Heathen

|25|

Barre

The way down to the cells is long and cold, I walk closely behind Elodie, holding her hand and offering my silent support.

She is my mate now. Officially. My teeth made their mark on her neck, my scent wafts from her skin, my kit might already be planted in her womb.

The sheer male satisfaction coursing through me is enough to raise my confidence and puff my chest out as I walk. Even as we are on our way to see Locanas, I am confident, although I still want to tear his head from his shoulders.

I no longer worry about him looking at her like she's his. Last night I took her, and she gave herself to me. Elodie is mine and mine alone.

As the Emperor's guard unlocks the door to the underground prison, Elodie shivers in front of me. It could be the cold. It is rather chilly down here, and we're surrounded by thick concrete bricks to keep all warmth and comfort out. But, I know her shivers are from something more sinister.

I grab her shoulders, pulling her back to press against my front. She turns slightly to look up at me.

"It will be alright, tiny. I am here. He can't hurt you." Not if he wants to live, I silently add, but don't dare speak it out loud.

She simply nods, turning away from me as the heavy door swings open.

"You don't have to do this. No one is forcing you." I murmur before I let her continue forward.

Elodie sighs, nodding.

"I know." She responds, stepping into the darkness without another word.

I follow behind her quickly, glancing around the dim prison hallways. When I spot Locanas in his cell, I growl, and Elodie swiftly grabs for my hand. As she squeezes my fingers, I wonder if she's doing it to calm me or to bring her comfort, maybe a bit of both.

The criminal stands from his small nest, clamoring over to the bars of his cell. His desperate eyes are locked onto Elodie.

The Emperor and Empress are close by, quietly observing unless they need to intervene. The Emperor has his arm wound tightly and protectively around his mate's waste, his li ng, ring covered fingers anxiously brushing the pregnant bump that holds his kit.

"You're here. I.." Locanas begins, but as his hands wrap around the bars, his nostrils flare. His pupils dilate. Our species has a good sense of smell. He's putting it together in his mind. Good. Let him figure it out.

Suddenly he stops, attempting to shake the prison bars holding him captive. They remain where they are, but Elodie jumps back in alarm.

"You took her! You bred her!" He yells, absolutely fuming with anger. "You had no right."

His accusations have no effect on me. What he says is true. My only worry is how his words may affect my mate. I put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her with my presence.

"That may be so, but I had more right than you." I chuckle darkly, pulling Elodie to lean back against my chest. "Unlike you, she asked me to please her. I had her consent to make her my mate."

Locanas glares at me, and I'll gladly take his anger. As long as his attention is on me, my little human will feel safer. This is always my intention.

"This isn't about him." Her sweet, lulling voice drifts through the cold room, filling it with sunlight and warmth. I wasn't expecting the amount of confidence ringing in her tone, but it's there and it's powerful. It's a display of her inner strength, a show of the way she won't let what he did destroy her.