Grounded

Chapter 11

Firnen

"Coatl! How could you!"

I'm on my feet, running toward him. Katia is at my back. I'd prefer she wear clothes, but now isn't the time to worry about such things.

"Firnen, I don't want to fight you. Please... just hear me out," Coatl sticks his hands up in front of him, standing in front of Alisha, using his body as a shield. But the sneer on her face is neither remorseful nor kind and caring.

"What should I hear? How did you betray me or the kingdom? Coatl, how could you?"

"For my mate! Your mate offended her! I would do anything to appease her—you know this. You know what it's like. I did not know what she would do with the information. I only thought she wanted to know the plans to be a part of it. To not feel left out. By the time I realized, it was too late. What would you have me do? Kill her? Turn her in?"

It is not that I don't understand his position. I cannot say that I would not do the same for Katia, but betraying the royal family would indeed be betraying her.

"I would have you turn her in, yes. Perhaps something can be worked out?"

I look at Katia, whose eyes are furiously sharp, and her hands are still glowing. She looks at me, and her tone softens a bit.

"Please come with us. As the princess of this realm, I will see to it that no harm will be brought to Alisha, but she will have to face punishment."

"I can't allow that," Coatl states, and when he rushes toward me, I have but one thing to do—fight.

Coatl and I engage in hand-to-hand combat, neither of us truly wanting to hurt the other.

Alisha, however, is working on her escape. Katia shoots a fiery shield in front of her. Here, pink flames keep Alisha from escaping.

Coatl and I knock one another against the tunnel, and when his hand turns gold, I know he means to harm me.

I put a black shield against his magic and forced him off me. Rather than attack me again, he goes for Katia, something he knows I will not allow.

I raise my hands and shoot black specks from my hands as he rushes toward Katia. Alisha is also running toward Katia, and the black marks hit her. She falls to the ground and dies on impact.

"Alisha... Alisha?" Coatl scurries over to her body and slaps her cheeks. He hovers over her, tears flying from his eyes.

Katia's pink flames extinguish, and I approach them, along with my father and several other royal guard members.

"I am sorry, truly, for your loss today. You will be permitted time to mourn. In the meantime, you will be under supervision, and once your mate is buried, you will be brought to justice for your treason," Katia declares.

Coatl shoots the both of us looks of terror, and I can only hope, for the sake of us both, that this will not come back to bite us.

***

After the mayhem in the tunnel, my father returned to the royal guard to get things cleaned up. Katia's parents and I returned to the palace and the other royals and stomped out any other villains under Maloch's rule. It did not take long to detain or kill them. Now that Katia has her dragon, she is a pretty formidable opponent.

"Send out a royal decree! The rightful royal family of Eden has been reinstated, and there will be a gathering very soon to uplift the kingdom and restore balance!" The queen sends her proclamation to the royal scribes who are left in the palace, and they do as she wishes, writing every word she states and the king's agreement.

Katia and I wander away to her old room, just as it was years ago. When we're behind closed doors, she looks me over, and I look at her. The only clothes she's wearing are the tunic I gave her upon ending the siege of the palace.

"Mate," I whisper against her lips.

"Mate," she agrees. "I ignored it because I was unsure if you could love me. How could I be a good mate if I was too broken beyond repair? How could I let you in?"

She bats her long lashes against her cheeks, and I've never been more sure of anything.

"You see what Coatl was willing to do for his mate. I would do anything short of treason for you... only because treason would hurt you. I love you, Katia. All of you," I declare, and when our lips touch, we're immediately swarmed with black and pink streams of magic and light around us.

My hands are wrapped around her bottom, and I lift her into my arms. Katia wraps her legs around my waist, and I feel the warmth between them. I lead her to the floor near the window, where moonlight casts a large shadow, and lay her down.

Her breath hitches as my tongue lingers down her neck and to her breasts. She pants heavily, and I find her nipple, bringing it between my teeth.

Whether she knows it or not, she is in for a very long and pleasure-filled night...