Bloodmark

by Aurora Whittet

  Quinn, Mund, Felan, and Flin were all here, but where were the girls? Where was Nia? Why was Baran not here to see me? Would Flin not let him in?

  “I will not ask you again, servant—remove yourself,” Flin said to Grey.

  I looked to Mund in a panic. They couldn’t take him from me. Not now. Not after everything we went through. We needed each other. I just held Grey’s hand tighter as my strength began to return to me. He leaned forward to my earlobe, lightly pressing his burning lips to my cold flesh.

  “I will never leave you,” Grey said.

  Flin stalked toward Grey and punched him in the jaw, but Grey didn’t fall this time. He simply licked the blood from his lip and continued to hold my hand. Angrily, Flin crouched down, preparing to escalate the fight.

  My jaw ached from the impact, but I dare not show the pain. Not here. I had to keep our love a secret . . . for now. I closed my eyes, trying not to cry.

  “Flin, stop this,” Mund said.

  Baran stepped out of the shadows of the room beside Grey. “You will not touch him again, Lord Flin.”

  “Stand down, Killian. I speak for the king,” Flin dismissed him easily.

  “Do you?”

  “This isn’t your fight. This is between this dog and myself.”

  “Grey is my kin, and you would be wise to choose your words more carefully, little prince. I do not fight for your king. I fight for Ashling.”

  Flin’s face was red with outrage. I could only imagine the horrible things that were running through his mind.

  “Flin, why don’t you go do something useful, like tell Mother that Ashling is awake,” Mund said.

  Quinn walked boldly past Flin to my side, sitting next to me as he roughed up my already messed hair. Mund sat at my feet and turned his back on his eldest brother. I had never seen my brothers take action against Flin. He stormed out, cussing up a storm. Felan stood back at the doorway, looking lost.

  “It’s good to see your golden eyes again,” Mund said. “We thought we’d lost you.”

  Quinn held a cup to my mouth, wetting my dry tongue. I coughed and sputtered unattractively, but my voice started to return, though it was barely a whisper.

  “What happened?” I said.

  Mund nodded to Grey.

  Grey lightly touched my face. “I went to our meeting spot, but I was too late. All I found was my father’s body. I couldn’t have imagined my father was capable of such treachery. I tracked you north through the forest, but as more time passed the less I could feel you; it was as if your soul had left your body. I almost caught up with you, but I followed the wrong trail—Adomnan must have left it as a decoy. By the time I found the airport, your scent had faded and I couldn’t feel you anymore. I thought you were dead.”

  “I thought you were dead too!” I said. “I couldn’t feel you, your heart, or even your pain. It was the poison of the silver blade—it blocked our connection and my ability to shift.”

  Grey continued, “It took me days to track Adomnan’s scent in Iceland. I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner. I tried. The gods know I tried.” Grey hung his head.

  Mund said, “When Grey saw your broken body in Dvergar Castle, his repressed natural state ripped free, and he shifted into a werewolf—he’s more of his mother than we thought. He saved your life, Ashling. If it hadn’t been for him, we would have lost you.” He shook his head. “Baran and I tracked Grey, but he moved quickly and didn’t leave a strong scent. So we were unable to catch up to him. When we finally reached the castle, the battle was all but won. What we didn’t realize was that it was Grey fighting, so we attacked him. It wasn’t until he shifted back to a human by your side, endangering his own life, that we knew what we had done.”

  “Thank you for coming for me. I tried to wait for you, I didn’t want to die. I want you.” I touched Grey’s chin so he would look at me again. His face was filled with regret. I saw a glimpse of his bare chest—it was scarred. I ran my fingers over the claw marks that had ripped through his chest. He now carried the mark of a warrior.

  “I can’t lose you again,” I said.

  My beautiful mother ran into the room and laid her head on my knees, sobbing. She smelled of vanilla musk and white wood. My mind swam with all my memories of her. I had desperately missed her. “Ashling. Oh my sweet, beautiful Ashling,” she cried.

  I pulled my sweet mother into my arms, holding her tightly to me. There would never be a day that I didn’t think to myself, I need my mother. “Mother” was the word of love on the lips of every child.

  As I held her, Mund explained, “You’ve been sleeping for two days, since Grey found you. Your body was extensively broken. We brought you here, and he hasn’t left your side once, much to Flin’s dismay,” he chuckled.

  Mother slapped his leg, shaking her head in playful disapproval. “Ashling, my angel, if it weren’t for this boy, I would have lost my baby girl,” she said, squeezing Grey’s face as only a mother could.

  Flin walked back into the room. Instinctively I grabbed hold of Grey’s arm. I wasn’t going to let him be taken from me. He was mine and I was his. No one could break that bond. He saved my life—it had to mean something to them.

  Panic rippled through me as Father’s large body filled the doorway, blocking the light from the hall. I was still angry for all he had done to betray me, but I had to admit, if it weren’t for his decisions, I might never have found Grey.

  “Ashling,” he said. “I have a gentleman to present to you.”

  He couldn’t even visit me without tainting the memory with his absurdity. Anger slid through me. I could see Brychan standing behind him. I hadn’t seen him since he offered to marry me. The anxiety of that day came flooding back, and I was that scared little girl again. I forced myself to breathe as I studied him.

  He was dressed in a full suit that was tight across his broad chest. He was handsomer than I had remembered—the years had done him well.

  His offer of marriage was still open. Mund had only bought me time; he hadn’t really won me a choice. Now that I was out of hiding, it would be appropriate for him to court me. There was no hint of playfulness to him, as he was here on business—the business of a bride.

  “Dear,” Mother interrupted, shaking her head disapprovingly, “Ashling is in no condition to see someone of Brychan’s status. It would be hardly appropriate.”

  Father nodded to her and led Brychan away from my chamber without another word. I was thankful for my mother’s keen observation of etiquette. She winked at me as she followed after Father, shooing Flin and Felan out with her. It was a temporary solution, but I was happy to have it.

  “Where’s Nia?” I asked.

  “The girls are all in the sitting room,” Mund said. “They’re safe. We’re safe.”

  I nodded. “What of Eamon? He tried to protect me from Adomnan. Is he healed?”

  “He is.”

  There was something Mund didn’t want me to know, something he was hiding from me. I could see it on his face. Had Eamon demanded my life for his brother’s? He was the king now, in his father’s and brother’s absences. It was his right to demand payment of a life for a life, for a king lost. But Mund wasn’t ready to explain whatever secrets he held, so I didn’t push him.

  “Baran, you really shouldn’t have kicked Flin out,” I said. “He will find a way to punish you.”

  “We all stand with you, Ashling,” Mund said. “Grey saved your life, he has proven his worth.”

  “But it’s dangerous to turn your back on Flin,” I said.

  “I will always serve you,” Baran said.

  Baran leaned down and kissed my forehead. I knew what he left unspoken—that he loved me as though I were his own and a member of his pack. I felt the same. I was honored to be at his side. I wondered if Grey would join in the Bloodbond of his pack and with it take his rightful place as a Killian? They were once a powerful pack, equal to the Boru.

  I looked up into Grey’s eyes again. He knew what Br
ychan’s presence meant, and his eyes showed his sadness. Underneath his rebellion, I think he only wanted to be accepted by my family. His father never accepted him, and even now that he was finally surrounded by his own kind, he still wasn’t their equal—he was a servant to them. I knew what the pain of rejection felt like. At least Mund and Quinn considered him family.

  “Let’s leave these two wolves to talk,” Mund said playfully as he pushed everyone out of the room. It was crazy to think Grey was now one of us.

  The door remained open. It was already scandalous to be left alone with Grey in a bedchamber. If the door were closed, I couldn’t even imagine what would happen to us. It would be Grey’s blood as payment for the offense. But I could smell Mund outside the door. He was giving us as much privacy as we dared take here. Grey lay on the bed next to me, listening to my heartbeat as he ran his fingertips over my pale skin. His breath was slow and steady. His strong arms were wrapped around my small body, protecting me from the outside world.

  “I gave up, Grey. I’m so ashamed.” I cried.

  “You fought back. You killed Adomnan. You didn’t wait to be saved, you fought,” Grey said. He was right; I had fought back and I won. I smiled. “It wasn’t until I reached Iceland for my revenge that I felt your rage rippling through you and I tasted foul blood. I knew then you were alive, but I still couldn’t track your scent. The snow hid your scent from me. I dropped to my knees in the forest and closed my eyes, trying to decide which direction to go. I had come so far and was so close to you, but still I couldn’t find my way. Then I smelled the faintest hint of your scent on the wind, and I knew your blood had spilled. I didn’t know how long I had to save you, but I knew there wasn’t much time. I followed your scent for miles. By the time I scaled the wall and got to your side, you were so badly injured . . .” Grey shook his head at the memory. “I thought I’d lost you again. I wanted to die too.

  “That bastard dared to hurt you, and the reality of your pain broke down the walls I had spent my life building around my rage—and it ripped free. The feeling was incredible, like I was tearing through my own skin. As I killed them, I thought there was no sweeter feeling in the world—until I felt you in my arms again. It melted away my anger, and only my love for you remained.

  “Mund and Baran rushed in to save you. They couldn’t have known it was me, so they attacked. I refused to fight them and shifted back into my human form, but not before Mund split open my chest.”

  As he told me about his journey, I ran my fingers over the scar again, feeling each of the places the nails had torn into his flesh. He had exposed his human form to two wolves to touch me one last time. Was that love—or insanity?

  “I’m sorry about your dad,” I said.

  “He’s nothing.”

  “But he’s your father!”

  “He betrayed all of us. You are everything to me. You are my family now. Ashling, I would follow you to the ends of the earth to be with you. I don’t care what any of them say—you were meant for me,” he said.

  As I looked at his loving face, despite all the desires I had coursing through me, I knew he was wrong. “You realize that when I was in your world, we couldn’t be together? I was the wolf and you the hunter. And now that you’re in mine, you aren’t even allowed to speak directly to me. All this time, I compared our love to that of Romeo and Juliet, but now I see ours is a love of far worse fate.” He looked into my eyes, the hurt I was causing was clear, but I had to continue. “Grey, we were never meant to be. We have to fight to be together.”

  Relieved, he smiled and kissed my shoulder where the scar remained from Adomnan’s hate. “I’d fight the gods themselves to keep you in my arms.”

  I captured his sweet lips with mine, kissing my love for the first time in weeks. The power of the connection pulsed through my body, reviving it. Every inch of my nerves ached for his touch. We lay there in each other’s arms for what felt like hours—though it may have been only a few beats of our erratic hearts. Our love was stronger than any bond I had ever seen between two mates, but Grey was only half werewolf. I worried the Bloodsuckers would come for him.

  “Grey,” Mund said. “It’s time.” He nodded to the door.

  “Mund?” I said.

  “We’ve been noticed.” Mund glanced out into the hall as footsteps approached. His eyes were filled with fear.

  Grey hopped off the bed and knelt next to it. “Rest, Ashling, we have dinner with the packs tomorrow.”

  Grey kissed my wrist before following Mund out to meet Father as the door shut behind them. I couldn’t see them, but I could hear and smell them all.

  “What is the meaning of this?” I heard Father ask.

  “We were just making sure Princess Ashling had everything she needed before we left her to rest,” Mund said.

  Father grunted. “I’m leaving a guard by her door to keep her safe.”

  But it wasn’t my safety that concerned him—I was trapped. With that, I heard them all walk away, and I smelled my new guest who lingered outside my door. It was Dillon, the head of the guard.

  Servants brought food into my room but left just as quickly as they came. I didn’t mind, really. I needed the time to process everything that had happened and accept what I had done. Most of all, I needed to find my path through the games ahead. Father was up to something—I just had to find out what.

  The next evening, Tegan swayed into the room with the aura of a goddess. “Ashie, don’t you dare ever run away from us again,” she said, tears filling her eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Tegan. I thought it was the only way to protect you.”

  “Well, you’re plainly wrong,” she said, laughing lightly. “We are a pack, and we protect each other. Now let’s get you cleaned up for dinner.” She gestured to the closet.

  I followed her into the bath chamber adjacent to the room. It was equally as beautiful as Calista’s other things. I didn’t belong in a room so exquisite. Underneath my family name and birthright, I wasn’t the slightest bit royal. But that never mattered to Tegan; she had never treated me any differently. She had always seen past my lack of elegance to the scared girl underneath.

  But the only thing I feared now was fighting my father for Grey.

  “All of our packs are here to receive you, to honor your life,” she said as she picked my dress from the vast closet. “Grey is being permitted to eat with the packs as one of Baran’s guests.”

  “One?” I asked.

  “Willem and his wife, Khepri, are here to receive you as well. I think Baran asked them here to help protect Grey from getting himself killed. If he acts too boldly or claims right to you in front of the council, your father will have no choice but to exterminate him.” Her words were soft, but their dark truth was a cold blow to my already unsteady confidence.

  “What do I do?”

  “We just have to get you through tonight. Your father has agreed it’s in your best interest to finish your education as well as not cause any more unwanted notice from the humans, so he’s going to send us all back to York Harbor. Tonight, be careful not to look at Grey too often. If your father senses you’ve bonded with him, he’ll be outraged. We have to hide this . . .” she said, “for now.”

  I nodded my head numbly. “Does Grey know of this?”

  “Baran is informing him of the appropriate behavior.”

  There was something else she wanted to say. It was on the tip of her tongue. By the stress on her face, I could tell she wasn’t supposed to tell me, but she wanted to intervene.

  “Tegan?” I asked. “What is it?”

  Her small lips pursed as she considered her options. “I think you have a right to know what you are walking into. Brychan is here. His offer still stands to court you.”

  “I know. I saw him yesterday.”

  “That’s not all. With the announcement of your safety, Channing Kingery has also asked to court you. As well as Eamon Dvergar. All three will be at dinner, and Mother Rhea intends to have a formal offe
ring. Eamon has vowed his pack to the council and with your hand would prove his loyalty. Grey has a lot of royal and noble competition. Now that he’s a wolf, the stakes are even higher,” she said, shaking her head. “Slip this on while I tame your hair.”

  She handed me an ivory strapless gown that formed around my curves. The thick gold trim accented my hair as Tegan pulled it back into a Grecian style. It reminded me of my mother’s pack, the Vanirs.

  “Tegan, I just want to love Grey.”

  “Chin up, Ashie, I can smell them.”

  She stood next to me as the door opened. Her posture was rigid but feminine. Mother and Father stood there in their finest. Father nodded to us as they continued past the door. Flin and Bridgid followed behind Father with their three sons. Mund was behind them; Tegan quietly joined him, scooping Nia into her arms. Felan, Cadence, and their son walked slowly past the door without the slightest notice of me, but as Quinn and Gwyn passed, he gave me a big smile and she gestured for me to follow them. I had never been to a council dinner, nor had I ever met most of the packs. I was walking into an unknown wolf den, and I was afraid. I wanted Grey by my side, but that would mean his death.

  I would have to learn to stand by myself . . . and I would have to learn to play their games better than they did.

  The doors to the grand dining room opened, and I could hear the entire room stand as Mother and Father appeared in the doorway. “King Pørr and Queen Nessa,” was announced as they entered the chamber. Father and Mother gracefully walked to the head of the table, taking their seats, as all others remained standing. I could see some of them through the crack in the door. I peered inside, looking for Grey, but I couldn’t see him from where I stood. Each of my siblings and their mates were announced one by one as they entered the chamber, until only I remained in the darkened hallway. I felt anxious.

  Father stood, getting everyone’s undivided attention. “I present Princess Ashling Boru,” he said.