Hugo tenderly brushed her hair back from her face. “Keep going. You can do this,” he encouraged.
Steeling herself to control the threads of her magic, she panted, needing Hugo to steady her hands whilst she worked on her hips and legs, and then twisting to heal her back as best she could.
Time passed; neither took note of it until Diamond’s wounds were nothing but angry purple welts along her skin. Utterly drained, she collapsed against Hugo’s chest, gasping for breath. For a moment they clung to each other, and Diamond wondered if she really would make it. With grim determination Hugo thrust his wrist at her, not listening to her protests. Catching the back of her head, he held her still and made her drink again. For a moment Diamond fought her overwhelming desire to clamp down on his re-opened wound, but it was no use. Moaning in surrender, she fastened her lips to his skin. Savouring his essence, her body became fluid, her limbs heavy. His blood was like a drug, and she sensed a raw and animalistic presence simmering underneath, a presence that was overjoyed by their joining. A presence that was still Hugo but also an entity in itself too.
Diamond gripped Hugo’s tense forearm, holding him to her mouth. She had no intention of stopping or letting him go. He was hers! Through the haze of euphoria and magic, it occurred to her she hadn’t used the mating words. Still, she had hardly been in any state to and Hugo had consented.
Gently, he wrapped a hand in her hair then pried his arm away.
“Enough,” he whispered, using his thumbs to tenderly wipe a drop of dark red blood from her lips. Diamond couldn’t drop her attention from his face as he carefully helped her dress. When the last buckle had been fastened, both of them sank down to the damp ground, eyeing each other with a mix of wariness and awe.
Diamond didn’t know what to say to him. The gift he had given her, the absolute trust he must have in her to let her see inside him—to become her mate—gods above, it was overwhelming. She could still feel the potency of him, of his power, buzzing through her veins, making her stronger by the second.
Hugo went to rip the sleeve off his shirt. Blood still oozed from his wrist.
“Wait!” Diamond breathed, then moved to kneel in front of him. “Let me heal you,” she said, swallowing hard. “Please.”
Her heart bumped against her chest as she felt his eyes boring into her. With sudden butterflies in her stomach, she used a gentle touch of magic to pull his skin together. His throat bobbed, the air between them crackling with unspoken emotions and questions. She sensed his love, his exhaustion and his underlying fear. A vivid picture of his guardian-self flashed into her mind. She winced. All this—being party to his inner most feelings—was overwhelming, but she couldn’t voice that or tell him how she felt. Their blood bond was as new and sudden for Hugo as it was for her.
His voice interrupted her thoughts. “We should try and get back to the wall,” he said quietly, as if nothing held less appeal.
Diamond nodded tiredly. It was then she noticed the strange armour that seemed to have appeared on Hugo’s body.
“It appeared on me when I shifted from my guardian to my fae form,” he explained, noticing her scrutiny of him.
The armour was beautiful. It looked similar to the armour Diamond had worn in her dream, but in fluid silver and blue scales. It hugged the contours of his body, emphasising the muscles beneath. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a dragon’s head appeared on it. The creature stared at her, then blinked before melting back and forming an outline on Hugo’s chest.
“A gift from your guardian?” she asked.
Hugo grunted his affirmation before turning to the wall.
The shadow of the great structure was silhouetted against the glow of bright flames from the forest. Sulphurious had decided to burn more in his fury. It looked miles away to Diamond, and her shoulders caved a bit.
Warmth enfolded her fingers as Hugo pulled her up. Avoiding his eyes was hard, but she knew if she looked up at his face she might just throw herself at him and weep uncontrollably. She had nearly died, nearly let her will to live simply float away. If it hadn’t been for this complicated warrior, she would not be alive right now. He had given himself to her. The greatest gift she could ever have. And it was unlikely she would ever stop reeling from it.
“We will have to talk about what just happened,” he said softly. “And we will. But not yet. Not until this battle is done. I will try and keep my emotions to myself until then,” he told her with a rueful smile.
Before Diamond could reply, before she could tell him how much he meant to her, Hugo turned away, letting his fingers slip from hers. Perhaps he too needed space to comprehend what had happened between them.
Chapter 50
The armour on Hugo’s wings retracted before he landed clumsily at the base of the wall. Knees buckling, they both collapsed. Hugo sweated and grunted with each breath he took, his skin so pale a bolt of fear shot through Diamond. She had taken too much blood from him.
Twangs of bows and bellowed orders echoed down from the battlements. All around them soldiers moved urgently about their tasks; none came to ask if they needed help or spared them more than a fleeting glance. Diamond was glad. It would be hard to explain Hugo’s weakened state to anyone.
She pushed herself up off the muddy ground. She needed to find him food and water and somewhere to rest away from prying eyes.
“Diamond!” Jack’s voice resounded from behind, making her jump.
Spinning on her heel, she pushed her exhaustion away and smiled at her friend. Jack hurried towards her, Zane and Gunnald at his back and Roin by his side. Jack’s captain stared at her wide-eyed, and Zane swore as he saw Hugo collapsed on the ground. All the fae inhaled as they came closer. Their eyes flicking between her and Hugo. Diamond didn’t notice. She was far too busy fighting a wave of nausea.
“What in the goddess happened to you both? There are stories flying around the wall about dark magic and red-winged fae and dragons. What the hell did you two do up there?” Jack exclaimed, catching her as her legs buckled. “Check Hugo!” he barked at Zane. But before Zane could even move, Elexon was in his face with a slight snarl to his lips.
Jack raised his brows. “Fine, stand back, Zane. Leave Hugo to his warriors.”
Zane did not take kindly to Elexon’s protective attitude. He gave the other warrior a long, hard stare before he grinned then stood back.
“I’ve been searching for you both all night. I wouldn’t have found you at all if it weren’t for Elexon.” Jack motioned at the fae warrior. “It seems he sensed you, or maybe Hugo, the moment you were back on the wall. Where have you been? What happened?”
Diamond took a breath. Jack was her friend, but she could not answer all his questions. Not now. Not ever. She and Hugo needed to discuss what happened, what they should tell people. And Elexon. If rumours were already rife, it would not be long before the Queen found out about him and his warriors. She glanced at the warriors who had formed a circle around the group. Their wings were back to gold, but Diamond realised now it was a manipulation of magic that hid their red.
A frown furrowed Jack’s brow as he realised he and his men were surrounded by a ring of heavily armed fae. Then his brown eyes flickered, and he seemed to shrug it off. He took in her dishevelled appearance, relief flooding his face when he registered the fact that Hugo’s chest was actually moving.
Diamond open her mouth to answer his questions, but Jack held up his hand. “No, you know what? It’s fine. Elexon has told me about the shadow attack, and Ragor has not managed to penetrate the shield again. You must have weakened him somehow. You can give me a full report later; just tell me what happened to you both. I’ve never seen Hugo in such a state.”
Jack eyed her ripped and blood-covered armour, but Diamond did not notice; she was too busy figuring out what to do next. Elexon caught her gaze and nodded his head slightly before dropping his attention to Hugo. An agreement and encouragement. He knew she would need to tell Jack something. Diamond wa
tched as Elexon dropped to his knees to check Hugo.
Right, of course. Jack already knew of Hugo’s magic. They had lived and fought together at Stormguaard, and the mortal prince did not abhor magic as the fae Queen did. Besides, she had to tell him something.
“Ragor took me. Hugo followed me, he fought for me. We managed to escape and then…” She stumbled over her words, not sure what else to say.
“Sulphurious. It’s okay. I’ve had reports of his attack. And the forest still burns. But there are stories of a second dragon. Did you see it?” Jack asked eagerly.
Elexon’s shoulders stiffened, and Zane narrowed his eyes.
“Er, no, we didn’t see anything like that. We had to run through the burning forest for the wall,” Diamond lied without flinching. She knew it wasn’t much of an explanation to the man who was running this war, but she couldn’t betray Hugo—not even to Jack. It would be a huge mistake. Even if she whole-heartedly trusted Jack, someone else might overhear.
Diamond quaked at the thought of what the clever, manipulating Queen would do with Hugo if she found out he had the power of a guardian. “Please, Jack. Hugo’s lost a lot of blood.” She swallowed a sob as exhaustion tugged at her frayed nerves. “He’s in such bad shape.”
Elexon helped Hugo into a sitting position, but her mate still had his eyes closed and looked deathly pale. As Hugo slouched forward over his knees, the strange armour shifted, exposing a pattern of beautiful silver marks on the back of his neck that curved around his collar bone and down towards his chest. Understanding dawned in Elexon’s eyes and, for a moment, they flashed red before he quickly readjusted the garments and covered the marks.
Diamond’s heart flipped, her fingers instantly curling around her sword hilt. She shuffled her weight as though relieving her stiff body, until she stood between Hugo and everyone else.
Zane moved his eyes from Hugo to her. Diamond wondered why he did not challenge her to explain the marks he had seen glowing on Hugo’s neck. Maintaining her composure was hard while she wondered if he would tell Jack. Hugo was hers now. She would protect him as fiercely as he would protect her. Drinking his blood had sealed his bond to her, even if she didn’t belong to him yet.
Her knees wobbled as she held Zane’s steady gaze. There was no arrogance or amusement there, only a gentle understanding as his eyes dropped to where she gripped her sword.
Shocked, Diamond realised she would do anything to protect Hugo, including kill for him.
Zane gave her a gentle smile and shook his head, telling her she did not need to.
Jack interrupted her dark thoughts, his brown eyes contemplative as he too eyed her grip on her sword. “It’s alright, Diamond,” he said. If he had seen the marks, he too was ignoring them. “I’m sure Hugo will be fine soon.” And he lost no time ordering his men to fetch food and water. Jack gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze before stepping back. He spoke to Roin in low tones, then strode forward and dropped to Hugo’s side, his eyes scanning the Queen’s guard. The rubies in Dragonsblood seemed to glint brightly as he moved closer to Hugo.
Hugo stirred and moaned as if in response.
“Hugo!” Diamond uttered, dropping to her knees.
Elexon quickly moved back to give her room.
Hugo’s eyes opened and he smiled weakly. “I’m fine, my love. I just need to rest.”
“Hello, my friend,” Jack said, grim-faced. “You’ve looked better.”
Hugo rasped a laugh.
“Relying on your mate to save you, are you now?” Jack joked, but Diamond could see the worry in his eyes.
Hugo’s eyes flew open. “How d’ you know?” he panted.
Jack grinned at Diamond’s blush. “Don’t worry, I haven’t suddenly grown a fae nose. Although the reaction of these warriors would give me cause to wonder—if you hadn’t just called her ‘my love’,” he pointed out.
Diamond didn’t know what to say. Jack, however, leaned in and kissed her cheek before grabbing Hugo’s hand. “It’s about time! Took you both long enough,” he chuckled.
Thankfully, Diamond was saved from explaining they weren’t fully mated when Jack’s soldiers returned with food. They helped Hugo into an upright position, then Diamond sternly encouraged him eat. She might have spooned the food into his mouth if Jack hadn’t snorted a laugh when she grabbed the spoon. Even Hugo raised his eyebrows quizzically, but his eyes and that strange emotional connection told her he would have let her feed him if that’s what she had wanted.
She gave him an embarrassed shrug. “Eat it all then,” she commanded. “Or I will feed it to you, elite guard or not.” Her heart flipped with relief as he smiled at her, his eyes glinting with amusement.
Sitting on the ground next to Hugo, Jack waited patiently for them to finish. Every now and then he would ask a question and listen carefully to Hugo’s answer.
After a time Diamond wished Jack would simply leave. She needed to talk to Hugo, to sort out what was would happen between them now, even if it was only to figure out how to control the bonds they had.
Her stomach roiled. Ragor had plucked her like a flower from the top of the wall. It had taken her too long to react last night, too long to control her fear. She needed to be quicker or others might die because of her hesitation. Hugo might die.
“You know, the flames are still burning in the forest,” Jack pointed out. “Ragor cannot send his main force against us until they fade. You should both rest for a while. You can have rooms in my turret. Or just a room if you prefer,” he offered smoothly.
Diamond tore her attention from Hugo’s face. She flushed, realising she had been staring non-stop at Hugo and not paying any attention to her friend or the warriors around them.
“Thank you, Jack,” Hugo rumbled and reached for her hand.
Jack smiled at them and helped Diamond to her feet. She brushed herself down as he thrust his hand at Hugo, who grabbed it and let Jack pull him up. Diamond breathed a sigh of relief seeing him up on his feet again, even though he swayed a little at first.
Jack walked with them as far as the turret, Elexon and Havron following behind Zane and Roin. After embracing Hugo, Jack turned to Diamond and leaned in close so his words were only for her. “I’m glad you are finally together. When this battle is over, we will get you both out—before the Queen can find either of you. Remember I offered her my ships?”
Diamond nodded, her heart thumping madly.
“Well, I did not tell her about all of them. I have one more, in hiding…”
He grinned at her expression. “Every good monarch has an escape plan, Diamond. All you have to do is rid us of that Wraith Lord, then you can both run,” he said, kissing her cheek before striding away.
Elexon was talking earnestly to Hugo, and Diamond decided their conversation was best not interrupted.
“We will join our warriors later,” Hugo informed her as Elexon strode away, his wings folded tightly into his back. “Elexon will be with Captain Reese on the wall. Havron is to be our guard. He too has red magic and can help defend us if necessary.”
Diamond did not question him; she was far too tired to ask what he and Elexon had discussed.
Havron nodded and held the door open for them, bowing slightly as they passed. The blonde warrior remained at the base of the stairs whilst a servant showed Diamond and Hugo to separate rooms. They were both too exhausted to argue. Giving her a rueful smile, Hugo brushed his lips on her forehead before heading into his room.
Chapter 51
Hours later, Hugo descended the stairs, his new armour moving fluidly with his body.
The guardroom was deserted except for Havron, who stood guard at the base of the stairs. Hugo exchanged a few words with the warrior before heading to the kitchen and talking the cook into handing over some cold chicken, bread and two tankards of wine. Balancing his cache, he ascended the stairs to where he knew Diamond slept.
He quietly let himself into her room. His breath caught in his throat at the sigh
t of her. Placing the food down, Hugo sat on the edge of her bed, happy to watch her sleep and to listen to the precious sound of her soft breaths. He rubbed his tired eyes while his stomach clenched painfully. He had come so close to losing her. Offering her his blood, even knowing what that meant, had been the only way to save her. He would not feel guilty. She still had a choice. She was not bound to him fully yet. His chest caved at the thought of her rejection. It does not matter, he told himself. If that is her choice I will respect it. It would kill him to see her find another to love, but it would not change the fact that his heart and soul belonged to her forever.
Hugo scrubbed his face harder. That day, months ago, when he had first looked in Diamond’s violet eyes, he had awoken from a trance of emptiness and horror. It had taken him so long to realise how precious she was to him. Now he had the chance of a future—with her. He would get her out of the city and away from those who sought to harm her—even if she ultimately rejected his feelings for her.
He flexed his wrist. Only a purple scar remained. Healing had never been a problem for Hugo, but his strength after such a short amount of rest was astonishing. For a brief moment he closed his eyes, trying to ignore the questions he had about the dragon that lived inside him. Never had he heard or read about a dragon shapeshifter. It was true Hugo didn’t know his origins, but he doubted very much he came from the land of Eternity. Other kingdoms still worshipped the goddess and her guardians. He had heard rumours of fire breathing dragons being spotted in the Fire Mountains and the Sky Desert. He groaned. Gorian. His old friend had told them to head to the Fire Mountains when they managed to escape. The old bastard always knew more than he let on, Hugo huffed a quiet chuckle. Maybe he knew what was inside me all along.
Opening his eyes, Hugo stared at Diamond’s lovely face, his gaze resting on her mouth. A curious feeling of warmth and love spread through him, which soon turned into something far more feral. His mind drifted back to their hot kisses and hungry touches. Face flushed, he shifted his body. He curled his fingers into the bed sheets to restrain his need to kiss her.
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