43. Aurelia

Chapter 43

Aurelia

F ear welled up inside me as people grabbed strange-looking devices—they looked like they were made of silver orbs, but flat on one side. The people walked further out onto the deck, eyes on the sky.

"No!" I said as Alexander grabbed me, yanking me around. Weston yelled, calling my name, but my world reduced down to the fear I felt overwhelming me. The magic devices were turned on, the flat sides aimed at the dragons, the intent to drop them from the sky. Killing them? I had no idea.

My magic rose, and I recognized it now. I knew what it did. This was the fairy magic. The Emoting magic, latching on to my two single needs.

Save the dragons.

Kill Alexander.

I pushed that desire out with the magic, knowing it would reach the people on the deck. Knowing it would encourage them to do as I bade.

"What is—" Alexander jerked, yanking me, half dragging me toward the people with the devices. Granny pushed ahead, clearing out of the way of those on the deck.

The devices clunked down onto the deck, the operators' eyes on him. Almost as one, they rushed him, faces screwed up in anger, hands out like claws. Some shifted, and the fur barreled down on us.

I wrenched my arm, spinning Alexander around though he still held on to me. With my other hand I punched him in the throat.

He gasped, finally loosening his grip on me. I yanked my arm again and broke his hold.

Not a moment too soon.

A body of fur jumped at me, trying to go through me to get to Alexander. I hit the deck and rolled, and claws just barely scraped my shoulder as the wolf passed over me. Another jumped into the fray, ripping and tearing. Alexander screamed, fighting for all he was worth as the entire deck of his people now tried to get to him.

Snapping teeth clamped down on his neck. Another person grabbed his head and twisted. Someone with a knife slashed across Alexander's stomach, letting his insides fall out.

Alexander gargled a scream. A wolf snarled, and then it cut off altogether.

I scurried to my feet, running at Weston before Alexander's body could even hit the deck.

Fire streaked through the sky overhead. Hannon dove toward the deck and then through the throng of fighting people, letting loose an explosion of flame as he did so. He pulled out of the dive and climbed into the sky as wolves bayed and people screamed, their hair and clothes and fur on fire.

A dragon roared above us as I reached Weston's cage.

"How do I open this?" I asked in a panicked voice, running my fingers over the metal, looking for the clasp.

"In the middle, to the side there."

Nyfain swept down over the ship as Granny came running. Her face lit up in alarm and she skidded to a stop, watching the golden dragon bearing down on her. Nyfain's dragon opened his maw, and I turned away, quickly unlatching the clasp and throwing open the door to the cage.

Weston grabbed me and spun me toward the side of the ship.

"You can swim, right?" he asked as heat washed over us from the dragon's fire.

"Mostly."

" Mostly? " He swore softly. "We're going to jump. Don't panic. I will grab you, okay? Here we go."

He tossed me over without ceremony.

"Oh shit?—"

I windmilled my arms, suddenly weightless before gravity sucked me down. Another dragon swooped over us, followed by the phoenix again, and fire rolled across the ship in a gush. The water rushed up, and I held my breath as cold suddenly enveloped me. I plunged deep, letting myself naturally stop before I—almost calmly—swam my hardest for the surface.

"I can swim. Shift and I'll do it," my wolf said.

"You only learned how to walk a few months ago!"

A hand grabbed my arm and tugged, dragging me to the surface. I crested the water and sucked in a breath as another dragon dove, spraying the burning ship. Calia waited in that sling held by Vemar, off to the side, her hands out and at the ready.

Weston tucked his arm around my chest.

"Just float. I got this." He started swimming us quickly toward the docks.

"I can swim enough to get to the— Well, okay, you're going faster." I watched the orchestrated loop of dragons taking turns blowing fire along the ship, not just across the top but getting near the water and aiming for the sides.

"What is Calia doing?" I asked as people jumped into the water to get away or to stop from burning.

Arrows flew through the air as soon as the people emerged, sticking in the heads or upper bodies or backs of people trying to swim away. The pack had shifted and grabbed weapons. That, or the dock guards were now in action, since Weston had been released. Dragged through the water like I was, I couldn't look behind to see.

"The magic systems Granny was going to use make flight impossible..." He was breathing hard as he swam us to shore. "It would've pushed the dragons away or dropped them into the water. Calia's magic can dispel those systems; she's done it for us before. Granny probably thought she'd be gone by now. And she would've if she hadn't stayed longer to finish the negotiations concerning you. Turns out, she wasn't needed."

I could hear pride ringing in his voice, but all I felt was sadness. I closed my eyes so I wouldn't have to see the ship burn or the people jumping. I didn't want to catch sight of a red cloak or graying hair. I didn't want to see the arrows aimed for her.

Weston reached a ladder along the dock, the rungs slippery with sea slime but intact. He pulled me around so that I could grab on and climb up. At the top, Hadriel grabbed me, hurrying me out of the way of the archers.

"Thank the gods' hairy asses that Granny underestimated this kingdom." Hadriel lifted his hand and yelled to the pack, "I need a towel or a blanket or some fucking thing over here." He rubbed my arm. "Everyone who hasn't seen this kingdom in action always underestimates us because we are small and relatively new, with an upstart king. Well, now look. She thought her magic devices were going to be enough?"

"It seems they would've been if not for Calia."

He scoffed. "Hardly. First of all, Calia didn't do a thing—you did. Second, we have a lot of gold coming in, and that buys great shit. This is a new port filled with ships faster than Granny could even comprehend. We would've caught her easily. She's used to those idiots in the Red Lupine kingdom. She had no idea who she was picking a fight with this time."

He stopped me near the shore. Both the pack and the dock guards lined the end of the dock, their bows in hand. They took aim and fired quickly. The ship roared with fire, flames reaching way into the sky. Now the dragons were swooping over the water, blowing fire at those the archers couldn't reach.

Hannon flew over someone that was swimming and paused to aim. The jet of fire that came out of his beak was narrow and almost white. It punched down into the sea, and I could just barely see the form and partially burned gray hair.

I turned away again, bile rising in my throat.

"I got her." Weston's arms came around me. "Let's go. We're not needed here. Come on, you don't need to see this."

But it was too late; I already had.

Deep inside I screamed in misery over what had happened here today. The truths she'd spilled, her resolve to capture me. Despite what Hadriel had said, Granny wasn't prone to underestimating her opponent. No, her shortsightedness here was likely due to her desperation. Weston's guard and patrol setup was too good to sneak through, so she had to resort to this.

. . . you are integral to my operations. Without you, I won't succeed . . .

I'd proven that, hadn't I? She must've seen her income take an immediate hit and knew what her operation would become. With the dragons' support, I'd not only improved the product, I'd come out with better packaging. I knew the game, and I was just getting started in showing her that I was a competitive player.

This is business.

Business was passionless for her. Emotionless logic. Taking me in, setting up my life: logic. The gifts, bending to my demands when I wouldn't relent: business. Keep the chief producer happy enough to actually produce.

I had been na?ve. So na?ve.

I didn't regret it, though. I didn't regret loving her and hoping she loved me. I didn't regret my happiness at her gifts and feeling special at being one of the few she would allow into her cottage for a chat. Those things had kept me whole; they'd kept me full of hope. If I'd seen my life for what it really was, a passionless cage where I'd been trapped for business purposes, I would've died inside. I would've been jaded and tarnished, unready or unwilling to love again when Weston beat down my door. I wouldn't have been able to forgive him or to trust him now. I wouldn't trust that the royals here were acting in my best interest. I wouldn't be so eager and excited to expand my family, too worried I'd get hurt again.

Maybe my blindness to reality had been a survival mechanism the whole time. Maybe some part of me had known that I needed to save my heart through those many long years so that I could use it again.

Weston slipped a blanket over my shoulders and then helped me climb into a carriage. He followed me, draping his blanket over his waist as a driver climbed in.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, trying to get a look at his wounds. They were clean from the water but still seeping a bit of blood.

"I'm fine. I'll heal." I could feel the proof of that through the bond. He stopped me from fussing, hugging me close.

"Ready?" the driver asked as dragons roared their victory.

"Go," Weston replied, looking over his shoulder. In a moment he turned back, resting his palm on my belly. "Are you okay?"

I put my hand over his and leaned into him. "Honestly, I know she turned out to be rotten—or had always been rotten and I was just late to the party—but my heart hurts."

"I know, baby. That can't have been easy."

"Not for you, either. What happened?"

He shook his head, and I felt his frustration through the bond. "She staged the thing with her product to get us to check it out. She clearly knew that the size of the shipment would have them calling me in. I came with a few people as backup and boarded the ship. Her trap was well laid out. The people with me were dead and overboard, and I was locked in a cage before I could blink."

I let a breath leak out. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You saved me. Now I need to refine our procedures."

"The dragons took down the enemy and saved the day."

He squeezed me. "It was a team effort, and that's the point of a pack. You worked within it marvelously."

Nothing about this felt very marvelous except for one thing:

"At least that horrible prick is fucking dead. Good riddance, Alexander, you fucker." I wanted to spit to commemorate it but didn't want to lean over the edge of the carriage to do it.

"I wanted to have that pleasure," Weston growled, "but this way was probably better. The magic that got you admittance into Granny's village was the magic that was eventually their undoing. The way he went was good enough for me."

I fell into silence. Weston let me be quiet as the horses trotted, taking the carriage back to the castle. Dragons flew overhead and wolves jogged alongside us on our way, watching us pass, seeing Weston safe.

"You didn't pull them all with you," he noticed, stroking my belly.

"My wolf was about to, but I reminded her that she needed to leave some behind to guard the castle."

"Tattletale," she grumbled.

He glanced at those we passed and watched as wolves rushed by, coming from the altercation and heading toward the castle. The battle must be well and truly over, with only a small party staying behind to handle the details.

Weston looked away from them and into the passing trees. "It was a good exercise... though I was losing my mind a little being locked in that cage. It felt like it had when I was taken by the demons. But then I felt you coming, and a new fear materialized." His breath ruffled my hair. "I want to tell you never to do that again, never come for me. That you need to protect yourself and the baby. You two are the most important things in my life. I will die happily if you two are safe."

"But . . .?"

Dark humor bled through the link. "I'm not stupid. I know you'll always come for me, like I will always come for you."

"Always."

"And so I will just say that I love you, I don't have words to express how grateful I am that you and the baby are okay, and I'm hopeful we can now finally get some peace."

Nyfain and Finley were at the castle by the time we arrived, with Hannon and Vemar and Calia and everyone else. They had on the slips from the claiming—easy to put on and take off.

The carriage eventually stopped in front of the castle steps, and Leala and Niles stepped forward, handing us a similar sort of garb. We slipped them on as we got out, and Weston led me to stand in front of the king and queen. Our pack spread out behind, all in human form, all looking firm and resolute.

"Weston, good to have you back, brother." Nyfain stepped forward with his hand out.

Weston shook his hand, looked at Finley, then to Vemar and Calia standing off to the side a little, and finally to Micah beyond them. "I had flashbacks of being taken to the dungeons. It was not pleasant."

The others nodded solemnly, clearly knowing all too well what that was like.

"We'll need a rundown of how that was able to happen," Nyfain said. "Come to our apartment later tonight. We'll have a bite and drink too much wine. Well..." His golden eyes came to rest on me. "Most of us will."

Calia stepped forward. "You used your fairy magic perfectly, and without training! I see great things for you. I have a formal invite written up, requesting that you and your true mate join me in the fairy kingdom." She made a show of looking sideways at Nyfain. "Just as soon as things are wrapped up in negotiations."

"That isn't my fault," Nyfain mumbled.

"Aurelia." Finley stepped forward. "You were cool under pressure and made a sticky situation easy to manage. Good work. I know you're not ready yet, but soon you are going to make an incredible co-beta in our kingdom." She put her hand on my arm. "You don't need to bring food tonight. Go back and rest."

"No, I will. I think cooking will help relax me."

She put her hands in the air. "I'm not going to argue. I should—the proper thing to do is definitely argue—but I'm not going to."

"Can I come?" Hadriel and Vemar said together.

"Aurelia, if I may." Hannon stepped up to us, his focus acute. "I made sure it was instantaneous." He paused, and I knew what he was referring to. "She wouldn't have felt any pain. I thought that's what you would've wanted. We don't choose who we love, but I thought maybe you'd want to choose how you said goodbye."

My eyes filled with tears, and I hugged him. "Thank you," I said, pulling back and wiping my eyes. He nodded and stepped back, his hands clasped behind him.

I ended up cooking far more than was necessary. I finished one dish and moved right on to the next, locked in my memories, allowing the pain. This was my goodbye. After today, I would not write Granny into my journal. I would not put in any effort to keep her memory alive. I would not honor her like I did my mom.

After today, I would officially close the chapter on the life I lived in Granny's shadow. It was time to start my new journey.