Filed To Story: Traded To The Lycan King Novel (Colette & Merikh) by MG Wattsons
“I have no son.” he hisses at him, “You will do well to remember that before I have you executed for your trickery.”
“Sorry, King Darious.” He says, dropping his head in shame.
“I do not care when you discover what you are. What I care about is your existence being a threat.” He says, moving over to me. His harsh gaze inspects me from head to toe. “You don’t look like much. But then again, I have faced many foes who looked useless.”
“I know you have.” I say, glaring at him. “You are in the grips of one now.”
He freezes, confliction in his eyes as he furrows his brows. It is clear as day, the fighting in his mind for reality, what he knows and what his body is allowed to act on.
Darious is obviously being controlled by whatever means they have to control him. I know my words make it through to him, but his hands wrap around my neck, lifting me from the ground.
My throat constricts painfully as I gasp, my hand clasping over his calloused and heated skin. It’s when he brings his face closer that I can see the hint of red in his yellow iris, not like the wolves or the others controlled by lily, but in a soft ring outside his pupil and just a shadowing on the outside of the iris. They can’t achieve full control of him for some reason.
“Watch what you say,” he grits out, his hand growing warmer with every second.
I can feel my skin burning, the pain excruciating as I try to breathe, and tears dot my eyes.
“King Darious.” Teiran says, stepping up next to him. “This is not the way. What if she has information we need?”
He throws me into the wall, my head slamming into the picture above the bed as I drop and bounce. Glass rains down on me as I gasp and groan in pain, unable to touch my searing neck as I try to keep from crying.
I hear running water and without a second thought, cold water encases my neck, wrapping around it like a gentle bandage as I sob out a cry of relief. When I look again, Darious is gone and Teiran is pulling the door closed behind him with a nod of his head, letting me know he is the one who turned the water on for me.
He is only gone for a few moments before he enters again, pacing the room with his hands in his hair. I try to speak to him, but my throat is too sore as I try to clear it. Teiran looks at me before he moves over to the bed, reaching out as he helps pull me from the glass and guide me to the edge.
“I need to get you out of here tonight. Giselle is letting him know too much. He wants you dead, the threat neutralized. Giselle wants you for other reasons, but his dragon is taking over here and he is certain you need to die tonight by fire.”
“The others should be where you said they should go soon.” I croak, and he nods.
“Good.” He says, “I guess it’s time to plan.”
As I let himself spend some rubble, hash intored, but the stubbicon fond semi alle anyone to look at the probably bener than hoping for the best.
“How bad is if I ack. He looks away and sighs heavily.
on his hack and a wine at his face Tre clear he is. jury. Not at any of us can heal hint, but aseresing # is “It is not life threatening. I don’t think. Just painful. He admits didn’t see him sneaking up on me “Yeah, well, it was chaotic, and they got me good, too? I give him reassuring smile. “It was highly unlikely we would all make it out of here uninjured”
Caspian sorts and mods his head in agreement “If we are lucky, we will all make it out of here alive” He amendiny statement.
“I have no intention of losing anyone, Caspian” I tell him. “Not I can help it”
“That is comforting” He smirks.
“How long do we have to stay here?” Percy asks, pacing as if he is looking for his next hit.
He has been on edge since he joined us, but this is a whole new level of it. Percy looks like he may take off on his own one moment or break down in tears the next. He is struggling hard, but I need him to focus. We all need to be one step ahead this time.
“Sit down, Percy” I insist. He physically frowns, his nose scrunching as he follows my command, but not terribly willingly.
“Are you sure she said to stay here and wait for her?” He asks, his knee popping up and down as he lifts his bloodied hands and behind to chew on his nails.
“Percy,” I say sternly, commanding his attention as he seems to shap out of his mind and looks at me. “Are you questioning me?”
His eyes grow wide and he swallows roughly as he shakes his head no.
“We will be fighting again soon enough, Pere. You just need to be patient.” Hayes assures him and Percy drags his hands through his hair, his face looking away.
“Are you sure it was even Colette?” Hayes asks, sitting next to me I frown at him and he gives me a pitiful look. “It’s a fair question and you know it.”
He has a point, and I hate that I never even took the time to consider it. Lily has gotten in Colette’s head before using her memories to distort her dreams. Granted, that is a usual practice of dream walkers, but who is to say Lily hasn’t twisted the magic she uses? What keeps her from doing what she wants when laws and order mean nothing to her now?
But when I recall the sound of her voice in my head, the way she felt like her. It was more than just someone in my head using her against me. It was the full bond, the way I could feel her, and I knew she could feel me. The way I still feel her now, even with this distance. It’s a nagging in the back of my brain that screams, this is real.
“It is Colette, I am certain” I say, giving him an annoyed look.
“Unless it is Colette being controlled.” Caspian offers, and I scoff “I am willing to bet my life that she is in control of her own mind and actions and that it is her” I tell them emphatically.
“There is nothing I know better than Colette in this world.”
“I say we send out one of us to go lurk around,” Percy says. Hayes laughs and shakes his head and I look at Leandra, who seems distant sitting across from us, her knees tucked to her chest with her arms wrapped tightly around them.
“And I suppose you want to volunteer as tribute, huh?” Hayes asks Percy.
“I am the best option.” He says matter of fact. Their quibble fades to the background as I reach out to Colette, just needing to hear her voice again. That reassurance she is safe, for real. My lycan stirs, whining as we wait for her response, even though we can feel that she is able to hear and process what I want from her.
-Soon–She says, her words echoing in my mind as my eyes fall closed and a smile flashes over my lips. My heart races at her voice, my stomach knotting as if I am a fool waiting outside the princesses tower for her to run away with him.