The Beast And The Blessed

Twenty-Two: Natalie

Natalie’s P.O.V.

Even after a cold shower, I was fuming. I wanted to give Killian an earful and make sure that he understood just how damaging last night had been to our relationship… whatever relationship we had.

I knew he wouldn’t care, but that didn’t stop me. My first stop had been his office, but when I found that empty, I tried every common room that I knew of, including the gym and the training field. Yet, he was nowhere to be found.

It was like he knew I was on a warpath, and he vanished.

Although the rational side of my brain told me that he wouldn’t be scared of me, a human. Perhaps he was trying to save me from publically embarrassing myself further after I had shamelessly thrown myself at him last night. It was bad enough that the servants would be seeing the blood on the sheets from when his claws had punctured my hips and the proof that we had not been trying for the heir that the kingdom was expecting.

When it was discovered that I wasn’t pregnant and that I didn’t bare their king’s mark, I would be seen as a failure.

I stopped in the middle of the garden, glancing around the grounds and ignoring the eyes on me. There were hundreds of people that I had seen in the past hour, but none of them belonged to my alleged mate.

I turned to Tobias, lowering my voice even though there was no one in my immediate vicinity. “He is hiding. Is he not?”

My bodyguard smirked as he stared at me, refusing to give away any information on his beloved king.

him, but I really didn’t want to be right. To have him go there after the night we had together felt like it would be the final *to my already

the infirmary and stopping before the mystery door. I was terrified of what I may find, even more so when Tobias stopped several paces back and

hurt in my chest as I worked myself up to open the door. Would he be on the other side, sleeping in someone else’s bed? Would she be

find him. It was the only bedroom I had seen him sneaking out of, but

there. It was the woman lying in the bed that took my breath away. Her chest rose and fell slowly in time with the machine next to her. The low beeping of the monitor showing her steady heartbeat, made me freeze. I

never thought I would. She was supposed

dark brown hair matched Killian’s, and I knew if she opened her eyes that she would have bright emerald irises staring back at me. There was no crown on her head, and she was wrapped up in a hospital gown with a blanket tucked around her. But she was just as stunning now as she was at the prime of her life when she had been chosen by the king and had

in the air, a darkness that felt

than life.

comatose queen. The young healer who had helped me with my ribs several days before stood in the doorway with an IV bag in

I didn’t want to ask the question that was at the forefront of my mind, but I was sure it was as clear as day on my face. Why were the people of the kingdom

the loss of her mate. Even we cannot treat the soul.” She moved to the other side of the queen, Lillian Amery. She hung the bag from the metal post, efficiently switching it out for the almost empty

glanced back to the woman who had led our country for decades. She didn’t deserve this. She just wanted to be with her mate,

a throat made me turn to the doorway, and I watched as Tobias raised his eyebrows at me before taking his place back against the wall. It was only seconds later that the familiar sight of the

eyes glanced from her and back to me. “Natalie, what

stared at him in surprise. After this morning, I had. been ready to yell and fight with him until I got the answers that I deserved. But he sounded

but also not needing to. I still had a book full of

a firm tone, and I looked to the healer from the corner of my eye, grateful