Chapter 78
âIf she walked instead of teleporting, she might lose some of that excess. weight,â I told Shadow who totally agreed with me.
***
At the kitchens I send a little scullery maid to fetch Rhona. I couldnât exactly just waltz into the castle. It was hard enough to get past the guards alone. I thought I was home free waiting outside the kitchens but as luck would have it, one of the guards saw me.
âHey! You, there Witch!â The overgrown muscled creature stomped towards
âAre you referring to me, good sir?â
âYes, you! Are you deaf? Witches arenât welcome here.â
âSpeak for yourself! Go about your business. The lady is here on order from the king.â Beta Ross appeared right on time with Rhona behind him.
Thank the Goddess. I was about to turn the wolf into a puppy.
Cllapicino
RAINE
âI donât want this! I donât want this!â I woke up screaming from a horrific nightmare. But was it only a dream? Could it have been a vision?
âIâm here. Shh⦠Youâre safe in our bed.â Amaris hurried to my side to take me into his embrace. I clung to him, feeling his warm skin under my palms. Touching his face to assure myself that he was really there with me. That I was no longer trapped in that awful dream or vision.
Tremors shook my body as he caressed my back, the terrifying images still fresh in my mind. I couldnât stop crying.
âYou were dreaming, my love. Just a dream.â Amaris stroked my clammy hair out of my face trying to soothe my racing heart.
I wanted to believe him, but it was so real, the destruction, the cries of the dying and wounded ringing in my ears. But what upset me the most was that I was the cause of it.
âI have to leave. I have to go with the emissaries to the High Magus. Before I destroy everything.â I pulled away from him and jumped off the bed. Uncertain and disorientated I whirled around in circles in the middle of the bedroom as if I didnât know where I was.
to
Amaris grabbed hold of me, grounding me. âRaine, stop it! I will not allow you go.â He tried to shake me into clarity. âDonât listen to what the others are saying. You could never hurt anyone.â
But I did! I almost killed his brother!
âYou donât understand, Amaris! This was no ordinary dream.â The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was a vision of what was to come. If I didnât learn to control this power it would mean the end of the world. The end of everything. âYou have to let me go!â We had no other choice.
âNo!â He threw me down onto the loveseat. His large frame hovered over me, his eyes blazing as his hands gripped the back. âDonât you get it? Theyâre putting thoughts into your head to get you away from me. To weaken me.â
Amaris fell onto his knees in front of me. His hands gripped my thighs and a haunted look on his face.
âYou cannot leave me, Raine. I canât lose you again.â He buried his face in my lap. âStay. Say youâll stay.â
I combed my fingers through his dark locks. My heart felt like a stone in my chest, pressing down, making it hard to breathe.
âAmaris⦠You saw what happened to Sorin. Please, I couldnât bear it if I were to hurt you.â My tears dripped on his hair. âI didnât ask for this.â I wanted it
gone.
He lifted his head to look at me, his eyes glittering with unshed tears. âJoanna will help us. She will know what to do.â
I cupped his face in my hands, bringing him closer to mine. âBut what of your crown. Amaris? The packs will not have a witch for a queen. They will make you step down if you do not reject me.â The thought of rejection made Tasha howl piteously at the back of my mind.
He folded his shaking hands over mine. âI will never reject you! Never! Donât talk like that!â His dark brows drew together in a deep frown, determination clear in the set of his jaw. âI will change the laws and if anyone goes against me. I will fight them. Iâve made it clear.â
âThen my vision will have come true. Our happiness will be bought in blood. I donât want that, Amaris.â
âYou donât want to fight for us? For our pup?â I saw his wolf reflected through his eyes, looking hurt.
âI do. I want us. I want this. But I want to be accepted without forcing people to accept me. Donât you understand?â I hated unnecessary bloodshed.
âRaineâ¦â He got up. âWe donât live in a perfect world. There is hate, there is prejudice. Nothing will change that. We live in a violent world. But what we have, you and I, our love is worth fighting for. And I will move heaven and earth if I have to, but I am not giving up on us.â
âEven if it meant giving up your throne, your legacy?â I would never expect that of him.
He didnât hesitate. âYes. In a heartbeat.â
I shook my head, âYou might feel different later.â I knew how much it meant to him to be the ruler. He would never be less.
âWhat is wrong with you?â He pulled me up against him and took my left hand and placed it on his heart. âDo you feel that? It beats only for you and our pup. Donât doubt me, Raine.â
Looking at his handsome face, my dark angel, I didnât doubt his love for me, but I feared it might destroy him.
âI am afraid.â And I was. I was scared of losing him, scared of raising a pup on my own, scared of becoming something other than what I was.
âI know.â But when he me, our bodies locked against each other, and his scent wrapped around me, I almost felt safe. Because I belonged in his arms. His strong arms held me so tenderly as if I were made of glass. There was no other place I would rather be..
âJoanna is here.â Amaris pulled himself away from me to open the door. And there she was, standing in the doorway with Rhona by her side and I caught a glimpse of Ross behind them.
âThank the Gods you are here.â Amaris held his hand out to Joanna. âName your price, and I will award you, your compensation. And I need a favor.â He said, all in one breath.
Joanna smiled softly. âDo not be so eager to pay me, Your Majesty for my price is steep. What favor do you need from me?â
âRaine needs you to help her control this power. She wants me to let her go to the High Magus, but I refuse.â
âWill you be able to help me?â I wanted her to help me get rid of this power or whatever it was. I just wanted to be normal.
âI believe so, Your Majesty.â Joanna smiled at me and then turned to Amaris,
Chapter 78
âBut she will have to leave with me. I will take her somewhere safe.â
âWhat? Why canât it be done here?! She is safe here, with me.â
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âIt is too dangerous.â Joanna simply said. âThe place I want us to go is at the top of the mountain. It is secluded and no one will bother us there.â
Amaris shook his head. âNo, it sounds unsafe.â
âYour Majesty, my mother will protect her with her life.â Rhona said. âAnd I will go with them.â
âThen I will join you.â Amaris crossed his arms over his chest. He wasnât about to let me out of his sight.
Ross stepped forward. I noticed how tense the muscles in his shoulders were. He was clearly worried. âYour Majesty, you canât leave now while the castle is in uproar, divided between you and Sorin.â
âAmaris, please. You canât risk losing what support you have. Please, I will be fine.â I tugged at his forearms that were firmly folded together. âListen to Ross.â
Finally he relented and opened his arms to me. âPromise me that you will return.â His voice demanded, but his eyes pleaded.
âAlways.â I said and prayed that it was the truth.