9. Aurelia

Chapter 9

Aurelia

W e rolled down the road through the trees and toward the palace entrance after full night had fallen. Dante and Sixten were able to get the Moonfire Lily carefully loaded into a bucket, staring at it in amazement for a long moment before tucking it away. They'd never seen anything like it, even though they had to have come across it once or twice in their lives. They probably just hadn't noticed. It was easy to ignore.

A large and imposing castle came into view as Weston's horse exited the wood and entered the palace grounds. It was lit up from the inside and stretched an impossible distance to either side. Wrapped around it were lawns so well maintained that their lushness was evident even at night. Spires reached into the sky and huge dragons circled, one opening its maw and spitting fire into the darkness. Arches curved over a great entrance with wide stairs leading down.

Granted, it was the first castle I'd ever seen, but it was still extraordinary, grand and noble.

Nervousness dried up the words in my mouth, the looming structure intimidating, the circling dragons even more so. Suddenly, I wasn't at all sure this was the right place for me, especially as a prisoner.

Weston directed his people every which way; some to take in the supplies, some to take the horses, some to follow him into the castle. He let me down first, and his horse bent his head around to glare at me. It was probably happy to be done with me.

Weston hopped off next and stood beside me, watching everyone follow his commands. He reached to hook a hand on my hip like he had near the Everlass but paused halfway, his body tensing, his emotions in turmoil.

"It's okay. I'm a captive, remember?" I said softly, taking a step away. My wolf grumbled at the distance. "Starting now, we're not traveling anymore. You need to settle back into your life, and I need to find a new normal. Time to get to work."

He stepped with me, facing me, bending down into my space to look me in the eye. "You are a captive at present. Your new normal will be settling into my life just as soon as I can arrange it. You are mine—don't forget that."

Despite the shivers of desire, I couldn't help thinking that his wolf was riding him a little too hard. The humans were clearly supposed to be the logical ones in the pair, and he was failing. Still, I didn't comment. It wouldn't have done any good, not with the way his wolf was pacing in growly frustration.

"You are to be on your best behavior," he went on. "Do not give the dragons any cause to punish you, do you understand? Mind your business and answer only direct questions. They are a prickly sort of shifter, prone to challenging. Don't engage."

"Okay."

He held my gaze for a long moment, the raw intensity prickling my skin.

"Okay," I repeated. This was overkill. Did he forget the village I'd come from? We were all very good at keeping our head down to avoid punishment. There, I hadn't deserved it. Here, I did. I knew the difference. Not to mention, it was so much easier going with the flow.

"If you need help, you contact me. You tell someone to get me, is that clear? If you are challenged by anyone , you submit quickly and find someone to get me. Do not engage."

"I said okay," I replied as my wolf said, "Fat fucking chance."

"We don't know how to fight," I told her.

" You know that I have access to all your memories, right? What you know, I know. What you've clearly forgotten, I haven't. You took a knife to Alexander's wolf when you hadn't yet been trained in knife work. Now you'll be faster, stronger, and better. If someone challenges, we'll stab them with whatever is handy and we'll make it permanent. We do not submit. That ends now."

Weston's brow knitted, and I could feel his wolf buzzing with pride.

"I'm really gonna try," I said with an apologetic shrug.

Weston's sigh was barely perceptible. "I need to speak to the royals, and I'm sure they will want to question you. The questioning will almost certainly happen tomorrow. After that, and before... whatever comes next, I will walk you through shifting. Please, for your own safety, wait until then."

I lifted my eyebrows, waiting for the voice inside my head to respond.

"Promise me," Weston growled, and I knew it wasn't me he was speaking to.

"Fine," my wolf murmured. I nodded.

He reciprocated my nod and then stepped away. "Hadriel, put her..." He stalled.

"How about the lovely little oasis known as the tower?" Hadriel was at my side in a moment, and I could feel a strange sort of warmth emanating from him. "We can lock her in, to prove she is a captive, but it'll at least be comfortable. After we get all this straightened out, we can find something less... serious."

Weston's nod was stiff. He about-faced and walked into the castle as everyone else departed along a sort of lane, probably toward the stables.

"What about my flower?" I asked, not yet having taken a step.

"I'll... " Hadriel looked around. "I'll check in and make sure it goes out to the gardens. I'll tell them to wait for you before they plant it, how's that? We can get you some lovely books and other boring shit, and you can learn all about what environment is best for them."

I nodded. It was probably my best bet.

"Okay, then." Hadriel winked at me before hooking his arm through mine and guiding me toward the entrance. "This is great. The last time I had to look after someone in that tower, I worried she'd stab me or hurt me in some way. You're much more civilized."

"I don't think my wolf would agree."

"Oh, she's fine. The animals we turn into all come out super primal. It takes a second for the wolf to acclimate to the human world and for the human to acclimate to a more primal set of feelings and emotions. Usually, we have to battle this as we go through puberty, with all the hormones and insanity rolling around. You'll probably have a much easier time of it. Here we are."

He motioned for two men to open the grand front door and I couldn't help the small " Whoa " that escaped as I took in the interior. The grand foyer had huge ceilings that went up into the heavens and a wide, sweeping stairway descended to the center of the main floor. Stone and crystal glimmered and shone everywhere. It was gorgeous and decadent, and there was no way I belonged here.

I tried to scoot back out the door. "Is there a servants' entrance or something I should be taking?"

He slapped my hands away from plucking at my drab brown clothes. "Don't be absurd. Not that long ago, people were running around with big purple dicks strapped to their person. Cocks and vadge everywhere. No one is going to bat an eye with your drab chic attire. Come on, up this way."

"I don't think there is anything chic about it."

"It's fun to pretend. Come on."

The servants all wore a similar sort of attire, a regal red-and-gold shirt with a high collar and black slacks with black shoes. They didn't hurry but they didn't dally, most of them walking straight and tall like they were the most important people in the world.

"Hadriel, you're back," someone said as they made their way down the hall toward the stairs. He was a weaselly character with a wispy combover. "We missed your little prick around here. We had no one to laugh at."

"I've heard what you've been saying about me, Liron." Hadriel waggled his finger at the other man. "Not wise for a guy who doesn't know which hole he should stick his dick into. People don't laugh at you because they are too busy groaning you showed up at all. You ruin every party you attend."

"Eat lint."

"Lick a mushroom."

I could feel my eyes widening at the exchange, loud and public and clearly antagonistic but not in an overly threatening way. This sort of behavior lined up exceptionally well with the sorts of stories Hadriel was always telling.

Liron stalled when he noticed me, stopping to stare. "Who's this?"

I recoiled, not wanting to be sucked into whatever was going on with them. I was definitely not on this level. I would listen and laugh at the stories, but I was not even remotely comfortable enough to engage.

"Don't you worry about it," Hadriel replied. "And don't think for one second she'll appreciate your advances. She's taken."

"By whom? You?"

"By Nonya."

"Who's Nonya?"

"Nonya fucking business, jackass. Be on your way. There's got to be a set of stone balls for you to dust around here." Hadriel guided me up the first few stairs.

"Hello, lovely lady," Liron called after us. "You just let us know if you want an actual good time, not what that idiot calls fun."

"Says the king of cornholing women," Hadriel shot back. "Do us all a favor and fall down the stairs."

"You first," Liron said.

I barked out a laugh before quickly covering my mouth.

"Don't mind him." We reached the second-floor landing and continued up the next set of stairs. "He's left over from the curse days. He is an ab -solute disaster. He kicked me out of an art class because I did watercolors of dicks. The literal worst. If we ever get an orgy together in the woods, we have to be very careful not to let him know, or he shows up with dick in hand and no idea what to do with it. It's no wonder the dipshit hasn't procreated."

"His stories didn't do that exchange justice," my wolf said, and I was a little too bewildered to agree.

"Speaking of group activities, on a scale of one to ten, how embarrassed are you that you banged the beta in front of an audience?" Hadriel asked as we walked up the next flight of stairs.

I grimaced. "I hadn't actually thought about it."

"Good. Don't. It was insanely hot. So you have a four-way bond now, huh? That happened?"

I clutched his arm, intensely curious about it and hoping he'd give me answers. "Yes. Why is it so rare?"

"He didn't tell you?"

"He said I wouldn't understand. Is this yet another thing he's keeping from me?"

Hadriel trudged up the last of the stairs and started down a long hall. "It's true you wouldn't understand. This affects him more so than you, I think, so maybe cut him a little slack. Now that your wolf is out—or not suppressed, at least—it'll probably be easier to explain."

I furrowed my brow as a middle-aged woman came toward us. Her hair was cut into a short gray bob, and, upon seeing me, she veered in my direction until she stopped in front of me.

"Hadriel, welcome back. Any news?" She lifted her eyebrows, clearly asking about me.

"Lena, meet Aurelia. She's who we captured regarding Granny's drug ring, but isn't actually the person we needed to have captured."

I curled my lips inward to keep from arguing. It wouldn't do any good right now.

"It's complicated," he said. "Anyway, she's a special sort of prisoner. The beta's people can better explain. She won't be staying in the dungeons. For now, I will take her to the tower and get her locked in. She'll need food and a bath. I can organize both."

Lena lifted a single eyebrow. "Reprising your role of butler?"

"No, the role of taking care of the captive. The situation is very similar to the queen's when she was in that room, but with a much more willing partner." He looked around for a moment and then leaned toward her, speaking out of the side of his mouth. "And lady, that man can hold his knot. Holy shit!" He leaned back, fanning his face. "We timed this last one. Four-way bond, two hours after climax."

Her eyes widened a little before she took me in, noticing my (suddenly crimson) face first and then my clothes. I tried to shrink away from her assessment.

"You create the drugs?" she finally asked me.

Hadriel put his hand on her shoulder. "It's complicated, trust me. It's a whole big thing. I'll explain later. I'm tired and I'm hungry, and I need to deal with a very pretty glowing flower. Oh, and you'll never believe how she refers to the Everlass! I about died."

He patted her arm and then guided me around her, even though it had been clear she wasn't finished.

"She's the head housemaid," he told me. "She was the one always walking around with that big purple dildo I talked about, strapped to her person. She loves pegging."

I had no idea what that was, and I didn't plan to ask. I was having a hard time not being intensely uncomfortable with such loose exchanges. The pack on the road hadn't been nearly this... outgoing.

"Here we go." He led me up a narrow set of stairs. "Oh, the memories. I'm sober this time, though. There's a big change. Maybe I'll rectify that tonight."

He reached a lonely door at the top, the only room on this level. It was a genuine tower.

"I don't have hair long enough to turn this into a fairytale," I murmured as he opened the door and walked into the room.

"Fairytales are for losers." Hadriel crossed to the windows at the far side and shoved open the curtains. "It's a lovely view, actually. The queen mother's garden is right below us. That's the mother of the king. I helped restore it. It's gorgeous. You can see the grounds and the wood—it's great. Tomorrow morning we'll take a trip to the library. Now, in here—" He paused in a doorway at the back. "What's the matter?"

I still stood in the entrance to the room, my jaw slack as I took in all the very large and extravagant furniture. The space was three times as big as the front room in my cottage, and held a huge, plush bed, a giant armoire, and a few chests.

"Who needs so much stuff?" I asked, not wanting to touch anything. "I'm too dirty for this nice place."

"Sweetie." Hadriel clasped his hands and tilted his head. "I know you loved your cottage, but it sounds like a shithole. We're in a literal tower where you are being imprisoned. This furniture was put in here when the king was young. It's old as fuck. The washroom hasn't even been updated. Do not worry about dirtying anything. Now, we need to get you a bath. I can smell the beta leaking out of you. That wolf is a power shooter, gods help you. He could probably flood a valley with all that cum."

I felt my face heat again. He was right: our combined climaxes were running down my inner thigh, the sensation a reminder of how much Weston had put into me and held there as I rocked against him in that cart.

"We do at least have taps now, so that's something," Hadriel muttered as a woman came up the stairs behind me. I still hadn't entered the room.

She had curly blond hair and bright blue eyes, and looked to be somewhere in her late twenties, maybe early thirties. She wore a burgundy top and black slacks in the same style as the rest of the house. I wondered what the different colors denoted.

I stepped out of the way, and she hesitated, slowly unhooking what looked like a whip from a belt wrapped around her waist.

"Hadriel," I called out, staying against the wall. "There is a woman with a whip out here. She seems like she spooks easily. I'm not supposed to get in any altercations."

The woman stopped and held up her free hand. "I'd rather not use the whip."

"That makes two of us. I don't much like them."

"Oh no?" She hesitated in continuing to unhook it. "Not into pain, huh?"

I frowned at her. "Not . . . really, no."

"Hmm." She nodded. "Pity. You're very pretty. Petite and delicate. You'd be a sexy sub. How about randomly attacking strangers? I see you've been left out here on your own. Are you not a flight risk, or is Hadriel drunk?"

I blinked at her for a long moment. She was yet another one with a very sexually open way of speaking. I'd gotten used to Hadriel—it was easier because he was so over-the-top about everything—but the calm, collected way the others spoke such bold things... I suddenly felt very prudish.

"I'm not a flight risk, no," I finally said. "To start, I've chosen to be here, but also... Well, honestly, I have nowhere else to go."

I stopped there. I wasn't going to tell her about the reward for my capture or what would befall me if Granny recovered me. If this woman needed the information, Hadriel or someone else would give it to her. Otherwise, I assumed Weston would want to navigate who knew what and when.

"That whip wouldn't even faze her, Leala." Hadriel appeared at the doorway with his arms crossed. He'd clearly been listening. "I bet you wouldn't even hit her, actually. You have no idea how fast she is now that she has access to her wolf. She went to pick some flowers, and she moved so fast she almost blurred."

"Just so we're all speaking the same language," I interjected, unsure if this woman was at all like that Liron character who had hole confusion, "I'd really prefer you didn't whip me."

The woman, Leala, hooked the whip back onto her belt. "The beta requested someone attend to his captive, and since no other lady's maids are readily equipped to handle violence, I volunteered."

"What about the queen?" Hadriel gave me an sidelong look. "She's the queen's head lady's maid. Very prestigious role. She was assigned to the queen in this very room—before she was queen, obviously. We've had a lot of very experienced people travel to the kingdom to take the position, and none of them have been able to. My girl here is fire."

Leala rolled her eyes as she ushered me into the washroom. "The queen is loyal. There are others better at the job than I am."

"Those others wouldn't march into a demon dungeon for their employer."

"Which is why the queen is loyal. Come on now, miss, let's get you a bath. My goodness, the beta has left his scent all over you."

"As well he should. " My wolf preened.

I ignored her.

"I'm not a miss," I said as I let Leala manhandle me into a corner and get the bath ready for me. She seemed very nice and lovely but also had a very firm way about her. "Honestly, I can do it."

"She is as calm and balanced as the beta." Hadriel picked some dirt out of his nails. "It's been an absolute dream. I don't know what I'm going to do with the dragons."

"Annoy them and get picked on, probably." Leala wasted no time in stripping me and settling me into the bath. Resisting would've been futile, though I was sure my face was flaming with Hadriel still in the room. I might've lost my senses and fucked Weston in front of everyone, but I still wasn't comfortable stripping down with an audience. Leala turned to Hadriel and asked, "What are we doing for clothes?"

"We have some of her drab chic attire, or she can wear some of my clothes until we figure out what to do with her. She thinks the dick jackets are funny. We bonded over them."

She smiled. "I love that."

I lifted my eyebrows, opening my mouth to interject again. Those dick jackets were definitely funny, but I wasn't sure I was the right one to pull one off. What if someone like Liron thought it was an invite for more crass language? Or if the head maid thought I might want to try on a purple dick for size? But before I could mention that my drab attire might help me disappear a little better, the conversation had rolled on without me.

"You're going to love her," Hadriel said. "Hopefully she won't be put to death, or we'll all be very sad."

Leala tsked. "Don't be a dick. That isn't going to happen. The royals feel bad about the beta's predicament."

"Aurelia doesn't. She keeps doubling down about how terrible she is and how many people she's hurt and how she single-handedly created Granny's empire."

"I'm not quite that?—"

Leala cut me off. "Well, if that comes to pass, we'll get drunk and reminisce about the good old times, of which we'll hopefully have many by then." She gave me an encouraging smile.

"Hear, hear." Hadriel raised his hand before looking at it. "Damn it, that would've been better if I'd had a drink. Aurelia, my darling, Leala will take great care of you. Tomorrow morning I'll pick you up early and we'll head to the library, okay? I'm going to go order you dinner and find myself a big bottle of wine." He sighed contentedly. "It's good to be home."

Later that night, after I was cleaned and fed and lay in the most comfortable bed I'd ever felt, I stared out the window and thought of my mom. She would never have imagined I'd be in a room so fine. She would be ecstatic that a queen's maid—a dragon queen's maid, no less—had attended me. She'd also be thrilled that I was trapped in a tower in a big castle. Her imagination would be running wild.

My mind didn't, though. I didn't conjure up any stories of princes fighting the dragons and climbing up to save me. The man on my mind had ripped me from my home and put me here. He was the hero in his story, but the villain in mine.

And yet my bed felt empty without him. My body craved his touch. I needed to break this hold he had on me before he broke me . His duty was done. Mine had just begun.