Chapter 23 Who?
" You are safe now, Luna," Elio said with a big smile. "The King told us to let you sleep, but you have been out for a very long time. He wants you to wake up now."
I looked toward the window. It was pitch black outside. "What? How long was I asleep?"
"Most of the day. He is in his personal rooms now. He asked me to get you dressed and bring you up for dinner. He is waiting for you." Elio winked at me. "I hope you are ready for your second night with your mate. I can feel the love coming from you both all the way down the hall."
"Love? Oh, please," I said. I felt a hot blush creep up my neck as I swung my legs out of the bed. "I am just the hundredth girl he has picked. If he gets bored, he will throw me away like the others. Besides, I have my own reasons for being here."
I stood up, but my mind was stuck on what had happened in the woods. I stepped into the warm bath Elio had ready for me. The water smelled like lavender, and it felt amazing on my sore muscles.
"Elio," I called out from the tub.
"Yes, Luna?"
"Tell me about him. King Deacon. How old is he really? How did he become the King? And what happened to his family?"
Elio’s smile faded a little. She looked serious now. "Luna, I thought you didn't care about him," she teased, but then she leaned in closer. "The King is forty-five years old. My mother was the one who raised him. She told me he wasn't always this cold. He was a very sweet boy once."
I leaned back in the water, listening to every word.
"He was only fifteen when the Elders made his father kill his mother," Elio whispered. "They said she was a traitor. He was walking back from the gardens when he saw his mother’s body being thrown from the top floor of the palace. He hadn't even had his first shift yet. But seeing her fall like that... it triggered it. He changed into a wolf in mid-air and caught her. But she died right there in his arms."
I gasped. The water suddenly felt very cold against my skin.
"He ran away to the human world and stayed there until he was twenty," she went on. "He only came back when his father died in a war. He was heartless after that, until he met Lady Victoria. She was the one mate who finally made him happy again. He was so excited when she got pregnant. But the night they killed her..."
"What happened?"
"He went completely rogue. He killed every single person involved. On his way back from that war, he saw a house on fire. Even though he was full of rage, he stopped to help. He went into the flames and found a massacre. He stopped to bury the bodies. My mother said he buried three people: two adults and a little child."
My heart stopped beating for a second. Eleven or twelve years ago. A burning house. Three bodies.
"When was this, Elio? Exactly when did this happen?" I jumped out of the bathtub, splashing water all over the floor.
"The Luna died over twenty years ago, but the house fire... that was about eleven or twelve years ago. Why are you asking?"
I didn't answer her. I didn't need to. The dates and the story matched perfectly with the night my mother and sister were killed. The night my father came home with that crazy look in his eyes. Deacon was the one who buried my family.
"I have to see the King," I said. I grabbed a silk robe and tied it quickly, not even caring how I looked.
"But I’m not finished! Aurora!" Elio called after me.
I ignored her. I ran out of the room and flew up the stairs to the private wing. I reached his door and pounded on it, but no one answered. I pushed the door open, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps. He wasn't in the main room. I checked his library and his dressing room.
Finally, I saw the door to the big bathroom was open a little bit. I heard the sound of water splashing and a low grunt of pain.
"King Deacon! I have to talk to you...."
I froze in the doorway. My jaw dropped. The words I wanted to say died in my throat. I hadn't just walked in on my mate taking a bath. I had walked in on a sight that made my whole body feel like it was on fire. He was standing near the water basin, water dripping off his muscular, scarred back. But it wasn't just him. It was the person standing right next to him that made my heart fall into my stomach.