Rowan didn't know what to make of it when Alyssa willingly hugged him, the surprisingly chaste gesture warming and reassuring him. He hesitantly hugged her back, careful not to push her beyond anything that she was willingly offering. The minute she spent in his arms helped to calm him, helped him push back the rage that still pounded through his veins. Yes, he had not been overly pleased with the whole situation, she was his and anyone would get to her only over his dead body. They had recognized the bond less than a handful of hours and yet already someone was trying to take her away from him. It made him want to roar at the stars and dare the universe to try anything like that again.
Her scent reached his nose and he inhaled deeply, allowing it to calm and center him. He didn't know why she was so calm and in control, but he appreciated it because it gave him the strength to control his rioting instincts. Then she was pulling back and he wanted to protest but he clamped down on the words with an iron will. She bid him goodnight and shooed him away.
He went, but only because he recognized the woman that Eric had brought as one of his elite soldiers. Still, he waited until the door was closed and he heard the lock click into place before turning and facing Eric who was leaning against the wall, waiting for him. He nodded to the captain and started walking down the hallway. He didn't want to have this conversation close enough for her to hear. Maybe she had just not realized the seriousness of the situation or maybe she had wanted to weep privately, either way, he would not disturb her further.
They were in his private office before he finally spoke. "The assassin?"
The guard shrugged, "Being interrogated now. His wing is broken, any clue how that happened?"
Rowan scowled, "You saw as much of the fight as I did."
Eric looked thoughtful at that. "That's the interesting thing. It was a fight. Most lasses would've frozen or cried and pleaded with an assassin. However, you and I both heard a battle cry, one I've not ever heard before. You?" Rowan shook his head no. "Interesting. The only mistake that I saw was when she looked over when the door crashed open but she immediately corrected it and that wing sweep was a thing of beauty. Half of my soldiers couldn't do one half as well."
Rowan raised an eyebrow, "Wing sweep?"
Eric chuckled, "So, you did see red right off the bat, I wondered. The lass didn't trip or stumble when she saw the assassin charging, she dropped and did a beautiful wing sweep taking him out at the news before rolling to her feet. One of the smoothest moves I've seen in a while. Who did you say that she was again?"
Rowan wondered how he had missed that, but he'd been so focused on the assassin, that it didn't overly surprise him. "My mate. Lady Alyssa of Anaria. Daughter of a knight in a small coastal province. We haven't had time to investigate anything beyond that, although I'm sure that Leopold has already dug all the information about her and her lineage out of the archives already. Why didn't she cry?"
Eric frowned at him, "What do you mean?"
"She was cut and bleeding, someone had just tried to kill her because she was my mate, why wasn't she more upset, was she in shock or something? But she seemed too rational and logical for that."
Eric frowned at that. "I don't know what you want me to say, Ro. She comported herself with dignity and grace, like a warrior. If you're worried about her being an assassin, I don't think the bond would've taken if that were the case. You know that the bond only happens between equals, so maybe she has a warrior's heart, like you." He arched an eyebrow at the prince, "Would you prefer a weepy female that falls to pieces every time a lash falls out? Because if she was that kind of person, I'm pretty sure that she would've died tonight before we even knew that anything was amiss."
Rowan scowled at the reminder, "How did we not see this coming?"
Eric shrugged, "Because the mating bond is supposed to be sacred? Apparently, someone believes that the crown outweighs the mating bond. Trust me, it won't happen again. Also, Risa is with her tonight, you know that she's my best soldier. No one is going to get near your mate with her on duty, trust me."
Rowan worked on bringing his wings back under control, fighting to keep them from fully mantling again. "I trust you. I'm just deeply, unsettled, by this entire day."
Eric nodded his understanding and bowed, "It's been a long day, I'll give you peace to process everything that's happened. I'll go check your chambers as well in case I'm wrong and this is a plot against the both of you and not just her."
Rowan said but said quietly, "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes, Eric."
Eric quickly slipped out of the room and shut the door quietly behind him. Rowan sank quietly into the chair behind the desk, feeling totally overwhelmed. This was not how he saw his life going, this wasn't even how he'd envisioned his week or day going. He had gained a Kitala male's greatest treasure and had almost lost it again without even realizing the danger. He had expected the more subtle dangers, the maneuvering that any court does, but he hadn't expected a straightforward assassination attempt. That shook him, shook him deeply, and left him feeling completely off-kilter. Where did he even go from here?
A knock on the door startled him and he took a deep breath to settle himself before calling for the other person to enter. It turned out to be Leopold, a stack of papers in his arms. "This is all the information we have about Anaria and Lady Alyssa. Is there anything else I can do for you, Your Highness?"
Rowan shook his head, "Just leave it on the desk, please. Thank you for pulling it together so quickly."
Leopold did as he was bid, settling the papers carefully on the desk before performing a jerky, bobbing bow, "Of course, Your Highness. It was my privilege. Should you need aught else, just send word."
Rowan nodded and the record keeper disappeared as quickly as he had come. Suddenly eager to find out as much as he could about his little mate, Rowan reached eagerly for the top piece of parchment. This was going to be a long night.
X
By the time that he finished, it was well past midnight and creeping towards two. He set aside the final paper and leaned back into his chair, his expression thoughtful. Truthfully, there wasn't much information about his little mate, her family, or her home. The daughter of a knight and a minor lady, they had a small holding on the coast. While plentiful, it was still just a modest landholding. Both her brother and her birth had been dutifully announced to the kingdom and recorded, but beyond that, nothing to speak of. Even examining the crops and tax reports yielded him little more in the way of information. And when it came to the questionnaire that they had sent out to all the young women, she'd kept her answers brief and concise. Polite, yes, but deflecting answering with any true depth. It looked like he was going to have to find out about her the old-fashioned way.
He grinned at that. Actually, that worked out well for him. He had always resented having his mate presented to him on a platter, with little to no effort on his part. It seemed like she felt the same and resented the lack of effort as well. She wouldn't balk her king, she was a dutiful citizen after all, but neither would she make it easy on him. That suited him perfectly.
Rising, he snuffed out his lamp and then left his study, making his way to his rooms. He needed to get some rest so that he could be at the top of his game because he had the feeling that nothing less would do. He didn't bother lighting a candle in his rooms, just shucked his tunic and stretched his wings out fully before tucking them neatly away and crawling into his bed. To his extreme displeasure, the bed was not empty. Instead, the duchess was lying there in a very skimpy negligee. He sprang out of the bed, furious, lighting a candle with hands that shook with rage. When the candle was lit, he whirled back to the bed.
The duchess pushed up onto her elbows, a seductive look on her face, "What's the problem, Rowan? Aren't you tired?"
He growled, "Angelina, what the hell are you doing in my chambers, are you mad?"
She moved up into an entirely sitting position, a pout on her lips as she carefully pushed her hair behind her ear, a move she'd practiced to draw attention to both her cleavage and her lips, as well as the length of her neck. "I don't know why you're so upset, darling. The farce is finally over."
He hissed, moving towards the door, "Why am I upset? I have met my mate, you are insane if you think that I would ever touch another! Get dressed and leave at once, or I'll have the guards drag you out."
She pushed the blankets aside and stood, her pout replaced by a sneer as her rage finally made an appearance, "Some mate, some backwater little nobody, a meek little mouse with no spine. She is no fit mate for you, the court will eat her alive. That is, if she even has the courage to stay and doesn't flee back to her backwater little nowhere. She is no queen and you will be a laughing stock and a mockery to other countries. You need a strong, wise, court-savvy woman to stand beside you, not her!"
His anger transformed into something icy, "Get out, now! This is your last chance. And if you ever speak of her so again, you'll lose more than a little dignity."
Crimson with fury, she yanked on her robe and made sure that she was fully covered before storming from the room. Counting to ten to make sure that she was gone, he yanked the door open and stuck his head out. Seeing the guards standing there, he snarled, "She is not to be admitted to my chambers again. And have a maid fetch clean sheets right away."
When he closed the door, the two guards smirked at each other. They could figure out what had happened. They couldn't believe when the duchess had shown up, especially after having heard that the prince had found his mate. However, they had let her in, having been told that she was allowed access several months ago, so they had no reason to deny her entrance. Instead, they had waited anxiously after the prince had entered his rooms, accepting their quiet congratulations with a nod.
And when the duchess had flown from the rooms less than two minutes later, her face red with fury, she had snapped angrily at them before storming down the hall. That had been a wonderful thing to see, especially after all the times she had treated them like dirt and talked down to them. When the prince had rescinded her access moments later was even better, and asking for clean sheets was just icing on the cake.
Of late, their prince's behavior had been disturbing, the prince irritable and hanging out with people like the duchess. So, to see him stay true to his mate, even if it was of less than a day, was reassuring, gave them hope. One of the guards grinned at the other and trotted off to fetch a maid. The other guard settled in, knowing that it would be a bit before the other guard returned, wanting to share the news about the prince's actions.
X
It didn't take long until a maid arrived with clean sheets, changed the bed, and left. He thanked her and apologized for calling on her so late, but she just bobbed a curtsy and smiled at him before leaving.
Rowan carefully swept his rooms just in case of any other surprises before ascertaining that the rooms were empty. Once he was satisfied with that, he barred the door, grumbling under his breath. He climbed into bed for the second time that night, letting out a sigh of relief as his body relaxed into the mattress. Allowing his wings to relax across the cool sheets, he gave a sigh of relief. It had been a long and rather unexpected day.
Laying on his stomach, he crossed his arms under his pillow and propped his head up so he could think comfortably. His little mate was nothing like he expected, although what he had honestly expected, he couldn't say anymore. He had been so disappointed by not finding his mate on the earlier days that his mood had been rather dark that morning. He had told himself that it was just because he was tired of the farce, but it had been more, deeper than that. He had secretly longed for his mate, like any male of their race did. At times, he was irked that she didn't seek him out, but in the depths of his heart, he couldn't really blame her. How many people actually got close enough to royalty to discover a potential bond?
As the days of this had drawn on, he had started losing hope, had started to think that there possibly wasn't a mate out there for him. He felt a knot of tension ease from his shoulder blades at the realization that that wasn't true, that he had found his mate, his other half. He didn't realize what an aching emptiness he'd felt until she was there, warm and bright and contrary.
And different. There was something about her that was decidedly different. Why hadn't she wept after the assassin attacked her? She should've at least been pale and shaking. But she wasn't. She had been a little bit paler, but had been fairly composed. And when had she been injured, they hadn't seen a strike land at all. But the fact that she had been in danger at all in his palace infuriated him. Mates were supposed to be sacred, especially upon the initial realization of the bond. It wasn't like she had alliances or enemies in court yet, that would come in time.
No, someone had made a grave error and they would pay dearly for their miscalculation. he would turn over every stone in the kingdom if he had to to find out who was behind this nasty scheme. Such perversions would never be allowed in his kingdom, as the perpetrators behind this would find out to their dismay.
He shifted slightly, punching his pillow into a more comfortable shape. This wasn't helping him to relax and get some sleep before he saw Alyssa again in the morning. The sound of her name, even just in the privacy of his mind, caught his attention and he turned it over and over again, savoring the sound and feel of it. He even murmured it aloud, the sound soft and intimate. It was a sweet name, however, it also had a certain strength to it as well as something else, something like the wind. Free-spirited and going wherever it wished, could be either a refreshing wisp of a breeze or a howling gale that forced them all to huddle in shelter. Which would she prove to be, he wondered.
He drifted off, thinking about the dazzling interior of her wings, of all the lovely shades of blue. Much like the sea on a perfect day or the sky on those days that seemed to have extra promise. He was looking forward to the chase.
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