Chapter 136: Let Them Fear.
~Raphael's POV~
I watched Ava sleep, her chest rising and falling in a gentle rhythm. Her silver hair spread across the pillows like moonlight on water. The sight of her peaceful face soothed something wild in me.
Grey stood by the window, his dark eyes fixed on her form. The hunger in his gaze made me uneasy.
"Stay away from her," I warned, my voice low so as not to wake her.
He turned to me, a smirk playing on his lips. "I cannot, even if I wished to."
"You have had your time with her. Now leave."
"It is not so simple, Vessel." He crossed his arms. "I remain because she still wants more. Can you not feel it? Her desire hangs in the air."
I snarled softly. "That does not give you the right to remain."
"I will stay awhile," he said, untroubled by my anger. "Until she has had her fill."
Something else troubled me. A question that had been gnawing at my mind since earlier. Grey had mentioned something about Ava's wolf.
*What happened to her wolf?* I asked within my thoughts, knowing he could hear me. I did not wish to speak aloud and risk waking Ava, especially if this might stir painful memories.
Grey's face grew serious. *I know not. I could not feel her wolf's presence. Something is wrong that she has not told us.*
To my surprise, I could suddenly see into his mind. *"You are right. What should we do?* I asked. Then I corrected myself: *Rather, what should I do?*
*She is our mate, so it is a 'we' thing,* Grey replied, his voice firm. *The dragon might know the truth of it since he is bound to her.*
I nodded slowly. "You owe me many explanations," I said aloud, but softly. "Why did you merge with me?"
"I did it for your good," he replied carelessly. "Just as I did when you were young."
"What do you mean by that?"
Grey's eyes grew distant as if seeing through time itself. "When your Lycan wolf died in your youth, you would not have lasted long, even with your strong body. I could have simply wandered with my own body then."
This confession stunned me. "You had a body? Then why give it up?"
"I saw your mother weeping," he whispered. "It reminded me of how I failed one I loved long ago. So I chose to help. I gave my body to you, sealing it within. I decided to remain in my beast form rather than human. It was a risk, you might live or die."
"Why make such a great sacrifice?"
"I know not, Vessel." Grey shrugged. "Perhaps I felt guilt for nearly destroying the god realm. Or maybe I saw in your mother in the eyes of the poor lady I could not save."
I shook my head in wonder. "You did well in the beginning. Why came so much bloodshed afterwards, Grey?"
"It is my nature." He sighed deeply. "When I became one with you, I thought once we found a mate, I would no longer crave war and blood. As time passed without a mate, memories of the god realm haunted me, and I fell back into old ways I had sworn to abandon."
"Let us hope for better days ahead, Grey. We must protect her. You brought your wars to me."
"I know," he said simply. "And I am here now."
We moved closer to Ava, each taking a side, cradling her between us. The warmth of her body and the steady beat of her heart lulled us to sleep.
Morning came with a harsh awakening. Loud noises outside my chamber door pulled me from sleep. I frowned, annoyed by the disturbance. Grey was already awake, his face mirroring my displeasure.
Our mate's scent still hung heavy in the air, her desire not fully spent. That meant Grey would not be leaving soon.
I grabbed a robe and wrapped it around myself before yanking open the door. Six eunuchs stood waiting, their faces drawn with anxiety.
"What madness is this?" I growled.
They all fell to their knees at once, eunuchs, maids, and the centaur guards alike. They trembled before me.
"Stand," I commanded. "What troubles you so?"
The head eunuch, who had replaced the one I killed some time ago, spoke with a quivering voice. "M-my king, you have a very important court meeting today."
I cursed under my breath. "Very well," I said and followed him to another chamber within my palace.
Servants quickly drew a bath, and as I sank into the warm water, I prepared my mind for the troubles I knew were coming.
As the eunuchs dressed me in royal garments, Grey paced the chamber. Though only I could see him, his presence was as real to me as the silk they draped over my shoulders.
"You should ask Drogon about Ava's wolf," Grey said. "Something is not right."
I nodded slightly, careful not to alarm the servants. "I will when the time is right."
"The time is now, Vessel. Our mate suffers in silence."
Perhaps he was right. The coldness I had noticed in Ava troubled me deeply. If her wolf was gone or wounded, it would explain much.
"My king," the head eunuch said, breaking my thoughts, "the royal advisor awaits outside. He brings news from the eastern borders."
I waved a hand. "Send him in."
The man who entered was not the advisor I expected, but Drogon himself.
"Leave us," I commanded the servants. They bowed and hurried out.
Once alone, Drogon spoke. "The neighbouring kingdoms grow restless. They have heard of your return and your...condition."
"My condition?" I raised an eyebrow.
"That you host two souls in one body." His gaze shifted slightly as if he could see Grey standing beside me. "They fear what they do not understand."
"Let them fear," I said.
"Fear breeds hatred, and hatred breeds war." Drogon moved closer. "We cannot afford another war, not with Ava in her current state."
My heart quickened. "What do you know of her state?"
Drogon's face darkened. "Her wolf is not gone, but imprisoned. Trapped within her by a spell of old magic."
"Who would dare?" Grey snarled, and I found myself speaking his words aloud.
"The same one who captured her." Drogon's voice was grim. "Alasia is a crafty one. I will give her that. No wonder she is the dark's one vessel."
The rage that filled me then was both mine and Grey's, our souls united in fury. "How do we free her wolf?"
"That is why I sent Caleb to the Shadow Kingdom. I heard she was last seen there. I am not really sure."
"And if she wasn't there? Will my mate continue without her wolf?"
Drogon's face was solemn. "Then we must prepare for war on two fronts, against the Council, and against the dark one and his underlings.
I closed my eyes, remembering the change I had sensed in her. It was not just pain or anger, it was the absence of part of herself.
When I opened my eyes again, I had made my decision. "The court can wait. We ride for the Shadow Kingdom today."
"It is dangerous," Drogon warned. "The roads are watched. Plus, we can't leave her unattended again." That stops me as I remember what happened when I went to war and came back.
"Then we shall not use roads," Grey said through my lips. My lips curled upward. "I did not nearly destroy the god realm by being predictable."
A rare smile crossed Drogon's face. "I begin to see why the gods feared you, Grey Wanderer."
"It's understandable, I fear myself as well." Drogon just stared at him. What a cocky bastard.
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