Not All Heroes Are Guiltless

Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Aela’s POV

I wake up to the overwhelming smell of putrid, nauseating smoke. It was so rancid that I had trouble placing the scent until it hit me hard. Burnt flesh and skin. Oh, no!

I had to try with more effort than imaginable to open my eyes. My eyelids were stuck together with thick, dried mucus, so I had to pry my eyes open. Then, the burning sensation under my lids made them itch. I flinch to scratch my eyes.

“Calm, Nadar.” My mate whispers so quietly I can barely hear it. I instantly relax when I feel a damp rag held to my face while his gentle hands carefully caress my eyes, leaving moisture in its wake. The cloth has the smell of crisp spring water, and it only makes my scratched and parched throat jealous of the moisture and taste.

I try to swallow, but my mouth feels like it's full of cotton. I try to croak for a drink, but he shushes me softly and brings a cup of cold water to my lips. Slowly, he lifts it, and I’m able to drink slowly. When I’ve had my fill, I place my hands on his, and he lowers me back down to a soft and fluffy bedding. His hands stroke my face as I’m finally able to register my vision.

He is sitting next to me on a bed fit for more than one. That’s a first. Usually, he was only finding us a single bed. He kisses my forehead and walks away from me, and I can see him moving to a small kitchenette in the corner of the room. We must be in a tavern or some form of an inn.

I move my hand up to my head to assess the persistent headache. ‘We’ve been knocked out for quite some time. Our mate took care of us.’

The memories of the owlbear come back to me in a flurry. The last thing I remember is being lifted by the ginormous bear, and his low chuckle was only promising me torture for my future. I don’t remember anything after that. ‘We had a blast of energy which depleted all our reserves.’

A blast? Was everyone able to protect themselves and did my mate save the child. “The child, is he okay?”

“Now is not the time to worry. You need to rest and heal yourself. You are stronger now that you are awake.” His voice was still soft from before, but the small flash of anger was hidden behind his stone cold facial features.

I clench my fist and bite down on my lip to hold in my boiling anger. Why is he dismissing a simple question! I don’t understand why he can’t just answer simple questions like his name or the well-being of the child. Then all the residual feelings for him not trusting me and him casting spells to tether me so I couldn’t fight. I growl at him with a demand. “No, you will tell me now.”

“He’s dead.” My mate says without an ounce of sorrow.

Dead? He was just a child. Hopefully, the bear will be found justice for what he did to the child. I almost want to hesitate, but I keep my voice controlled into my next command. “And what happened to the bear?”

“Escaped.” My mate tries to stroke my face to calm me much like I am a child, and I push him away. I jump up from my position on the bed. Ignoring the pain in my muscles.

“We have to find him. He could be hurting more. There was more than one child in those wagons. They couldn’t have been far. Why did you even leave the altar? I could have-“I start to argue as my head gets more and more lightheaded.

My mates arms wrap around me, and he pulls me back down on the bed. Even though my body wants to protest, I push against him and stand back up. “No, tell me what happened!”

“You incinerated the island and the beach. The child, along with it. The bear was able to shield himself and escape. I was able to shield myself also. Everyone else was turned to ash.” He says so disassociated from any emotion connected to grief or sorrow one would have from those words.

“You should have gone after the bear!” I scream at him and try to slap him to release from his hold on me.

My mate’s eyes turn red while he grips my arms forcefully. The tendrils around him wrap around me tightly, almost like they are just as angry. For the first time ever, my mate terrifies, and I turn my head, and I cower from him.

“I told you to stay behind. I even forced you to stay behind. You defied me entirely and then gave him a chance to get the upper hand. You were in danger and lost control and destroyed everything. You even broke the protection I gave you, and you blasted everything around you. The bear had more children, and I wanted to learn their location, but I spent all my energy protecting myself and you. When the smoke cleared, he created a translication portal and covered his tracks, and I couldn’t pursue him. Let alone leave you burnt to a crisp in the middle of that destruction. You didn’t belong at that altar. You have no concept of the magnitude of what you can do, whether it be a rescue or a hinderance. Being so close to an ancient amplifier was a risk. You should have listened to me and stayed behind. I had more of a chance of saving that child and learning where the others were without you there. Why do you have to be as obstinate and idiotic as your mother? Always putting yourself in harm’s way without delegating or trusting anyone else. No one truly expects you to be a storybook hero. It’s not being brave, it's complete recklessness.”

My mouth drops when I notice he’s blaming me for everything. It’s not my fault the bear came when I was in my daze. ‘No, it’s our fault. He wanted us to stay behind, but we just had to rush in and get into trouble again. We didn’t even get a chance to save the children.’

“What happened to the altar?” I asked timidly from my heated mate.

My mate shoulders relaxed a bit, and with that, his hold on me relaxes with them. “I destroyed it. It shouldn’t be able to corrupt anyone else.”

Corrupt? That’s right, he had an alliance with that bear before. Must be why he recognized the description of a bear with owl feathers. It was peculiar but nothing abnormal to some of the beasts around. He was so powerful, and the altar was mesmerizing. If I hadn’t been able to move, I may have been fond of the place.

The children had been moved to another place. So, they are still endangered, and my mate chose me over the children. ‘No, smell the air fermented saltwater. We are also somewhere in civilization. We must be at the port, so that means we have been sleeping for a couple of weeks at most. He said we destroyed the island and the beach. He admitted he had to save himself from us. His spells around us are gone even now. We incinerated the island and the beach the Hou Ndours were camped. We didn’t leave him anything to be able to track.’

“I’m sorry.” I say softly. I sniffle, but I’m still unable to cry because my eyes are still so dry.

My mate pulls me to sit down on the bed and kisses my lips at first in a chaste embrace, but then a quick lick of my lips, he pushes his tongue to explore mine. He pulls me closer as he allows the passion to overtake us.

“It’s hard not to stay mad at you.” He whispers while his forehead rests on my own. “Your mother’s willfulness always unnerved me. But your father always believed it was endearing. I just now understood his reasoning.”

“Are you using willfulness and obstinate as an easier way to say stubborn and dull?” I narrow my eyes at him, and he chuckles with a smile.

“More stubborn and headstrong. Intelligence was never an issue for you or your mother.” He says, kissing my neck and moving down my body.

With all the pain I was enduring earlier, his touch is a welcome blessing as he seems to linger on where the greatest pain was centered. Knowing he was planning to make me feel better with his fingers and his mouth, I allowed him access and enjoyed the larger bed.