The Usurper's Throne

52

We made it to his room. It wasn't the one from before, it was the Wereking's old room.

"Are you going to release her from your pack? To join the royal court?" Roy asked.

Damien ignored him and ushered me inside. Roy entered, too, and stood in the corner.

Why were we here? I turned to see Damien taking off his shirt.

No.

I lifted my hands and pushed Damien back with a thrust of wind desperately.

"Stop," he ordered mid-air. Suddenly, by body froze up.

That was my one chance. He smashed against the wall and groaned. There was a bloody mark on the wall. Damien stood up angrily. He poked my chest.

"That was your one chance," he said. "Now, it's time for the commands. Take off your clothes."

No. No. No. No.

I felt my hands obediently doing so. I slowly stripped off my shirt and pants, leaving me in nothing but my underwear.

Damien licked his lips.

"Are you going to release her from your pack?" Roy asked again, confused.

Damien ignored him again and stalked around me, like I was a deer he was hunting.

Crap. Crap.

He was going to mate with me.

"Go lay on the bed with your hands and feet spread out," He commanded.

My heart thudded furiously in my chest as my body did exactly what he said. I couldn't stop this. Blood was leaking down Damien's face, but he didn't seem to care. He jumped on the bed and straddled my waist.

I started to cry.

"Don't cry," he commanded. My body seized up. "Don't ruin this for me. Look pleasant. Like you're going to enjoy this."

Like a marionette doll, my face contorted. I was going to kill him. Internally, I was shaking in rage. And pain. And fear. Mostly fear.

His hands began to rove all over me, and I flinched, but my body wouldn't move. I hated him. I hated him. He sighed. "I don't want to mate with a log. Your hands and ankles are locked in place, but you can move everything else." He stared at me. "No crying, though. Only sexy words allowed," he crooned.

His faced dipped down and he began kissing my shoulder. My body thrust up in panic as my ankles and wrists were locked by some magical force. He groaned in pleasure and began grinding himself against me.

Be with the trees. Be with the trees.

"Aren't you going to release her from your pack? So she can join your royal court?" Roy interrupted, curiously.

Damien snapped in frustration. "Yes," Damien said sarcastically. "I'll let her go. Then she'll..."

I didn't hear the rest of his statement as I felt a tear streak down my face.

How?

My arms suddenly loosened.

He said it. He let me go.

The Old Magic didn't understand figurative language.

He had just released me from his pack.

He didn't have the Alpha's Claim.

I was a rogue.

His hands went down to fumble with his belt, and I lifted my hands, blasting him with the most wind I've ever used. He flew back and slammed against the wall, crushing the drywall. I aimed a blast at Roy, and he smashed into the wall as well.

I screamed and blasted more wind at Damien. My screams turned into the howling wind. I was more powerful than I knew.

I was going to kill him.

I didn't care.

I was going to kill him.

I heard a smashing sound and I saw the door burst open. It was Elijah. He took one look at me, without any clothes on and his eyes went wide in anger.

I sent another burst at Damien, swiping him and Roy across the room against another wall. I heard Elijah yelp, and I realized that I had been throwing furniture and had sliced his side with a lamp. Crap. Crap.

I turned my attention back to Damien and blasted him backward. He flew backward a few feet, only to find his footing and stare up at me with a crazed interest. His face was covered in blood, and he looked at me with murderous intent.

"Stop!" Elijah shouted.

Suddenly, Damien plummeted a few feet and stopped. His torso was halfway through the floor.

I quickly wrapped a blanket around me, panting hard, franticly wiping tears from my eyes. I looked at Elijah, who was holding open a portal to the dark realm. He had trapped Damien's legs in the dark realm and closed the portal around his torso, pinning him between realms.

"Naomi?" Elijah asked frantically, scanning me with his eyes and clutching his side. "Naomi, are you okay? Did he touch you?" I heard Damien yell as the portal around his torso shrunk as Elijah's anger rose. He could slice him in half.

I looked around cautiously, examining the room to see if this was a vision. There were no flaws. I glanced over at Roy who was getting up from where I had tossed him. The side of his head was covered in blood. I lifted my hands to blast him, and he raised his hands in peace. "I've quenched his ability. You are safe from his illusions."

I looked at Elijah, who nodded. "Naomi, I'm so sorry. He is on our team. I'll explain. Are you okay?" he asked again.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. He didn't...do anything." Not for lack of trying.

Damien was frantically trying to escape, but he was well and truly pinned.

"We're taking you back to the Council," Elijah said, clutching at his side. Blood leaked between his fingers as he held pressure against it. "You're done."

Damien froze and turned to look at me. I wanted to hide from his gaze, but I stood under it. I was no longer being hunted. I was no longer his prey.

"Wait," I said.

I looked at Elijah and he stared at me for a few seconds, as if trying to figure out what I meant.

He realized and nodded slowly. "Do what you need to do, Naomi," Elijah said, turning back. His focus was on Damien.

I nodded briefly.

Then, I turned to see the man who had shattered my heart. "Shoot the Illegitimate," he commanded. Nothing. Tears began streaking down my face.

"Damien." I said softly. "I trusted you."

"You still can," he said, reaching a hand to touch me. I recoiled. "Dove, we can rebuild this kingdom. We can build it the right way. We can get rid of everyone who would ever try to hurt you," he said, eyes alight with passion, glancing at Elijah and Roy when he talked about disposing of people. "I see know that your suspended throne has made you upset. I never wanted to do that. I will give you a throne right next to mine. I want you to be my queen."

I took a step back and Elijah hovered nearby, offering support, even as his hands were holding the portal open and clutching his side.

I turned to Elijah and set my hand on the pistol at his side. He stared at me steadily and nodded. I saw the worry that lined his eyes. He had aged years since I first met him.

"I trust you," was all he said.