Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,184

I turned, finding all the men standing up against the wall as if they feared getting too close to me.

“It smelled like rotten whore and all the men she’d fucked in the last twenty-four hours. It was supposed to be pure and smell like Knox and me, and no one fucking else!” I shouted, enraged that Bekkah had destroyed it.

The bed creaked and broke in the middle as the wood gave way. Knox’s eyes slid from the demolished bed to lock with mine. His expression was worried, as if he wasn’t sure how to respond to my reaction. I chewed my trembling lip, and tears burned my eyes, pricking them with heat as my failure bubbled up, tightening my chest.

“Aria?” Knox whispered, moving his attention to the others inside the room as if they could offer help to my reaction.

“I failed,” I whispered thickly.

“Failed what?” he asked carefully.

“I don’t know. I just know I failed to protect it from Bekkah and her scent,” I returned. “It’s insane. Right? It’s not even fucking logical.”

“We can move to a new room,” Knox stated while offering me a reassuring smile.

“What do you need, Aria?” Brander asked, forcing my attention to him.

“Sheets, pillows, and Knox,” I muttered, watching as Knox’s lips curled into a disarming grin. He moved around the bed, picking feathers out of my hair before leaning over and kissing the top of my head. “I’m losing my sanity, aren’t I?”

“No, you’re not losing your sanity. You’re nesting, which is normal for most female creatures in heat. When we fail to produce a child, this need will no longer be present.”

“And if we make a baby?” I countered, watching the tic that started in his jaw.

“You’d worsen,” he answered, watching me as I nodded.

“Because I’d make a nest for us, and our child―like I’m a freaking bird?” I noted the anger in his gaze, and clamped my mouth closed before it ended in an argument or worse, violence considering my short fuse. “Okay, thank you for answering even though you didn’t want to, Knox. It’s a lot easier to cope when I understand that my actions aren’t actually me losing my mind and going insane.”

His features softened as he nodded slowly. “Greer, you can stop hiding behind the door now. Aria needs help securing the items she will need to make us a new―bed. Have the guards remove this one, or what is left of it, and the witches can remove the mess,” Knox instructed until I rattled, shaking my head. “No?”

“I’ll clean it and get rid of the wreckage. I’d rather not have anyone else’s scent inside our space if it’s okay? It sounds crazy, but it’s important.”

Knox exhaled, smiling tightly. “Brander, Killian, Lore, a little help here.”

The men started purring together, and Knox rattled, raking his fingers through his hair as he threw them an angry glare. I lifted on my tiptoes, pulling out the feather in Knox’s hair, which caused him to purr along with his men. Knox settled his hands on my hips as he leaned his forehead against mine, brushing his lips softly against my mouth.

“I meant help with the bed, assholes. For now, Aria is rather easy to handle when all she wants to do is…” I kissed him hard, cutting his words off, feeling his lips curling into a smile against my mouth. His hand rose, cupping my cheek as he rattled low and sexy from his chest.

Knox and his men moved the pieces of the bed out of the room before they vanished. Greer and I made quick work of the bedroom, filling it with freshly laundered sheets and blankets. I spent hours rearranging the bedding until something shook the castle, causing my hackles to rise. The sounds of heavy footfalls filled the hallway, making Greer and I turn, tilting our heads as what sounded like explosions filled the night air.

The door slammed open, and I jumped, baring my teeth until I realized it was Knox. He glared at me, and my stomach flip-flopped. He didn’t enter the room. Instead, he stood in the doorway, his eyes cold and filled with murderous rage. My heart dropped as he shook his head slowly.

“I found your sister Luna, which I’m guessing is who took Aine from the crypt where I placed her days ago. Luna is attacking us, and she is standing beside Ilsa, who has this castle surrounded by her army. Dimitri said that your family was working with the high queen, but I chose