Page 116 of Finding Love with the Fae King

My gift was not as impressive as most, even though I was firm in battle. I had a war tactic ability; I could place my opponents’ steps before taking them and go for their weak spots. That was what helped me grab Esteban and have Osirus rip Melina from his grasp.

Nyx stayed with me along with two other warriors as we tread through the forest. Our steps were light, and hardly any sound escaped our feet until we heard rustling through the bushes. We all crouched down, hoping to find the source of the noise. If the Goddess was on our side today, the hidden Blood Coven that had been cloaked in glamour spells would be found.

A small yip and a splash were heard as Nyx and I looked over the foliage.

“What was that?” he whispered, but I quickly shushed him as I saw a vampire girl along the banks. She was climbing up, coughing, and trying to stand up while two ogres were looming overhead.

“Eh, look here. A weak one, isn’t it?” the large ogre started. Ogres were hideous-looking creatures. They were not as tall as a fae, but their body mass was large and green, and they carried a series of warts and small gatherings of bumps on their bodies. The more imperfections you had, the more a female ogre wanted you. Ogres didn’t follow the mating process from Selene, and I even wondered if she continued to try to mate them.

“Please, just leave me alone,” the vampire whimpered. Scrapes and bruises adorned her body, and she had a black eye with chains around her wrists. Her red eyes looked up, pleading with them as the second ogre pushed her back into the sand.

“She’s weakened. She has dogwood bands on her wrists.” The large one laughed in triumph.

“Excellent, I’ll take her first. You wait until I’m done.” The largest pulled her by the ankle, causing her dress to ride up. “Ugh, not a single wart. An ugly thing you are. Good thing we ain’t keepin’ ya.” The girl screamed as she clawed at the dirt for him to let her go.

The tightness in my chest wouldn’t allow this to carry on. Fighting two ogres with just the men we had was going to be difficult. They were strong, powerful, and could lift a full-grown tree out of the ground. The girl screamed again as the ogre gripped her ankle, easily snapping it in half.

Without hesitation, we all stormed the small beach around the lake. “Unhand her!” I pulled my sword from its sheath as the others followed. I looked to Nyx, who only pushed forward as we took off our capes. “That wasn’t a question,” I demanded again as I lunged forward. The warriors went to the smaller one as their swords tried to hit the beast.

My interest was the largest, the biggest challenge. Nyx stood at my side in a fighting stance. I wasn’t sure how strong he would be, so I was counting on myself. The young girl looked me dead in the eye as she tried to pull away from the chaos. Eyes widening, she covered her mouth as I went into a fighting stance.

Mate.

Before lunging forward, I had a shit-eating grin on my face as I looked back at my attacker. His grunts and growls were pounding the ground as I used my light footedness to scamper around him. The ogre’s irritation grew as he saw I wasn’t even trying. Nyx had a few good hits until he was slammed into a nearby tree. “Stay down, Your Majesty!” I yelled back at him while taking another glance at my mate.

“Your name, maiden?” I asked curiously. Her eyes darted from me to the ogre as I continued to jump behind him and hit the brute with the butt of my sword. Swearing, he rubbed his head as I took my sheath and slipped it between his legs, causing him to fall to the ground. I was going to milk this chivalry shit. What better way to woo my mate than to beat up her attacker and whisk her off to my chambers and bed her the same day? All right, maybe not the same day, but it would be damn near close.

“Juliet,” she barely spoke as I took another jab at the ogre, who was being insufferable. I had never heard so many swear words come out of one of my enemies as I did this one.

“And may I ask why you have bands on your wrists?” I winked at her as I grabbed a vine from a nearby tree, wrapping it around the ogre’s feet.

“I was captured and experimented on. These kept me weak.”

I growled upon hearing my mate might have been tortured, causing a surge of violence to rack through me as I tripped the beast over and tied his feet and his legs. Ogres were like crocodiles, and they had considerable strength punching outward but hardly any strength as they pulled inward. The wrappings kept him tight as I kicked him in the head for one last measure.

I strode over to my mate, ready to hold out my hand until Nyx started clapping and looking over my prey.

“Well done, Alaneo!”

Rolling my eyes, I squat down to help my mate. Juliet was drenched from head to toe, making her hair as dark as a dragon’s cave. The bright red eyes bore into my soul. Ruby red lips were that of a doll, plump and beautiful. Her skin shivered, and her ankle had taken on a black and blue hue. Just from sitting, I could see how curvy she was. Thick thighs and a good-sized bosom taunted me as she blushed. Goddess, she was meant for me. I knew I would never have a fae mate because of my actual feelings about stick-thin figures, but this was beyond surprising. I would never have thought this goddess would drop into my lap.

“Let’s get these off you, shall we?” Juliet nodded her head bashfully as I grabbed her hands in mine. We both gasped at the tingles as I ripped the wooden bands and chains along with it. Rubbing her wrists, the red and blistered skin healed along with her ankle.

“Thank you,” her voice was sultry and low. It gave my wings a good shudder as she smiled back at me.

“Your name is Alaneo?” I nodded as I pulled her up from the ground. I held her by her waist and pulled her close.

“Repeat it,” I whispered into her ear. A shiver ran down her arm as I put my hand on her arm to warm her while she healed.

“Alaneo?”

Pulling her closer, her body came flush with mine, and she gently laid her head on my chest. Her bosom kept her waist apart from me as my dick instantly hardened.Goddess.

“You saved my life, Alaneo. I don’t know what would have happened if…” I put my finger to her lips as she quieted down.

“But it didn’t, and I’m here now. I’ll always be here for you.” Her smile widened, and she quickly hugged me again. “I am glad you are safe, but I need to know who put these bands on you so I can go kill them swiftly.” Warriors rolled the ogre into the lake, and he was instantly submerged in the water, which would eventually drown him. Piercing the skin of an ogre took special tools and sometimes blessed weaponry, so drowning was our best bet. The smaller was long gone in the water as well.

“Witches, the Blood Coven,” Juliet sputtered. “I escaped with the help of a girl named Tulip. There were several of us, and we got separated.” Panic surged through me, hearing Tulip's help.Did she get caught?

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