The Beast And The Blessed by Ashley Breanne
Chapter 82
Natalie’s P.O.V.
The hot water pounded on my back as I stood in Killian’s arms beneath the spray of the shower. I didn’t want to talk to him about it. The horrors of that world were too much for any living creature to have to experience.
I could still feel the chill that had settled deep into my bones, and my body trembled despite the heat I was surrounded by.
Killian had given up talking to me, asking me about it, and I couldn’t get my thoughts together enough to form a cohesive sentence. Every shadow in the room danced, taunting me as if they were about to come alive and drag me back to that Hell.
My eyes closed as I let my forehead fall against Killian’s chest, not bothered by the water the new position caused to run down my face. It was nice to be able to feel it. Anything other than cold and pain was welcomed.
“Your mother is impatient to talk to you,” Killian mumbled against my head, pressing a kiss to it before pulling back and trying to look into my eyes as he gently pushed my face up from under my chin. “I think we should go see what she has to say.”
I nodded even though I just wanted to curl up in the protective arms of my mate and never let him go. He felt like my lifeline, my tether to this realm. I knew it wasn’t reasonable, but a small part of me was saying that if I lost the physical connection to him, I would be sent back to the darkness.
Killian grabbed my hand, seeming to understand my need for contact. No matter how small it was, he always stayed connected to me with a brush of his fingers or arm around me as we dressed.
The private dining room was packed. Including Joselin were the six council members, Charlie and Damien, and my mother filling the table, leaving only the seats for myself and Killian left empty. But there were also twice as many guards standing watch, not only outside the room but inside as well. It was something that had never happened before since I had been here.
Our dinners in this room had always been private. No ears outside the family had been allowed to listen in on our conversations until today.
It seemed getting s*uc*ked into an alternate universe changed a lot of things.
The council was oddly calm and civil as they stood, waiting for Killian and me to take our seats. No one said anything as Killian pulled me into his lap instead of pulling my chair out for me.
I couldn’t look at them as I leaned against Killian’s body. He placed his arm over my legs, using his other arm to hold me tightly to him. My gaze was locked on the wall as the shadows of that realm haunted my mind, taunting me. I felt painfully empty, but it was better than embracing the emotions hiding in the box I had shut them in.
I could hear the table strike up small talk, but I couldn’t follow anything they were saying. I was listening for another voice. The voice that had burned itself inside my head. I now knew that once I heard him, I wouldn’t have much time left before he dragged me back down. I needed to be ready.
“Natalie.”
But the crown, it had been on the queen’s bed. That had to have been a sign about her. I knew it was. I just didn’t know what it meant.
Had I been right in my assumption that she needed to die? Or had I lost my mind, corrupted by the darkness?
Bound in the blood…
If something was tied to Lillian, did that mean Killian and Charlie could be tainted too? Was it my blood since that was now my crown?
I turned my focus to Killian’s breathing and his heartbeat. Focusing on the pure sound of his life force as his hand ran up and down my arm.
“Natalie.”
One of the guards shifted their stance, moving weight from one leg to another, and my eyes shot up to him. I had seen him around before, standing closer to Killian’s office, but I didn’t know who he was. His eyes stayed glued above our heads as he remained alert and aware.
Could he see me still? The last time I was dragged into that realm, the world around me didn’t fade to grey until I reached Lillian’s room. Was I there now and not aware of it?
“You need to eat something, my love.” Killian’s voice was low, but as I pulled back, I could see the worry in his eyes. My hand went up to his chest, where I let it sit for several minutes as I focused on the heat coming from his body. I was still here with him.
“Natalie,” The voice called out again, and I looked up to see my mother sitting next to my empty chair. Her pale green eyes were locked on me, and she looked deep in thought. “Did you see him? What did he look like, the man?”
I closed my eyes as I cringed back into Killian’s chest. I just wanted to forget about it for right now, but they seemed determined to focus on it.
“I want to get all of the information before you start to forget it.” She took a bite of her food but watched me like a doctor examining an ill patient.
I would love to forget about it. “I did not see him. I only heard him.”
“What did you see?”
The small talk around the table had stopped as all eyes were on me. It was the most civil meal we have had since the council arrived, and I almost wished for the chaos, just so I wouldn’t have to relive that nightmare.
“It was normal at first, but no one could see me as I passed them.
Something was leading me to her room, but I couldn’t tell you what it was beyond a feeling. Then everything started turning grey. He kept telling me….” I paused as I watched Charlie’s hand tighten around her glass, her knuckles turning white. “He just kept repeating it. When I refused to enter the room, the shadow men started running at me, attacking me….”
I looked down at the tablecloth picking at the end of the luxurious fabric. The first one I had been able to fight off. I had even thought I had won as I saw a flash of Killian. But he disappeared, and the shadow men multiplied … they just kept getting stronger until I was surrounded with their transparent hands pulling at my body. I had tried to shove them back, but nothing happened. It was as if my magic had left me. They just held on tighter before holding me down to the floor. I screamed and cried out for help. But more packed into the hallway, climbing up the walls and perching on the ceiling as they let out bloodcurdling screeches.
They held me down, and their ice-cold grip bit into my flesh. The largest of the group lifted the crown, holding it over my head as it let out a loud demented laugh that terrified me more than anything I had ever experienced before.
I could feel the heat coming from it, and sweat started to break out on my forehead in anticipation of the crown melting my flesh. No matter how loud I begged and pleaded, they didn’t listen.
Then I felt arms wrapped around me, and the feeling in my body began to return. So, I fought and struggled, determined to break free. Only the warmth from the body reminded me of home, and when I opened my eyes…
“Natalie.”
I saw my mother standing up, leaning over as if she wanted to touch me and wake me from the traumatic memories, but she sat again when I spoke.
“There was a crown. It looked like the crown from my coronation. It was the only thing that kept its color when everything else turned grey. But all of the gems had been replaced. They were all red.” I narrowed my eyes in suspicion when my mother glanced at my mate with a knowing look.
“What?”
“I am familiar with it. It was the late king’s crown.” My mother continued to stare at Killian as she spoke next, and I felt goosebumps rise along my skin. “Your father had demanded to be buried in it.”
“You knew my father well?” Charlie chimed in, but I could see that she was uncomfortable.
“I knew him through Talia, but I was not close with him nor your mother.” I watched as my mother lifted her napkin and dabbed at her mouth. Still, she gave no more away on her relationship with the royal family. We all knew there was more to it since the council recognized her from her looks or power.
“I’m sorry. I want to make sure that I understand. You think the man who had dragged me to that awful place was Killian’s dad?” I wanted to laugh. The absurdity of it was too grand. What had I done to warrant his anger?
“That’s ridiculous, right? How would he even cast magic, and why would he target me from beyond the grave?”
Killian stiffened beneath me, and I snapped my mouth shut, unsure if it was my words or the concept that didn’t sit well with him.
“It is very possible that he did not make it through to the other side yet because his work here was left incomplete.” Agatha, one of the eldest witches on the council, chimed in. Her long wavy grey hair was wild and beautiful. Her brown eyes examined me curiously as she pondered the new information.
“He could be wandering these very halls as we speak, waiting for his time to move on to the afterlife with the Goddess. A few of us can examine his remains and get more information while the others finish the tracking spell on Talia tomorrow morning.” Charlie seethed angrily, throwing her napkin on the table as she stood up. Damien was only a second behind, placing his hand on her lower back, which did nothing to calm her.
“That is enough! You are out of line! No one is touching my parents! Do not disturb my father, and no one goes near my mother! That is an order!” She turned to stare at Killian, holding his glare.
“I agree with her for now. We need to be focusing on our enemies before anything else. If he is still roaming, he will still be roaming when we come home victorious and our people are safe. He tried to send a message, and we will figure out what that message is, so he should have no further need to communicate with Natalie.” His voice rang out in an indirect Alpha command to which even the witches dipped their heads in acknowledgment.
My eyes settled on Charlie as she glared at me in a direct challenge to speak against her decision. It only made sense as I was the last person to try and k*ll her mother. But I was not amused. There was something amiss in this family, and whether it was before or after the war, I would find out what it was.
I would not bring any future children into a place so toxic that souls couldn’t move on to the other side.
The room was silent, and I felt Killian follow Charlie’s gaze. His burned into the back of my head as if he could hear my thoughts after all. I didn’t respond, but I lowered my eyes to the table.
It didn’t sit well with me. The timing of it was too suspicious.
If it had been my father-in-law trying to warn me, he had failed. I wasn’t sure if he had been trying to warn me away from his bloodline, his chosen mate, or if he was just trying to k*ll me.