Chapter 138 Blood

Nikolai

I entered the bedroom to see Ava curled up on a lounge chair, reading a book. She immediately looked up at me and offered me a small smile. The smile couldn't hide deep melancholy that had surrounded her these last few days.

I smiled back and walked towards her, "I thought you'd be asleep."

"Couldn't sleep." She whispered and closed her book.

"Sorry I couldn't come sooner," I replied. "There were quite a few things to discuss."

"Tell me." She said and met me half way. Her arms slid around my waist and her head rested on my chest.

I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tighter. "Rhazien and Jessica will be taking care of Mozog now. Symon went to Poziarne as a representative of the Palace at the funeral there. And they're going to stay there for some time to make sure everything is good. Andrei wanted to help the humans, half of the Neos Army is still in the human city, so he left to go there. Mikhail left for Mystic Lupus—we still need to rename that by the way, to coordinate with Heath and then both of them will leave in search of Adrik along with an entire team. Algebrus will also go to Mystic Lupus to establish our governance and align everything in accordance to the entire pack. Max, Dimitri and I will be going to Bellehaven Isle tomorrow to follow a lead. And I want you to go back home along with Natalia."

"I want to be with you," her hold on me tightened. "I'll come with you to Bellehaven."

"I want to be with you too," I kissed the top of her head. "But we have some unfinished business to tend to. And it's going to be dangerous. You've been through too much and your body needs rest. The same goes for Natalia, she's still weak because of her heat and needs rest. You can be there for each other. And we will be able to focus better if we know that you are safe."

"Are you going to kill them?" She asked.

"Not if they cooperate. We believe that they had a hand in this entire thing." I replied. "Especially the bombing. And they're the ones who should be able to give us Adrik's location too."

"I'll go back to the palace, Mi Amor." She said before her hands moved and she began unbuckling my belt. "But tonight, I need you inside me."

"Are you sure, Love?" I asked to make sure. The heat inside by body was increasing. I desperately needed her. Our mating was still incomplete and my wolf wanted nothing more than to ravish her and make her completely ours.

But neither of us were in the right mind-frame to do it.

"Yes. I just.. I want to forget, Nik. Make me forget." Her voice was thick and her hands shook as she began undoing the buttons of my white shirt.

"Avalyn..." I whispered and cupped her chin, tilting her head up to make her look at me.

The tears in her eyes pierced my heart. "I'll make you forget everything tonight, Love. But this isn't the way to deal with grief and you know it. It will get better with time. And while it can never go back to the way it was, it will be okay. We will be okay as long as we are together."

The tears in her ice blue eyes escaped and her lips curved in a tremulous smile. "Don't you ever leave me, Nikolai."

A shaky smile formed on my lips and I picked her up. Her legs wrapped around my waist and her hands rested on the nape of my neck before she pulled me in a passionate kiss.

"You can't get rid of me even if you try, Love." I murmured before I walked to the bed and placed gently placed her on it.

The seductive fire in her eyes grew as she raised her arms. Following her silent command, I grasped the hem of her short nighty and pulled it over her head in one shot.

She was naked underneath and all I could do was stare at the angel in front of me.

Suddenly her wings appeared and flapped open before she wrapped them around herself before leaning back on the bed, "very selfish you are. Shielding yourself with those clothes of yours and keeping me from looking at what’s mine. Show me what you have, to see what you want."

Fucking hell. "That confidence of yours is so fucking sexy, Moya Lyubov," I groaned and began stripping. I ripped my shirt open and shoved my jeans aside before looking at the temptress in front of me.

A mischievous smile formed on her face and her left wing moved before she caressed my dick with it.

A moan escaped my mouth and my head tilt back. The feel of it was...heavenly. And then her other wing caressed the side of my face. It was soft, softer than anything I could even imagine. And then she slowly trailed it down my chest.

A hiss escaped my mouth when I felt a burning sensation.

"Shit." Ava gasped and I looked down to see a long cut on my peck and a little blood on her wing. "I didn't know that would happen, I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine, Love. It'll heal." I raised my hand and touched her wing. Fucking hell it was soft. "What does it feel like?" I asked, caressing it. The whole thing was white with golf undertones and as the wings got closer to her back, it shaded to golden colour till it was all gold where it was attached to her hack.

"They feel like my limbs do. Just more sensitive." She replied and when I touched near the bone, the wings shuddered and Ava let out a soft, melodic giggle. "It's a little ticklish too."

I smirked. "I'll keep that in mind."

Her eyes narrowed endearingly, "don't you dare tickle me!"

"Okay," I chuckled. Both of is knew that it wasn't going to happen.

Ava was quick to tuck her wings back and make them disappear, which made me laugh.

And then she rose on her knees and silenced me with a kiss. All humour was lost and the fire returned. Grabbing her tiny waist, I gave it a good squeeze before pushing her on the bed. I jumped on her and smashed my mouth against her again, drawing a groan from her.

Our tongues engaged in a battle of dominance while my hands roamed over her body, grabbing and squeezing her soft, delicate flesh.

"Fuck me, Nikolai," she moaned when I sucked on her the new mark I had made on her neck.

"Not yet," I hissed, feeling her wetness coat my dick. She was so fucking ready for me. But it had been way too long since I had fucked her for my liking. And I was going to take my time now.

I moved on to kiss her chest, leaving a wet trail in the wake of my lips. She tasted divine and with each kiss on her buttery soft skin, I'd get a taste. I took her nipple in my mouth and her back arched as she moaned loudly, her fingers grasping and pulling my hair.

My hand raised to cup her other breast. I moulded it before squeezing it softly, slowly tightening my hold till she gasped. The sound sent a jolt straight to my dick, making my hard on almost too painful.

"I want you now!" Ava groaned and then in the next moment, I was lying on my back and she was sitting on top of me, giving me a full view of herself. "So I'll have you now. Or else no sex for a week." Her blue eyes sparkled in the glow of the yellow lamp and her silver hair that reached her waist now made her look like a fucking angel. My angel.

"One quick fuck and then I'll have my way with you." I negotiated.

"Agreed." She grinned satisfactorily and leaned down to kiss me. I kissed her back hard and helped her scoot back to position.

Her lips trailed lower still she nibbled on my chest before she licked the cut on my chest before sucking on it a bit, tasting my blood. "You taste divine," she moaned before she licked her lips.

"Definitely not better than you do," I grabbed my dick and placed it against her entrance. "I'm eating you out next."

"Yes," she moaned before she slammed her hips down, taking my entire length at once.

I moan escaped my lips at her tightness, "fuck."

I heard a small whimper and my eyes shot open to see Ava's eyes squeezed shut. She looked like she was in pain.

"Ava?" I grabbed her waist and picked her up, effectively pulling out. I placed her on my waist and sat up. "Are you okay?"

Her eyes opened and she looked confused. "It hurt. A lot."

"It hurt?" We've had sex more times than we could count. It was almost every night and sometimes mornings too, ranging from five to ten times each time, in different positions. She was more than used to my size by now. I would say we were a little too comfortable having sex with each other. Hell, we often negotiate positions and new things we wanted to try out!

She nodded, her eyebrows pinching in a frown. I grew worried. Why would this happen? Was it because she was a faye now? Or because we weren't mates my Goddess Luna's choice and we are still mating? Or maybe because she was a hybrid and they aren't supposed to exist? Or maybe she's not sexually compatible with me because of it? Oh Goddess I hope that's not the case.

"Let's try this," I whispered and rubbed circles on her clit with the pad of my finger. She squirmed under my touch and bit her lip. A small moan escaped her lips when I slid my finger further ahead to reach her core.

Her wetness coated my finger before I slowly inserted it inside her. I kept my eyes on her face, looking for any signs of distress. She easily took my finger half way in but when I pushed further in, I detected pain in her eyes and instantly pulled out.

Both our eyes lowered to see a few drops of blood on my finger.

Ava's eyes widened and she got off me immediately. That's when my dick came into view. It had a little blood on it too.

"Why is this happening? What's wrong with me?" Ava asked, sounding scared.

"Nothing's wrong with you, Love. But I think we should go see a doctor before we do anything else." I said and she nodded.

"Let's take a shower." She suggested and we went into the bathroom and took a long but silent shower, both of us deep in our thoughts.

Later that night, when we were all cuddled up inside the covers, Ava whispered, "what if we can never have sex?"

"That's impossible." I replied.

"What if?" Even though our mating wasn't complete, I could feel her through the bond. It wasn't as strong as it would be after we will finish mating but it was there. And it helped me understand that she was scared. Scared that I would leave her. Especially for someone else whom I could have sex with.

"We'd find ways to do something else." I replied. "I don't care. You're my mate and that's it. You're mine and I'm yours. I love you with or without sex, Avalyn. I'm not leaving you for anything or anybody else. Nor will I let you leave."

"I'm never going to leave you." She snuggled deeper in my hold and I knew she believed me. Her self-doubting thoughts finally put at rest. "I love you."

"And I love you." I kissed her head.

******

Bellehaven Isle

"My fifteen yearlong dream is coming true." Max said as we drove to the High-Council Palace, our armies in the cars behind us.

"If they really were the ones behind the bombing, I'm going to kill them." Dimitri muttered.

"I have a feeling they are going to end up dead regardless." I looked out of the window. They did us wrong fifteen years ago and they did all four races of Jivan wrong this time around.

Dimitri pulled up at the gates of the main palace—not the guest palace we had stayed at. A guard strolled out of his post to reach our car and asked with arrogance, "do you have an appointment?"

"No." I replied after lowering my window.

"Then you cannot go inside. You might want to turn around and leave with your friends." He said and motioned to the dozens of cars behind us that had our army in them.

"How about you open the gates and me and my friends might let you live." I flashed him my canines.

He flinched back a little, "may I know your name, Sir? So that I can make a call?"

"Tell them the King is here." Dimitri answered for me. This was a test that would confirm our suspicions.

"King Adrik?" The guard did a double take at me and I nodded. Looking like the asshole at least paid off somewhere. He ran back to his post and opened the gates, letting us pass through.

"They were definitely involved in the war and know about his whereabouts too." Max said and we nodded.

The palace was exactly the same I remember. It had the same tall yellow bricked walls with vines growing over them. The area looked like a sanctuary for oldies. Century old trees surrounded the land on which various fruits hung. Squirrels ran up and down them. There was a fountain in front of the palace which was usual for all palaces at this point and it also had multiple bird baths where the birds were drinking water. I spotted a couple of deer too. It was a picture straight out of a Disney movie.

Only, naked male and female slaves littered the place. They walked around, collecting fruits from trees, feeding birds and random animals and swept the leaves off the ground endlessly.

Dimitri pulled up the car in front of the entrance and we got out.

I turned around to see the Rogue army, the Montana army and the Neos army were out of the cars and stood in front of the palace, ready for my next command.

I hadn't brought all of them. Of course. They wouldn't even have fit inside the walls of the palace. But I had brought a dozen and a half of each army. That was more than enough to establish my dominion over them. And one could clearly see the difference between them.

The Rogue army were in shorts and t-shirts with no arms or ammunition. They were more animal than human and fought best in their wolf form. Those things will only weigh them down. Their wilderness was visible on their faces and bodies in form of scowls and scars. The things that they have been through made them the strong wolves they are.

The Montana Army stood with their peers. They were taught to fight in groups, that their strength was in numbers and had a definite style of fighting. Each person fought like an extension of the next person. You can't single wolf out of the pack, you attack one, you attack all.

The Neos army was in full armour, standing in straight files. One look at them and everyone knew that these people would fight mercilessly. Their fighting style and coordination was impeccable and unlike anybody has ever seen. They were strong, fearless and could follow orders like no other.

And this was just three of my armies. The Mozog army and the Poziarne army wasn't even called in. Not to mention to Mystic Lupus army.

And then suddenly we were surrounded by the High Council's army which is better known as the Enforcer Army. The people who were too much into following the laws and had extremely strong sense of morals and wanted to do greater good for the supernatural community left their packs, kingdoms and covens and came here to become a part of the Enforcer army. They are the ones who are dispatched to settle disputes and to re-establish peace. And I had never met more stuck up people in my entire life. In their eyes, everything they do is right and what everyone else did was wrong.

And then I saw Jonathan, the General of the Army walk out of the palace with a smile but it faltered when he saw us instead. I fucking knew that the pictures I was receiving everyday of him being collared were fake. "How nice of you to come all the way here to meet us, King Nikolai, Second in Hand Dimitri and Lord Maximilian."

"I see you are out of your chains before your punishment ends, Jonathan." I replied. "Looks like you're not half the honourable man you pride yourself to be."

"The Elders deemed it fit, Alpha Nikolai." He replied with a heated gaze. Of course they did. "May I know the reason of your arrival?"

"Thought I'd check out my new land, considering I'm the Alpha King of Mystic Lupus too now, because of which this land belongs to me. Also, it's been a long time since we visited this palace. I want to make a few changes."

"I still remember the time you came to visit us at this palace with your mother all those years ago. I must say, all three of you have become quite the men in the last fifteen years. Also, I am extremely sorry about your mother. May her soul rest in peace." He was definitely still nursing his wounded pride from our last interaction. And even the sound of his voice annoyed the fuck out of me.

And Max quickly sensed my annoyance and took over. He was good with words. "And we remember everything just as well, Jonathan. I must say, your way of greeting guests hasn't improved one bit," Max said with a smile. "We were greeted with and army and your ugly mug that day and it's still the same! I hope you don't plan to send us off without even inviting us in again! Especially Alpha King Nikolai!"

I heard Dimitri chortle before he covered it with a cough.

Jonathan's cheeks got pink, "of course not, Lord Maximilian. The three of you are very welcome. But I'm afraid that your army…er…armies cannot come inside."

"Oh dear me." Max fake gasped. "I wasn't aware that they followed your orders too."

Jonathan grew red, "I did not mean it in that sense, Lord Maximilian. I meant that they aren't allowed inside the palace. For safety reasons. I'm sure you understand."

"Oh right." He nodded. "You're afraid that they might come in your way when all of you try to punish us like last time or when you might want to kill us?"

He shook in controlled anger. Max sure knew how to rile people up. "We would never dare to bring any harm to the King and his family, Lord Maximilian. W—"

Max cut him off, "so you're afraid that we might come in and order them slaughter all of you because you had wronged all of us fifteen years ago when we had asked for your help and you turned us away? Or that we might ask them to take all of you as captives and torture you till the day you die and rid the world of a few worthless lives?"

"No." He growled, his eyes flashing black before he regained his composure and cleared his throat. "I mean, no, we aren't afraid that you would do that. I know you are well aware of the value we bring to our society and—"

"Are you saying that you aren't afraid of us? Are you insulting the King's army?" Max cut him off again.

Jonathan took a deep breath and then released it, clearly having problems with maintaining his temper. In my opinion, he was doing good. Max had mad annoying skills.

"It's fine," I said, putting an end to it. "We will go in without the army. Arrange a meeting with the entire High Council. It's about time we had a chat."

"Apologies, King Nikolai but in interest of the safety of the High Council, a meeting with the entire council at once is not permitted."

Gritting my teeth, I walked up to him and exerted my dominance over the man who had once caned my brothers' and my arms and thighs before locking all of us, including mom, in a dingy cell for three days. I patted his shoulder with more force than necessary before brushing off the invisible speck of dirt, "I said, I will meet the entire High Council," I said lowly but menacingly.

He stiffened.

"Are we clear?"

He nodded quickly.

"I must tell you one more thing. When I get angry, I tend to growl," I told Jonathan before I turned my head to the side, "when you hear me growl," I addressed the armies, "attack. Kill them all." And then I looked at Jonathan again who had broken out in sweat.

"I'll go inform the High Council." He said, "Slave Oliver will show you to the Throne room."  And then he fled.

Smirking to ourselves, we walked inside as the slave led us to the throne room.