Pretty Spelled by K.A Knight
Atlas
Ididn’t sleep after my vision of my mate. Instead, I went out and chopped wood. Not that my brothers or their mates need it, all supernaturals tend to run hot and regulate their own temperature, but it gives me something to do with my hands. I lose myself in the rhythmic motion of chopping, removing, chopping, removing, until I have a pile the size of the house next to me. My muscles burn as sweat coats my shirtless body and the sun starts to rise once more.
They suggested we kill her.
I won’t let them. Today, we will settle on a plan. I have never led my brothers astray in battle, and they are going to have to remember that. Even with the centuries between us, this is still a battle like old.
Good versus evil.
And you never leave a warrior behind. Lilith is a warrior.
Always was.
Always will be.
* * *
By the time I get inside, Kyro has already started cooking with help from Dabria, while everyone but Mishal is seated around the table, talking and getting to know one another.
“Don’t add bacon to those eggs. Rose is an animal protector,” Kyro says, and Cassandra laughs, even as she throws herself at him. He catches her in his arms and winks at her, leaning down to place a kiss on her lips, and a twinge of jealousy goes through me so I clear my throat.
“I’m going to shower, and then we can get started on the plan,” I inform them and storm away to escape my own dark feelings and envy. They quiet down, but once I’m upstairs and in my own bathroom, they go back to it, and I can hear them once again. I hate that they must feel guilty for their happiness. I need to make more of an effort not to show my pain. They have suffered enough, and they deserve to show affection and be in love.
I strip and step into the waterfall shower, washing away my dreams and sweat. Hell, I still have that tucked away. Ducking my head into the spray, I close my eyes, feeling hands wrap around me from behind. “Attie,” she whispers.
Spinning, I search the bathroom for her desperately, but I find nothing except memories and the echo of her ghost. I close my eyes again and slump against the wall. How could my brothers give up on her?
She never gave up on us.
I force myself from the shower before dressing in some joggers—an invention of this century I find myself enjoying. It’s so much better than the leathers and chain mail, or even the gold armour. I was unable to toss it, especially with the carving on it from Lilith so I could carry her with me at all times in battle and know I was never alone.
* * *
It’s silent around the table, so I decide to just lay down what the plan is. “I have been hunting her for a year, and along the way, I picked up information and resources. I think if I can capture her, trap her in the cage in there, I can rid her of the possession and bring Lilith back.”
“What if you can’t?” Khalid questions, frowning at me.
“Then at least we know,” I snap. “Could you really just hunt and kill her without ever knowing if you could have saved her?” I look around at them. “Would she have ever given up on us like that? No.” I look at Cassandra. “You said you saw her, that means there is still hope.”
She smiles at me, but it’s strained. “She warned us away—”
“That’s just Lilith, always trying to protect us,” Mishal adds, and I nod.
“Even as a human, she did,” I murmur and close my eyes. “I have to know. I cannot hunt and kill my mate unless I’m sure she is really lost forever… I can’t.” Even voicing the words has bile rising in my throat and protests screaming in my head and heart.
They share a look, and then Khalid nods. “Okay, so we find her, trap her, and let you try. If not, we kill her. Agreed?”
Everyone else agrees, and Remi leans forward, looking at me. In her eyes, I see the knowledge of what I will no doubt do if they try to kill her, but she doesn’t share it… Why? “While he’s trapping her, we should find some weapons and research anything that may help us banish the darkness. The more we know, the better prepared we’ll be to handle that fight. Who knows, we may find something to help rid Lilith of the evil inside her.” She looks back at me. “Is that okay, Atlas?”
I nod, unsure what else to say. I feel the weight of their stares, of their own pain and understanding, but how can they fathom my agony when their mates are at their sides, and their hearts are whole and not disappearing with each passing day? “Good, that’s what we will do then,” Slate states.
“But where do we start?” Ciar asks.
“Hmm, the Librarian?” Calder suggests.
“Already been.” Khalid sighs. “Not much help. We could try some of the old museums and lost texts. Atlas, you know of anybody? You’re the magic user.”
“There are a few still alive who are nearly as old as me. I will give you their information,” I reply.
“Good, we’ll split up into teams. Who is staying with Atlas?” he inquires.
“Khalid and I will,” Remi offers straightaway, giving me a knowing look—a look that tells me that if I can’t do what I must, she and he will. I nod my thanks, because if any of them can do it, it will be the little hunter.
“Okay. Calder, Mira, Slate, and Alejandra can take on half of the list. Ciar, Bella, Mishal, Dabria, Kyro, and Cass can take the other. We meet back here in two weeks,” Khalid orders and then looks at Remi, who nods.
“I’ll get some burner cell phones for us to stay in touch. Keep us updated on what’s happening, and once we meet again, we can discuss what we have found. Anyone have any questions?”
I leave them to deliberate the details, needing some air. Not from my family, but from my own responsibility that’s weighing me down. I always chose my family first, always protected them, usually at a cost to myself. Being the oldest meant I was the leader, the one they looked up to, but now, when they need me the most, I’m useless. I’m oppressed by my second-guesses and what-ifs.
I head out of the cottage and across the sand to the sea. My heart hammers in anger from the knowledge that if I can’t save her, they will kill her. Kill my love. My mate.
I stand at the water’s edge, listening to it lap at the shore, watching the deep blue depths darken as the sun begins to set and the moon begins to rise. Unbidden, a memory ascends to the surface.
One of Lilith, of course.
I watch the steam rise from the water, my armour chafing and uncomfortable in the heat. Lilith runs past me laughing, racing to the edge. “Wildflower,” I warn sternly.
She glances back at me, her black hair in ringlets around her face with twigs interwoven in the mess and dirt smeared across her cheeks. She looks nothing like the lady she should be, yet a wide smile curves her lips, and those deep blue eyes I always soften for spark with mirth. “Oh, don’t be so serious all the time, Attie,” she chastises.
I frown, looking back at the trees that separate our keep from the water’s edge where we are standing now. My brothers are preparing, and then they will be waiting for me. We have a battle ahead for the northern lands. It’s another pointless bloodbath decreed by my mother and father. Lilith noticed my reluctance and anger, of course, and took it upon herself to ‘free me from it.’ Her voice resounds in my head now. “One cannot go into battle angry, my god, it will only lead to unnecessary death… Let me help you.”
And she does, she always does. Lilith never fails to put a smile on my face, even when I think it’s impossible.
She swallows as her fingers grab the laces of her corseted dress. “Wildflower,” I repeat. She has been testing me lately. Is it not difficult enough for me to resist her innocent charm when fully dressed? Now she flaunts herself at me, as if challenging me. Her once young body has ripened into perfection, making those dark and disgusting desires of mine stronger and harder to ignore. Even growing up as children, I knew I could never have her, but it did not stop me from stealing her first kiss to ensure no one else ever could. Nor from wanting her body, her mind, all of her.
But she knows as well as I that this cannot be.
Those blue eyes spit fire at me, ignoring my warning. She quickly and deftly unlaces the gown and drops it to her feet, standing in nothing but her silk slip, which clings to her curves. Her nipples poke through the material until my mouth waters and my cock hardens in my codpiece. I run my eyes over her, unable to help it, taking in her long, tan legs, her supple shoulders, and her strong arms, which are toned from working in the kitchen. She has a few scars and marks across her perfect skin, an illustration of her life, of the joy she finds, and the fearlessness she exhibits when exploring. I have been present for more than one of her adventures.
“Joining me, Attie?” she asks as she steps back to the water on bare, dirty feet. Her head tilts, daring me. I want nothing more in the world than to abandon my duty, my lineage, and to storm into that water and take what is mine—her.
I am duty bound. I capture lands, kings, and queens. I rip through armies and destroy cities, yet I cannot ever have the one thing I truly desire—Lilith.
She must see the resolve in my eyes, because her lips part and her eyes flutter before she turns and throws herself into the water. Swearing, I rush to the edge, grabbing her dress to stop it from being coated in mud. Her mother will kill me if another gown is ruined, even if she loves me as her own and knows her daughter is trying to corrupt me. She breaks the surface with a laugh, her hair stuck to her face. Her cheeks are wet and her eyes are laughing as she turns and splashes me before diving again. I cannot help the smile that curves my lips, but I quickly banish it as she breaks the surface again. If she thinks she has achieved her mission in making me happy, she will let me leave, and I am not ready to yet. Each time I leave her side, it becomes harder and harder.
But then I hear it, the neighing of the horses, the shouting and restlessness of my men waiting for my command, and duty crashes back down onto my shoulders. She hears it too, of course, and looks through the trees before turning her gaze back to me. “Come on, Wildflower,” I order.
With a twist of her lips, she swims towards me before standing and walking from the water. I almost groan in pain, my hard cock pressing against the codpiece uncomfortably—it’s nothing I don’t deserve for lusting after her. The silk clings to her body like I wish I could, showing the swell of her breasts, the dark space between her thighs, her curving hips, and rounded stomach. I drag my eyes back to hers, gnashing my teeth, and silently help her dress before stepping away, my fingers lingering on her arm before I release it.
I glare down at her, yet she is unafraid, always has been. She is the only person to ever withstand my anger, hatred, and darkness. “Be good while we are gone—”
“I know, Attie.” She sighs and rolls her eyes. “Stay out of the way of your evil parents. Do not touch a boy, look at a boy, or think of boys. Do my chores, and make sure I get enough sleep and eat properly.” She frowns harder. “Please be careful, Attie, all of you. I don’t like how often you leave for these battles these days. You come home…different. All of you.”
I know what she means. Each life we take darkens our immortal souls.
She presses her hands to the metal of my golden armour and pushes up on her tiptoes. I lower my head automatically, and she slowly kisses my cheek. Lingering there. “Come home safe, come home to me,” she whispers against my skin before stepping back. Her hands wring in front of her, her wet hair hangs over her shoulder, her lips purse, and her blue eyes spark with concern. Knowing we never voice the word ‘goodbye’ in case it brings bad luck, I stare silently, just drinking in her beauty so I can carry it with me into the vile darkness of battle. With nothing else left to say, I turn, grab my helmet, and leave her there staring after me as I stride towards my destiny.
My purpose.
What a fool I was. Why did I leave her? Why did I not stay by her side? Didn’t I realise even then that she was my destiny? Not war, not my parents’ wishes. It was always her. I blink as the memory fades to reveal the empty water before me.
I wouldn’t forsake her, leave her, or turn away this time. If she was to rise from this water like she did the lake of my homeland, her blue eyes sparkling, her lips curled in that private smile just for me, I would never be such a fool as to walk away. To leave her there aching after me, wondering if I would come home alive.
I faced death daily, I knew it was always a possibility, yet I was never scared. Now, however, I am. Terrified actually. Because if I can’t save my mate, if they do what has to be done to save this world and kill her…
Could I survive it?
No. I know I couldn’t, and nor would I want to. I would go with her, and maybe, just maybe, in another life, we would finally be together.
Wildflower, feel me, I’m here. Don’t give up on me just yet.
