Dimitri explained the length and width of each, which was unsettling. The smaller holes were wide enough for one creature to enter, but the bigger portal holes could allow several creatures through at once. It was like someone or something was planning to invade this town en masse, and that was unsettling. Portals placed close together could indicate creatures were trying to come through as a war party, which had happened more than a few times when the original bloodlines first settled in Haven Falls.
“I’ll show you where they are, but the sensors on your land should have alerted you the moment they were opened,” Dimitri said. “The knowledge that the sensors failed to alert the House of Magic to the dangerous situation on the land, well, it is troubling.” He folded his arms over his chest, studying me even though I had yet to meet his stare.
“It’s very troubling since the House of Magic is built to detect any barrier being breached. I worry that we missed something that may have been done to my father’s remains when we were gone. Also troubling is the fact the house rejected a Hecate witch when she needed it, not allowing her entrance to the property.” Aurora pushed her hair behind her ear, staring down at the map. “Has Knox been made aware of the problem yet? He should be present for the search.”
“Not yet.” Dimitri’s face reddened at the mention of Knox’s name, and I had to force myself not the peek at the anger burning in his eyes, seeming to be directed at me. “I wanted you to know first since it looks really bad that the portals are hidden on your property. The situation with Amara already looks bad, but to have open portals large enough to slip an army through, well, that looks really bad.”
“That is why you should have alerted him first. Knox is the one leading the investigation, and as such, he is supposed to be made aware of any problems or findings first, which definitely includes portals large enough to fit a war party through as you just pointed out,” I finished and held his gaze as he snorted.
“Why? Why Knox, Aria?” Dimitri asked carefully, saying out loud what I’d been wondering from the start. “No one has asked who the hell sent him, and yet everyone falls into line because he tells them to. Who the fuck is he, or better yet, what the fuck is he?” His gaze held mine, and I hesitated with my response. He’d asked damn good questions; I mean, they were what I had asked too.
Dimitri’s stare became heated, and I swallowed, dropping mine to avoid a scene before his pack. Electric-blue eyes sparkled as a subtle glow began to build, and I didn’t want to feel or see the heat burning in them. Knowing what he looked like naked wasn’t helping me stay out of his crosshairs. Whatever lived within me, she was a horny bitch, and she wanted one man and one man alone. Dimitri wasn’t that man. Even though I liked him, liking him could potentially end his life, and that wasn’t something I could accept.
“You’re fucking him, and you have no idea what the fuck he is. What happens if you end up pregnant? You could die if what he turns out to be isn’t compatible with your genetics. You need to stop spreading your legs for him. You’re smarter than that, Aria.”
“We don’t even know what Aria is, Dimitri. Stop being petty because she won’t let you sniff her ass and refuses to spread her legs for you,” Luna growled, and the sound reverberated through the room.
“I won’t get pregnant, asshole,” I shrugged nonchalantly, not believing it myself one bit. “I don’t know what Knox is, and I don’t care. I do know that whatever he is, you bowed to him. He is a king. I know because I’ve seen him in his crown. He isn’t from this realm, nor has he spent a lot of time within it. That is all I know. Who I sleep with isn’t your concern, either.”
“I think you know a lot more than you’re willing to share with us. You owe this covenant your loyalty, not him. You have been fucking him for months now, and you think to lie to us and tell us you know nothing? You don’t fuck someone for that long and not learn things about them,” Dimitri snapped, letting his canine teeth show as he curled his lip in disgust, glaring at me. I snorted, shaking my head with his pathetic tactic to elicit fear in me with his bite. He had nothing on Knox, nor could he subdue the beast within me as Knox did.
“That is enough! You are inside the House of Magic, and a guest, Dimitri,” Aurora snapped as power erupted around her, causing my hair to float with her warning. “You represent the alphas, and as their representative, you will respect the boundaries, and my home, which you are in under sanctuary. That means you do not speak to us disrespectfully or use your powers to seek to subdue one of my nieces with your dominance. You are new, which allows you some leeway, but not enough to speak to Aria in the way that you are. Witches don’t ask for an entire family tree before we sexually encounter a male, you should know that. You bred one of ours, and you left her through her pregnancy without coming forth when she needed you, so I suggest you tread very carefully from this point on, young man.”
“I stand corrected,” he said softly, bowing his head to the matriarch of our family. “I apologize. Please accept it, Aurora. I meant no disrespect to you or Aria.”
“It is not me you owe the apology, alpha.”
“Aria,” he whispered my name, huskily. “I apologize. I do hope you reconsider your arrangement with Knox Karnavious and consider a more appropriate match for your stature and rank. Very little is known about Knox or his men, other than they are from the Nine Realms. He could be a minotaur, or worse.”
“I am not dating him, and other than fucking him, nothing is going on. I don’t ask him questions, and even if I did, I highly doubt he would feel inclined to answer them.”
“You’re wrong, Aria. In the street, when I bowed to Knox, it was because he laid claim to you openly. The noise he made? He demanded we bow or die; that was a war cry, woman. He was willing to murder us all to place his claim on you, because he fucking claimed you as his. Do you even grasp the impact of what I’m saying? You are his, and if anyone else seeks to claim you, they must first challenge him. His scent is all over you, and that bite? It’s permanent. That means you allowed him to claim you on a level so profoundly deep that no one can challenge it. You tell me, Aria, why would Knox claim you in such a way when he has no intention of remaining here after the investigation has completed?”
I blinked, uncertain what to say if anything. I hadn’t realized Knox had laid claim to me. I hadn’t given him permission to do that, or had I? I had given him my shoulder, but it was to allow him to show the other alphas I was off-limits. Not that I hated the idea, considering I wasn’t interested in fucking others, but if what Dimitri said was true, it wasn’t something we could undo easily. What I knew about claiming was limited, but something inside of me liked the idea of belonging to Knox. Not that it was smart to allow something like him to claim me, but because his actions had saved Dimitri’s life, I’d been thankful to Knox for doing it. I knew if the alpha had tried to claim me without my permission, I’d have taken him down in a heartbeat. But why would Knox issue a challenge to alphas to fight to the death over me? That was troubling, considering he didn’t even actually like me.
“Show us the portal holes, alpha. Afterward, you can tell us how you discovered them on our property, without our permission to be upon it. As for Knox, what I do with him isn’t your business, nor will you tell me who I can and cannot fuck just because I denied you that right, as was my choice.” I stared Dimitri down as he nodded with worry in his gaze, noting the tone of my voice. It was final, and I gave him no room to argue it without sounding like more of an asshole than he already did.