Leighton

48. Prisoners

Leighton

I found myself too ashamed to look Estelle in the eye. Titan was fighting with me to mark her, and it was so tempting. I could deal with the consequences after.

Her acceptance of me not telling her about my first mate just made things even worse. When she kissed me I chose to try and forget that I had anything to tell her. It was too easy to lose myself in her. Her smell was even more intoxicating now than ever. I wanted to relish the sparks but there strength made me feel so much guilt. How could I have been confused by Rhiannon’s, they didn’t even compare.

I had stood mute while she sent Rhiannon to the dungeon. Dreading and waiting for Rhiannon to claim I was her mate and watch all hell break lose but she was dragged away so quickly I don’t think she had the time. However, it would only be a matter of time before Estelle went to collect the medallion.

Unless I went first. I could do and beg Rhiannon to keep quiet. Estelle had already suggested that she would set her free, all I needed to convince her to do was leave. That shouldn’t be too hard considering what Estelle would do when she found out.

Hope flared that I could salvage this situation, Titan didn’t raise any objections so I needed to figure out a plan. Almost as quickly as it came the hope died. Did I really want to keep secrets from my mate?

I tried to rationalise with myself. I didn’t mate with the wolf, even though I had been pretty close to. Surely that counted for something.

“Arugh. I need to deal with something. As I said my father will want to see you. I’ll meet you there.” Estelle reached for me again and I held her tightly once she broke or kiss.

“Hey relax.” She said. “You did it.” I made the mistake of catching her beautiful eyes and the look of pride that I saw them made me feel sick to my gut.

Not knowing what else to do, I dragged my feet to the dungeon, the guards simply nodding and letting me through.

Rhiannon was in a cell next to Ara. That was a surprise to me. While I had never liked the witch, after everything she did to Greer, her and her mother I would happily see her rot in hell, she was close with Estelle and highly thought of here. I was now highly suspicious she might have been involved somehow.

“My my Leighton, haven’t you been a naughty wolf.” She toyed with me as I entered, clearly annoyed she was here.

“Ara, as the one in the cell that’s a bit rich.” Rhiannon was sat at the side of the cell closest to Ara, clearly they had been conversing.

“You know what they say. The enemy of my enemy is your friend.” She winked at Rhiannon.

“So I’m your enemy now am I?”

“Oh poor Leighton, despite the fact I know you never really liked me, too smitten with your darling Greer I actually had no problem with you. You were always pretty straightforward to deal with. I like the no nonsense type. However now Greer has turned everyone against me once the King gets me out of here then I guess we will have to see what side you end up on.”

“What are you taking about ? We are all on the same side?”

She c****d her head to the side, like she was assessing me.

“You think the King will let you rule now he knows about her ?” She looked at Rhiannon who was staring at the floor.

“What did you tell her ?” I asked her, my heart sinking even though I knew there was probably no way of Estelle not finding out.

“So it is true. Oh this really will cause a stir.”

I glared at Ara as she mocked me. It wasn’t that bad surely? I hadn’t really done anything.

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret. The King, he loved Estelle. He thought that by appearing indifferent to her he made her less of a target. In reality all he did was stop them having may sort of relationship. So now she has no sway with him. So if he thinks you aren’t fit to be King, you won’t be. He will make Estelle reject you.” Now she looked at Rhiannon.”You might get your second chance after all.”

“He can hardly make her reject me.” I said in disbelief. As much as I didn’t want to tell Estelle what had happened at Abaddon, I hoped that when I did she would eventually understand it had been manipulated so by magic.

“He is the King, he can and if he wants to he will. Want to see how tough your Princess is ? Test him.” Ara taunted me.

I gnashed my jaws together as I tried to make sense of it all.

“I thought I wasn’t meant to be protected from magic.”

“Spells yes, and my potion was the antidote to pretty much everything else. Operator error is hardly my fault.”

I sniffed the air and she was right, Rhiannon’s scent was no stronger of a normal wolf and the pull towards her had almost gone.

“Don’t feel too bad Leighton. You aren’t as weak as most wolves. You must have overcome the magic yourself, to an extent.”

If only I had taken the potion earlier maybe I wouldn’t have been in this mess.

“Why did you agree to help me if I’m your enemy?” I asked Ara.

“Well I didn’t know you were until I found myself sat here. I didn’t want to be part of this war, I was just trying to … help swing things in your favour but now, pah… I’m done. Once the Kings sets me free I’ll be gone.”

She looked like she meant every word, there was a defeated look in her eyes despite the defiant words and her square shoulders. I didn’t want to dwell on her too much but I guess it was maybe a lonely life, the one she had.

I focused on the reason I came here.

“I came for the medallion, we need it to stop the King.” I could see Rhiannon’s clutching it to her chest.

“What will happen to me?” She asked in a shaky voice.

“Estelle will release you and you leave, go back home or one honest wherever you want as long as I never have to see you again.” Her eyes went wide at my words.

She hesitated for a moment and then as tears flowed down her face she held the medallion out towards me.

As I reached to take it from her I heard hysterical cackling coming from Ara.

“What so funny.” I had had it up to here with her.

She drew in a deep breath composing herself but it still took a minute of my death stare before she spat the words out.

“It’s a fake.” She said in one breath, so fast I nearly missed it.

“What?”

“It’s. A. Fake.” She enunciated this time, more slowly.

I glared at Rhiannon and my heart fell further as she didn’t look too surprised. She tried to hide it.

“Are, are you sure, it was in the Kings chamber.” Her voice shaken.

“It’s too shiney and new, and it holds no peer, this is nothing more than a trinket.” Ara looked triumphantly at me. “Your mate played you.”

“She ain’t my mate.”

“Yeah, yah, try telling that to Estelle now, when you have nothing now to give her.”

“I didn’t know,” Rhiannon’s tears were falling again. “Please, you have to protect me Leighton . I’m your mate. Don’t let her kill me.”

I smashed my fist into the cell bars in frustration. Titan was growling with rage in my head that we had been tricked.

Rhiannon screamed in fright and cowered at the back of her cage. She started shaking and before I knew it she was bashing her face of the wall at the back of the cell.

“It’s all my fault.” She said as she ran into the wall again.

“It’s all my fault.” Blood was pouring down her face now.

“Calm down,” I shouted at her. Her efforts became even more frantic as I raised my voice.

“Oh Leighton, you have broken this one.” Ara shook her head at me.

Rhiannon had slumped down again the wall and was whacking the back of her head against it. Quietly repeating those words to herself, like a madwomen, her nose and forehead a bloody mess.

I quickly grabbed the keys to her cell and unlocked the door. Running towards her, to restrain her I tried to work out what she was doing. Surely her wolf would heal her so all she was doing was in vain.

“Stop it,” I placed my hand on the wall where she was thinking her head and she smashed back into it.

Ara was watching from her cell and she jumped at the sound of my voice as I called out to her. “Stop her.” I tried to keep Rhiannon still as Ara stared at the sight, a look of horror now on her face as she didn’t stop.

“I knew you cared.” Rhiannon finally paused and she looked up at me, her face a bloody mess, the wounds over her nose still bleeding.

“Hold me, help my heal me.” She pleaded, squinting as the blood trickled into her eye, as I knelt before her.

As she had stopped thrashing I released her arms and she grabbed the front of my shirt, causing me to pull her to her feet as I rose to get away.

“Kiss me Leighton, awaken our bond again.”

I heard a gasp and a growl from outside the cell and as I looked up to see a distraught Estelle staring at me, instantly Rhiannon hands left my shirt, and wrapped themselves around my neck, pressing her body towards me.