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Before I knew what was happening, Timmon’s hand came out, but instead of trying to hit me, he spun and backhanded the guard who had delivered the message, the one who had warned us about him. The man rocked backward. It was the second hit that sent him sprawling since he hadn’t had a chance to regain his balance.
“What the hell are you doing?” I demanded as I surged forward.
“Well, I can’t very well mark the bride before the ceremony, now can I?” Timmon sneered.
“You could fucking try, but I guarantee you’d fail,” Griff snarled.
I could feel the warmth of him at my back and knew that he’d protect me no matter what.
Instead of responding, Timmon just started punching and kicking the guard, beating him savagely as he vented his rage. Every time I tried to take a step forward, I felt someone grab my arm and hold me back. I tried to shake them off, but they wouldn’t let me interfere.
By the time Timmon was done, the guard was bleeding on the floor. I looked up at the other guards who had come with him to protect him apparently, but none of them would look at me. They just stared straight ahead like the guards outside Buckingham Palace.
“Fine. You want to marry the outcast, marry the outcast, but you will have a traditional ceremony tomorrow night. As many people as possible from Agartha will be there, and we will watch you two join as one."
"Fine," I replied. Something pulled my gaze to Kai and the pale face I saw looking slightly horrified made me want to doubt everything all over again. I had to remind myself that he'd agreed to this more than once and told me he cared for me. If we worked at it, I was sure love could grow, or at least I hoped it would on his part since I knew I already loved him.
Timmon left as suddenly as he arrived, his robes swirling behind him in a flurry of shades of green while his personal guards followed along, abandoning the injured messenger on the floor, leaving him to patch himself up. I wanted to race after Timmon and attack him, but I knew that would do no good.
My first instinct was to ask Kai what was wrong, but the groan from the guard on the floor stopped me in my tracks. I knew Kai wouldn't talk about something personal in front of a stranger, so instead of going to him, I went to the guard. "Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine. Just let me catch my breath for a moment."
We all just stood there awkwardly before realizing that I could help him clean up. "Are there any towels, soap, or anything we can use to help him?"
The guys dispersed, seeming glad for something to do as they searched for any medical supplies or at least towels. The injured guard wasn't bleeding a lot, just a few trickles of blood, most of which were coming from a cut on his eyebrow and a split lip.
Once my guys had dispersed, the guard spoke again. "You've made about the worst possible choice with that one. An outcast and a bastard? I thought you had some sense, but we might all be doomed anyway if that's how you're doing things."
I tried not to let his words get to me. "I'm doing the best I can with the options presented to me. Kai is a good man, a man I've grown to love, and I'm glad I'm marrying him, though I wish the decision hadn't been forced on us."
Hairs rose on the back of my neck, and I could feel the four of them listening. I appreciated that they weren't butting in and let me handle this. A towel smacked into the guard from across the room, and Kai stalked forward.
"I am a bastard. You're right. No one knows who my father is, thanks to my mother's proclivities, but I am still the son of the former queen. That does count for something. Not only that, but I'm well-traveled, well-educated, and one of the best warriors Agartha had to offer. Tell me again how I'm a bad choice?" His tone was light, like he was mocking the man, but I could sense the hurt radiating through him, the shame about the uncertainty of his parentage.
"He also fucks like a champion," I added with a wink. Technically I had no idea, but the guard didn't know that, and hopefully, one of these days, I'd find out.
The man shook his head before picking the damp towel up off the floor and wiping his face with it. "Well, I hope you two are happy wherever you end up because it won't be here."
"Who said we wanted it to be?" I asked, genuinely confused.
"Leader Timmon said you'd take over the realm if you could. He briefed all the guards to keep a close eye on all of you so that you couldn't start an uprising like you did in Hyperborea," the guard sounded wary as though this seemed obvious to him, and he didn't know why he had to explain himself.
"No offense, but that's the last thing on my mind. All I want is the stone, then I plan on leaving Agartha, and if that has to be for good because I married an amazing man like Kai, then, to be honest, it's your loss. Stabilizing the realms doesn't mean I'm taking them over or causing uprisings. All I'm doing is working on the magic of the realm and speaking with the caretakers."
Confusion flitted across the guard's face. He seemed to try to gauge whether or not I was telling the truth, and I willed him to believe it so that at least one person in this realm knew the truth.
"I'll try to send one of the priestesses to talk with you before the wedding. They might not be able to get away with how soon the wedding has to happen," the guard replied cryptically before he pushed to his feet and limped out. "I am sorry that it's got to be this way."
His words left an uneasy feeling in my chest. What exactly was he talking about, and why did I need to be briefed by a priestess before the wedding?
11
Tessa
The guard's parting remark seemed to send Kai into a frenzy. As soon as the door to the room was shut, he stormed into one of the side bedrooms and closed the door. The only thing we could hear was the sound of things breaking.
I wanted to go to him, to soothe him and figure out what the hell all of that meant, but when I took a step forward, Dres stopped me with a gentle hand on my arm. "Let him rage. Talking about all that stuff is hard, and he needs to vent before he can calm down again."
