Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,15

and I’d been through hell to escape Lord Andres. I couldn’t get the faces of the witches who had helped me out of my mind. They’d died because the cuffs Knox placed on my wrists had weakened me. I’d been a sitting duck, defenseless and exposed as we’d moved through the forest to meet up with him.

Every time my eyes would start to close, I’d see Lord Andres touching me, tasting me, and I’d jerk upright. Knox would brush his nose against my ear, purring into it. I’d permit him to calm me before allowing my gaze to wander over the terrain, ever watchful of a trap.

Knox and his men offered me comfort the entire trip back to camp. The moment Knox started his soothing purr, they mirrored it absently, as if forced to do so by their King. Knox held me against him with one arm while the other grabbed the reins confidently, as if used to riding with women in his arms.

We reached camp at dusk, and Knox rode straight to a large tent, dismounting without missing a step with me in his arms. Inside, a large bath was poured, and he set me down beside it, holding me close. Women moved around, easing toward me when he stepped back. Their eyes filled with understanding, which told me that between falling asleep and waking up, Knox had sent a rider ahead of us with orders.

I watched him inhale, baring his teeth as if he couldn’t help it while Brander slid a chair beneath him, then moved toward me. The women removed my clothes while Brander assessed the damage to my shoulder. Stepping back, he looked lower to my abused thighs.

“Were you sexually assaulted?” Brander asked.

“I’m fine,” I whispered thickly.

“He didn’t fucking ask if you were fine, Aria. He asked if Lord Andres got inside your body!” Knox snarled, and I recoiled as if he’d struck me. He exhaled anger and tried again in a calmer tone, “Lord Andres marked you, and his scent showed he intended to breed you. Did he succeed?”

“He didn’t rape me, Knox.” I trembled violently as Brander observed. Knox lifted his hands, and his purr filled the tent. He silently pushed the panic away from me with his touch. “He wanted to breed me. He did things, but he didn’t get that far before you came for me.”

Knox swore beneath his breath as he stood, sending the chair crashing to the ground with his abrupt abandonment of it. He lifted his nose as a deep rattle filled the tent, threatening to come down on us. Knox walked toward me, pulling me against him as his eyes shifted between black and blue as if he were fighting to remain in control. His body shook with anger, and I swallowed the urge to back up. His anger wasn’t directed at me. It was because of what they had done to me, causing tears to swim in my eyes.

“What things?” Knox hissed.

“He used his fingers to check the status of my womb,” I admitted, barely above a whispered breath. “He used them and then tasted me. He told the witch, Kristal, not to kill me because I could breed an army to oppose you. He said they could turn me into a bomb to send back to you, and to murder me would be a wasted opportunity.”

He snorted, lifting my chin to peer into my eyes while his arms moved around me. “What else did they say?”

“That the high queen wanted me dead. That my skipping across the Nine Realms leaving skulls for my current crush wasn’t acceptable,” I blabbed, holding his angry glare. “They were going to replicate my face and body onto another witch to get to you, but Lord Andres said you’d tasted me and would smell the difference.”

“Get in the bath and wash his scent off of you before I lose control, woman,” Knox stated, lifting his hand to tip my head, kissing my lips softly.

He silently retrieved his chair to set it close to the large tub. Killian entered, bringing in a dress and a blanket. His eyes slid over me before he moved to a large bed that sat beside a similar chest to Knox’s.

I slipped into the tub, covering my breasts as the men offered me their backs. Knox grabbed the bottle of soap and began carefully washing me himself. It was an intimate action, which made me shiver as the others made busy around us.

It was as if they’d