Page 17 of Heavy is the Crown
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I cry.
I hear someone come into the room, the sound of their boots echoing in my ears. My vision blacks out, and I swing my arm up in a lazy attempt to fend off another attack. Panic forges a path through my chest as darkness surrounds me.Open your eyes,Ava. Come on, open them up.Despite the heaviness of them, I manage to force my eyes to open for a moment longer, to look my attacker in the face before they kill me. But familiar blue eyes meet mine.
Ciaran.
He’s the last thing I see before I pass out.
Something is tugging on me—no, not something, someone. I can hear my name being called in the distance and feel hands tugging at my body as if they are trying to pull me up. I think it should hurt to be moving like this, but my body is numb.That can’t be good.I hear my name called again, and I try to open my eyes, but I can’t.
“She needs blood,” I hear a voice say. No, I hear Ciaran say. That's Ciaran’s voice now next to me.
A low growl has my body vibrating, the mark on my neck pulsing with need. Shadow.
“If we don’t do this, she’ll die.” Ciaran again.
Something warm is shoved into my mouth, and the metallic taste of blood surges into me. Renewed strength moves through my body. Magic swirls within me. My eyes crack open a little, and I can see Shadow’s eyes on mine, relief blazing through them.
“Hold on,rakkaani,just hold on.” He cradles me in his arms, and we are stepping through a portal.
NINE
Mating among shifters is not a rare occurrence like it is with witches. However, gaining two mates is rare.
– Rosewood Family Journal
Drago
The sound of someone banging on my front door pulls me from my already shaky sleep. The clock next to the bed blinks 2 a.m. I let out a long groan. I only just fell asleep after a long night at the club. Some assholes thought they could deal their own drugs on my turf followed by another getting handsy with one of the waitresses. Their bodies are now decomposing with the rest of the trash that was taken out. My knuckles are still cracked open from the fights, despite my fast healing. Normally, I allow my men to handle it, but my skin has been crawling lately, my dragon antsy to be released. So, I sated him with what he craves most: death.
The sound comes again, and I let my power move through me as I stand and head toward the front door. The black veinsforming from my hands up my forearms twist and curl like snakes against my skin. I feel my eyes narrow as I near the door, a frown forming. This house, unlike my penthouse, isn’t known by people. It’s my own private oasis away from the city, on a bluff overlooking the bay. Only one person would know of this place, and no way in hell would he show up here.
“God damn it, Drago. Open the fuck up!”
The voice stuns me for a moment before it has me moving quicker. My bare feet are almost sliding out from under me on my marble floor. As I rip the metal door open, moonlight cascades over the late-night intruder. Ciaran Helvig stands tense, his blond hair down in wavy locks, uncharacteristically messy for him. His eyes are a stormy blue but seem to flash red as he takes in his surroundings. Blood is splattered across his face, that ancient sword gripped tightly in his right hand.
“Wha—” I’m cut off in my questioning as he steps aside and my stepbrother comes into view holding a wisp of a girl in his arms.
Shadow shoves past us into my home, his arm grazing my bare chest as he pushes by, his black boots leaving bloody prints across the white marble. My nostrils flare at his scent, and a trace of something else right under it . . .
Lilacs.
I take another deep breath and feel my dragon coming out of its slumber, now nuzzling against my death magic. Ciaran pushes in last. I glance outside before shutting the door firmly, sliding the lock into place, and checking the magical wards. All still intact.
“She needs help.” Shadow’s panicked tone has me frowning. From this angle, I can see she has a deep wound across her belly. Blood oozes from it rapidly. He pulls back from laying her on the couch, and I realize now that Shadow is also covered in blood, the dark night having obscured it originally, but with the lightof my living room on him, I can see it splattered over his dark clothing.
I rush to him, ignoring the fact that I’m half-naked, and grip his arm tightly. “Are you okay,rakkaani?” He tenses at the name and rips his arm from my grasp as if I’ve burned him. My chest cracks a little at the loss of connection.
“I’m fine.” His voice is flat. “She’s not.” He draws my attention back down to the girl, whose face is unnaturally pale, her long blonde hair hanging limp around it. She’s beautiful, despite the filth covering her. A rumble sounds deep in my chest, the sound unmistakable in the quiet of the room. Ciaran lets out a cough, purposefully distracting me from the girl on my couch. My attention snaps to him.
“We need your help, Drago. She needs your help,” he says. “She needs a place that's safe to heal.” His voice is calm but firm, but his body betrays him as anything but calm. His muscles are taut over his body, ready to spring into action.
Ciaran, Shadow, and I worked out a system years ago. I have been helping them get witches out of his father’s prison. They have the option to either remain in Gothic Grove working for me, or I ferry them out with money and a new identity. Most choose to leave. The few that have stayed have remained under my protection in my club, the only place Alexi doesn’t dare go. Injured witches, however, tend to go to The Motel, where Ferra helps tend to them before getting them out of the city.
“What's so special about this one?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. I’m at war with my own body, part of me desperate to wrap the girl in my arms while the other wants to get as far away as possible. Shadow’s eyes flare as he finally takes in my lack of a shirt, and I smirk. His whiskey eyes trace my form, longing flashing over his face before he schools it again. But not before I catch him pull his bottom lip between his teeth. The movement sends shivers down my spine.
“Shemine,” he growls, his eyes flashing golden briefly before he regains control. I involuntarily step back, yielding space between us.
“Yours?” I whisper. Both fascination and hurt burn into my chest like a brand. My dragon seems stunned into submission as it takes the small girl in.
