Broken Prince (The Broken Ones) (14 page)

Chapter 16:

What Friends
are for

Just before they reached the camp, Kei gave her hand a
quick squeeze before leaving her to see how things were. It wasn’t long before
he let her know Prince had already settled down to sleep. Relief flooding her, she
walked into camp.

Garen trotted up and bumped his head against her. She
bent over and gave the giant wolf a hug.

Bo pulled her into his arms next. "Get some
sleep, pup. Tomorrow will be better."

The tears stayed away, but so did her voice so she
just nodded.

She washed up quickly before making her way over to
her usual spot by the fire. Kei rested not far from Prince, the usual place for
her between them. She didn't take it. Pausing, she glared at them both for a
moment. Things had changed. She walked instead to Kei's other side and settled
down next to him.

He rolled over, not really surprised. "Doing
better?"

Nodding, she acknowledged his whisper and closed her
eyes quickly as he took her hands in his. She wondered if Prince would be angry.
Certainly he didn't expect her to continue curling up next to him every night.
At least he was lying down already. It wasn't a problem to deal with tonight.

She was wrong.

He got up. He moved to her other side and settled down
again.

She froze, eyes opening in shock. Kei seemed just as
surprised. Her lips pressed together angrily when his hand slid over her waist.
She picked it up and flung it back behind her.
Don't.

I thought you were not angry with me.

I'm not.

Then why–

She rolled over quickly to face him.
Because you
are either going to be home or dead very soon. I will need to get used to not having
you here. Correct?

He lowered his eyes, his face drawn and pale at her
harsh words.
Yes.

Besides. I don't know why you bother. I'm fine.

He looked up, a frown crossing his face.
You are
not fine.

I am not a child!
Her mental scream carried. In her anger she hadn't bothered to control
it. She wasn't touching Prince, and was therefore, using the pack’s mind-speech.
Garen whined.  She wondered if they'd all heard everything. Not that it
mattered really.

Yes, Aro, you are,
he persisted.

Sitting up, planning on moving again, she didn't
expect him to reach out and grab her. She gasped, choking on tears and
scrambling to her feet and away from him.
Don’t!

Prince rose swiftly, reaching out for her again.

Suddenly Kei's arms wrapped around her, pulling her
back against him, his face next to hers. "Shhh. I’m here." He looked
to Prince.
That is enough.

"But she does not–"

"No. You can't have it both ways, and you can't
have everything."

"You do not understand. She needs me!"

Kei shook his head. "She can do without you. She
has me. She has the rest of us. You hurt her. Did you think things would remain
the same?"

"That is not–"

"Prince, stop." Bo stepped up next to Kei. "You
aren’t thinking. I believe I understand what’s going on here." He smiled
kindly down at Aro. "Consider your actions now and how they will make her
feel. She isn’t a child any more. She’s a young woman."

Prince frowned and looked at her, really looked at
her. She saw his eyes widen slightly but squashed down the faint hope rising in
her chest. It didn’t matter. Her being a child was only one of the many reasons
he wouldn’t ever love her. Moving her gaze to the ground, she pressed closer to
Kei.

"Aro. Arowyn, please look at me," Prince
said softly.

Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and
raised her chin. She wasn’t going to cry anymore. She wouldn’t.

"You are," he paused, searching for words. "You
are dear to my heart. I do not wish to lose what we have."

His words ripped at her heart. Why did he have to be
like this? Why did he have to be so…noble.

"You will understand, one day. I am truly sorry
to have hurt you. I am."

She didn’t know what to say. He watched her patiently,
apparently waiting for her to say something. "Things won’t be the same,"
she said quietly. "I’m sorry."

A muscle ticked in Prince’s jaw before he gave her a
brief, single nod. "Perhaps it is for the best."

She turned her head and looked up at Kei. "I’m
tired."

Kei gave her another squeeze and then turned them and
moved back to their place by the fire. She didn’t look back.

Prince didn’t try to join her again.

* * *

Morning brought painful silence. She avoided Prince,
trying desperately to escape his pained and sorrowful looks. Did he regret what
he’d said to her? Part of her hoped so. The rest of her was just tired. Her
dreams had been harsh and bloody. At least they faded from her memory quickly
enough as the morning passed. She wished everything since she kissed Prince
could be forgotten as easily.

The temperature had dropped in the night. Fog
surrounded them, drifting through the trees on the slight breeze. It didn’t
appear too thick, so no one was concerned it would slow them down. It would
clear up soon enough once the sun warmed the air.

Once they packed everything up, she grabbed her water
skin and headed for the quiet of the trees. She moved at a brisk walk, fighting
the urge to run. Running got her nowhere. Squeezing her hands into fists, she
tried to stop her mind from running in horrified circles. She’d ruined
everything. Her impulsiveness had certainly got the better of her this time.
Now she had no idea what to do.

Garen padded up beside her.
Aro…

Don’t.

He snorted and turned his large head toward her for a
moment before once again watching where he was going.

They walked silently for a while before she glanced
over her shoulder.
Where’s Kei?

Prince asked to speak with him.

Her eyebrows went up.
Well, then.
She didn’t
know what to say to that.

Prince does love you.

Clenching her fists, she increased her speed.
I
know. He’s just not in love with me.

I know it hurts. But soon he’ll be home. I wish you
could forgive him.

His words stopped her. "There’s nothing to
forgive," she said quietly. "It’s not like it’s his fault. I just…"
She shook her head and rubbed her temples. "I did something stupid, and
I’m embarrassed and I don’t know what to say. I changed everything and now I
don’t know what to do."

Garen’s ears flipped back and forth as she spoke. When
she finished he moved forward and pressed his huge furry head against her
chest. Sniffling, she rubbed between his ears.

Taking a deep breath, she wiped tears from her eyes
and raised her chin. "Let’s go. I’ll think of something. I just need a little
time."

When they next stopped to rest Bo dragged her away
before she had to worry about avoiding Prince.

Once far enough from the others to ensure privacy, Bo
stopped and pulled her into a tight hug. She felt so tiny tucked against his
broad chest and within his huge arms.

"What do you need, pup?"

Releasing a deep sigh, she pulled out of his arms. "For
everyone to forget."

"You didn’t do anything wrong."

She shook her head and frowned. "I made a fool of
myself."

"You followed your heart. That’s not a bad thing,
Aro."

"It is when the other person doesn’t love you
back," she retorted bitterly.

Bo took both of her hands in his. "Aro, listen to
me. You are a delightful, beautiful, intelligent woman. Any man will be lucky
to have your love. The right one will come along. You’re sixteen; you’re not in
any rush. One day, you’ll make one lucky man a wonderful wife."

She shook her head and laughed. "Thanks."

His words were something her brother Paul would have
said. It left a warm feeling in her heart. The loss of her brothers created a
constant dull ache inside of her, but she had made new family. They were there
for her just as much as her brothers would have been.

Bo smiled softly and ruffled her hair. "I had
hoped it wouldn’t come to this…between the two of you."

"You knew?"

He chuckled. "I think Prince was the only one who
didn’t." His smile turned wistful. "You look at him like Avery looked
at you."

The thought of their dead friend made her breath
catch. Before he died, he’d begged her not to love Prince. She’d never realized
he loved her. The pain of losing him brought tears to her eyes and she brushed
them away quickly. "I miss him," she whispered. "So much. All
the time."

"I know, pup. I do, too."

Unspoken words filled the silence. They missed John as
well. His death was too new to speak off. It still brought too much pain.

A breath shuddered out of her. She squeezed her eyes
together tightly, trying to keep the tears away.

"Remember the ones we still have, Aro. Don’t push
Prince away. Remember you are friends. I’d hate to see you lose that."

She grimaced he’d brought the topic back around and
looked away. "I don’t know how to fix it."

"If you had time, I would say not to worry, and
things would work themselves out. But he won’t be with us much longer. Put it
in the past, and start over. He wants to. I don’t think you’ll find it that
hard. Do you want to be friends again?"

"Of course!"

"Then make it happen."

She looked over at him, taking in the seriousness of
his face. Raising her chin slightly, she nodded. "I will."

"Good girl." He grinned. "We should
head back then."

Her resolve melted. She shook her head and looked
away. "You go back. I need a few moments."

Bo glanced around the trees. Though the sun had risen
it remained cool and within the forest the fog remained. "We’re keeping
close to the fields. Don’t go further in. It would be easy to get turned around
in this mess."

"I’ll be careful." She forced a smile and
lightly punched his arm. "Stop worrying about me. I’m fine. I just need to
think of what to say. I won’t be too long." She paused a moment, thinking.
"If you all want to continue on, I can meet up with you."

"We’ll wait," Bo said firmly.

She watched him disappear into the fog and shadows. A
deep breath sighed out of her and she turned on her heel to move further away.
Not too far, she just needed a little more space.

A huge old tree eventually caught her attention and she
settled down at the base of it. Pulling up her legs, she wrapped her arms
around them and then rested her forehead on her knees.

The tears came without her even having to start
thinking about everything.

Letting it all out, all of her pain and embarrassment
and heartache, her tears ran in torrents and turned into wracking sobs.

One more good cry. That’s all she needed and then no
more. She’d find her strength again after this. It would hold her up and keep
her going until everything was fine again.

Chapter 17:

Shadows in the
Fog

Crying exhausted her. By the time her sobs finally
petered out, a headache pounded behind her eyes.

"Rot," she muttered.

Unwrapping her arms, they dropped to her sides as she
pushed back to lean her head against the old tree. The fog created an eerie
silence amongst the trees. All she could hear was her rough breathing and
occasional sniffle. She took a deep breath, and then another. She could do this.
She could fix things with Prince.

Opening her eyes, she blinked back lingering tears. It
seemed darker out. Looking up, she couldn’t see the sky through the old tree's
branches. Perhaps clouds had drifted over the sun. She hoped it wasn’t going to
rain.

Movement to her left caught her eye. Freezing in
place, she slowly turned her head. Something dark moved through the fog, barely
visible before disappearing again. It made no sound.

Garen? Where are you?

With the others. What’s wrong?

I don’t know. I thought I saw something in the fog.

Turning her head slowly, she watched the fog around
her. Dark shapes continued to appear and then get swallowed again. She saw more
than one and they seemed to be circling her. Her fingers moved toward her
daggers.

A movement jerked her head to look straight in front
of her. She blinked in surprise as a gasp escaped her.

Were! There are Were!

Calm down. Where are you? How many are there?

I don’t know. Not far from where Bo left me.

The Were before her stood much taller than Garen, its
shoulders broader. Unlike Garen’s grey and white, it was mostly black. It
stared at her a moment with strange blue and gold eyes. Slowly it began to move
toward her.

She pushed back against the tree and broke eye
contact, trying to watch either side to see if any of the others approached.
They didn’t. She caught glimpses of movement in the fog and nothing more.

Her gaze returned to the large Were. It stopped before
her and lowered its head, watching her curiously. Suddenly it blurred and then
a man crouched in its place.

She gaped at him, her eyes wide in shock.

Garen had never changed. She’d thought perhaps it was
hard to do, or maybe when they did they ended up naked. No, this man shifted
fully clothed.

His clothing didn’t draw her attention. Her gaze
remained riveted to his face. His eyes remained the strange blue shot with
gold, his hair hung black and short and slightly wild. His features were
handsome enough, though he looked older than she expected an immortal to be,
perhaps in his early to mid-twenties. Maybe he was just really old. Or perhaps
it was the scars.

Claw marks slashed one side of his face from cheek to
jaw. Another shorter set marked the other side of his jaw and then continued
down his neck to hide under his loose shirt. Unlike Bo’s large scar, they were
thinner and looked much older. She knew whatever had attacked him almost took
his life. Immortals didn’t scar, not unless they had no power to heal
themselves.

His dark brows bunched together as he looked at her in
concern. "Are you lost, little one?"

Tears welled in her eyes again. His voice…she’d never
heard one so beautiful. Deep and sultry, soft, almost a purr.

"You should not be here," he continued.

She wanted him to keep talking, however his words
finally made sense and she moved her gaze from his lips back to his eyes. "I
know," she finally stammered. Her own voice sounded so coarse in her ears.
She didn’t want to speak again.

Aro? What’s happening?

They think I’m lost.

Garen let out a mental sigh of relief.
Good.

Stay out of the woods!

We will. We’re heading your way along the boundary.

The Were stood and held out his hands. "Come."

She looked at his hands, up to his face, and then back
at the hands. Letting go of her daggers wasn’t something she wanted to do. His
fingers moved, inviting her to take them.

Leaning forward, she slipped her hands into his and he
pulled her up. Her hands looked dwarfed in his. She kept her eyes on them when
he didn’t let go.

"I will not harm you," he said quietly.

She looked up into his strange eyes again. Should she
pretend to be a silly lost girl? Pushing away the fear creeping up her spine, she
raised her eyebrows. "Do you swear?"

He chuckled. "On my honor."

She barely heard what he said. A smile curved her lips
at the sound of his laugh. How could someone have such a voice?

Aro?

Garen’s voice brought her mind back into focus.
So
far all is good.

The Were ran his thumbs reassuringly across the backs
of her hands. His brow furrowed and she followed his gaze down to her scars.
Glancing up again, she met his eyes. He let go of one hand and raised it to
brush the hair from her face. She jerked back, and tried to turn away, but from
his low growl she knew he’d seen the scar on her forehead as well. His fingers
feather danced over them, then slightly touched her cheek and by her lip. She must
have scars there too. The lack of mirrors on their journey probably kept her
from bursting into tears.

"What has happened to you?"

The sweetness of his voice didn’t pull her in this
time. Anger and embarrassment kept her focused on the trouble she was in. "Ship
wreck. Slavers. Soldiers. Pick one."

His solemn face made her stand up straighter. She
tried to pull her other hand away. He held it tightly and moved around her,
leading her toward the boundary. She followed him willingly enough. Hopefully
he’d get her there and then go away.

"You are not so lost, I do not think."

She didn’t look at him, her eyes were too busy
watching the fog around her, and the moving shadows of the other Were as they
followed. His hand tightened around hers once again.

She glared up at him. "That hurts."

"I do not like to be played with, little one."

"I’m not little!"

His anger disappeared as he laughed out loud. He bent
toward her. "Yes, you are."

The fog parted before them and she could see the
fields beyond. They weren’t far from the boundary.

We’re almost to the boundary.

We aren’t far.

She pulled toward it, but the Were stopped and pulled
her back to his side.

"Why are you in our woods?"

She turned away, even though he didn’t let go of her
hand. "I was upset. I just needed to be alone for a little while."

"You are not alone?"

She grimaced but decided to stick with the truth. "Of
course not. I’m with my family."

He nodded. "And where are they now?"

"Probably looking for me. They aren’t in the
forest," she added quickly.

He searched her face intently. She let him, staring up
at him with nothing to hide. Well, other than the fact her family weren’t all
human. However, hopefully he’d never learn the truth of that.

"Let us go find them then."

Her eyes widened in shock. "No!"

Aro? What’s wrong?

The one Were wants to take me to you.

That…might not be a good idea.

I know that!

The Were’s eyes shifted to her forehead. "Did
they do this to you?"

"Of course not! They’re very protective. I don’t
want them to get worried and try to rescue me from you. That’s all." She
looked toward the boundary again. "Can I go?"

"Though that would be the most logical choice,
part of me feels…" he hesitated.

She looked back up at him and waited while he regarded
her thoughtfully. Her patience began to wear away. "I swear we are no
threat to you. Or your forest. We are simply travelling the boundary. It is
safest for us."

"Why is that?"

"It…because," she floundered for words.
Stick with the truth. "There has been fighting. In the cities." She
pointed north with her free hand. "We were in one, and it was attacked. We
barely escaped, but the soldiers hunted us through the fields." She didn’t
have to fake the tears welling in her eyes again. "They killed John."

His face softened, as much as it could with all those
scars, even though she knew he had no idea who John was. "We have heard of
that attack. Alar-En’s pack has spoken of many humans trying to flee to the
forests there."

An idea came to her.
Bo, ride up. Call for me.

On my way.

"I’m sorry. That I broke the laws."

"Aro! Time to go! Where are you?"

She pulled against the Were’s hand. "That’s my
brother."

He turned toward the sound and then without a word
began walking toward the boundary, pulling her along with him. He stopped
abruptly a few steps from the edge.

"Can I go now?" She took a step past him and
looked north through the trees. Not far away a large tree had come down. Its
leafy top fell outside the forest, blocking her view. It must have come down in
the storm. The top leaves didn’t seem to have started to wilt at all.

Bo rode around them, thankfully alone. "Aro?"
He made a show of leaning over the horse’s neck trying to peer into the trees.

"I’m coming!"

Bo’s head jerked up and he smiled, riding toward her.

She pulled against the Were’s grip. He ignored her,
watching Bo as he approached. Turning and looking around, she saw Were pacing
the forest behind them. Lots of Were. With a gulp she whirled back around.

There are a lot of Were. Stay on the horse.

Bo’s smile faltered, though she supposed it could be
because he saw the man holding her as well. He stopped the horse a good
distance beyond the trees. "Aro?" His hand went to his sword, but
didn’t draw it.

With both hands she pulled, trying to free herself
from the Were’s grip. "Please. Let me go now."

He turned to look down at her and finally let go. His
head snapped around suddenly. Before she could bolt to safety, his arm snaked
around her waist and jerked her back against him.

She screeched and fought against him, stomping his
foot and trying to elbow his kidneys.

"That is enough…Aro." His grip tightened
around her and she gasped. He turned, moving her with him and she saw the other
Were running north.

Rot! You got to close! The Were are coming!

"Stop! Stop them! Please, don’t!"

Her captor looked down at her. She didn’t pay
attention to him. She sighed with relief as the other wolves followed his
mental command and stopped.

"Where are the others?"

His beautiful voice was not pleased. She winced. "Past
the fallen tree."

"What are you hiding, little one?"

She glared up at him. "I’m not. You just won’t
understand."

"Call them to come."

She pressed her lips into a thin angry line and glared
up at him. "Fine." Turning, she cupped her hands around her mouth. "Boys!
I need you!"
He knows you’re there.

None of them answered, but she knew they were coming.
Bo pulled his sword slightly. She shook her head. She didn’t want to fight. It
wouldn’t end well.

"You’re the alpha aren’t you," she said
suddenly.

He looked down at her. "Yes."

Know your enemy. He’d be the one giving orders.
The
man with me is their alpha. There are at least a dozen as wolves behind us.

Rot it all,
Kei muttered.

Don’t panic,
Garen added.
We can get out of this.

Prince remained silent.

I’m not panicking. I’m getting irritated.

That’s actually worse, I think,
Bo said. From his horse, she watched him give her a
warning look.

Forcing herself to calm down, she relaxed in the Were’s
hold.

She saw Prince ride around the trees. He didn’t hurry.
Her eyes narrowed as she searched for Kei and Garen.

Garen trotted forward from behind Prince and moved
around the horse, coming to stop beside Bo. She didn’t see Kei.

"A Were, and an Elf," the man muttered.

Kei, what are you doing?

I don’t think–

Get out here. He’s angry with me already.

Very well.

Kei burst out of the fallen tree, landing easily in a
crouch before springing up again and jogging forward.