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“Nothing’s wrong, Madam. But I require a priest to perform our binding ceremony right away.”
“But I thought you wanted to wait until morning.”
“I’ve changed my mind. You have my gold. Now furnish me with a priest.”
I thought it must have been a long time since Berinda was spoken to in such a way or faced all that strong Alpha energy. It was radiating off all four of them, as their blood was high on pheromones and arousal. Danger crackled in the air around us. Berinda was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them.
She snapped her fingers at a guard and said, “Go fetch a priest. Quickly!”
Silence fell over the hall, the only sound that of my father’s soft snores. He was face down, drunk and snoring on the table, unmoving. Berinda and Callista were both staring at me with wide eyes, and I wondered if Callista might be rethinking her mother’s idea about throwing her lot in with this pack of Alphas.
As for me, I stayed as quiet and still as a mouse, wishing Wyatt would put me down, but not really expecting it to happen. Brandon was pacing up and down in front of the long head table and Asher looked like he was about to jump out of his skin. Lexington was grim and quiet. I hated everyone’s eyes on me, and Wyatt must have too, because he leaned over to whisper to me. “Pull your hood over your face, damn it.”
I did, and then turned my head to bury it in his chest. He stirred restlessly but didn’t make any move to stop me. “You can put me down if I’m too heavy,” I whispered to him, but he only made a derisive noise deep in his throat and kept standing there holding me.
Finally, after at least fifteen or twenty highly uncomfortable minutes with the entire royal court watching us silently, the guards came back in with a priest. The poor man looked as if he’d been sleeping. He had hastily thrown on his purple robes and neither of his shoes were tied, but he had his red stole around his neck and was carrying his book of prayers. Lexington went to speak to him and finally, Wyatt set me back down on my feet. I swayed a little and he put out his hand to me. I took it gratefully to hold me up. Brandon stood on one side of me and Wyatt on the other, as if they were afraid I’d make a break for it.
If I could have moved in that godawful heavy cape, I might have.
At last, Lexington came back over to us, the priest trailing along behind him. Lexington stepped up beside me, taking my arm and the others took a step back. The priest began talking over Lexington and me in the Old Language of the gods and goddesses, and immediately, my head began to ache. It got harder and harder to breathe as he kept going, and finally, about five minutes into it, when I was literally gasping for air, Lexington shot me a dark look and said something to the priest in a low voice.
I didn’t understand what he said, because by that time there was a loud buzzing in my ears, and I was about to pass out. Brandon passed me a glass of water and I drank it gratefully down. The priest waited a few more minutes until my breathing became easier and then he made a sign over us and motioned for us to step closer. He took the long, red, scarf-like stole from around his neck and wrapped it around first Lexington’s hand, then mine. He said a few more words over us, and then removed the stole and put it back around his neck.
Lexington nodded to him, and then turned to Berinda. “I’m taking possession of him tonight. We’ll be at my estate, should you need anything. Just send a message.”
Berinda yelled something after us that sounded like, “What about Callista?” but my new mate had already turned quickly away, taken my hand in his and was pulling me along behind him until we reached the corridor. Then he bent to sweep me up into his arms and carry me out of the castle, out of my old life and into one of the darkest, coldest nights I’d ever experienced.
****
Four massive horses were brought around by the stable hands, who had never unsaddled them or taken off their side packs, as the Alphas had expected to be only a few minutes. Lexington mounted his horse, a big black one with a white forelock, and he held out his arms for me. Wyatt swooped me up and deposited me in front of him. The big horse shuffled his feet restlessly and turned his head to look back at me, showing me the whites of his eyes. Lexington spoke softly to him and reached past me to pat his neck.
“You’re making him nervous.”
“Me? What am I doing?”
“Perhaps he senses your true nature.”
“Well, that’s just bullshit.”
He didn’t answer and I was aware of Wyatt, Asher and Brandon getting on their horses behind us.
Lexington clicked his tongue to his, and we were finally on our way through my father’s castle gates and out onto the open road. The moon and the stars watched us from overhead, lighting our way. I was leaving my father’s castle at last, but the circumstances were far from what I’d wanted.
We were a few more miles down the road before I remembered the little bottle of pills Billy had given me. They were still in the drawer I’d put them in inside my room.
I was so screwed.
The wind seemed to cut right through me, mocking me and my attempts to stay warm. My new, fur-lined cape wasn’t doing enough to keep out the wind, considering I was naked underneath it. I began to shiver even harder—deep, wrenching jerks that my poor body was using to try and generate some warmth. Besides that, it was so dark I could barely see a hand in front of my face, and I hated the dark. I whimpered as I looked around—I couldn’t help it—it just slipped out.
Lexington made a sound of impatience and pulled me back against his body, to share some of his body heat. “Gods, you’re so much trouble,” he grumbled.
“I’m sorry. I’ll try to freeze to death more quietly. Aren’t you cold?”
“Cold?” He shrugged. “I suppose a little. But we need to put some miles between us and the castle before we stop at any inns. And we’re going to travel at night for a couple of days. I don’t trust your father not to send someone after you once he’s sobered up.”
“Myfather? Send someone afterme?”
“Yes, of course. Don’t be so annoying. You’re Vesper’s child. He’ll know your true worth, even if your stepmother doesn’t.”
