The Kings' Broken Mate

The Clean Up

Raclaus' POV-

That girl's existence was a miracle. Besides the copious amount of wolfsbane and alcohol in her system, her blood tasted like paranoia and panic. That must be a constant state for her blood to taste so potently of it. She must be the Luna's daughter, Remington, since they were the only Gifted wolves in this region with a strong aura. Renatus never took the time to learn about the packs, but I did.

I took her in my arms from Renatus so he could teleport us to the castle. He wrapped one arm around my shoulders and placed his other hand on the top of her head. His touch was hot as we disappeared in the flames only to reappear in our bedroom. Once his flames calmed, I walked over to the couch and laid her down gently.

"Why not put her on the bed?" Renatus asked with obvious confusion in his voice.

"Renatus, she won't be comfortable sharing a room with us, as much as I want her in our bed. So we are gonna fix up my office chamber as her room until she's ready." He scoffed indignantly.

"We will have the staff do it, Raclaus. That's what they are here for anyway." All I could do is roll my eyes at him. He could be a pretentious prick to be honest, but maybe she'll change that.

"Fine Renatus, you don't have to help." I laid a blanket over her before turning to the door in the corner. I flicked the light on and sighed, knowing it would take me a little longer to get the room ready. I started by packing all the files in the boxes to try to make quick work of it. I was surprised when Renatus started taking the boxes to the room down the hall.

We worked in silence until the room was emptied. Alexi was back now so I had her vacuum and change the drapes while I washed Remington up. I was closer to her size, so I grabbed a pair of my sweatpants, one of Renatus' t-shirts, and a new pair of my boxers before running the bath. I asked Alexi to arrange some clothes for Remington, just enough to start, since she had nothing in the castle. From the small snippets I saw while I was feeding on her, she kept herself covered all the time.

Renatus was off directing some servants to find a spare bed and clean linen for Remington so it would be ready when I was done. I checked the water before going to the couch and picking up her small frame. She shivered against my hold, but didn't wake. I quickly stripped her before laying her in the tub and throwing her clothes in the hamper.

Before I washed her, I noticed the scars. She had three parallel scars on each thigh and two crisscrossed on her abdomen under her belly button. The delicate skin on her back was more scar tissue than normal skin from what I assumed to be a silver-tipped whip. Her wrists were littered with small scars from a silver knife. She had a few fresher ones too, but thanks to Renatus' tears, they were at least closed now.

I took care to wash every strand of her hair, being in that alley had it caked in Goddess knows what, dimming the brightness of her red waves. I let the conditioner soak in as I carefully washed her body. I had a feeling she wasn't going to like this, but she needed some tender care. She murmured a little in her sleep, but still didn't wake. I honestly didn't expect her to for awhile. Now that the wolfsbane was out of her system, her wolf could heal her, but I could barely even sense her there.

Once all the soap was rinsed off, I carefully wrapped a towel around her. Alexi was making the bed Renatus found, so I just held Remington until she was done. It didn't take me long to get her dressed and tucked in. I noticed that besides the dresser and end table, there was a cream-colored leather couch set up in the corner. Renatus had come in while I was dressing her and slumped against the couch.

I walked over to him with a sigh. I sat on the other end and pulled him down so his head was in my lap. I ran my fingers through his hair while he stroked my thigh. My mind couldn't help but wonder in the silence that had fallen over the room how things were going to change now that we had another mate. It had been just the two of us for nearly three centuries. Would she even accept us given her current state? Renatus was the first to speak, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"What did you see when you fed on her?" I let out a shaky breath. To be honest, I didn't want to share it. Besides feeling like she needed to be the one to open up, I just didn't want to think about it. My voice wavered as I spoke.

"Not much that made sense. Something dark happened to her when she was 15, but I'm not sure what. I do know that's the reason for her scars on her legs, abdomen, and back. She flinches away from physical contact with anyone, including her parents. I got a snippet of her training herself to the point of collapse. Whatever has happened, she tortures herself." My voice became softer the more I spoke. I felt Renatus' anger through our bond.

"Someone hurt her? Someone from her pack or family?" He strained to speak through gritted teeth.

"I don't know. I don't think it was her pack or family. From what I saw, they all looked at her with pity and longing. But we won't know until she tells us. Sleep now, my flame, I will watch over her." I tried to keep my voice soft so he would listen. Renatus could be too stubborn for his own good, but I had a feeling our presence wouldn't be well received when she woke.

Surprisingly, he didn't fight me. He relaxed into my lap before his breathing became shallow and even. As a Vampire I didn't sleep, so I just watched over them. Remington's sleep was restless, her body shifting uncomfortably with soft whimpers escaping periodically. My heart broke watching the pain contorting her soft features until I felt the wetness slip down my cheek. The desire to hold her, to comfort her, was almost overwhelming, but I stayed with Renatus on my lap.

I ran my fingers through his shimmering golden locks, trying to calm myself. His breathing was slow and even now, and with every rise and fall of his chest I tried to match my uneven breaths to his. As more tears escaped, I was forced to wipe them away with my sleeve to avoid getting up and waking Renatus. Before the morning light began to slip into the room, my sleeve was stained with the scattered crimson evidence of my overwhelming concern for our broken mate.