Chapter 15

"Wait-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Killian showed a hand signal to his men which meant to kill everyone who was not one of them.

"Not Cyrus," she stepped forward to exit the carriage but stopped when reality hit her that she would have to step past king Killian.

Amelia flinched hearing the cries of the Blackwell guards being struck down one by one. Their families had prayed over their well-being but it was no use as their lives were taken.

She wanted to scream at Killian for taking away their lives but how could she? This all started because her father killed people from the north first. How could she stand here and lecture him about anyone's life?

"I was expecting you to be pleading with me, princess. Aren't you happy that I left your little friend here alive?" Killian looked to the side at Cyrus still struggling to get out of his pet's grips. "A thank you will suffice."

'More like kiss my ass,' she thought.

Killian smiled, reading her mind based on her expression. "I know you just cursed me, princess. If I step back, will you come out? I will release your friend if you do."

"Not like I have A choice. There are two of us and probably a large group of you. Please stand back," she opted to be polite rather than be rude. This man could easily kill her if she angered him any further. She already hit him with a shoe.

Killian took two small steps back much to Amelia's dismay. He picked up on the way she flared her nostrils like a dragon when she was upset. Never would he have expected the Blackwell princess to have such a fire in her. "That wasn't so hard," he said when she stepped outside.

"Easy to say when you are not in my position. You got me outside, now what?" She kept her eyes on Killian the entire time even though she wanted to check how Cyrus was. Killian towered over her, adding to his dangerous presence.

"You are free to leave princess," he pointed down the road she came from. "Would you like an escort?"

Amelia's lip twitched out of annoyance. One, her carriage was destroyed, two, her men were dead outside of Cyrus, and lastly, he was an enemy. No one from the Blackwell kingdom would see this as him being kind. "I will be perfectly fine with my guard."

"That's what he is to you? Is that the only thing he is?" He insinuated much more between the two.

"I don't need to answer that. If I don't matter in this war why are you so curious about my affairs? Just let us go." She didn't like him trying to ask if she used Cyrus for pleasure. She heard stories of some people using the captured people turned to slaves for that reason. She found it to be disgusting.

Killian smiled and was humored by her attitude even though her life was hanging by his words. It wouldn't take much for him to break her slender neck. His small interest in her was saving her for now. "I could be a monster if I wanted, princess," he took one hand from behind his back to play with the string tied to hold her dress.

"War creates a lot of monsters. I don't expect you to be kind to me but do not give me false hope if you aren't going to let us go and have other plans. Have decency as a king, to be honest with me." Amelia wanted to smack his hand away to stop it from toying with the string. One pull was enough to make her dress become loose.

"I am only teasing you, princess. I only wanted to see what it would be like when you look flustered. I am not the kind of man to take something from a woman who is unwilling. Run along," Killian released the string so that she could escape. "Just this once Amelia, I will let you live."

"Cyrus-"

"He is a man of the north and I am his king, why should I give him back to you to command? I told you earlier that I am letting you live," he recalled his earlier words.

For the first time, Amelia looked at Cyrus to see him bleeding from the wounds inflicted by the wolves. "He is free to choose where he wishes to be."

"A slave free to choose," Killian shook from laughter at her words. "Very well, where do you wish you to be?" He directed this question to Cyrus.

"You are my king but my loyalty lies with princess Amelia," Cyrus held his head down low knowing the consequences of his words.

"How bold of you. Asura, Loki, release him," Killian ordered the wolves. "You'll have another day to eat him. Hey, drop it," he scolded the dark wolf Loki as he did not want to release Cyrus.

"Remember your words clearly and stand by them till your death. I am no longer your king and you are not a man of the north. Take what is needed and move out!" Killian yelled at the top of his lungs. He left Amelia to retrieve his sword.

With him distracted, Amelia ran to Cyrus's side while mindful of the dark wolf's low growls. "Are you okay? We have to leave quickly," she whispered, helping Cyrus to his feet.

Cyrus felt powerless for not being able to protect Amelia but there was nothing he could do when it came to Killian and his warriors. They weren't like the predictable guards back at the castle.

"Here," Killian pushed the reins for a horse towards Amelia when she helped Cyrus up.

"Thank you," she accepted the horse as it was her only way to get as far away from here as possible. She helped Cyrus up and then got onto the horse behind him since he was hunched over from the pain in his shoulders.

"Don't tell me you fell in love with her at first sight," a man with a bored expression appeared behind Killian. He watched with a lack of interest as Amelia left with the injured man.

"Of course not. Who better to send a message to the king of my visit than the princess," Killian's black eyes changed to red so did his fellow men as they thought about their journey to the Blackwell castle.