Chapter 22

LLOYD

She blinked at me uncertainly before assessing the easiest way to climb on my lap. I closed my legs and grabbed her waist so she could sit comfortably with her back against the wall and wrapped an arm around her middle protectively.

She had every right to be angry with me, but waking up to her smell in my nose gave me hope. She had no idea what it meant to be a witch, but here she was, trying to save me regardless.

Tanner was another one I should have trusted from the word go, but trust was a foreign concept to me.

“I’m going to link Frieda, okay?”

She nodded and shifted slightly.

~“Frieda?”~

~“Lloyd? Goddess, did Misty manage to break the curse?”~

~“I don’t know, but King Axel locked her in the chamber with me. He had some sort of…” ~I trailed off, searching for the word.

“What did King Axel fit to the door?” I asked Misty.

“A sensor.”

~“He had a sensor on the door and lights fitted. Tanner left a phone in the chamber, and Misty says King Axel is using it to track him. I don’t know how that works, but I’m worried Tanner and his mate, Chelsea, have been caught. Do you have any information?”~

~“I didn’t know he had a sensor fitted, but I saw him storming down the hallway and feared it was something like that. I linked Tanner immediately, warning him, but we haven’t linked since. He may be out of linking range. I’ve texted him, but the message hasn’t been delivered.”~

~“Let me converse with Misty. I’ll get back to you.”~

~“No problem. There is someone prepared to help. Adam is trustworthy, and maybe we can use him to get you out.”~

My eyes cleared, and I met Misty’s gray ones. “You will have to explain something to me. Frieda says she saw the king and linked a warning to Tanner but hasn’t heard back. She also sent a text but says it wasn’t delivered. How does she know that?” I asked.

A slow smile spread across her beautiful face. “If a cell phone is on, two ticks represent that the message has been delivered. They turn blue once the message is read. One tick means it wasn’t delivered, and if I’m right, Frieda’s warning came in the nick of time, and Tanner probably removed the SIM card and destroyed it,” she explained.

~“I didn’t understand a damn thing…,”~ Vetus said.

“SIM card?”

“It makes the phone work,” she explained.

I still didn’t understand, but it didn’t matter if it meant Tanner got away.

“Okay. She also said a male named Adam is prepared to help, and I will link her later and tell her our plan…”

“You have a plan?” she asked, hope shining in her eyes. “I met Adam. He was on gate duty when I came in.”

“Perfect. I hope he is trustworthy.”

~“She won’t like that plan,”~ Vetus said.

~“I won’t tell her till it’s too late. She is our only hope; even if she fails, I need to know she is alive.”~

~“I realize that but…fuck. I want to protect her.”~

“I do, but it means sitting on the landing for hours.” Unable to resist, I palmed her neck and kissed her. Tingles flared up, and my cock stirred.

Her lips were so soft, and I wanted to kiss every part of her body until I knew every swell and crevasse intimately.

I would love to make her mine, bury myself between her legs, and sink my fangs into her neck to mark her properly. I wouldn’t let her mark me—the king would notice that, and I needed to be able to link her to make sure she got away.

Breathing heavily, she broke the kiss and shifted on my lap, and I winced at the friction.

“Are we going to…?”

I chuckled. “I won’t take you in this Goddess-forsaken tomb.” Her face fell, and I quickly added. “Not that I don’t want to, but we must prepare for the king’s next visit.”

“Okay. What did you have in mind?” I pulled my T-shirt off, and she raised her brows and grinned. “I like this plan.”

“You need something to stow the crystals,” I explained.

“Oh, I have a bag. Didn’t you see it?” She climbed off my lap, and I bit back a groan and followed her.

She bent down, and I couldn’t suppress my groan this time. Even in jeans, her ass was perfect, and I was tempted to run my hands over it. But this was not the time.

She straightened and turned with a grin and held up the bag. “It’s quite dense and should hide the crystals somewhat.”

“So, you don’t want to wear my T-shirt? What did you do with the other one? Did you throw it in the trash?” I teased.

My brothers and I had teased each other constantly, but I hadn’t teased anyone since I was cursed. Misty’s mouth fell open in astonishment, making me grin.

She only knew one side of me, mainly because that was the only side I showed. I had had no occasion to be happy since the curse.

“Give it.” She snatched it out of my hands and pulled it over her head. “As for the other T-shirt, I’ll tell you when we get out of here.”

“What did you do to your hair?” I asked, fingering the reddish strands.

“It’s just hair chalk and will wash out. Chelsea’s birthday present.”

Birthday present? “Is it your birthday?” I asked.

She waved her hand airily. “It might be the day after. Not sure how long I’ve been down here.”

Pulling her close, I cupped her face and looked into her eyes. “Happy Birthday, Misty. How old are you?”

“Eighteen. I’m much, much, much younger than you,” she quipped. “Never thought I’d meet someone born in 1754, and I certainly didn’t think he’d be my mate,” she said cheekily.

“I might have been born then, but I was nineteen when I was cursed. If I calculate my age with every awakening, I’m twenty-one,” I defended.

“I guess that’s one way of looking at it. What did you state on your driver’s license?”

“My what?”

“Oh my god, you don’t have one, do you? Do you even have a birth certificate?” she asked pointedly.

I shook my head. I had no documents of any sort. “Tanner told me to drive under the speed limit so I wouldn’t be pulled over.”

Misty started giggling. “I can just imagine a cop stopping you, and you hand him a license that states you were born in 1754…”

Fisting her hair, I angled her face and kissed her soundly. Her breast pressed into my chest, and I savored every nuance, adding it to my Misty memories.

Breaking the kiss before I lost all my senses and self-control, I asked, “Are you going to help me gather the crystals?”

“I’ll hold the bag, and you gather the crystals,” she instructed.

I picked them up and dropped them into the bag, breathing in her arousal and committing it to memory. To have my mate by my side, for just a moment, was more than I could ever have wished for.

“I still don’t understand why you avoided me before the gala,” she said in a hurt voice.

“I knew then that you had no idea what you were, and I lost all hope,” I admitted. “All I wanted was to keep you and your parents safe. But then your mom didn’t come along.”

“Yes, she had a miscarriage. I haven’t told you what happened to her when she was six months pregnant with me. Goddess, half of this could have been avoided if you weren’t so stubborn and had just been honest.”

“I know. I have trust issues,” I said, pulling her into my embrace. “Before you tell me what happened to your mom, let’s get settled on the landing,” I suggested.

Grabbing the bag of crystals in one hand, I held out the other, and we walked up the seventy steps.

Sitting with my back against the wall, I held out my hand, and to my surprise, she straddled me. My cock jumped, and she grinned cheekily. She snuggled into me and wrapped her arms around me, her head on my chest.

I’d had no physical contact with anyone since I was cursed, and now I couldn’t get enough.

I breathed her in and kissed her head, but the probability of us living a life together was low. It tore a hole through my heart, but her life was much more important than mine.

“What happened to your mom?”

“She was at the Monolith and in terrible pain when a crone appeared and placed her hands on her stomach. The pain went away, and I am the only one she carried to full term. I think the crone was a witch, and she gave me her powers. Powers that I haven’t discovered yet.”

I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it was probably a witch, and that must be why Misty’s blood had that spicy tang.

I thought back to the day my father was decapitated and the Monolith was hewn in two. The witches had spat on his head and celebrated their freedom.

I vowed to kill every witch I found that day but didn’t know King Finn’s nefarious plans.

I was chained and put in the dungeon but soon taken to the throne room, where Kiralah cursed me.

I had no idea what curse was performed, but I could no longer sleep. I was put back into the dungeon for several days until, eventually, I was taken to the throne room.

King Finn gave me an alpha command to kill Kiralah. I didn’t need an alpha command. I wanted to kill her and exact my revenge.

Thinking back on it now, she never ran and waited for death. Only after I killed her did King Finn laugh heartily and tell me how he had poisoned all the witches, and no one was left to lift the curse.

He took great pleasure in locking me in the chamber and explaining what he’d done. I then felt the effects of the curse for the first time: a sluggish feeling, and my brain power diminished.

I lay down on the stone bed, grief, despair, and vengeance on my mind, but within minutes, I shut down completely.

The first time I woke was disorienting, but I soon learned what I could and couldn’t do. Killing the king was impossible; otherwise, I would have done it long ago.

“Lloyd?”

Misty broke my reverie. “Your witch powers, if you have any, will only surface on your eighteenth birthday, and you’ve only just turned eighteen.”

“How do you know that?”

“Perks of being so old.” I winked and kissed the tip of her nose, tracing her luscious curves and pulling her close. “I hate not being able to celebrate your birthday, but I promise to make your nineteenth spectacular.” I buried my head in her hair so she would not see the lie in my eyes.

“What’s the plan?”

“You are going to hug me very tightly. The minute we hear that clicking sound, I will mask our scent and hide us in shadows.

“When King Axel doesn’t receive a reply, he will investigate and probably move down a couple of steps, and that’s when we make our move and lock him in.”

Misty smiled. “Okay, but can you mask my scent and hide me in shadows? What about the crystals?”

“So long as you are aligned with me, the shadows will cover you and the crystals, and I can mask your scent, but we only have one chance. Which way did you come?”

“Through the front entrance. Frieda collected me.”

Fuck. I didn’t know what time it was and how many guards were on duty.

“Okay. I’m going to link Frieda.”

~“Frieda?”~

~“Yes, Lloyd.”~

I told her exactly what I planned, and she, in turn, told me that Adam was on gate duty and would help. She asked if he could link me, and I agreed.

Adam’s link came through a few minutes later while I was kissing Misty.

~“Lloyd? My name is Adam. Tanner was my beta, and I would like to join him. Frieda has explained your plan. Come straight to the front gate. I have a car parked down the street and will ensure Misty is safe.”~

~“Thank you. Does that mean you’re deserting? There’ll be a price on your head.”~

~“It does, and I don’t care if there’s a price on my head.”~

~“Okay. But know that if you’re lying, I will find you.”~

~“I give you my word.”~

Coming up for air, I stroked her cheek, wishing I could live a life with her, a life I had been denied and would probably never live.

~“She may be able to break the curse,”~ Vetus purred.

~“That’s why we need to make sure she gets away. I just hope it’s dark when that fucker checks on us.”~

~“She won’t like it. Calamity didn’t, but she understood why we couldn’t leave, especially if the curse woke us.”~

Misty was dozing when I heard footsteps and hastily masked our scent. I got to my feet and pulled her with me. I kissed her lips so she wouldn’t speak, and she caught on quickly.

Surrounding us in shadows, I listened to the clicking sounds of the locks. The door opened inward, hiding us from sight.

The lights went on, and the door opened a crack. King Axel couldn’t smell us and didn’t know I was awake.

“Is my feisty sneak thirsty and hungry?” King Axel said, not moving from the landing. When there was no response, he laughed. “Not answering your ~king~ leads to punishment… I’m going to enjoy that very much,” he chuckled, and I almost growled and wished I could boot him down the stairs. Misty stiffened, and I linked her.

~“Wait.”~

I felt her nod and held on until I heard King Axel move down a few steps. “If I have to fetch you, it will be much worse for you,” he said.

~“Now,”~ I linked her.

Spinning her out of the corner and straight out the door, I slammed the door closed, and the locks engaged.

But I knew it wouldn’t last long; King Axel would give me an alpha command, but I couldn’t open the door simply because I didn’t know the sequence. I grinned when I heard him swearing.

Blocking his link, we raced down the hallways. Most wolves moved out of our way, but I knew we had minutes, maybe seconds, before the alpha link penetrated my block.

It was already dark, and I made sure we couldn’t be seen, but the crystals shone so brightly it posed a problem.

Grabbing Misty around the waist so she was covered in shadows, I ran out the front entrance and saw two males fighting. I sprinted toward them, not wanting to link Adam if he was one of them.

I should have asked Adam what he looked like, but it was too late. The males were evenly matched and we didn’t have time for this. Already, I could hear the shouts in the palace.

“That’s Adam with the bun,” Misty pointed.

I grabbed the other male and incapacitated him with one blow.

“Thanks,” Adam said, breathing heavily. “We have to go now.”

Fisting her hair, I kissed those soft lips one last time and then pushed her away.

“Go.”

Her eyes widened. “No, come with me, please,” she begged.

“I can’t resist the king’s alpha command. Go, sweetheart, please. If you don’t live, I will be stuck here for all eternity.”

Her chin wobbled, and tears leaked down her face, but she gave me a nod. Adam grabbed her hand, and they ran through the gate.

Calling my shadows, I turned to face the warriors flooding out of the palace and defended the gate as long as I could. I fought with everything I had until the alpha command shattered my block.

Even if she never broke the curse, Misty had to survive.