RHYSAND.

I watch fighting the rage threatening to consume Rhian, as they bring her in unconscious. If Nyx hadn’t gotten to me in time… no I refuse to even think it.

Andrei, her young mate, refuses to let go of her hand climbing into the bed beside her, I’d applaud his bravery if the situation wasn’t so tense. Not many people faced off against Khalil especially when he was furious and lived to tell the tale.

Khalil lets him be and turns to the rest of her mates, Keon looks stunned and spooked; I’ve seen it enough times to know he’s about to snap, the other one who’s in denial looks like he’s frustrated about something but doesn’t know what, Blue is sobbing on Khalil’s mate’s shoulders, Nyx is flying around the room anxiously and the prince’s friends are trying to make themselves as small as possible Mor with them, wary eyes fixed on the fuming father. It is chaos in the room.

“What the fuck happened?” Khalil shouts and everyone takes a step back, yeah the man was terrifying.

“She was sparring with Kon—”

“She was what!”

Killian has the sense to shut up, he knew he had messed up by letting all that happen.

“Why was my daughter sparring? With Konte no less, when all of you are fucking aware she knows jack shit about combat.”

“But every new student has to—”

“Every new student Killian,” Khalil pauses gathering himself, the man was steaming mad, “Has grown up here, they have had training since they could fucking walk, they spar to figure out their skill level, beginners do— not— spar!!!!!” he’s vibrating now and the building starts to shake.

Uh, your highness, I’m all for beating their asses up but please do not bring down this building, it’s my best work.

It’s crazy how those words from Dru have him turning away from everyone and pacing while trying to calm down. After a while, the place stops shaking. Even he didn’t want to cross Dru, it’s wise to pick your battles even in the heat of the moment.

“What was it that drove all of you to let any of that happen? You are her mates, her friends!”

Eliane moves around her fuming mate pointedly ignoring him; towards the bed placing Blue on Mahina, she then surrounds them and her in a bubble pushing Andrei from the bed in the process. See, picking battles.

Andrei snarls going to object when Khalil lets the firm hold he had on his anger for all but two seconds free. I should have moved inside Eliane’s barrier.

Everyone flinches the younger boys falling to their knees, Nyx freezes in the air and then promptly disappears with a poof, coward. I watch still obscured in the shadows as Khalil does what I was itching to do from the start.

“I can’t believe you also let it happen,” he says turning to Keon who still looks like he’s about to lose it. Khalil must see it too because he uses his power to command Keon to leave.

“Go, before you lose it in here, go! Keon, she’ll still be here when you get back,” he adds when the man looks torn.

Nodding his head still in a daze, Keon disappears in a whoosh of sparks and smoke. I pity anyone who got in his way.

Khalil then turns, eyes zeroing in directly on me, bastard knew I was here all along.

“Thank you, Rhys, I don’t even want to think what would have happened if you hadn’t been there.”

The rest of the guys startle looking towards my direction and I decide I had played in the shadows long enough.

I ignore the gasps and startled shouts as I turn corporeal fixing my eyes on Killian.

“She’d have killed him, and I’d have killed you,” I say letting Rhian out for a second, the idiot flinches and that satisfies Rhian enough for him to move back.

“What exactly happened?” Khalil asks calmly, or at least as calmly as he could get in this situation.

“The boy got into her head, manipulating images and relating them to a—-a previous traumatic event.”

“She has strong walls, how did he get through?”

This time, Andrei answers, “He must have said something to trigger her, not that the audience was helping.”

“Trash talking is normal in a crowd like that, it’s something all recruits go through, making them stop would be seen as special treatment especially with her being you know royal,” Killian who I was beginning to think had gone stupid said.

Everyone turns to him eyes flashing. But Ax breaks the silence, channelling the infamous Rathe temper, “With all due respect Killian, shut the fuck up, what your girlfriend and her sister were doing wasn’t trash talk, you’re blinded by your need to discredit her and hate her at every turn because you’re in denial, you are letting your stupid issues cloud your judgement if it’s special treatment then she deserves it because she’s different from all of us, in more than one way, you were being an asshole, you’re always being an asshole to her and I for one I’m done watching you be a colossal jerk, man up or walk, my sister deserves better.” he finishes off with a huff and we all stare at him.

Damn!

“What he said,” Andrei mutters also glaring at Kill, the rest of the boys join in Roan going as far as growling at him.

Khalil moves to place a hand around his son’s shoulders, the boy was still breathing heavily and his untied hair was swimming behind him like it had a mind of its own, “OK so Killian is the root of this issue, why did none of you stop this?”

“we—I didn’t think the boy would be stupid enough to hurt Mahi, a royal, more so with witnesses who included her ma—possible mates, sorry sire, it won’t happen again, Mor says sliding a pointed glare at Killian before turning back to Khalil.

He holds her stare for a second before he nods turning to the rest.

There’s a chorus of apologies and promises to do better as everyone hastens to reassure the miffed father.

“You can all leave, no fucking arguments,” he adds firmly when they start protesting, “Go think whether you all really deserve to be around her, because, at the moment, I’m not seeing it.”

No one bothers to refute Khalil’s words, and they all traipse out, Killian hesitates at the door glancing at Mahina before he also leaves.

Mor looks to Khalil, then nods her head, “I’ll be outside.”

I turn to him, “Wasn’t that too harsh.”

“Good, their guilt will make them more careful, more protective, it will keep her safe, mostly.”

“Always a strategist,” I say moving towards the bed, as Eliane drops the ward. Mahi is still unconscious and Blue is fast asleep.

“Of course,” Khal answers, “I’m not the Master of War for nothing.”

“A gentle soul like you,” Eliane teases moving towards her mate leaving space for me to crawl in next to Mahi.

“Only you would call me gentle.”

“Compared to her, you are a fucking lamb,” Keon answers flashing into view in a shower of sparks.

We watch him move to the other side of the bed and then climb in like it was a normal occurrence.

“I shouldn’t allow you to be doing that,” Khalil says glancing at us.

Before we can reply, Mahi stirs moving closer to me so she was breathing on me, head tucked in the crook of my neck. Keon follows her settling himself snugly behind her and she lets out a sigh arching her back so it’s snug against his front.

“Yeah, I definitely shouldn’t let you do that.”

Keon turns to him flashing his fangs, “You can try old man, I’m itching for a fight.”

Khalil doesn’t even flinch, we were used to this side of Keon, it was entertaining to watch him be a gentleman today in an effort to not scare Mahina away and extremely hilarious that his gentle act forced her into hiding.

Keon liked to think the ferocious side of him was just his dragon, but they were one and the same, it was time he admitted that he was just surly and had a personality for every situation.

“Let’s not fight boys, the last time that happened we had to vacate the palace for a whole year, for the renovations and Dru would just get mad at everyone, I’d rather not go through that again.”

With that, Eliane leads her mate out, I know they’ll be back, Khalil’s mother-hen tendencies won’t let him rest.

I turn my head to stare at Keon, wondering what it was we were doing.

“What?”

“just wondering when you’re going to accept that you’re a bilious bastard and stop using your dragon as an excuse.”

“Pot meet kettle, care to explain ‘Rhian’?” he asks using quotes on his name.

“Good point.”

Changing the subject, I look at him square in the eyes, which is easy with how we’re both trying to cover Mahina with ourselves.

“What?”, he asks again.

“Why did you let it happen, when I arrived you were standing there frozen.”

“It’s stupid, he grumbles.

“All the more reason to tell me, brother, I’ll save the chastisement for Khalil, when you tell him later.”

“I won’t tell him shit,” he snaps causing Mahina to stir in her sleep which jolts Blue.

“Sure,” I rumble laying on the sarcasm.

Khalil was the oldest and with Dar gone, he had assumed the responsibility of the stern older brother, it didn’t work most times, but he tried, especially with Keon being the youngest.

“Shut up.”

“Not till you talk, it would help you relax, then we can talk about how we will kill that boy.”

That perks him up, as I knew it would, psycho!