13 Chapter Twelve

Letting out a snarl, Tiberius's fangs slid out, his claws doing the same as his blood red eyes landed on the demon. Nemyria stiffened beneath him, and the demon laughed.

Laughed, and walked away.

Tiberius made to get up, to lunge after it, but it vanished in a cloud of black smoke. The male above her let out another violent snarl.

"Tiberius," Nemyria whispered.

He whipped back toward her, still snarling. She yelped, her eyes widening in fear, and his snarl died. He blinked, the anger leaving his eyes, and his fangs and claws retracted. It didn't stop her trembling.

"Shit, Nemyria, I'm sorry," he apologized, getting off of her.

"Don't do that again," she whispered, almost scrambling back and away from him, "Don't you ever do that again."

"I won't, Nemyria. I promise, I won't," he said.

He offered her a hand. She just stared at him.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he promised, "I will never hurt you."

Slowly, so very slowly, she nodded, and she took his hand. He pulled her to her feet, then pulled her into his arms.

"Are you okay?" Tiberius asked.

She nodded, pushing her face into his chest, closing her eyes, "I'm fine. Just- the streets were scary, sometimes."

"I understand," he promised, pressing a kiss to her hair.

Closing her arms around him, she held him, letting him hold her until she calmed.

When he drew away, he cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing over her skin.

"Are you ready to head back now?" he asked.

She nodded. He kissed her brow, then urged her to her horse.

Dark Oak, as it seemed, was busy calming Buttercup down, having been spooked by the demon. He nuzzled the female, who trembled, pressing herself against him.

Nemyria snorted. "Your horses appear to be more in love than the rest of this nation."

"Oh, hush," Tiberius snorted, shoving dishes and blankets back into the basket.

He rose, stride over to Buttercup, and quickly secured the basket. Walking back to her, he helped her onto her horse. Untying them, he mounted his own horse.

Before she knew it, they'd made it back to the castle.

Almost in a rush, Tiberius ordered a few guards to the pond, to unsure the demon had gone, then ordered the horses put away. Grabbing Nemyria's wrist, he almost dragged her into the castle.

"What are you doing?" Nemyria questioned.

"Getting you to safety," Tiberius replied.

She frowned. Planting her heels into the ground, she jerked him to a stop.

"Where are we going?" she questioned.

"Our bedroom, where I know you'll be safe," he replied.

"The demon's gone. It was no where near here. I'm already safe," she said.

"And I'm not taking any risks. Come on," Tiberius ordered, yanking her onward.

He managed to drag her to his quarters before she broke away from him. Shutting, locking, and shoving a door beneath his door, he turned to face her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Nemyria questioned, "He's miles away, Toby. He isn't going to hurt me, or you, for that matter."

"And where do you think he's going, Nemyria?" he questioned.

"Home, probably," she replied.

"Yeah. Home. Where he can tell that bastard of a king that I have a mate he can kill," he growled.

"Betrothed," she corrected.

"No, Nemyria, mate," Tiberius snapped, "You are my mate, and until I'm sure you are safe, I am not letting you out of my sight."

Her arms crossed, her brows drawing together in annoyance. "And how long is that going to be?"

Her tail lashed, her orange eyes narrowing, and she met the male's gaze.

"As long as necessary," he replied.

"You are not keeping me locked up."

"If it'll protect you from those demons, I am," he replied.

Her claws itched to come out, her lips twitching back from her teeth in a snarl.

"You will not keep me here," she snarled.

"Oh, yes, I am," he replied.

She might have lunged at him, might have attacked him, had his eyes not softened. He sighed, his hands finding hers, and he pressed a kiss to her brow.

"They killed my parents, love. I can't trust that they won't try to kill you, too," he said, his voice gentle.

"They aren't going to hurt me," Nemyria said, "Then can try, but they won't succeed."

"No, they won't," he agreed, a hand moving to her cheek. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, saying, "Because if any of them get within ten feet of you, I'm tearing them apart."

Again, he kissed her forehead, and the rest of her anger dissipated. She sighed, sinking into his arms as he wrapped her up in a hug.

"If they come back saying the demon's gone, I'll let you out," Tiberius said.

"And if it's not?" Nemyria questioned.

"Then I'm not leaving your side, and we'll see," he answered.

She nodded. Drawing back, she met his gaze. "So. Mates, huh?"

He nodded. "I figured it out when you were dragged in here. You were too delirious to know."

She snorted. "Well. That explains a lot."

"Indeed," he agreed, smiling, "It explains why you love me very, very much."

She snorted, rolling her eyes. "Sure, Toby."

He chuckled. Leaning his brow against hers, he said, "Well, it explains why I love you very much."

A smile slid onto her lips, and she said, "Give it a while, and I just might love you back."

A smile of his own spread over hus mouth, and he leaned in to kiss her.

He never got the chance, due to a knock on the door.

Jerking back and away from her, he called, "Yes? What is it?"

"The demon's gone," a voice said from the other side of the door.

"Keep watch for any signs," Tiberius replied.

"Of course, your majesty," the gaurd replied, and heavy foot steps walked down the hall.

Tiberius walked to the door, dislodged the chair, and unlocked it.

"You're still not leaving my side," Tiberius said.

She snorted, rolling her eyes. He returned to her, and he took one of her hands.

"We have a meeting to go to, love," he said.

With a sigh, she nodded, and the two left for said meeting.

*

After a mostly silent dinner, Nemyria laid curled up in bed, watching Tiberius as he watched her. He sat beside her bed, the wheels of his mind turning.

"Yes?" she asked, lifting a brow.

"I'm debating what to do with you tomorrow," Tiberius replied.

"Are you, now?" Nemyria asked.

He nodded.

"And what, might I ask, have you come up with?"

"Well, I don't want to leave you alone, whether that's with Gavrynn or not, but I don't want to hound you," he replied.

"How many meetings do you have tomorrow?" Nemyria asked.

"More than you'd like to attend," he replied.

Sighing, he took one of her hands, his thumb rubbing over her skin.

"Gavrynn should be enough," Tiberius said, "But if you notice anything off, you find me immediately, okay?"

She sighed. "I can handle myself, Toby."

"Can you? Nemyria, I just got you off the streets, for crying out loud. You couldn't handle yourself against a dog," he said.

"I'm going to choose not to get offended by that," she said.

He frowned. "Look at yourself, Nemyria. I don't care how much demon blood or werewolf blood you have in you, you are not strong enough to handle a full grown demon."

She sighed. "Oh, fair enough."

"If you want," Tiberius offered, "You could ask Gavrynn to teach you how to fight."

Smiling, she nodded. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, mumbling, "Goodnight, beloved."

"Goodnight, Toby," she replied.

He gave her one last kiss before he retreated, and she closed her eyes, promptly falling asleep.

*

Walking down the dark, cold hallways, the demon approached his parents bedroom. He had something to report, after all.

He knew that fae. At least, he recognized her scent, recognized her color pattern. Recognized who she was.

That someone, he knew, his mother would take an interest in. After all, they'd been looking for the girl for the past fourteen years, ever since they'd gotten word that the Bastard king had died. Ever since they'd gotten word that they were finally safe.

Stopping before the dark oak door, he took in a breath. Lifting his fist, he knocked on the door.

"I'm home," he called, "And I have something to report."

The door was thrown open before he could take in his next breath. Before him stood his mother, a mute, obsidian purple demon, met his gaze. Her desperate purple eyes pleaded for an answer, and he offered her a smile.

"I found her," he said, "I found Nemmy. I found my sister."