CHAPTER ONE OH FOUR

His arms encased me in a protective embrace, his deep breathing harmonizing with mine. It was addicting, all-consuming, absolutely perfect; so why did I feel so empty?

I watched as he leaned back to draw lazy circles on the base of my bellybutton with his pointer finger, the heat of his touch pooling in my core for the second time today.

"But we just..." I trailed off with a smile, noticing how his delicious body was already getting aroused. It was strange that I couldn't hear his heartbeat, but he told me that the whole palace had suppressed abilities.

Why were we here again?

He took in my furrowed brows and pursed lips, drawing my face back to him with a turn of his finger.

"How about tomorrow?"

"What?"

His deep chuckle somehow made me forget my uncertainty, drawing me back beneath the waves of his love.

"We could get married tomorrow. Dev could officiate it. It would be perfect, don't you think?"

Mrs. Bennet had a beautiful ring to it. It made me giddy with anticipation, and I threw my arms around his neck, pulling myself up and over to straddle his lap on the bed. He laughed joyfully, his hands finding their home on my hips.

"Yes! I would love that. But..."

Ow, that damn migraine, again. I'd had it all day, and it just wouldn't stay away. I didn't want to have to keep drinking to heal it, as I was already running low on the blood Rory had stored for me. His brows furrowed in concern, his hand coming up to cover mine as it rested on my forehead.

"Don't worry about Kim and my dad. We can record it for them. I'm sure they won't mind."

"Right. Okay."

I offered him a brightly lit smile, and he returned it, pulling me in for a loving kiss. My love. My royal. My husband.

My royal.

We broke away from one another and I glanced at the clock. Dinner was going to be delivered to our suite in ten minutes and I didn't want to be naked in bed when they arrived. I was already not on best terms with the first person I'd met this morning. I met Dev not long after her, and he was nice enough, but to be honest he kind of gave me the creeps.

Something was off about him, and I couldn't quite place it.

"I should probably get dressed."

I laughed, dragging my exposed body away from his. He chuckled, sitting up and running a hand through his wild locks.

"Let me get you something to wear." He offered politely, then, in a flash, he was gone.

But, I thought we couldn't use our abilities in the palace.

He returned a second later with a beautiful red tea dress and a fancy set of lingerie.

"Here, love." He said with a smile, but something was... different. His eyes.

They weren't as warm as I remembered them being. They were cold, maybe a little crazed.

"Is something wrong?"

His smile faded quickly and he took a worried step towards me. I shook my head of my thoughts, standing with a halfhearted laugh.

"No, I'm just a little tired. After dinner I might just say goodnight to the twins and head to bed."

I could see him flinch from the corner of my eye, making my stomach turn in anxiety.

"We'll see. The nanny said that they weren't feeling very well today. I wouldn't want you getting sick."

"They're sick? Are they okay? I should check on them."

I started crossing to the door in the corner of the room, but was stopped by two strong arms wrapping around my stomach from behind.

"They're fine, love. Let's take this day for just the two of us." He cooed into my ear, running hot kisses down my neck and shoulder, making me immediately relax.

He was right. We might not get another day to ourselves for a while.

Once I was dressed, a knock sounded on the door, alerting us of the arrival of our food.

As we started eating, I began musing about the past couple years with Rory. A giggle escaped me, making him grin.

"What's so funny?" He asked, setting down his fork in preparation to listen.

"I was just thinking about how different it would've been if I had ended up with a mate instead of a royal." His eyes widened a fraction and he leaned back in his seat.

"Oh, I see." He responded tersely. Did I make him mad? I didn't mean to anger him, it was just an odd thought I had. A ridiculous thought that I expected him to laugh at along with me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I just thought it was a funny thought. I remember that first night when you didn't even want me going to the Eclipse Ceremony because you were worried I might meet a mate. That was our first real disagreement. But I said I had to go because James-"

James. Oh Goddess, how did I forget about James? We named our son after him. He was our Oracle.

He got me a room for the ceremony. He wanted me to meet his son.

His son. What was his name?

"Aria, your nose is bleeding." Rory exclaimed, rushing to my side with a napkin in his hand, dabbing around my mouth and dying the white fabric crimson.

"What was his name? Rory, what was his name?" I spat out frantically, my eyes filling with inexplicable tears.

"Who?"

"James' son."

His eyes flashed red, his grip on my shoulder tightening exponentially. I winced at the pressure, pulling away from him.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Aria. I- I don't know his name. I think you'd better lay down for the night. I'll call Dev to get you some medicine."

But before he could even lift his phone, a loud boom shook the room, making me scream out in surprise. Rory pulled me from my seat in an instant, tugging me into the closet in the safety of his arms.

"Rory, what was that?" I sobbed, growing overwhelmed with all that was happening. He ran his hand through my hair, focusing my frantic gaze on him.

"I think we might be under attack, love. I need to go, but I need you to stay right here, okay? Promise me that you won't leave this spot." I could barely see him through my tears, but I nodded anyway, praying to the gods that Rory would come back to me in one piece.

"I promise."

Bastion's POV

"Okay, let's go."

The mermaid urged, and I followed close behind, witnessing with awe the way that she strode confidently behind the palace, nobody even turning our direction. She said she could persuade others to obey, but I didn't think it would be as simple as glancing in their direction. These people were powerful.

The overwhelming scent of blood on the front lawn was killing me, and I was eager to get inside and find my mate. Was she waiting for me? Was she scared? I needed her to be okay, to be safe.

Once we arrived at the brick siding, fucking bigfoot stepped forward, lifting his hand to the stone. In a second, it had melted away a large hole, granting passage into what looked like an industrial sized kitchen. Thankfully, it was empty, despite large steel pots boiling on the various stoves.

"Good luck, little wolf." The man named Coree offered, departing quickly with the mermaid whose name I couldn't remember.

I turned to the troll, waiting to see what she would do, but I couldn't see her anymore. Her sickeningly sweet scent was still there, but she was gone.

"Hurry up." She whined, and I squinted my eyes to see a tiny bug of a woman staring back at me.

"What the hell are you going to be able to do like that?" I asked incredulously.

She put her hands on her toothpick hips, rolling her eyes. Damn, she was annoying.

"Just go. They won't attack you if they see you."

I let out a subtle growl, but obeyed anyway, climbing in through the wall and sniffing the air.

My baby.

Her scent was faint, but she was here.

"Second floor." I mumbled to the troll, darting for the source of her scent. She was so close. I knew I could get to her, but another familiar scent crowded my nose.

Rory. That bastard was nearby, but he was heading away from her.

I stopped, turning to the pixie as Rory got closer.

"I have a favor to ask."