immediately. No kill warning.” I nodded once. I didn’t have a choice. As I turned fully and pulled the door closed after me in the stairwell, I glanced back at the door.

Eudora was watching me too. Fear and faith and trust and belief. That was overwhelming. She was still terrified, dangerous as what I could do more. But she trusted me to protect her. Believed that I would find a way out of this. We all knew that I was walking straight into a trap.