Rejected by My Royal Mate

Ch 10 - Tell me why

-Alyna-

I looked at Nathan and he was seriously browsing the weapons, a very besotted look on his face. I knew how much he loved his weapons. Like they were his babies or something. The guy used to buy this sword or that dagger whenever he pleased. It was as if he had this strange addiction to them.

I shook my head and Lady Dethamir rolled her eyes, knowing very well about Nathan and his obsession.

Nathan took a suriken in his hands and sighed, as if it was a woman's breast or something. I smiled to myself. He had never changed, except the feud between us, it was slowly shifting.

"You will send him an invitation, right?" she asked, a curious look in her eyes. She and her husband had been the very few who was still fond of me, even after they knew I couldn't shift. Lady Dethamir was my mother's most precious friend, and after my mother died, she had been an important part of my life. She took care of me, like I was her own. Her son was my oldest friend, but he wasn't in the kingdom of Lumene right now. He was on a journey.

And when I grew up, she taught me everything that I had to know about weapons, and forging them and designing them. It was art. The way you curved a blade, you forged metal, you beat it until you got what you wanted... the way every weapon would reflect your feelings, your anger, your love.

"He is so handsome, that boy. It is so unlucky that his mate died, it broke my heart. King Romano, that prickly bastard deserves to die," Lady Dethamir had an angry look on her eyes. She was rarely angry. She was the calmest dragon I knew, and yet talking about king Romano made her so damn angry. The iron empire of Eithon had been like a black cloud on the prospering kingdom of Lumene for centuries and we were still fighting and failing.

And Theoden wanted to reject me, also because of that. But it wasn't really the rejection that made me so angry, it was the way he didn't think twice before giving me up.

For four years, since my dragon left me, I had been betrayed, bullied, belittled and my own mate did the same to me... it was unforgivable for me.

"Yes, it is. She was a nice one," I said as I picked up a curved schimatar. A single edged sword, with the perfect hilt, and the curved sword was so sharp that it could slice through heads without getting snagged on the bones. My eyes glinted as I twisted it around in my hand and thrust it forward.

Nathan took an alarming step back and rolled his eyes.

"You just made a mistake, Vittorio," he quickly pulled out a sword on the table and pulled the outer covering off before he twirled it around.

"First one who gets disarmed loses, and the loser owes the winner a wish..." I said with a wink, and Nathan gave me a bow.

"You are so on," he said as he danced away and Lady Dethamir watched us with a small indulgent smile on her face.

"If you do this on the road, it will be like a free advertisement for my shop, at least, but you two are doing this inside!" She sighed before she walked away. "Try not to cut each other's heads off. The carpet is new. I don't want any blood stains on it..." My boss said with a sigh.

"What are you talking about? The carpet is older than Mr. Ruthers," I said to my boss lady, but my eyes were trained on Nathan's every move. He was quick and powerful, but I was agile and easy on the feet. We each had our own way of fighting.

"Alyna, you can easily forfeit," Nathan goaded, his eyes sparring me into giving in.

I had always been the one who gave in with everyone, but somehow, I had always been competitive with Nathan. He just pushed me to be better, and I had this insane need to always prove myself to him, not because he looked down on me, but because he was always happy to see me succeed at something.

Even when we fought... I knew Nathan was not doing it to humiliate me. It was just the way we had always been. Fire and ice. Ice cream and hot, hot coffee. We were opposites, and we would always be.

"Oh, are you afraid you will lose to me, Nathan?" I teased back as I thrust my sword to his face, and he soon blocked my thrust with his sword. The clang of metal rang inside the shop.

"Never, Alyna. Never. When have I ever lost to you? Or anyone?"

"Oh, you are so humble, Nathan. That is the thing I like about you. You always know your f*cking place," I said with a sarcastic smile and Nathan shrugged.

"Why be polite when you know you are good!" His eyes gleamed in arrogance, and even though I knew he was absolutely being a proud, impudent ass, it somehow suited him. He said things like that and he f*cking looked cool saying things like that.

His eyes danced as he blocked my every thrust with one of his own. Soon, I knew I was getting tired. The guy was playing me. He was barely moving. He let me move and he was trying to tire me out.

I glared at him. He smirked. He knew I knew.

"Sneaky bastard, but I am not going down yet, Reyes," I said, and I was already panting and sweating. He wasn't even breaking a sweat. He looked hot and sexy doing that, while I was hot, just a different kind of hot and sweaty... yes, a whole lot of sweaty.

"All is fair in love and war..." his eyes darkened and my heart thundered.

This was supposed to be war, right? So why was he looking at me like we were - we were making love than war? His dark brown hair fell to his eyes and my throat felt dry and my palms were sweaty.

After a while, I knew I couldn't keep up with him. My legs were getting tired.

I quickly feinted left and thrust the sword to right, and then back to left. It was a double feint, but he guessed it and he stopped me before he pushed my sword down.

"Ugh," I grunted. "I demand a rematch..." I grunted. I was a sore loser, I suppose.

Nathan gave me a smirk. "Now, you owe me a wish." His eyes were dancing and damn, I could easily get lost inside those freaking midnight eyes.

"Well, out with it..."

"Oh no, you think I am going to waste it right now. It is the most precious gift you could have given me... and I am holding on to it," he said cheekily and I shook my head. I deserved it. I was the one who willingly gave him a weapon to hang over my head. I couldn't complain now, could I?

"I want to thrust this up you ass... stop smiling..." I gritted my teeth when he gave me a brilliant smile that made me want to kill him or kiss him.

It threw me off guard. That intense feeling made me want to pull him to me and plant a kiss on his succulent-looking lips. I didn't know what the hell was wrong with me!

The prince was not even here... so why would I want to kiss him?

The first time I kissed him, I was sure I did it because I wanted to anger the prince. But now?!

I felt like I was standing in a desert right now as he scanned me with those beautiful, beautiful eyes. They were illegal. No one with eyes like his should be allowed to roam freely.

"You know you are a real piece of work, right, Alyna?" Nathan said as he took a step closer to me and my heart turned ferocious. Loud. I could hear the beats in my ears.

I licked my lips and his eyes flashed to my lips. I was very aware of his hard body, standing impossibly closer to me.

"Don't do that." His voice was hoarse, rough. He lifted a finger and touched my cheek. I shook my head.

"Wh-what?"

"You know what." He took a step back and I could finally breathe properly again. It was as if somehow Nathan's proximity had rendered my lungs useless or something.

I shook my head and blinked at him, "So, what did you order?"

"Long swords and gladius and this two fanged sword..."

"Ooh, that looks badass. You designed it?" I asked as I stared at the sword he was waving around.

"Yes. I did. I want to try this with my guys today." He looked super excited as he paid for the swords. "And Alyna, don't forget that wish."

I twisted my lips and he shook his head, "You will not get out of it, okay?"

"Oh shut up, Reyes. I know. I am a woman of my word. I will always keep my word."

"Lies, Vittorio, lies." He rolled his eyes, with a frown on his face. The easy smile had disappeared.

"I have never backed up on my word."

"Are you sure you haven't?" He gave me a probing look as if he knew something I didn't. What was he talking about? It was as if he was accusing me of going back on my word. I never remembered anything about that.

"What are you saying?"

The few moments of easy cordiality were gone now. It was soon replaced with tension and unsaid words... what did I expect? Nathan and I were always at each other's throats and it wasn't going to be roses just because we had a decent moment together.

"Nothing, bye Alyna." He walked out of the store and I grunted as I stared at his back, my scowl deepening with each moment.

***

The next day, Irene and I woke up bright and early. My eyes burned, but my best friend was insistent, and when she insisted, well, no one could just stop her.

We had two men to stalk today.

The Vampire. And the dragon scholar.

Alan Tims, the Vampire, who looked like finely aged wine in Irene's own words, loved art. We found him in the museum admiring the paintings hanging in the gallery.

"He is better looking than he is in the picture, you know... fine wine," Irene stage-whispered as she stared at the man. "He is cultured, classy, too."

"And he has beautiful nails." I commented as I saw how amazing his nails were. Beautiful than mine. Mine were rough and bitten. Ugh!

"High maintenance, but-"

"Should we approach him?" Irene asked as we walked outside, trying to be inconspicuous and failing.

"So how do you like this art?" Irene and I stopped just a few feet away from Alan. I stared at the picture in front of me. I absolutely had no idea why anyone would call it art, but then again, I knew f*cking nothing about this kind of art. My art stopped with making weapons.

"I like the lines. Pretty lines. Colorful lines. I wonder if crayons have these colors. You can probably

"Shut up," Irene pushed me with a smile and I smiled back, feeling happy.

"Hey Rene..." I called her and she looked at me.

"Yes, Al?"

"You know... I am surviving this because you are here, right? Without you... I don't even know I could have stood up from the spot after he left me."

"Forget that f*cking piece of s**t Alyna. You deserve the best. Let's find out if Alan Tims is the best or not!"

!!!