Chapter 197
~ ROWAN
I felt Nyssa’s surprise down the bond when we didn’t drive straight home.
She I turned to me with her brows knotted in confusion but I said nothing to, merely kept my eyes straight ahead as I drove down the road.
I turned down the road before the palace. Rows of beautiful houses lined either side of the street. When I was younger, I wanted nothing more than to live here but I always knew it was never in my plans.
I stopped in front of a simple white house with a chimney at the top.
"Where are we?" Nyssa asked slowly as I stepped out of the car. "Is this another one of your family’s properties?"
"Yes, and no. This is Aria’s house."
Her eyes widened in shock. "Rowan—"
I could feel her unease and worry. It was beautiful how worried she was for my sister but soon she’d learn that Aria didn’t need anyone to defend her.
"We have a few hours to kill until we need to be at the meet up point," I said firmly. "I need to know exactly what the hell happened the last time."
"I already told you—"
"Aria has been trained to notice things that you wouldn’t. I need to hear it from her."
It was a half-truth. Yes, I wanted to hear from Aria, but at the same time I needed to know how she could be so fucking stupid. Nyssa was young, but she was not.
I knocked on the door and two minutes later, Aria stepped into the doorway wearing a pair of dark blue pajama pants and a tank top. She looked between the two of us with a careful expression, her lips pressed into a thin line.
"She told you, didn’t she?" she asked, hands crossed over her chest. "About the stranger in the parking lot?"
I nodded. "Not willingly."
She sighed dramatically before pulling the door open. "Come in."
As soon as the door shut behind us, I turned on my sister. "What the hell were you thinking? Going with her to see a man you don’t know. You could have been hurt... both of you."
"Rowan—" Nyssa began and to my surprise, it was Aria who cut her off.
"You can stay out of this," she said, voice firm. "I can handle my brother."
Nyssa looked surprised, but she took a step back, holding her hands up in mock surrender.
Once she had removed herself from the situation, Aria turned back to me.
"Look, she wanted to go, and I wasn’t going to let her go alone so I went with her. We went with a guard, and we were safe. Your mate is an adult. I don’t have to run her every decision by you. That’s not love, that’s control."
I ground my teeth in frustration. "And what about the fucking vial? Of blood? He probably got her addicted or something."
I saw a flash of something in her eyes but it was gone too quickly. "I don’t know about that. I didn’t see when he handed it over. I was too busy trying to make sure he was trustworthy and that there was no one around trying to ambush us."
"Okay," I murmured, crossing my arms over my chest. "And what did you find?"
"He’s scared of her father. If I were to guess I’d say he works for him, or maybe they’re even friends. He was close enough to get to his slaves."
"Anything else?"
She shook her head. "He was very vague. Maybe you’ll have a better chance."
I was silent for a moment, ruminating over her words. "Maybe we will."
"We?" she and Nyssa exclaimed at the same time.
"You’re coming with us."
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Aria tried to protest at first but quickly realized that I was not budging on the matter.
She turned to Nyssa with a sharp but harmless glare. "This is the last time I get involved in your problems."
We headed for the spot around seven and sat in the parking lot, windows up and lights turned off. I wanted to get there early just so I could see when and how the stranger was able to sneak into my pack undetected.
I looked around the darkened parking lot, eyes fixed on the entrances and exits but there was no sign of him.
"Are you sure he is coming?" I asked.
Beside me, Nyssa nodded. "He has no reason not to. Maybe he’s just running late and—"
Two sharp knocks cut through the air and Nyssa screamed, her voice echoing through the silent parking lot.
Right by her window stood a pale man with sunken eyes and a small smile on his lips. It was as if he had materialized out of nowhere.
"That’s him," Aria said to me. "Allister."
"How the fuck did he get here without us seeing?" I grumbled, pushing the door open.
The first thing I did was take a long inhale. My nose twitched at his scent—dirt and something metallic. It was very unusual and unlike anything I had ever smelled before.
He bowed low as I approached, his hands flailing around him dramatically. "Your Majesty, it is... an honor to meet you. I have heard so many things."
"Cut the bullshit and tell me what I need to know."
He stood up straight, brows knotting together in confusion. "I am confused. Is there a problem?"
"What do you think? Who the hell are you and why the fuck did you give my mate blood to drink?"
His spine grew stiff, his hands slowly fisting by his sides. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it, sighing softly. "You should not have known the contents. The blood is a miniscule amount."
"That doesn’t answer my question."
"I am aware, but she needs to take it. A few drops will be enough to keep things normal, any more and—"
"And what?" Nyssa asked, voice soft. "What happens if I take too much?"
His eyes locked on hers and immediately I tugged my mate to my side, shielding her from view.
"She asked a question," I snapped. "What happens?"
"If she has taken more than few drops at once then your goddess be with you because he will find you and it will happen soon."