“I don’t know what you’re getting at, Rosalyn,” she says naively as she walks around me. “Also, what did he do to calm you down? You know you two aren’t supposed to be alone together, right?”
“I’m not in the mood for games right now, Allie.” Honesty sounds in my voice as I walk to my bed. “Just tell me what you told him.”
Her steps are heavy as she follows me. “Normally, you would side with your sister in matters like this, not a guy who’s been playing games with your heart.” She sits down on the bed next to me, a slack expression on her face as she grabs my hand. “Rosalyn, he sent me to see Mother when she didn’t ask for me. Do you understand what happens when you interrupt our mother for no reason?” Gently, I shake my head once. “Let’s hope you never find out. All I did was tell him it would be unwise for him to do such a thing again,” she growls.
I’ve had it with these two. You’d think I’m the older one and they’re the children. “Would it kill you to get along with him for my sanity?” I ask, slamming my hands down on my bedspread. “One of you has to stop this war because I’m sick of being the one stuck in the middle. He’s my best friend, and I love him, Allie.”
She tucks my hair behind my ear. “You have no clue what type of man you’ve unwittingly decided to love. That vision you had of him is just a small portion of the side of Xavier you never get to see. Take it from someone who’s been around a lot longer than you, guard your heart before you get hurt, little sister. Xavier always leaves a trail of broken hearts behind him.”
“I’m going to stop this conversation before it turns into a fight. I’m getting dressed so we can go for a walk. You owe me some answers about our brother,” I state as I shoo her out of my chamber.
When I open my bureau, I search through it for my royal blue dress and matching cloak. There’s a swirling red design along the collar spreading out in four lines from the center of my breasts. The cloak has white fur lining the top, which I tie around my neck as I look at the door. Even though my palms are sweaty, I know this talk will be good for us. Plus, we need to talk about Benjamin. He was my brother, and I deserve to know what happened. Taking a deep breath, I make my way across the chamber and grip the door for a moment before opening it and stepping into the corridor.
My sister hears me and turns. Her eyes get big as she sees me, and she smiles. “You look stunning. Are you trying to impress someone?”
And just like that, we’re back to our normal, sisterly relationship. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” I goad. We both burst out laughing, and she comes to me and gives me a side hug. “I’ve missed joking around with you,” I tell her as I squeeze her back. “We barely spend any time together.” I’ve always looked up to Allie, and I take comfort in being around her. Even though she’s my older sister, she’s always treated me like a mother should, which is why I confide in her so much. No matter what, she’s always there for me when I need a shoulder to cry on, unlike our mother.
Allie squeezes me tighter. “Are you feeling better than you were this morning?” Her voice is gentle as though she’s afraid to ask.
Disconnecting myself from her, I turn and grab both her hands, squeezing them together. “Yes, better in some respects. Let’s get out of here.” The cold air is what I need to recharge. Allie nods her head and puts her arm through mine. We make our way down the corridor, and the sun shines through the windows overhead. There’s a soft whine of a door as we turn the corner, and I see two guards dragging an unconscious Scarlett by her arms. My arm leaves Alizon’s to cover my mouth. First my vision last night, and now this. How much senseless violence do I have to experience today?
Tears collect in my eyes again as I whisper, “Oh my god.”
This is my fault. If I hadn’t given my mother her name, this wouldn’t have happened. My nails bite into the palm of my hand as I clench my fists to stop my hands from shaking. Her unconscious body makes its way past me, and I see small cuts all over her face and every visible piece of skin. Her arms are misshapen like they’ve been broken multiple times, and every inch of her is black and blue. My mother even went as far as shaving her head. If she weren’t immortal, she’d be dead.
With tears flowing down my face, I look at Alizon. “I never wanted this,” I cry. “I never would have given mother her name if I knew she was going to do this.”
A voice, distinctly Lawrence’s, firmly says, “No, if I had stopped what happened in the training room from occurring, this wouldn’t have happened.”
I turn around to run, but a hand grabs me and stop me, and I hear his thoughts. I’m not going to let her take the blame for this. This is my fault and will remain my fault. She’s innocent in all this.
His thoughts aren’t going to stop me. Ripping my arm away, I run fast and don’t stop. My tears blur the healing rooms as I pass, and then I’m bounding out the door and hitting ice-cold air. Alizon screams for me to come back, and Lawrence’s heavy boots are right behind me, but I don’t care. A second guard tries to chase after me, but I run faster. My number one priority is getting away from these people so I can be alone.
Tripping over something, I fall flat on the ground. That’s when I realize I’m in the forest. Surveying the area, I see a gathering of trees. I rapidly crawl to it because I hear snow crunching nearby. Flipping my cloak over me to blend in, I gather my knees up and softly cry. If this is how my family acts, and they don’t feel it’s wrong, I don’t want any part of it. Feeling my eyes get heavy, I fall asleep.
I hear howling, and a brown wolf races toward me . . .
Chapter Six
Alaric
Sprinting toward the Wildlands to save my girlfriend is the last thing I should be doing. Of all the asinine things my sister has pulled, this has to be the biggest one. This stunt could kill Jacqueline. Brailyn and her best friend, Steise, will answer for this.
I push my wolf harder to make it in time. Jacque’s been blindfolded and my lovely sister placed her close to the edge of the Wildlands, telling her if she could make it back to the castle, they would be friends with her. Now, I have to save my girlfriend and pray nothing’s happened to her.
She’s about to step beyond the protection of the forest when I’m twenty seconds from her. My heart skips a beat as fear races through my blood. Howling, I push myself faster. Right when she steps her first foot out, I tackle her into a tree. She whines, and even though I’ve hurt her, I sag with relief. I lick the side of her face. By no means am I ready to lose her yet. My teeth remove her blindfold so she can see me. Her green eyes, which are the color of the wild grass, look around, and she growls. She realizes where she is. I motion for her to follow me back to the castle, and we take off at a run.
Our kingdom of Lapshire is surrounded by a forest full of tall trees and smells like everything is blooming year-round. There’s a distinct smell of pine in the air, and you have to watch where you’re going because of all the plant life. There aren’t many paths between the trees, and the exposed roots could easily trip you. I turn to be sure Jacque’s still following me. Running as wolves, it takes us about an hour to make our way to the castle.
Nearing the ward surrounding the village of Lapshire, we slow down. For as long as I can remember, there have been clothes hidden on the edge of the village for all the wolves in our kingdom. Lapshire is the only kingdom that gives sanctuary to people seeking amnesty from the other three kingdoms. We are the protectors of life. The amount of injustice we see makes me sick. The mortal kingdom of Endennia seems to be where most of them are fleeing from. We don’t know exactly what happens inside that kingdom because when the humans get here, they have a form of amnesia. They remember who they are, but not what happened to them while they were there. There is a village just beyond the trees where we house the refugees, so we change back into our human form so we don’t frighten them.
Ducking behind a tree, I get dressed and check to see if Jacque has done the same. When I step back into the small clearing, I see she’s wearing a black dres
s, and there are tears in her eyes. Rushing to her, I crush her to my body with relief. If I’d lost her, I don’t know what I would’ve done. She came close to death today, and it’s my job as her potential mate to calm her down and make sure she’s okay. I smooth back her fiery red hair and tilt her head up so I can see her eyes. Leaning my head down, I softly kiss her lips. By the way her lips shake against mine, I can tell she’s still reeling from her experience. Not wanting to force her to walk, I whip her up into my arms so I’m holding her against my hard chest. She snuggles against me, and the warmth of her tears trickle against my skin.
Making sure I don’t make a scene as I walk through the village, I draw her up even more to hide her face and hurry to the castle. As I pass the guards, they salute me. I nod in return. Being the prince means I am responsible for showing them the same respect they show me.
Our village is large, but we make it through quickly. The houses are made of wood from the trees in the forest. They’re small but perfect for the families who seek refuge here. It would take an hour to walk around our castle from the outside. It’s constructed with gray stones and is four stories high. It was built to protect. As I push open the reinforced wooden door at the front of the castle, the guards snap to attention. I glide past them in the direction of my chamber to the right of the entrance. When I walk in, there is a lot of activity, but I have no time to figure out what’s going on. I carry Jacque up the curved stairs to my right and walk down the maze of corridors. The first room we pass is the meeting room, and then I make another turn and head toward the hallway where my family’s chambers are kept. The walls are gray and white stone and green material hangs over the windows to represent the royal colors.
When I finally reach my chambers, I push open the door, making sure I don’t hit my wardrobe that’s right beside it. Lifting Jacque up higher in my arms, I place her softly on my forest green and gold blanket before climbing over her. I pull her against my warm skin, holding her just to make sure she’s safe. Soothingly, I rub her back as I stare at the sitting area across from my bed. She still shakes and hiccups, but soon she calms. I look down and wipe the tear stains from her cheeks. She’s the only girl I’ve loved, and seeing her like this twists a knife in my guts. Gently, I lift her chin and brush my lips across hers, slowly tracing the seam until she opens her mouth for me. A burst of honey fills my mouth as I get a taste of the girl I love. She pulls away from me, and I study her to see if she’s calmed down enough for us to talk.
Brushing her hair from her gorgeous face, I ask tenderly, “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
Her doe eyes fill with tears again, and she quietly tells me what happened as she swipes at her eyes. “Steise came to me and told me they were willing to be my friends on one condition.” I groan with exasperation as she continues, “When I asked what it was, she told me that she and Brailyn were going to blindfold my wolf and lead me into the forest. They said I needed to find my way back by smell, and then they would be willing to include me.”
Shaking my head, I cup her cheeks. “Why do you let them play with you like that?”
Her lower lip trembles as she plays with my chest. “Alaric, I just want them to be my friends.”
“Honey, you guys have never gotten along. You should know if they come to you with any games, it’s going to end badly for you in the long run.”
She sobs and puts her head on my chest. She grips me hard as she mumbles, “Why do they hate me so much?” She continues to cry as I slowly rub her back until she falls asleep. My rage is about to boil over. I’m going to hunt my sister down and kill her for this. I’m sick of the games they continually play with Jacque, and this one endangered her life.
Swiftly, I take off from my chamber into the corridor. The first place I check is Steise’s chamber. I’m storming down the hallway when I run into my best friend, Thomas.
He grabs me by the arm to slow me down. “Dude, you look like you’re on a mission to murder someone,” he chuckles while eyeing me. Little does he know that his intended mate is one of the people I’m hunting down. Thomas and Steise have been together since we were young. The fact they haven’t mated yet is surprising. Steise reached mating age when she turned eighteen two years ago.
I brush his arm off mine and glare. He’s not the one who did this to Jacque, but I’m still furious. “Where’s Steise?” I ask between clenched teeth.
He steps away from me and regards me for a second and then steps right back in my personal space, baring his teeth at me. “Given how angry you are right now, I’m not letting you anywhere near my mate, Alaric,” he growls, pushing me backwards.
Power vibrates through me, and fur sprouts on my arm. With a deep snarl, I explain, “Your mate, along with my sister, almost killed mine—”
“Oh, she’s your mate now,” he interrupts snidely as brown fur sprouts up over his arms.
With a vengeance, I growl, and he cowers into a crouch as my power flows off me in waves. “Do not interrupt me again!” I snap as I withdraw some of my Alpha powers so he can get off the floor. His brown eyes throw accusations of hurt and anger at me. “Your mate, along with my sister, led Jacque blindfolded to the edge of the forest and told her if she could sniff her way back that they would let her hang around with them. She almost wandered into the Wildlands, Thomas.” My fists clench as I pace. “The only reason I knew anything was happening is because I ran into Brailyn, and she told me they were giving Jacque an initiation. She told me Jacque was out in the forest, blindfolded. Before I could get any more information from her, she ran off. I had to find Jacque on my own.” Taking a deep, calming breath, I run my hand through my hair. The fear from that moment courses through me as I remember tearing off my clothes and setting my wolf free. My eyes catch Thomas’s. “I slammed into Jacque right before she breached our boundary and was at the mercy of the fiends.” My voice cracks as I ball up my fist and slam it into the stone. A few pieces break off and fall to the floor.
Thomas puts his hand on my shoulder, and I almost turn around and hit him. It’s important that I calm down before I let my wolf loose. Right now, the woman I love is in my chamber alone, and I need to get back to her. The faster I talk to the duo who caused this, the faster I can get back to Jacque.
“Alaric,” Thomas gruffly says as he squeezes my shoulder. He’s begging me to see reason, slowly trying to back me off the ledge. “You should be in your chamber with her right now, not searching this castle hell-bent on retribution,” he tells me. “I’ll find them, and I’ll talk to Steise and send Brailyn to you. They’ll answer for this. Go back to your chamber so you’re there when Jacquelyn wakes up.” He puts his arm around me and leads me toward my chamber. As we head back, I feel turmoil and a presence in my head. It’s not my turmoil, though, it’s someone else’s.
Chapter Seven
Rosalyn
I slowly wake up. A sense of confusion fogs my brain for a moment, and I look around until I get my bearings. It dawns on me that I just had another vision, except this one was about someone named Alaric, and he could sense that I was there.
You’re still here, his voice echoes through my head. I feel like I’m going crazy, and I realize I’m still in the forest. The amount of violence I’ve witnessed in the past twenty-four hours is staggering. I’m putting all the pieces together when a branch snaps somewhere nearby. My heart rate increases, and I burrow farther into the cover of trees. It’s dark outside, except for the full moon overhead.
As the footsteps come closer, I hear Xavier’s voice echo, and I’m relieved. I slowly make my way out of the trees when I notice he’s with a woman in a guard uniform. Her black hair is braided into a knot on the top of her head, and I watch as she and Xavier bump shoulders. All of a sudden, I’m hearing Xavier’s thoughts. She is everything I could ever want, and I can’t wait until I get her naked.
Quickly, I block him out. I can’t bear to hear the rest of his thoughts. Choking back my tears, I hide once again until I can’t hear the
m anymore. The wait, hidden by the trees and snow, is excruciating, and shivers overtake my body. Snow from the trees above falls on me caused by the force of my tremors, and I hope that it’s not seen.
When I finally move, it takes a couple of minutes to warm up, I’m surprised I didn’t freeze to death out here. It takes longer to get back to the edge of the forest than it took me to get to my hiding place. Since I am not allowed out of the castle without an escort, I don’t know these woods very well, and I’m lucky I don’t get lost trying to find my way back.
When I reach the edge of the woods, I send Xavier an angry message. I make sure he can hear the anger in his mind, along with how much I’m done with his games. It didn’t take you long to find somebody new, did it Xavier? My heart is not a toy, and I am sick of you playing with it! I seethe with anger as I step into the clearing in front of the castle. There’s a shout as someone grabs my arm, making me jump.
Looking behind me, I see Lawrence with a grim look on his face. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you, Princess,” he informs me, leading me toward the castle.
Running off was admittedly ill advised, but they didn’t have to send the whole kingdom after me. I pull my arm from Lawrence’s grasp. “Why have you been looking for me?”
A dumbfounded look crosses his face. “Princess, you’ve been gone for hours. Your sister and the queen are worried.”
I can’t even imagine the trouble I’m in. Tears sting my eyes as I try to blink them away. Lawrence grabs my chin, pushing my face up. For once, I see kindness in his eyes. “Princess, what’s wrong?” he asks in a gentle voice as he catches one of the tears running down my cheek. My mind travels back to when I charged out of the castle and he grabbed my arm. Perhaps he isn’t as cruel as I thought he was. A part of me wants to lean on him, but one day of being nice doesn’t erase the lifetime of malicious memories I have of him.
Decadence (Tree of Life Series Book 1) Page 5
