Connor

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm, to slow my heart to a normal speed, I refused to risk alarming Ally as she slept, curled up in my arms, peaceful at last. It broke my heart, the terror I felt flooding across the bond as those memories. 10 years. She had endured that, endured him for 10 years, and I wasn't there to get her out.

"You're here now." My mate's voice shocked me out of my thoughts, soft, barely audible, I cupped the back of her head, running my fingers through her hair, holding her close.

"I'm never letting him near you, ever." I murmured softly, shifting my wings so I could see the clock, sweeping Ally into my arms, "It's late," she didn't complain as I pulled her boots and leathers off, giving her one of my spare shirts to change into. It fell almost to her knees, even more so as she sat down on the bed and pulled her knees into her chest, her breathing coming shallow and fast as she fought the tears springing to her eyes. Her violet eyes shone with tears as she looked up at me, fear still filling them. I pulled up a shield around her as I quickly changed out of my leathers, keeping one eye on Ally as I did so.

She clung to me as I picked her up again, kicking the covers back as I lay down, pulling her onto my chest and wrapping an arm around her waist, the other stroking her hair as she rested her head on my shoulder. She tucked her wings in as close as she could, gripping my shoulders as I pulled my own wings around her, still murmuring gently to her as she nestled into my chest.

She left the bond wide open as she drifted off to sleep again, occasional noises the only sign of her dreams, her nightmares. Each time a nightmare rose, I offered her an alternate memory, a happy memory. I showed her my memories of our childhood, training together, flying over Velaris, just talking with her, with any of our family, the family that she had welcomed me into without a second thought. When she woke, she asked me what she could have possibly done to deserve any of it. I showed her my memory of when we first met,

I barked in pain as a fist connected with my jaw sending me sprawling into the mud, the laughter echoing around me. I screamed as a heavy boot slammed down onto my left wing, snapping bone as it crushed my wing into the frozen mud. I tried to rise to my feet but another of the boys kicked me between my shoulder blades, pushing me back to the floor, I lay still for a moment, my chest heaving as I took stock of my assailants, six of them, all older than me, all high-born. I stood no chance, but I had to try, couldn't let them win that easily. I surged upwards, stumbling as my limp wing pulled me off balance, feeling a surge of pride at the shock on the face of the leader of their gang as he glared at me.

"You couldn't just stay down, could you, bastard?" He growled, nodding to the others behind me, and I didn't have time to turn around as two of them grabbed each of my wings, dragging me backwards, off balance, unable to fight back as their leader stepped towards me, drawing a dagger from his belt, testing the point against his finger, grinning at the bead of blood that formed there. My determination quickly changed to fear as I realized that they would happily kill me there, no one would miss me, they might not even notice, just one less bastard squatting on the edge of the camp. I desperately fought the males holding me, screaming again as they twisted my wings, sinew tearing as they forced me to my knees before their leader, still grinning as he grabbed my chin, forcing it upwards to look at him,

"Get up."I tried, but his cronies kept holding me, pushing my wings into unnatural positions, tearing screams from my throat with each movement. "I said. Get. Up." He glared at me, "Utterly pathetic." He spat at me, digging the point of the knife into the skin below my ear, laughing at my gasp of pain as he twisted the blade, blood running down the side of my face. He withdrew the knife slowly, chuckling as I whimpered again. I didn't see the blow coming, but I felt the sharp pain in my temple, felt my vision fade and fail as I hit the floor again, my broken, useless wings twisted beneath me.

"Hey!" A voice shouted, I recognized that voice, I'd heard it before, but couldn't place where. "Leave him!" It was a female, a female was standing up to them, a young one at that, Mother above, they'd kill her, she stood no chance, I choked, trying to warn her to run, but my voice failed me as badly as my vision had and I earned another kick to the ribs, my scream as another bone splintered drawing laughs from the offending males.

Another few moments and I felt a gush of wind rush over me, I tried to raise my head, tried to see what was happening, tried to rise, but my hand slipped and I passed out in the mud, the taste of my own blood filling my mouth.

When I awoke I found myself in a clean room, well-furnished, large. Where was I? That same female voice called out,

"He's coming round." A gentle hand brushed the hair away from my eyes as I blinked in the light, trying to focus.

She was stunning, easily the most beautiful female I had ever seen, her jet-black hair fell in soft curls, just below her shoulders, and her violet eyes swam with worry, the color unlike any I had seen before.

"How are you feeling?" It was her, somehow she had made them leave me, somehow she had chased them off,

"How?" I breathed, "How did you do it?" She stood, reaching for a glass of water, mother above she couldn't be older than me,

"I didn't have to fight them if that's what you mean," She handed me the water and I nodded my thanks as she continued, "They recognized me." I nearly spat out the water, fumbling for the words to ask who she was that they fled at the sight of her, but a male entered the room,

"Did you say he was awake, Ally?" Ally, no way,

"Lady Alayna?" She snorted at my surprise,

"No one calls me lady, or Alayna for that matter, unless they're scared I'll knock them on their ass." She turned to speak to the male who had just entered, red siphons gleaming, I immediately knew who he was, first the High Lord and Lady's daughter, now the general, who else was here? "Oh, I never asked your name?"

"Connor." I didn't know how to respond to this, was this the High Lord's house?

"Well, Connor, you're welcome to stay here as long as you want."

"I, I have a house."

"Now you have a home." With those five words she flipped my life upside down, home, I had never had one, not really, never having known my father and losing my mother six years ago, I had struggled to survive my whole life, and now she was offering me a home. My face must have betrayed my surprise because the general, Cassian, sat on the edge of the bed next to me,

"I had a similar reaction," I had forgotten, he was born a bastard, like me. I tried to sit up, to appear more presentable, but he gently pushed me back down, "Don't try to move, your wings are still pretty beat up," Terror flashed through my mind, what if I never flew again? Could I still be a warrior if I couldn't fly? I didn't think so. "Don't look so worried," a crooked grin flashed across his face, "They just need time to heal, you'll be training in no time. With me, I might add." I was going to train with the General Commander of the Night Court?

"You hungry?" I nodded, smiling as another young male similar age to myself entered, carrying a tray of food,

"Connor, right? I'm Alexander, Alex, Ally's twin."

"Um," I stuttered again, unsure of how to address him,

"Just Alex, I'm sure Ally will have laughed to hear you call her a lady,"

"Why's that?"

"Other than she's anything but, we think it's too formal for everyday use, official meetings and stuff only. I'll see you in training." He grinned as he turned to leave.

Cassian stood as well, "If you need anything, just call out, someone will be here to keep an eye on you, now rest." He turned to leave, but paused back as I called to him,

"Cassian?" He turned back to me, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me, Ally's the one who heard your fight." Generous of him to call it a fight,

"Still, you didn't have to let her bring me here."

"Again, it wasn't just me, but no problem, we're here if you need, now rest."

Over the next few days I floated in and out of consciousness, finding someone at my side each time, often Ally, sometimes Alex, or another young female I didn't recognize, dark brown hair framing her face, beautiful, but in a soft way, but I never fully saw her face, the shadows around the room seemed to lean towards her. Once another young male was at my side, a lopsided grin on his face as I opened my eyes.

Ally looped an arm over my shoulders,

"I never knew how bad that fight was,"

"I didn't want to worry you about it." She traced a finger along my jaw, her fingers lingering on the scar below my ear,

"I wish I knew who they were," she murmured as I leaned into her touch a little, "So I could kick their asses for what they did." I let out a huff of laughter, quieting as she rested her other hand on my knee and leaned towards me, brushing a kiss over that scar, the reminder of the worst and best day of my life, they day I nearly died, the day I met my mate. "You were ten, and they did that?" Her breath was still hot on my neck as she whispered, "I didn't realize it was quite that bad. I should have." Her breath hitched as she spoke again, "I'm sorry."

I turned my head to face her, cupping her cheek as I did so, "What on earth have you got to be sorry for? You saved my ass, remember?"

"I should have known it was like that, and stopped it."

"It wasn't usually that bad, and you could never have stopped it, I'm glad you didn't know, you would have gotten hurt."

"So you fell for me because I saved your ass once?"

"Firstly, you've saved my ass more than once, and secondly, I fell for you because you saw me, not the bastard who had nothing, not the warrior with nine siphons, not one of your father's commanders. You saw me, and accepted all of what you saw, loved all of what you saw, you didn't pick and choose what to love, you loved me for who I was, and no one else has ever done that, not in the way that you did. Even the other females I've been with, most of them weren't interested in knowing me at all."

"Then they were all idiots." She brushed a kiss against my lips, sighing as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I slipped my hands into her hair, her comforting scent filling my nostrils, and lingering, even after she pulled away to dress.