Avenging

Ashtons POV

I have been watching them for a while now. A large army with Kato and the vampire king organising it. Of course they couldn’t just let it go. That bastard is so obsessed with Ava that he couldn’t just let us be happy. They definitely don’t know we are here. They have been organising a plan of attack on our men and no one has come near the waterfall so we are safe for now. I know that won’t last long though. I need to protect my men, I can’t let anymore get hurt because of my negligence. I don’t want to risk Ava though. I have been considering trapping her in the cave, but I doubt she would sit quietly and wait. It wouldn’t be fair to her either, these are her people and her friends too. The forest will provide her with protection enough.
The army is well laid out. Even with my powers, I would not be able to take out everyone before someone got to me. I have to think tactically. Kato is my priority, he is too dangerous for anyone else to fight. There is a squad further back in the forest that Ava could probably handle herself. There are men lined up at the front that our men should be able to handle. Which leaves one squad by the river and one other squad. If I can trap Kato, I should be able to take out the one by the river easily, but the extra squad might be tricky. I needed a distraction, but I couldn’t think of one.
I discussed options with Ava, unsurprisingly she wanted to fight. Apparently restraining a dragon had made her cocky.
“I still don’t know what would draw out their attention. I just need an extra minute or 2.” I say exasperated.
“I might have an idea” She smiles wickedly.
“What is it?” I ask.
She starts to take her clothes off.
“Love, I appreciate the view, but you are making it a bit difficult to think straight” I say apologetically.
“You better be ready and you better be quick” She says seriously as she walks out of the waterfall.
Oh fuck no. Before I have time to stop her, several men have already noticed her presence.
I quickly engulf Kato deep under the earth, hoping he will stay there until I have time to face him properly. I create a flame circle around one squad to trap them and I wash the other into the stream. Their faces are still busy ogling my wife as they float away. The screams from the fire have alerted our men to the situation and they come to join the fight. I notice Ava has managed to build a prison out of trees for those near the forest.
I pick up her dress and bring it to her, shielding her from eyes and attacks as she gets dressed again. “That was bloody stupid, you could have been hurt!” I scold her.
“It worked though” She says.
“I should kill every man that saw you like that” I say angrily.
“I knew it would motivate you, but remember we are trying to preserve innocent lives.” She says sweetly kissing my cheek.
The king glares at me and walks towards us. I light up my flames ready to blast him, but Ava steps in front of me.
“Leave him to me, this is a family matter. You go and take care of Kato.” I don’t want to leave her, but she is right, this isn’t my fight. I don’t think he would hurt his own grandchild, take her prisoner and lock her away for the rest of her life yes, but she is still useful to him so he won’t kill her.
I part the earth and decent towards where I trapped Kato. I enter the chamber I constructed to hold him, being careful to close it off behind me. He looks like a caged animal, clawing for a way out.
“I will finally avenge my mother” I say to get his attention.
“Your mother?” He asks
“How could you not remember her! You killed her!” I scream anger flowing out of me.
“Is that what he told you?” He says amused.
“He told me what you did!” I spit out through gritted teeth.
“There is more than one side to any story boy” He says.
“I’m not here to tell stories!” I move the earth to trap his feet, but time slows down.
“You need to hear this one.” He says calmly as i’m still watching the earth slowly bend to my instruction. He doesn’t fight, he just talks. “I knew your mother, she was my friend, I would never hurt her. We both lived on opposite sides of the border, but we would meet in the woods and play together as children. I loved her, until she found that wretched mate of hers that you call a father.
He is not the man you think he is. He always was a purist, not believing in the mixing of species. Your mother had to hide who she was to be with him. She passed herself off as a fae without powers for the longest time. She sought my help when your father started putting sanctions in place. We didn’t make a difference, I was made to be the villain and open war started.
Your mother tried to convince your father to stop, revealing her true identity to him, in hope that love would make him see sense. The last message I received from her was that she was going to tell him. Then she died. The king fabricated this story about me and used her death to justify his sanctions.
I was not there when she died, if I was she might still have been alive. I have my suspicions, but the only one who knows the real truth of what happened is your father. I can slow down time, but I would give anything to be able to reverse it, to save Catherine, to have her back.” It must have taken less than a minute to tell that story, but with time slowed down, I felt every word sink in, I heard the truth and agony in his words, I saw every twitch of pain on his face as he recounted it and even the single tear slowly drop to the floor. My anger faded, replaced with denial and confusion.
“Why should I believe you?” I challenge
“Because I’m not fighting you. Because I’m one of the few who know her name was Catherine Lupin and she was a werewolf. Because I still carry that last note she sent me in my pocket.” His eyes pointed to his chest pocket.
I walk to him cautious that it would be a trap and open the pocket. A small browned tatty piece of paper is all that is in it. I unravel it and read the 5 simple words- i’m going to tell him. Words written unmistakably in my mothers handwriting. I had stared long enough at it in the books she wrote for me to know. I drop the paper, letting it fall to the ground as my brain goes into shock, re-evaluating my whole life.
There are so many questions I have and only one man who can answer them.
“You tortured me and kidnapped Ava, you still have crimes to answer for” I say
“I was only doing my job to protect the princess and admittedly you look too much like your father and I may have taken out my resentment towards him on you.” He explains.
“I am going to get answers, you are going to stay put. There should be enough oxygen here to last a few days.” I say and make my way out. I’m going to find my father and throw him in that prison too until they explain themselves.

…