Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,173

she’d ridden me before turning my head, forcing me to look at my family as I came beneath the skilled rolls of her tiny hips.

Her words aimed for blood, creating a wound so deep in my soul that I felt her within it, ripping it apart while I emptied into her haven. I’d broken Liliana’s gift with the need to prevent them from seeing the monster I’d become. I’d aimed that anger at Aria, and she’d sat before me, telling me how little I’d touched her, even though I’d tried to sink talons into her soul.

“This is a fucking mess,” Brander stated, pushing fingers through his hair as a crease formed on his forehead.

“You’re telling me,” I snorted, closing my eyes before the herbs in the fountain caught my attention.

Staring down at the fountain coated in hemlock, I paused to kneel beside it. Aine’s body had been placed for shock value. They’d wanted Aria to see it. Why? Why not remove Aine’s head and finish the job? Standing, I brought my fingers to my nose, inhaling the proof of treachery.

“It isn’t hemlock—merely a trace mixed into wolfsbane which wouldn’t be lethal to witches. Just an irritant against their skin,” I growled, looking to the stronghold before rushing toward it. “They’re here for Aria!” I snarled as I ran, knowing my men followed behind me.

We burst into the castle, scaring those within as we sprinted past them. I took the stairs three at a time, pushing against the door that refused to budge. Lifting my foot, I sent the door crashing to the floor, seconds before I entered the room, silently taking in the witches’ crumpled forms. I scanned the floor for silver hair, finding Aria wasn’t among them. Turning on the men, I lifted my nose in the air, trying to find her scent.

“I don’t smell or feel Aria’s presence within the keep,” I growled, feeling my beast awakening at the news she was gone. “Spread out and find her, now!”

We exited the bedroom, and no sooner had we stepped across the threshold than I felt it. Power unfurled, yet it was subtle. Someone was opening a portal within the stronghold. Lennox roared, sending the warning to Ember that he wouldn’t allow her to escape him. I vanished, entering the jetstream before appearing in the shadows to watch as Aria rushed toward the portal with one of her sisters.

Lennox moved, jerking Aria back as his words left our mouth in a hiss. He shoved me into the backseat of my mind, and before I knew his intentions, Lennox sunk his teeth into Aria’s throat, claiming her as his mate.

“No! She won’t survive it, Lennox! Heal her and give me control.”

“We tried it your way. You failed to secure our mate. Aria is mine, and she will survive me. This woman was made for me, and you know it,” Lennox snarled, turning as my men surrounded him. He couldn’t see or hear anyone through the red-haze consuming him with the need to claim Aria in the way our kind did.

He grabbed Aria and vanished from the dungeon, appearing in a room. Lennox placed Aria onto the bed, sitting back to look into her eyes as she watched him. Her mouth opened on a whimper, blood gushing from her throat before he leaned down, kissing the wound he’d made. Lennox ripped her dress open, stealing a gasp from her lungs as he dragged his eyes down her body in hunger.

My men burst into the room, and Lennox turned, baring his teeth, and a deadly rattle escaped our lips. I watched them, knowing they sensed I no longer held control. Only one other time in my life had Lennox taken control without my permission, which was to stop the pain I’d felt after Sven’s death.

Brander stepped forward, his eyes never falling on Aria because he knew Lennox had claimed her. Her throat carried the mark, proof that he thought she was his other half. Killian entered and paused, finding Aria watching me with panic burning in her eyes.

“Do not hurt her, Lennox. She is soft and breakable,” Brander warned, not looking away as Lennox held his stare.

“She is mine,” he snapped.

“So she is, but again, if you break her, she won’t be. She’s not immortal yet because she’s refused to meld with Ember. Aria isn’t Ember and cannot do that which your mate can,” Brander whispered, his voice neutral.

“Get out,” Lennox snarled, and I swallowed as he turned back to Aria, who wisely