The Song of Blood and Bone

Chapter Nine

From every table to every candle is perfect placed. Whoever put together the extravagant ball knew what they were doing. The guests of honor had their tables up a small flight of stairs that had red carpet neatly placed. The other men and women had their tables on the opposite side of the giant dance floor and refreshments lay directly in front of a large courtyard. Aliyah couldn’t imagine why they wouldn’t hold the ball outside, but she wasn’t a party planner nor was she apart of the extravagant life. The tight corset only proved her point.

Aliyah knew there was no point in looking for Hayden or the others, their hiding spot were carefully chosen by each one of them. Their job is to wait for the Grim to prey on her. This was something Hayden fought, but only to be outweighed by everyone’s votes. It hurt Aliyah that he didn’t believe in her, but she kept her face light and worry free.

A slim, tall, man approached Aliyah with an evil grin. She straightened her velvet dress and began to sip her drink. Innocently she played with the carvings in the wooden table.

“Madam?” Aliyah looked at the man through her eyelashes, playing the shy innocent girl.

She smiled and willed her cheeks to turn red, a trick Ambrose taught her. “Yes sir?” Her soft voice dripping of sweet honey only to trap a desperate insect.

His black eyes seemed to stab at Aliyah’s soul, but she had seen that look before. “Do you want to leave the bore of a party?” He extended his hand and Aliyah took it.

“But where will we go?”

“You’ll see.”

Aliyah knew this was going to end bad, but she kept walking hand in hand with the man. He pulled her into a dark alley and kept walking until the reached a black door. The man knocked twice, while waiting for a reply Aliyah looked around. There weren’t many escape routes, which is undoubtedly why they chose this place. She dared to glance at the roof, she saw Hayden and her body relaxed.

Before she could get caught she turned her head back to the door just as it opened. The mans hand tightened on Aliyah and she didn’t have to fake the fear. He drug her inside. She pretended to fight back with little strength, but he kept dragging her to a room. He threw her in and locked six separate locks on the door. He than took the keys and thew them to the floor.

Aliyah made a show of rushing towards the keys. But he pushed her onto the bed, she scrambled back. He walked towards her and laid on top of her kissing her neck. She than took her opportunity and grabbed the daggers strapped to her thigh. She went to stab him in the back but he grabbed her hand. The man looked at her with amusement, Aliyah took this opportunity and headbutted him in the nose. He gasped and grabbed his face. Aliyah took the dagger and plunged it deep into his heart. The mans face grew with shock but Aliyah just used her body weight to push him off of her.

Just as she got up Hayden burst through the door Lith in suit. He grabbed her by the shoulders with wide eyes.

“Are you okay?” He started searching for a cut but the blood on her gown wasn’t Aliyah’s. “Answer me,” he shook her gently, but she just looked at the man that she killed.

Even though everyone prepared her for the moment she’d first take a life she still felt odd almost at peace. Perhaps knowing that one less evil walked the planet soothed her. Those thoughts made Aliyah feel guilty. Guilty for feeling good about it.

“Answer me.” He snapped her back to reality.

“I.. I have a headache,” she said remembering she head butted him earlier.

Lith laughed and pumped his fist in the air. “You go girl.” Hayden turned around and they all left the disastrous room behind them.

“Where’s Avyil?”

“He received an urgent letter, he needed to leave immediately.” Aliyah wondered what the emergency was, even though it wasn’t her place. “He’ll return in the morning.”

Aliyah nodded and they kept walking, Hayden handed Aliyah his cloak and she wrapped herself on it, throwing on the hood too. Though she couldn’t see the blood on her face but she felt it start to dry. Her whole body felt dirty.

Once they got to the Inn Aliyah hid her face to avoid any suspicion. The three of them got their own rooms tonight and each one had a small bathroom so they could get rid of all the blood. Finally Hayden was done talking to the man up front and went to join Aliyah and Lith. They walked down a narrow hall. A fee doors from the end were their rooms. Lith and Hayden’s were next to each other and Aliyah’s was across the hall.

Immediately Aliyah went to wash all the blood off of her face. There was a knock on the door when she finally got all the blood from her hands and face but Aliyah stood there silently. Her body disagreed with every possible explanation to get the door. As a simple solution she decided she wouldn’t move from the tub.

Tonight was anything but dull- the knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. This time, with protest, she left to open the door. There stood Hayden, Aliyah moved back to allow him in. He closed the door roughly behind him and Aliyah stood there looking at him innocently. He began to pace back and forth until he finally stopped.

“You are my mate Aliyah,” the words sent shivers down Aliyah’s spine. “I could not stand the thought of his hands on you. I went insane,” He growled. “My head couldn’t stop the possibilities of what was happening. My whole being terrified. I have never felt so scared, Aliyah. You are my mate and I let you go in alone.”

She sucked in a breath and crossed the room. “Than put your hands on me.” She grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast. She could hear his breathing stagger.

Without warning he kissed her deep and passionately, she grabbed a handful of his hair and moaned softly into his lips. The sound was Hayden’s undoing, his hands found the lace on her back and untied them as fast as he could. Aliyah worked at the buttons on his shirt, she pulled it off of him and put her hands on his chest looking him up and down. Finally he finished and the dress fell off, the corset and undergarments the only thing that remain. She untied the corset and let it fall to the ground. Her breasts bounced out her n*****s perked with excitement. Hayden pulled off the rest of their clothes until they were both naked.

Hayden picked her up and placed her on the table behind them. “Are you sure?” He dared to ask.

She decided the only answer to his question was biting his neck where she did last time. He plunged himself into her and she gasped with pleasure.

“Hayden,” she moaned. He groaned in please and pumped himself again and again. They found a rhythm. She wrapped her arms around his neck scratching his back as she cried out in pleasure. “Hayden.”

He kissed her neck as he went faster, Aliyah’s whole body began to shake as she found her breaking point. She held on to the feeling not wanting it to go away. Her heart began to beat faster and her body finally released just as Hayden found his climax too. His c**k pulsed inside her as he released himself into her.

He pulled away but carried her to the bed. They snuggled up in each other, and their breathing began to sync. She propped herself up on his elbow and stared at him in the small candlelight.

“You’re my mate.” Aliyah admitted. “I cannot fight it anymore, I cannot pretend that every bone in my body doesn’t want you.”

“I cannot pretend I don’t want round two.” Aliyah’s heart pounded as he leaned down and kissed his lips. She kissed a trail down to his already hard c**k. She put her mouth around him and he instantly tensed. He groaned in agreement and Aliyah kept going until he reached his climax once more. She plopped down next to him.

“You’re my everything.” Hayden whispered. And began to hum a soft tune.

“Do you want to take a bath?” Hayden nodded so she got up to start the bath, wrapping a sheet around her. She poured a small thing of salts into the tub and a small vile of liquid soap. She had never seen liquid soap before. In their town they wouldn’t have many luxury items unless merchants were traveling through, though it would be gone in minutes. They lived close enough to Volalela to travel, but it was still a few days ride. Her family didn’t feel it was a worth the trip. So normally they would make their own soap or trade with Wesley.

She sat there admiring the soap and how it created tiny bubbles. Hayden kneeled behind her and rubbed her shoulders. He placed soft kisses on her neck before resting his head on her back.

“You seem deep in thought.”

“I was just thinking about my family. I miss them more than I thought. What if we fail Hayden? What then?”

Hayden thought for a second. He hadn’t really thought of the possibilities. “Then you and I will retire. We can live in South Revern with all the the wild horses and open fields.”

“What happens to us now that we’ve.. you know?”

“It’s up to you, we’re still mates and I want to spend my life with you Aliyah. We don’t know each other that well yet, but we can get to know each other over time. We have eternity after all.” That word scared Aliyah, eternity. It is such a small word but what it means is scary to her. She got into the tub and Hayden followed.

Slowly she began to rub the sponge on her body trying to scrub off her thoughts. Aliyah didn’t know what to do anymore, she felt more lost now than she had been in awhile. Her safe comfortable future was ruined by a man she hardly knew. Her life signed to be with this same man because ‘fate’ designed it that way. There is no right answer but there were so many wrong ones she could choose from and it scared her more than she wanted to admit.

“You should go.” She whispered pulling her knees to her chest. She could feel Hayden get up. He walked out.

When she heard the door close the tears freely poured from her eyes. He mind spiraled to a dark place and her heart began to harden. Eventually she stopped crying and got out of the tub. She dried herself off and packed her items. She tied her hair up and slipped on her cloak. She strapped her dagger to her side. She slipped out of her room and headed towards the docks.

A man whistled at Aliyah as she walked past, but she ignored him. She found a captain undocking a ship.

“Where are you headed?” She asked.

“We’re all a headed to Volalela. Theres one mer’ spot if ya want on.”

She nodded at the man and handed him her last few coins, she boarded the boat and didn’t look back. No doubt Hayden would go crazy when he noticed she was gone, but that didn’t matter. She couldn’t play cat and mouse anymore, she would end this now or die trying.