To Claim A Crown Book Two: The Winter Harbinger (Complete)

Chapter Twenty-Five: Convict

Stellan knocks on Sarah's door and the door swings open. He hesitantly steps inside. Sarah is lying on her bed, on her stomach with her grimoire opened in front of her. She is reading a page intently. Stellan steps into the large room. There's a warm fire heating up the large space. Sarah glances up at him then turns back to her reading. After a moment of being fully aware that Stellan is in her room she pushes herself up quickly, adjusting her top and hair.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there. Thought that maybe it was Jax at the door. Is everything okay?"

Stellan shakes his head slowly. "Naomi had a bit of an incident with the local law enforcement-"

Sarah flings herself off the bed stumbling as she does. She scrambles to pull her boots on. "Then why are you just standing about? Where is she? They arrested her? We need to go, now! Where the hell is Raurlin? Why are you just standing there man?"

Stellan reaches forward and catches Sarah's wrist. She immediately falls still.

"Naomi and Raurlin are both downstairs. The man, Axel, asked the law to do some recon on us. He approached Naomi with the intention of being aggressive but Raurlin found her and it didn't get far. She's home. She's in one piece, but I'm worried about her. She's shut down. There's something she isn't saying but I think she may be inclined to speak to you."

"Of course she will, she's my best friend. And if you needed help with Axel you should have asked me. I could have done a spell. Let's go down."

Stellan releases Sarah's wrist and steps back. Sarah walks briskly out the room and Stellan follows closely behind her. The two trot downstairs and walk back into the lounge. Naomi is tucked against Raurlin, holding onto a steaming cup of hot chocolate. It's rich and aromatic with mini marshmallows floating along the surface. Raurlin smiles at Sarah.

"Horatio made a cup for you too, Sarah. Stellan would you mind?"

"Of course not, Sarah have a seat. I'll be right back."

Sarah flops down beside Naomi, rubbing her knee. "Stellan told me what happened. I was about to go into overdrive. I thought you'd been arrested. I was so angry. You know Raur before we met you all Naomi and I had this running joke that between us I would be arrested first? Unbelievable what happened."

Her ramble warrants a chuckle from Naomi that turns to a laugh. "I just want to take the rest of the day for some much needed relaxation. How do we feel about a movie day? We can order in, watch the classics. Maybe we can even rope Horatio into watching with us."

"And Delilah?" Stellan asks as he walks back into the lounge, holding Saraha's cup of hot chocolate. Naomi looks up at him and at the look on his face she nods her agreement. "That settles it then. The only thing we're missing is a TV. Can we ask Horatio to get one?" Naomi directs the question at Raurlin.

Raurlin nods. "Of course, my queen. Maybe a projector?"

Naomi shrugs. "Either or. We'll wait for him to get back. Him and Jax both."

Raurlin kisses her temple then stands up. "Then please allow me some time to see to some matters. I'll be in the office if I'm needed. Stellan, a word?"

Stellan nods a low bow and follows Raurlin out the lounge. Once they're out of sight Sarah carefully shimmies up the couch until she is beside her best friend.

"Some matters" she mocks, "I'm quite certain that they were just finding a way to give us some alone time. What happened?"

"It was just dumb. He asked me who I was then threatened to take me to the station. Said his name was Lex. And that Axel guy asked him to follow us, get Intel."

"And what's got you so freaked out?" Sarah asks before blowing along the surface of her drink.

Naomi muses over the question. "I think that I am a hybrid."

Sarah laughs with a playful eyeroll.

"No, I'm being serious Sarah. I feel as if there's something alive inside of me and when he approached me it felt like it wanted to claw its way out. To protect me. It was my own anger but it was an extension of my anger. It was it's own thing."

"My grimoire makes a lot of mention of the wolves. Lycans. Why don't we read through it together? And better yet why not get in contact with Sally? Queen to queen."

Sarah nudges Naomi with a wink. Naomi chuckles. She sips at her hot chocolate chewing on a half soaked marshmallow.

"I think I'm also on edge because Delilah is back. I want to give her the benefit of the doubt. But she hurt me badly when I was younger. I carry a lot of that hurt now."

"Hurt people hurt people. I hope genuinely that the two of you are able to get to a point where you can have an honest conversation about everything. There's a lot of healing that needs to happen. I'm sorry about the way I behaved over breakfast. I had an interesting chat with Raurlin about it."

Naomi raises an eyebrow.

"Yes we've decided that I will take his direction when it comes to the vampires and wolves and he will take mine when it comes to the witches."

"I'm really glad that you two are starting to settle down. I was worried for a bit there. Hey did I tell you that he mentioned some kind of ritual, a marriage ritual?"

Sarah's eyes widen as she attempts to swallow down on the gulp of chit chocolate enclosed in her cheeks. She covers a hand over her mouth.

"You're kidding me! He mentioned it? He doesn't have a single romantic bone in his body!"

Naomi grins at her best friend who is giggling beside her. She rolls her eyes and sips at her drink.

"Do you think we could do a spell to get in contact with Sandy?"

Sarah's giggling continues. "We live in the day and age of technology. What if we just called her?"