Chapter 30

Clara

Kyle completely ignored me as he advanced on Nora. He backed her against the garden wall, hissing threats and angry promises.

I remembered all the times Nora had come out of her home covered in bruises. I remembered the wounds she tried to hide, and the way she would never meet my eyes when I tried to tend to her injuries.

I was not going to stand by and let him hurt her again. Things were different now. We weren’t low ranked servants anymore. We were royal mistresses. Kyle had no right to touch her anymore.

I turned and ran. I hated to leave Nora alone with him for even a moment, but I didn’t have any choice. I needed to find help. I couldn’t exactly yell for a guard.

Luckily, there was a patrol only a little ways away. I ran up to the nearest guard and grabbed his arm.

The guards stopped walking and stared at me, obviously confused. I tugged on the guard’s arm and pointed back the way I came.

“I’m sorry, madam, what is the trouble?” the guard asked politely.

“Help,” I signed with my free hand. “Hurry.”

“She knows battle sign?” the other guard asked. “How does a noble lady learn that?”

“Who cares, she’s signing for help,” the guard I held said. “Lead the way, Lady.”

I turned and ran back the way I’d come. Nora would be fine; I’d only been gone a moment and she was stronger than she seemed. She would be fine.

I skidded around the corner and pointed at Kyle. The guards didn’t need any more information than that, thankfully.

Kyle turned when he heard the guards approach.

“Back away,” he growled, “I’m having a discussion with my mate. This is none of your business!”

The first guard brandished his sword. “I don’t know who you think you are,” he said to Kyle, “but that Lady is a royal mistress. She is Prince Gideon’s mate, not yours.”

Kyle glared. “She was my mate first. She lived in my home and she belongs to me.”

The second guard also drew his weapon. “Step aside or we will move you aside.”

Kyle did not obey their command. He hissed, and jumped the nearest guard. I was shocked by just how fast he moved. He was a literal blur in the darkness.

I rushed to Nora’s side. There was a bruise darkening on her cheek. Kyle had struck her, again.

“It’s okay,” Nora whispered as I reached out to brush her injured cheek. “You got help. Thank you.”

I nodded. Nora shrieked in alarm.

She pointed to where the guards were fighting Kyle. Despite being alone and unarmed, he was holding his own against both of them. He slashed one guard in the face and left bleeding marks across his cheek and jaw.

I was confused. Kyle wasn’t shifted, how did he have claws? Did he have a hidden weapon somewhere?

Should I have found more guards?

Nora whimpered as Kyle got his hands around one guard’s throat. The other guard battered him with his sword. Somehow the blade didn’t just slice through Kyle’s arm.

Kyle hissed and released the guard. Despite being struck with a blade several times, his skin was unmarked. His sleeve was in tatters, though, proof that the sword was indeed deadly sharp.

The guards attacked in tandem. Kyle laughed at them and slashed out with his bare hands. The guards blocked him with their swords.

“They can’t beat him,” Nora whispered.

“Call for help,” I signed.

Nora nodded, and took a deep breath. She let out the loudest shriek I had ever heard. It was loud enough that both sides of the fight near us paused.

Kyle turned to stare at her, which should have given the guards an opening to attack. But they were both stunned by the sound as well.

Luckily, Nora’s scream was loud enough to bring more guards. Two more patrols arrived. They didn’t bother asking questions. They dove into the fight.

Nora and I watched, transfixed by the violence of the battle. Kyle was alone against a half dozen trained werewolf guards, and somehow he wasn’t losing.

He slashed one guard hard enough to make him lose his sword. The next guard jumped in the way before Kyle could slice him with those strange, vicious claws.

Kyle backed up closer to us. I moved so that I was between him and Nora. I was never letting him touch her again.

He kicked one guard, sending him flying into another. He caught another guard by the arm and twisted. There was a snap, and the guard dropped with a yelp of pain. His arm was cleanly broken.

Kyle turned towards us and the torchlight illuminated his face. I stared, shocked by the pale skin and gleaming red eyes. What was he? This was no werewolf shift. No wolf had eyes like that.

He saw me staring and grinned, revealing sharp, pointed teeth, longer than any wolf’s.

More guards were coming. I could hear them running towards us. Surely Kyle couldn’t fight that many.

Kyle heard them, too. He turned to face the garden path and growled as several more guards, led by Prince Gideon, ran into view.

“I’ll teach you to steal my mate,” Kyle hissed.

He darted forward to attack Gideon. Three guards tried to intercept him, and were casually tossed aside. Kyle didn’t even slow down.

Gideon met his rush with his sword. The prince and the creature fought for several moments. I could not guess who would win.

“Give it up, vampire,” Gideon said, “You’re surrounded.”

Vampire? This was a vampire? I’d heard stories, of course. Everyone had. But I’d never imagined I would see one. And he was Nora’s mate? Had she known?

Kyle laughed. He threw his head back and laughed, as though he wasn’t surrounded by the strongest guards in the royal castle.

He turned and looked at me, and for just a moment his expression faltered. He stared into my eyes. I felt something strange stir within my mind, a feather light brush that I could not define as any particular sensation.

Then Kyle shook his head and the sensation vanished. He looked past me, to Nora.

“Enjoy your prince,” he taunted her. “I’ll come back for you, and this time I’ll teach you your place properly.”

He laughed again, and spread his arms. The guards rushed him, but their swords found nothing but shadow and smoke. Kyle had vanished into thin air right before all of us.

I turned to Nora, and saw she was crying in terror. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight.

How had that terrifying creature been Nora’s fated mate? I didn’t understand. She was a werewolf, he was a vampire. That couldn’t happen. Could it?

“Are you both all right?” Prince Gideon asked.

I nodded, and motioned to Nora’s face.

“He struck you?” Prince Gideon demanded.

Nora whimpered and nodded. I glared. I didn’t care if he was a prince. He should know better than to take that tone with my friend when she was so obviously frightened.

Gideon saw my glare, and winced. He gave me a brief nod, and when he spoke again his voice was softer.

“Let’s get you to the healers,” he said. “Clara, will you stay with her? I will walk you both there, but I need to coordinate the guards afterwards. We have to be sure he’s gone.”

I nodded and together we walked Nora back to the royal castle. She shivered against my side the whole way.

I looked up at the moon when we reached the castle. Kyle was gone, for now. But I knew he would be back.