The Beast And The Blessed by Ashley Breanne
Chapter 74
Natalie’s P.O.V.
Killian had been pulled away, and I was back to being locked in our room like the helpless damsel in distress they saw me as. I was getting stronger every day. But I had a long way to go, especially with my magic.
Only a few people knew about it. I was sure that Rona would run her mouth sooner or later. The family and my immediate guards were the only ones we planned to tell about it. I had ruined that by accidentally using my magic on Rona. Telling people was still on a need-to-know basis, and no one else needed to know for now.
They would probably have their own reservations about the matter. I feared it would become like the healers again, with people trying to capture and control me. My mother had said that she had been hunted for years. Was that to be my fate too?
Mother.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that word when talking about someone other than the woman who had raised me. But it was what and who I needed. I needed a family member, a mother, to hug, hold me close, and tell me everything would be okay.
The war in my mind between my wolf and magic was leaving me with a constant migraine, and if anyone knew how to overcome that obstacle, it would be her. She had said that I would see her again. But I didn’t know when, and I didn’t know for how long.
I wanted to return to visit her, but I had more important things to focus on. My legs were crossed under me as I sat on the couch in the sitting room. George and Tobias were waiting outside, but Thomas had decided to join me inside the room. His back was against the wall, and he periodically scanned the empty room every few minutes.
His eyes would turn black as someone spoke to him through the mind link, and I grew more curious.
“How did you learn Latin, Thomas?” His eyes never traveled to me as the wind picked up outside, but he smiled softly as he answered.
“My mother taught me. She spoke it fluently. She worked with the archives and always said it was important to know the languages in which our past was written to educate ourselves and better our future. She knew seven languages, but I only picked up a couple.”
I looked back down at the glass of water on the coffee table before me, glaring at it as I waited for it to levitate, spill, or turn to tequila. A quick inhale through my nose confirmed that I had failed. “That is very wise of her.”
“It is,” He nodded in agreement, eyeing the water glass with amusement before looking away again. He took his job very seriously, and I appreciated that.
He was very young, no more than a year or two older than me, and I knew he had worked hard to get his position at my side so early in life. “Back when the humans had overpopulated, they had put rules in place that the people and governments were supposed to live by. The original documents were written in cursive.”
“Their governing body loved to distract their people with fake news and stories to keep their attention away from what was happening in the world. They enjoyed having an ignorant body to govern. It made the people easier to control. No one cared when they took something as simple as cursive from their children’s education. It was a primary tool the people needed to have in their arsenal to be able to read any historical legal and governing documents.”
I nodded as I remembered hearing about that in school. We had learned cursive, but we had never been forced to learn another language in school. Now I had to question if it was a failure by my pack or my leaders.
“After that, things got worse because the people didn’t even realize how much the government had taken from them until it was too late. They lived in blissful ignorance for so long that, eventually, the government didn’t have to worry about the people. They just had to keep them entertained while they buried their secrets and bent the masses to their will. All of the different species had come out of hiding almost five years before the government announced their discovery of us to the people. That was only because they couldn’t dispute the mass amount of evidence at that point and needed to control the narrative.” Thomas went silent as he momentarily narrowed his eyes at the balcony doors before looking away again and shifting his weight.
His distrust of the system took me by surprise as he stood guard. I knew Tobias would have been the one in here if he hadn’t just been so close to Heath and Nolan, potentially exposing himself to the dark magic. So, Thomas had volunteers to take on the role.
“Why did you choose this as your career?” I wondered how he managed to guard people of power when he did not trust them. “It doesn’t seem like you trust political figures, yet you protect them.”
Thomas’s eyes flickered up to me briefly with worry, but I knew he wasn’t scared about my opinion of him. He was worried about his position and the title he had earned.
It was an interesting realization and told me a lot about him as a person. “I figured the best way for me to make a difference was to ensure the safety of the good to prevent evil from retaking control.” His eyes landed back on the cup, and I followed his stare.
Straining myself didn’t seem to work, but that was all I was doing. The only two times I had used magic were when I was angry. But I was too heartbroken to be mad after what happened to Heath.
“We appreciate your service,” I said, trying to get the image of Heath out of my head. There surely was evil about, and I wished I could borrow some of Thomas’s determination and strength.
The bedroom door opened quickly, and Killian nodded to Thomas, silently dismissing him. Thomas scanned the room once more before taking his leave. Killian looked void of emotion, but I knew better. I knew him.
I could see the worry in his eyes and the tension in his shoulders. He had lost another man today, someone, that he was closer to than the others. But his hard mask was in place, and I stood as he approached me.
I leaned into his palm as he cupped my cheek, kissing my lips firmly. It was sweet, gentle, and heartbreaking. I knew without a doubt that he had more bad news. “Something else happened, didn’t it?”
Killian rested his forehead against mine as he closed his eyes. I pressed up on my toes as I stole a chaste kiss before grabbing his wrists as he held my face. His hazel eyes opened, and I saw his love for me shining brightly. “You know me so well.”
I nodded, and he laughed half-heartedly as he pulled away, letting his hands drop to my hips.
“I sent a few patrols out to the northern mountains. They had strict orders and shouldn’t have moved in. They were just there to observe.” Killian released his hold on me as he moved to the bedroom and grabbed a bag from the top shelf in the closet. “One of the patrols hasn’t reported back, and there was evidence of injury.”
My heart dropped at what he was saying. I knew with war, there would be casualties on both sides. The bodies falling now were just the beginning, but it didn’t make it easier to hear. My eyes returned to the bag as he shoved a few clothing items in it. “You’re going? Can’t you just regroup and make another plan?
You’re the king! You shouldn’t have to go up there yourself. What if something happens?”
Killian hesitated before zipping the bag shut and tossing it on the bed. “Nothing will happen to me. I have fought in too many battles to stand to the side now. Joselin will be there too to collect information and try to get a trace on the witches. If anything happens, she will get me out.”
I bit my lip, wanting to argue with him. It was common knowledge that he was one of the strongest beasts in the world, but that didn’t make him invincible. “She won’t always be there.” Killian moved toward me as I spoke, and I couldn’t help but let the worry leak through my tone. “If she could just pop you out of the situation whenever you needed her to, she never would have had that vision of me saving you.”
He nodded in agreement before pressing a kiss to my forehead. “I know that, my love. But my time has not come yet, and I will not let my men fight alone or be left behind. I’ll be home soon. I promise.”
Tears filled my eyes as I blinked rapidly to hide them. I understood where he was coming from. It was one thing to order men and women to their deaths for him like a coward and another to fight alongside them as their leader.
That didn’t mean I wasn’t bothered by the fact that he was leaving.
“I love you, my mate. Please try to get along with Rona and take care of Charlie.” He whispered before capturing my lips in a passionate kiss that forced the tears to fall free from my eyes.