Crown of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms Book 4) (Amelia Hutchins)

“You didn’t actually think I wasn’t aware of her sneaking into your room, right?” At my silent pause, he smirked before closing his eyes and slowly opening them. “Celia tried to spread rumors about that night. I shut that shit down quickly. I was the one who put you to bed, and tucked you in, asshole. You were still fully dressed the next morning, which meant you couldn’t have slept with my sister. I guess you could have, but I don’t think you did. You were so fucking drunk you couldn’t speak, let alone unzip your fucking pants. Plus, the door wasn’t closed and I imagine I’d have heard something had she been a virgin. I’ve heard experienced women scream when you fuck them, so how the hell would she remain silent with not a single noise leaving your chamber?” “Shit, I remember nothing from that night other than what she told me in the morning.” I stated, regretting that night more now than I had back when it had happened. “She told me I’d forced her to my bed, and she’d been a maiden still.” This time, he laughed long and loud, shaking his head, which caused my eyes to narrow to slits. “No, she wasn’t. Celia used to vanish for hours on end, and one time, I went searching for her, and I found her taking two stable boys at once. I assure you she wasn’t a virgin.” “She told me I’d taken her virginity, and there was blood.” Scrubbing my hand over my face, I battled the exhaustion weighing on me with the constant lies, and betrayal occurring in my own kingdom. “I’m sure she told you whatever she thought would make you feel guilty. She was playing you, pining for the throne she could only get from being your wife. I don’t care what she told you, Knox. That girl wasn’t a virgin.” “I never even considered that shit back then, either. I considered asking for her hand, but I couldn’t make myself do it. The thought of anyone else but Liliana made me physically sick. Fucking hell, this is a mess.” “That’s an understatement, and downplaying it a bit, asshole,” Killian chuckled, but it was filled with pain he’d never admit to anyone, not even me. The sound of booted feet moving over the library floor forced my attention toward it as Brander and Lore entered, both in full armor. I glanced at the darkening looks straining their faces, and exhaled slowly. “We found her trail,” Brander stated, staring at Killian’s back.

I shifted my focus to my oldest friend. His shoulders dropped, and he shook his head at my unspoken question. Pain rocked through me for him, and my teeth ground together. There was no way she would escape this. I wouldn’t allow it, but I was still obligated to offer him a say in the matter. “We can seal her in the tomb with Freya, Killian. I don’t have to take her head. There are other ways to handle this,” I offered, hating that I was about to end the life of his only remaining family. “My sister isn’t there anymore, brother. Celia died the moment she sold her soul to the witches. She has committed treason against you, and she’ll continue until we end that threat. You can’t really believe that would be a wise thing to do. Especially not when it would give away that Hysteria, her daughters, and Freya are still alive.” He grunted when the room exhaled with relief at his ability to deduct the problem with doing it. “It’s your sister, Killian. I get that you’re upset, and right now you are prepared to accept this fate for her. But I’m not your fucking king right now. I’m your best friend, and the asshole you’ve stood beside for longer than our cocks could get erect. Celia is the last of your bloodline, and this isn’t something you should take lightly.” “She’s not my blood, not anymore. I won’t chance adding more shit to everything happening right now. If you put Celia in with the Hecate sisters, Hecate could use Celia to discover they’re not entirely dead. That’s a mess we don’t want or need right now. The poison we created holds them in stasis, but only takes hours to rid from their system. That would add four powerful Hecate direct descendants to the pool of power that sadistic bitch could use against us and our people. It isn’t worth chancing it, and I won’t allow it, Knox. She dies, and I’ll be fine with it because I can’t do anything else,” he muttered with a slow shake of his head. “No, for what she did to Gideon, she has to die.” “So be it then,” I uttered as the pang of regret entered my chest. “For treason against the High King of the Nine Realms, King Knox Karnavious, King of Norvalla, Lady Celia Moreau will be hunted down and executed immediately. Gentlemen, shall we go handle the issue and end the threat against us?” I asked, peering toward the empty side of the library. “Aye,” they muttered in agreement. There was no pleasure in what we’d just unified on. Celia had been the constant female in our lives, even if she turned out to be a treacherous bitch.

I was about to remove the head of my best friend’s sister, and I resented her for making it come down to this. “This won’t change your standing here, Killian. Celia was corrupted by magic and witches. They forced her, and it allowed Hecate access into her soul,” I announced, watching his eyes lift to meet mine. “That isn’t what happened to her, and you fucking know it,” he snapped as he pushed to his feet. I snorted and stood so he and I were fact-to-face. “I just told you what fucking happened to your sister. That is what I’ll be telling our people. You will not carry this burden, nor will you relinquish your title. We know what she is and what has happened, so we’ll handle it accordingly. Now, get your fucking armor on, Kill. It’s time to do what we do best.” He left the room, and I slammed my hands onto the dresser. Everything was going sideways, and the harder I fought to maintain control, the faster that control slipped away. Killian didn’t deserve to lose more family, but neither could this be allowed to continue. Celia wouldn’t stop, and I wasn’t naïve enough to offer the sadistic bitch a pardon merely to stave off the inevitable. I’d already lost too much, and this war felt it was just finally getting started.

Chapter Thirty-Eight Knox Sweat beaded down my neck from the thrill of the hunt. The hell hounds released howls, directing us to the trail the witches had taken. The witches were using herbs and magic to cover their scent. It mattered little since their efforts failed to sway the hell hounds from their relentless need to track and maul the bitches. The entire forest was aware of our presence moving through it at a breakneck pace. I could sense the fear from the females running from us, their scents alluring to the beast within me that wanted to taste blood. I wouldn’t allow him to play with her because Killian didn’t deserve that. Killian was the only reason I planned to give her a swift, painless death. When I paused on an incline, it was as if the forest held its breath while I focused on the trail the witches left in their mad dash to escape us. “We’re close to them,” I muttered, clicking my tongue against my teeth. I directed the horse down the steep incline as I scanned the forest. “Stay together. We don’t know the magical influence, how many witches she’s with, or if they are all linked to Hecate. We will not take any chances tonight.” Slate slid as we descended the mountain, and then the ground leveled out and we once more progressed over flat ground. Water splashed under the hooves as horses entered the creek. The hounds sloshed through the water, rushing up the bank before they fanned out, searching for the scent left behind. One lifted its tail straight up and swung its head toward the rough terrain a few paces away from the water. The path that Celia was taking suggested she was fleeing to the Kingdom of Vãkya, which I would never allow to happen. They’d taken a zigzag direction through the heavier section of the forest. If they hadn’t been hunted by creatures who were bred to find prey and slaughter it mercilessly, they might have had a chance. It was taking everything within me to remain on the horse and not hunt the bitch down on foot. The need to free Lennox was overwhelming, but he wasn’t interested in the bitch we were chasing. I didn’t blame him, not when Aria was coming back into a heat cycle. He cared even less that Aria

had stated repeatedly that she wasn’t mine anymore and that she couldn’t be owned. Those were statements born from, and saturated in, the pain of losing our twins, her family’s betrayal, and my own actions, especially the ones poisoned by magic. If I let Lennox hunt her, if I didn’t give her the time to mend, then she would hide herself somewhere that was far outside my reach. While I hated that as much as Lennox did, I would respect it. There was also Hecate to consider, and her fucking need to destroy anything I craved. It gave me reservations about allowing Aria near me, fearing she’d be even more of a target than she already was now. Ravens exploded from the treetops, and I laughed coldly as I slid from the saddle. The men followed my lead, and we started forward, slowly spreading out. I drew my sword as we entered the thick forest. Killian was to my left, blade already drawn, and Brander and Lore were to my right, both watching the ravens that tracked our prey from the sky. Lennox tracked the witches’ frantic heartbeats, leading me to where one witch had hidden. She rushed out from behind the rocks, lifting her palms to send a wave of magic toward me, but I swung deftly. Her arms remained up as she screamed and stared wide eyed at where her hand used to be. A dark, wicked laugh escaped my throat before my sword swung wide, severing her head from her neck. Kicking her headless body out of my path, I moved toward the next one. The racing heartbeat was different in the second witch, but so was the scent of her magic in the air. She slid out from behind a wide tree trunk, sending magic crashing toward me. Lifting my hand, I blocked the magic before redirecting it toward another witch. I spun my body, and sent my blade in a wide, powerful swing that hummed through the air as I used the momentum to cut sharply and split a witch into two separate pieces. Turning back to the grisly scene, I glanced down to the severed top half of the body, watching her crystalline-blue eyes as she gasped, bleeding out. Callista grabbed at the ground, her hands reaching blindly as her organs fell free from her abdomen. My stomach clenched, but any remorse I might have felt was forgotten when something sailed toward my head. I leaned backed just enough for the blade to miss its mark, and then I turned cold, furious eyes to the man who had thrown it. More men slithered out of the surrounding woods, and a rattle of war sounded from deep in my chest. As the soon-to-be dead men rushed toward me, I noted each coat of

arms on their uniform and smiled. One man, who hadn’t learned from the man before him, sent another blade at me, which I dodged with a careless ease. I spun, using the momentum to kick him in a roundhouse move that sent him stumbling backward. The moment I was facing him again, I brought my blade down, enjoying the satisfying sound of muscle being cut and severed. All around me, steel slammed against iron as blades met in combat. They’d had an entire unit lying in wait to end us. The excitement of battle saturated the forest, and I allowed Lennox to peer through my eyes and use his inhuman sight to calculate my next move. Three warriors rushed toward me, the speed of their blades whizzing through the air, a melody I knew all too well. One came inches away from my helmet, and I sent my blade back at him, slamming it against his. The force of the blow vibrated my hands, and I swung again, cutting an arm off before he could get it back up to defend himself. Killian was beside me, using his dual blades to fight off the other two warriors. The coppery tang of blood filled the forest as rivers of it soaked into the earth. Magic slammed into Brander, forcing him to the ground. His blades scattered on the ground. The witch shot a blast of magic toward him, making him roll on the ground to escape the attacks smashing into the ground as he ran evasive maneuvers to escape the relentless assaults. Jumping back onto his feet, Killian flung his sword at one end over the other, pegging the bitch in her chest. Killian moved swiftly, dodging one attack, then the next, moving to retrieve his blade. A warrior moved in behind him, creeping forward toward his exposed back. I shot magic at the prick, watching him drop to the ground. His body shuddered, jerking against the raw current pulsing through him. A flash of movement in my peripheral had my blade swinging in a wide arch as my body spun, adding strength to the swing. Turning sharply, I watched the warrior drop to the ground before another stepped in to take his place. Smiling cruelly at the warrior that crouched in a fighting stance, I grabbed the other blade from my sheath. I wrapped my palms over the hilts of the blades and then shot both cutting through the air in his direction. He stepped back, retreating while I lunged, and forced him to defend against the hard, powerful hits of the blades. Every time he pushed forward, I beat

him with hard hits. His grip on his blade faltered as one blade landed, but the calculated look in his beady eyes gave his intentions away. Stepping back, I smiled as the sound of a blade cutting through air sounded behind him. Killian’s blade severed tendons and muscle, cleaving the head from the spine deftly with precise skill. Brander snorted, sending his dagger spinning through the air to slam into a witch who’d been creeping up behind me. Cerise-colored droplets of blood-splatter covered Brander’s face, drawing a lifted brow from Killian at the bloodthirsty look dancing in my brother’s eyes. I turned, peering through the fighting to spot Lore, skillfully deflecting swords with the techniques Killian, Brander, and I had endlessly taught to him. The fighting continued on endlessly with men rushing from the shadows of the forest. The sweat dripping from my hair, rolling down my face stung my eyes. Men rushed to their deaths as swiftly as we delivered it to them until, eventually, only a few witches remained. Lore and Brander fought them, and I almost left them to it, but then Lore’s blade hesitated. Her pleas for mercy must have penetrated his mind because he lowered his blade, seemingly oblivious to the dagger she had pulled. Both Killian and I moved, feeling the same tingle of awareness, and reacted together to the threat. Killian’s blade slammed into the dagger meant to end Lore’s life, sending it slamming to the earth. I threw my blade end over end, and it slammed through her skull, pinning her to a tree. Lore blinked, shaking off the spell the witch had pulled him into, and he gawked at her. The witch’s body twitched and seized as I strode forward and pulled my blade free. Her body crumbled to the ground before I swung my blade once more, removing her head. Lore frowned, creeping back away from the sight. Grunting at the dismay on his features, I kicked the head away from the body, ensuring she was dead. I leveled Lore with a pointed stare. He puffed his cheeks out and slowly shook off the spell she’d been working on him. He swallowed and scrubbed his gauntlet covered hand over his face. “I fucked her . . . often,” he admitted, which made me pause. “She would have murdered you without thinking twice, asshole. Her pussy couldn’t have been so good you’d trade your life for it. You cannot hesitate in battle—ever. I taught you better, Lore. We all did, and I refuse to lose you. Do you fucking hear me? I’m done losing my brothers.” He

nodded, and a shrill scream broke the moment. We turned to find Killian dragging Celia out of her hiding place by her hair. “I’m your sister!” she cried, grabbing at his hands and trying to free herself. “Killian, I am your own blood. You can stop him. You’re his best friend!” she pleaded, but he merely pushed her forward hard enough that she fell to her knees between us. “My sisters are dead, Celia,” Killian whispered thickly, stepping back as I neared where they stood. “Please, Knox? Don’t do this to me. I love you. I was in love with you from the first moment I met you! My only crime is loving you, My King.” She started sobbing as she lunged forward to grab on to my armored leg, kissing it while she pleaded for her life. I kicked her away, watching as she fought to get back onto her knees. “Why? Why would you do this to us? What the hell could she have offered you to make you turn against your own brother and your kingdom?” I demanded coldly. “You!” Her scream echoed through the trees. She yanked the skirt of her dress up, dabbing her eyes with it. “The same witch who served my mother approached me. She offered me a deal. She would ensure I got what I craved most. You, the throne I dutifully served with blind loyalty and power to defend both things. All she asked in return was that I brought Liliana to her once a month, and helped keep the visits hidden from you. I never betrayed you. I promise. But when Liliana died, I accused her of killing her and Sven. She threatened me. She said she’d expose what I’d done, and my part in the plot against the prince and queen of Norvalla.” “You knew Liliana wasn’t your sister? That she was Kamara the entire time?” Brander asked, aghast at the truth and depth of her treachery. “Not at first. Over time, I picked up on her behavior. Certain things she did or said changed. She changed, but no one else ever noticed. Liliana never removed the amulet, either. Plus, she would remind me of my hand in the cauldron, and that I’d be stripped of my title and sent far away from Knox if I so much as whispered the truth. Sven died, and she didn’t care. Liliana died without her amulet on, didn’t she?” she asked in a soft whisper of words. Her gaze implored us to give her mercy, but I didn’t have any left to offer. “I took it while she slept. Liliana didn’t visit the witch before she died. I simply removed the amulet, and she died within an hour of it being

taken off her throat. If you hadn’t been so distraught when you found her dead, you’d have realized her scent was no longer there.” “You killed her?” I asked carefully as my stomach twisted and bile burned the back of my throat. “I merely removed the amulet, Knox. Liliana was dead long before she ever wed you. I would guess that they replaced her before you announced the engagement to the kingdom. You won’t place her death on me. I merely removed the magic preventing you from seeing the truth you were too blind to see. I thought it ended the witch’s taunts, but then things arrived in my chamber. Instructions for me to follow, or be exposed for what I’d done against the kingdom. So I did them. It was simple things, like placing tiny pouches throughout the palace. It didn’t harm anyone, and I’d have ended it before it would’ve done so. I promise you, I did nothing that would harm anyone.” “We lost Gideon because of you.” Killian’s words caused her whole body to tremble “You want to sit there and tell us how it hurt no one? The fact you knew Lili wasn’t our sister, and yet didn’t alert us to the fact a viperous imposter sat on the throne of Norvalla, and still think you did nothing wrong? You’re a fucking lunatic if you think that’s something any of us will overlook, Celia. You stained our line with your betrayal, and still you continue to pine for the king you’ve sworn to serve? Who the fuck does that? A raving lunatic who needs put down, that’s who.” “I am your sister! You and I share the same parents, Killian. You’re sworn to protect me!” she screeched, losing some of the fear she’d displayed. “You are a failure, and I hope you suffer horridly when you realize this is your fault for failing to protect me.” “No, I failed in my duty as your brother. You, you failed our bloodline, the kingdom, and now because of you, a prince lies cold and dead tonight. I owe you nothing.” Killian snorted with disdain and betrayal pinching his features. “You’re charged with treason against your king,” I breathed, and when she turned her wide, pleading eyes toward me, I held them with unwavering conviction. “I didn’t betray! It was you who betrayed me, Knox. You forced me into your bed and took my maidenhead. It ruined me, which forced me to this fate! My king left me to suffer in silence, too terrified to speak of the atrocities he inflicted on me! You held me down and forced yourself on me,

and then you pretended as if nothing ever happened. Afterward, you made me keep my silence. Killian, he hurt me and raped me. He violated me, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell you because I feared he’d kill me.” Her lies spilled out of her mouth in a rushed strain. “I couldn’t tell you because he is your best friend and the king.” “When did he do this?” Killian asked. Hope flashed in her eyes, and she exhaled. “Right after Liliana’s funeral rites, brother.” She whimpered, flicking her gaze to me before turning it back on Killian. “Knox dragged me into his chamber and forced himself on me, even though I begged for him to stop.” Celia searched the surrounding faces, finding no one willing to save her. “You know that I was aware of you entering his bed chamber after he’d gone to bed, right?” Killian asked, watching the anger fill her eyes. “I am his eyes and his ears when he’s disposed, Celia. I am aware of every female who passed the threshold to his chambers. It is my fucking job to protect my king from his enemies. You tried to convince Knox he’d slept with you, but he couldn’t have. Knox had already passed out from drinking, and I was the one to tuck his ass into bed that night. In the morning, I was the one who found him still dressed and still tucked in to his fucking bed. I thought you’d merely checked on him until you began spreading rumors of your wicked night spent in the arms of the king. Did you never wonder why those rumors never caught fire and spread? Because I’m the king’s fucking security and protection against poisonous, lying bitches like you!” “Then you failed!” she snarled. “I was defiled, and told if I ever whispered a rumor of what happened in his chamber, that he would make sure no one believed me. He took my maidenhead and raped me brutally!” “Are you that fucking stupid?” Killian snarled, laughing coldly while he peered at her through narrow, angry slits. “Did you forget you fucked half of the staff at our keep? You couldn’t have been a maiden. If you were, I wouldn’t have had to hear my staff pleading to be sent elsewhere to escape my scandalizing sister, who forced them to worship her as if she’d already been crowned queen. My God, Celia, what the fuck happened to you that turned you into this selfish, twisted bitch that lies, and betrays those who are closest to her?” “You bastard! I hate you, Killian. I always have, and I always will!” “Enough, no one here cares to hear your spiteful words. You made a deal with Hecate, and now you’ll die because of that choice,” I informed

coolly. Her eyes widened, giving me pause as she opened her mouth. “It wasn’t Hecate,” she whispered. “Her name was Haora, and she claimed to be Hecate’s first-born daughter. She was the same witch who tended to our mother and the other ladies of the court when they suffered hysterics. I know it was the same one, because she used to treat me, too!” “What did she look like?” I questioned, observing her. “She had midnight hair and one blue eye, one green eye. Dark inkcolored runes covered both of her hands, starting right before her nails and moved up her arms in strange writing. She often talked nonsense the entire time we were forced to wait for her to finish the amulet. It was her who came to the palace wanting me to do more. I refused, but I explained how well that played out.” “More what?” I asked carefully. “Access to you and to the kingdom,” she admitted, hope slowly growing in her gaze. “The witch you made a deal with wasn’t the one the palace kept in the cottage. I know, because she was the first witch I murdered after the news of our parents deaths reached me. The only witch who is powerful enough to possess, or use magic against your bloodline and mine? Hecate, which means you’re complicit in your crimes, and you will pay for them. Say goodbye to Killian, Celia. I’m giving you a chance to offer him last words, so take it. Do the right thing for once in your pathetic lifetime.” “You think this’ll end it? They have eyes everywhere. They’re already inside the palace. Any time I refused to do their bidding, someone would place dead ravens on my bed. You can use me to figure out who it was,” she stated, her eyes pleading as she moved them from one male to the next. “I am still receiving threats when I don’t do as she wants.” “Maybe it was one of the fifty witches you slaughtered on your way out? The one’s Gideon visited right before he marched into the library and used an enhanced blade to sever his fucking head from his shoulders?” Lore’s words were full with malice and hate. The gold flecks in his eyes had spread, and pain he struggled to hide flitted over his face before he concealed it behind the mask I’d trained him to hold in place. I loathed her just a bit more for forcing him to feel the pain of losing a brother all over again. Tightening my grip on the hilt of my blade, I swallowed hard. I was about to end the life of the sister of my friend.

“I didn’t kill any witches. They placed a letter in my chamber. It said I’d been discovered, so I ran. I couldn’t have killed the witches, because I’d left already.” “And how the fuck would you know when it happened?” Brander asked with a frosty chill, layering his question. “I heard it,” she admitted. “I can hear them whispering in my head. I think they did something to me, something bad. I’m spelled, or something?” “Let’s go with something,” Killian stated softly, his eyes watery with the tears he refused to cry for the treacherous bitch he’d raised. “Killian, look away,” I ordered. “No,” he whispered as he shook his head, jaw clenched so tightly I could see the muscles straining. “That’s an order from your king and friend. Look away.” “Knox,” Celia whispered through trembling lips. “Look away, Killian,” I repeated, turning back to the traitor. “Celia, I find you guilty of treason and sentence you to death,” I declared, as hatred continued to burn in her eyes. I’d promised Killian her death would be swift and painless. My mercy wasn’t for her, and had she been anyone else, she would have been strung up and hung from the walls for Gideon’s death. Celia deserved a painful death for any of the multiple acts of treason she’d committed against the kingdom. “No!” she screamed as I lifted my blade, but my hands didn’t hesitate, and my strike was sure and swift, removing her head as my stomach tightened with resentment that she’d forced me to make this choice. Her body dropped to the ground, and I slid a glance to Killian, who peered down at his sister’s lifeless body. “Killian,” I uttered, but he backed up, shaking his head. “I need a fucking moment.” He turned away to head toward where we’d left the warhorses. “Brander, follow him and make certain he returns home,” I instructed in a hushed tone. “Callista is in the clearing a little way from here, severed into two pieces. Retrieve her and bring her back to the palace, Lore. I’ll see that Celia’s placed into their family tomb,” I muttered, scrubbing my hand down my face with exhaustion. “It’s forbidden to place her in their crypt if she committed treason,” Lore said, sliding his sword into the scabbard.

“He’s right, Knox,” Brander muttered before turning to stare at Killian’s retreat. “I’ll bring him back. It cannot be easy to have listened to the depth of her betrayal.” I walked over, picked up her head, and pushed it into the bag I’d brought for this specific purpose. “It’s only against the law if I forbid it. Killian requested that her head be placed there but not her body. That is to be left to feed the wolves that hunt within this forest. I will see you back at the palace, Brander.” Lennox lifted his head, peering around the forest. “You’re with me, Lore. Everyone else, we’re not alone out here, so stay in pairs.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine Knox It took hours of riding hard through the sprawling countryside to reach the palace in Dorcha. Instead of heading straight for the tomb, I returned to my room to shut out the world. Setting the bag on the floor, I withdrew the head, placed it on the table, and gazed at the look of panic that had frozen onto Celia’s face in death. I’d promised Killian I’d place her in the crypt, but she didn’t deserve it. I’d keep my word, but the thought of adding her anywhere near my children burned like acid through my system. Celia deserved death, and so much more. I peered over her lifeless face, scanning the shadows for Aria. I’d set the head down to punish myself for failing to see her vile, treacherous heart earlier. But I also wanted to place the bitch’s skull at Aria’s feet and see if she approved of the kill. She wouldn’t, because she was fucking Aria. She’d probably feel bad for Celia, and then I’d feel like an asshole for leaving a rotting head at her tiny feet. Celia’s death hadn’t given me joy, and the pain in Killian’s eyes socked me in the gut. For as long as I lived, I would never escape the sound of hurt he’d made as he watched her die. He’d flinched as I’d removed her head, and I’d known it wouldn’t be something I could take back. I couldn’t stop his pain, and I hated that I’d been the one to create it. He’d agreed, but that hadn’t been a simple choice, and neither was watching her die. My eyes lifted from the head and move to where Aria was slowly clearing the nest, weeping softly. We were all living in pain, and nothing had changed. Nothing I had done had changed a thing or protected a single person from suffering in the same way I had. I’d failed her, and I hadn’t been there to protect her when she’d carried my babes in her womb. Aria hadn’t allowed me to know she’d been pregnant. She’d made a choice to hide it, and I understood why. I didn’t blame her, not after what I’d said. At one time, I would have accused her of not caring that she’d lost our daughters. I would have told her that all her kind were heartless and power-hungry. Only, I knew her now, knew she was unlike anyone else I’d ever met. The pain she felt over losing our daughters wasn’t faked, and it

had cut her so deeply that her light continued to fade, which I wasn’t certain she felt or realized. I did, as did the others within my trusted group. The moment she’d completely cleared the nest, I closed my eyes and bowed my head. The pain in her pretty blue-green eyes twisted my stomach. Her hand moved to press against her lower abdomen, and a single soft sob escaped before she exhaled a ragged breath. My chest tightened, and I battled the need to push through the barrier and hold her. I didn’t want her running, and after she’d lost our babes on the other side, with me unable to reach her, I’d spent days figuring out the brilliant mind that had meticulously erected it. I’d been impressed by the way she’d created it, slowly weaving souls into the fabric of the barrier, like a quilt. Once I’d assured myself that I could breach it, I’d pulled back. If she were aware that I could pass through it, she’d flee. Right now, she needed to rest and to gather her strength for whatever came at us next. Here, with me, she didn’t need to fear being captured, Aurora couldn’t touch her, and the moment Hecate had breached the portal, and the moment she had, the library began adding magic nulling spells and medallions around the entire it as easily again. Hecate had Celia take one of my medallions and alter it, forcing Gideon to carry Hecate’s message before he killed himself. And we’d all watched in silent horror as he’d decapitated himself and fallen to the ground in a mangled heap of limbs. Aria’s soft gasp had been swallowed by the room flooding with ours. I’d felt her regret and then disregarded it when the reality that we were right back in the thick of it settled on my shoulders. Being around Aria was easy, but it wasn’t safe for her. Hecate was hunting her, and so was I, albeit for very different reasons. If I was right, Hecate was about to intensify her claim over the Nine Realms, and Aria would be in her way now. If I continued to switch between wanting her and hunting her, I’d end watching her die as well. My eyes slid to the head on the table, and I snorted softly. I wanted Aria, her sweet noises, shy glances, and primal savagery she unleashed when she fucked. I wanted to watch that beautiful mind in motion. I craved to watch her exploring the library. To watch her eyes glowing when she discovered a treasure or knowledge excited me. Aria enjoyed history and reading. I fucking liked that she read, and made noises when the book hit on something she found interesting, or exciting. Hell, I’d added an entire hall of fantasy books just so she’d never want to leave it.

The girl had gotten beneath my skin and had filled my broken cracks with her soothing touch. I wasn’t sure when it had happened, but I also didn’t care. She’d claimed me—marked me as surely as I’d marked her, but it was more than even that. It went deeper, and that scared me more than how fucking much I craved her. But that would end badly if Hecate realized Aria had dug her nails into my heart. If Hecate took her away, I’d destroy everything and leave this entire world in nothing more than corpses and destruction when I burned it all down. It was why I wasn’t chasing her yet. I’d been arrogant and assumed that I was untouchable. I’d taken every precaution I thought was needed to protect her and my brothers, but it had shown me how stupid I was to assume it would be so easy. I’d lost my brother, and she’d lost her sister, and we had lost both those lives in the one place that was supposed to be safe. Aria was learning to fly, and she was doing so on her own. Greer was right. Aria didn’t need anyone. She’d been surviving against the odds since the moment she’d drawn air into her lungs. I scanned her face, slowly memorizing the beauty of her. Aria was becoming more muscular, and she was firmly toned from endlessly running. There was a coldness to her she hadn’t had before and I prayed it didn’t linger inside her for long. It didn’t matter if it was me or someone else. She got back up stronger, smarter, and fought so much harder to remain upright. But how long until she stopped and remained on her knees in this brutal world that destroyed the pretty things the most? I knew Hecate had been jealous, but then, my little monster had been in her face, goading her to attack, and fucking hell, she’d been gloriously pissed. The moment I’d realized Aria was facing off against Hecate, I’d lost my shit. Greer had stopped me, grabbing my arm and shaking his head in silent warning. I’d wanted to strangle the bastard, but I’d seen it then. At the base of Aria’s neck, the thing on her spine had risen and was pressing against her skin. I’d had to do a double take to be certain, but then it had lit up in a soft glow. Aria had fought hard, and she’d made it look easy. I’d watched the true horror of what was happening displayed on Hecate’s features, and I had felt pride blossoming in my chest. I hadn’t felt that shit since Sven had knocked me off my feet with his wooden sword and held it to my throat. The fact

was, could she do it again? And even if she did, it wouldn’t rid the world of the poisonous bitch that tainted everything she touched. Greer’s hand had tightened, and his smile had floored me. He adored her, and it was apparent even though they berated and taunted each other mercilessly. Aria had that ability, though, to soothe the crankiest demeanor and make grumpy pricks into sunshine and tail-wagging puppies that doted on her. Killian and I were good examples, but she’d charmed Greer, and not even his lovers got to experience that side of the guy. Aria released a soft sigh, and I studied the slump of her shoulders and the dark circles beneath her eyes. As I watched, her eyelids were growing heavy with lust. Music started inside the room, and I swallowed as my jaw clenched. Aria’s scent drew my attention to where she was, forcing my cock to twitch and jerk with the need to be inside her heated core. I could smell her womb, and the need to break down the weakening barrier to reach her was becoming more than I could ignore. Ember had hidden Aria’s scent before, but she hadn’t been able to conceal it from Lennox since the miscarriage. I took in the delicate set of her jaw and the full pout of her sexy mouth. Those lovely eyes slid toward me, and I fought the need to let her know I watched her bathing. The need to have her near wasn’t just about sex, though. I wanted more from her right now. I needed to be as close to her as I could get. Aria had a way of making the world fade away when she was near, which was what I desperately needed. It was what she and I both needed. From the first moment I’d met her, she’d blown me away. Aria’s fire had scalded me, and I’d needed to feel her heat against mine. There was magic in her lips, and the way she tasted against mine. Aria enchanted me, and the moment I touched her, I didn’t care about anything but her. That was dangerous, and something I fought against. Not because I didn’t crave it, because I did. I feared others knowing how I felt about her and seeking to use Aria against me. I didn’t want them touching her, or tarnishing the purity she clung on to, even in this desolate place that should have snuffed the fire out of her by now. Aria was blossoming in the harsh climate, and I hadn’t expected her to. The girl was a wild card, who played her cards and then made you pick them up after she’d sent them flying into the air. I’d tested her repeatedly and each time, she came up swinging faster and harder than when she’d

gone down. I’d gone to war on her body, and she’d fucking fought me. Aria wasn’t afraid to go barebones, and hurt me. She had ripped her way into my soul, and marked it viscerally deep to make sure I’d realized she had. The woman was a masterpiece of strength, endurance, and perseverance. Aria was the sun peeking out from behind the clouds to heat your face after a long winter. She could smile, and light up the entire world. Fuck, she had done so with me. One slender woman with a killer smile, and sparkling eyes had knocked me on my ass. Hard. Since the moment she’d stepped her dainty feet into this world, everything she encountered had been brutally against her—myself included. Aria still thrived and hadn’t allowed being cut off to affect her. Slowly, she had found allies, people who didn’t want to use her or own her or control her, and I hated them as fiercely as I appreciated them. Inhaling her essence deeply, I rumbled with desire coursing through my veins like fire. She really was close, and Aria in heat was like being at the mercy of a storm front rolling in and not being able to do anything but brace for impact. I had felt nothing like her in my long life. Last time it had hit her, the anger that had driven her to attack had been raw and beautiful. She’d sobbed while riding my cock, telling me how wrong we were to enjoy hurting one another. Not that we were wrong to enjoy it. It was quite the opposite, really. Considering what I was and what she might be, our need to shred one another to the core made perfect sense. It was violent but also beautiful. Our breeds fucked like savages, fueled by the need to exhaust one another to ensure neither escaped the nest before the mating was finished. Aria, dressed in nothing more than her glorious rage, had knocked the air from my lungs. She’d fucked me without restraint and hell if I hadn’t given it back against her silken, soft body. I’d fucked her slippery cunt for hours and hadn’t even gotten close to satisfying my hunger for her. But saying I hadn’t loved every moment of the twisted, sick shit she’d begged me to do to her greedy, tight pussy would be a lie. The tent had been in tattered ruins, and her stare had focused on the men. Every mother fucker present had been hard and craved a taste of her savage side. Aria hadn’t shown interest in any of them, which had caused pride to swell in my chest. Instead, she’d fucked me right in front of them, squeezing her perky tits while she rode my cock. It was instinct, and a show

of dominance. I’d blown my fucking load seeing the snarl of warning she’d given them. I’d turned that moment against her, fueled by the rage of her allowing them to see her smooth body. It hadn’t been gentle, either. I’d slammed her onto her back, thrust her legs apart, and pounded into her silken cunt as it gushed for me. I’d held her by her hair, forcing her to watch the men while she submitted to me. So what if we were savages? I didn’t care, and neither had Aria. Of course, she also wasn’t coherent enough to remember us doing that in front of the men. Those bastards hadn’t had the same problem, though. She and I weren’t made like others. Creatures like us didn’t tend to be gentle, loving things, not even to each other. We thrived on destruction, and we gloried in savage lust that burned hot enough to burn worlds down to the ground. Aria did not know what it meant when she sensed the need to release her flames, but I did, and I wanted them to escape the hold she held and burn us to nothing more than ashes. My tongue slid from my mouth, roving over my lips. My cock jerked, growing ready to ease her ache, but I refused to move. I didn’t trust myself not to do something I’d regret. The sultry siren who bathed, oblivious to the monster watching, did not know the erotic picture she painted. Aria rose to her knees within the bath, and I slid my gaze to where her cunt would be had it not been hidden behind the wall of the tub. The sweet noises she whimpered were full of stubborn determination. Aria was good at a lot of things, but this wasn’t one of them. She’d bragged about it, but I had watched and had disagreed. I’d made her scream for me with one finger, and the arrogance I’d felt at watching her come undone had only grown. My lips curved into a dark smile, feasting on the feminine perfection of her beautiful, frustrated-as-shit face. It probably made me an asshole to enjoy her chagrin, but I did, and I didn’t care. The growl that escaped her throat caused my balls to tighten. Her eyes closed, and she exhaled a shuddered breath, making my stomach clench. Everything within me was coiling, poised to attack the innocent prey who was bathing her sultry, enticing curves. She slipped from the bath, and my gaze followed the droplets that ran down her creamy flesh. I swallowed hard as my stomach tightened with need as my gaze lowered to her cunt. I missed her using my body to sate her

hunger. Waking up against her had fed my life meaning, even if only fleetingly. Aria dried off while turning toward my side, to peer absently at where I sat invisible to her gaze. Clenching my jaw, I studied the new ink covering her from her hand to her shoulder blade again and then lowered where she had runes in a spiral formation over her womb. It looked wickedly sexy, with the ravens covering her rib cage. The battle ravens had always been the symbol of hope for me. And she wore them as if she owned them. People almost never realized there was a difference in ravens, but Aria did. She knew the difference on the same fucked-up level as I did. When I’d asked her if she knew the tales of them, she’d floored me by arguing which god used them for sinister purposes, or for the right reasons. Her lady balls had given me pause, and fuck if I didn’t like that, she had a pair on her. One I didn’t want her to lose any more than I wanted to lose her. I could sense her need for space, and intended to honor it. There was also the fact she hated me, and it was better for her to continue doing so. I was poison, and everything I touched died. Aria was spreading her wings, learning to fly, and I wouldn’t be the asshole to hold her back. If I tried to cage her, she’d hate me. Creatures like Aria didn’t survive in captivity. So, I’d push her away for now and let her learn to fly on her own. Aria was young, so fucking young that I didn’t have any right to her, but fuck losing her. I would have her, but it couldn’t be right now. Too much shit had happened in the past couple of months, and we were both struggling to regain our footing. Death had knocked us down, but we’d drifted to one another during the pain. I wanted her in my arms, warming my bed, and filled with my babes swelling her belly. But I couldn’t have her and wage war. Not right this minute, anyway. Especially not when Lennox planned to plant more babes in her womb, and Ember wouldn’t object to it happening. Aria may not trust me, and I hadn’t given her many reasons to honestly. I intended to prove to her I could be what she needed. I was a miserable asshole, and she was sunshine and whisky on a bright summer day. If I wanted her back, I’d need to show her I wasn’t the asshole who’d endlessly abused and slandered her. I wanted her to know who I was without the broken pieces cutting her. We healed each other, and that wasn’t something either of us realized until I’d held her pieces together, and promised to breathe for her. I’d never even considered how brutalized and broken she

was because Aria carried those scars inside and didn’t let them change who she was. Aria was a unicorn in a land filled with monsters. She was chaotic, broken pieces that you never noticed until you looked closer. I’d seen her soul and felt it shattering. I knew better than most people what that felt like. I was about to inflict more pain, and it couldn’t be avoided. If I wanted her to know where she belonged, and who she belonged to, I had to free her. The knowledge of it made me sick and sent anger pulsing in my temples. She was prowling, which meant she was looking for me. I hated to break the silence or end my hours of just watching her, but the head on my table was stinking with the rot setting in. Peering down, I smiled at the lifeless head and then closed down my emotions before I revealed I was here, watching her.

Chapter Forty Aria I’d finally cleared the nest up and fought through the emotions I’d been avoiding for months. It hadn’t been easy, but it had been the last step in removing the reminder that I’d survived the tragedy. I refilled a small area with a couple of fresh, softer blankets that I’d eventually sleep in if I wasn’t forced to leave the library before I got the chance. After I was satisfied with how the space looked, I moved around the room, lighting candles, and a tub appeared close to the barrier. Exhaling the unease of the day, I stripped out of my blood-covered clothing and slipped into the water, sighing in bliss as the heat and scented oils eased the aches in my bones. I didn’t scrub my skin or even really move for long moments as I watched his side of the library. It was dark, almost completely cast in shadow, and I prayed he wasn’t out releasing his grief on people who didn’t deserve it like I had done. “Snuff” by Slipknot started, and I leaned back against the cast-iron tub, my lashes fluttering against my cheeks as I listened to the lyrics. Knox had felt the song deeply enough to have the library play it as he’d awoken from sleep. It was a sobering experience to see him react the way he had, hearing his soul-crushing pain rending through the room. The thought of it tightened my chest, and when I opened my eyes, tears swam within them. Not for me or because I felt sorry for him but because he didn’t think he could love again. He was so badly wounded, so fucking deeply, that he didn’t think he deserved to be. Unfortunately, I could relate to that feeling. Not because I didn’t think I’d be loved but because maybe I wasn’t meant to be. I’d misjudged my entire life, reading everyone wrong. I’d thought I had people who wanted me around and who loved me unconditionally. Yet, they’d turned on me and walked away the second I refused to let them use me anymore. I snorted, reminding myself not to dwell on what I couldn’t change because it did me no good. I should be focused on a way forward, on finding the elements and then getting Esme and myself to the cave where

I’d found Eve. The idea of going in blind bothered me, too, because not to be concerned about it seemed like an attitude that would invite trouble. Nothing would ever be so simple in this shit-hole because, while it was breathtakingly beautiful, it was also a murder pit. Even the bugs tried to eat you here, but then, we’d had some shitty ones in Haven Falls, too. The song ended and immediately started playing again, causing my brow to crease and my lips to tug down at the corners. I narrowed my eyes on the shelves on Knox’s side of the library and twisted my lips. Something about the shadows drew my attention while also pushed it away, so I let my gaze drift toward the door before I stood and held a hand out for a towel. One dropped from thin air, and I used it to dry my body off before wrapping it around me. Moving toward the barrier, I sucked my lip between my teeth and held my hand up, accepting a soft white gown, which I shimmied into it before tossing the towel into the air. Standing in front of the barrier, I tapped my foot on the floor, preparing to forgo Ember’s plan. It was rather hard to try it when the male I needed hadn’t returned to his room since I’d grown the balls to seek him out and ask him to assist me. The song restarted, and I peered up at the ceiling, preparing to ask the library why it was playing it on repeat, but that thought died when I turned back to the shadows and found Knox sitting in his full armor with his crown sitting on his head. “Knox,” I whispered, moving even closer to the invisible wall. His eyes roved over me while I wondered how long he’d been sitting in the chair. On the table, right in front of him, was Celia’s decapitated head. I swallowed the urge to gag and tried to ignore the way his presence had the hair on my neck prickling with apprehension. My hands lifted to the barrier, and I remained in place. Slowly, he lifted from the chair and moved closer to me. Knox’s eyes were rimmed with red, and there was something colder about him. Something darker. My pulse jumped, but I forced my breaths to stay even and unaffected. “Are you okay?” I whispered, afraid to disturb the silence, which was insane with the same song playing repeatedly in the room. “Are you okay?” he asked, watching me with a burning look in his eyes. “Fair enough,” I answered. “No, not really.” “No,” he admitted as he placed his bloodied hand over mine against the barrier.

The connection sent a shiver racing down my spine. Heat pooled in my belly, and I closed my eyes as he pressed his other hand against my other one. The song ended, only to start back up again, and I forced my eyes open, flinching at iciness peering back at me. There wasn’t any feeling in Knox’s eyes. “Nice ink,” he whispered, turning to move back to the chair. Not knowing what to say or do, and with Ember being unable to offer any explanation for his behavior, I backed up to my chair as well. “I’m sorry about your brother.” “I’m sorry about your cousin.” His smile was off, as if I was missing something. I frowned, but forwent asking if I had misunderstood. Blinking calmly, I nodded before hugging my arms around my middle. I drove my attention to the fire, watching the flames kissing and caressing the log that burned within it as I searched for something to say. It wasn’t a problem I’d ever had with him because we’d always been arguing, which made choosing words easy. Daggers and insults were easier to find than words to ease grief. “Did you murder an entire pack of alpha shifters today?” he asked. “I did,” I confessed, moving my gaze back to him. “They chased us, and I thought you were with them. We wouldn’t have made it, so I allowed myself to be captured so my companions could get free. At first, his scent and his touch felt like yours. Then he spoke close to my ear, next to your mark, and I heard it . . . the subtle difference in his tone. I told him I couldn’t wait to make more sons together. He promised we would. So I murdered him and the others closest to me.” He flinched, standing to return to the barrier. I rose, moving toward him as if drawn by an invisible thread. He pressed his hand against the barrier, and it was my turn to push my palms against his, craving the subtle contact. I stared at our hands, marveling at how large his were but how tender they could be when needed. “There were over one thousand men there to murder you, Aria. You could’ve fucking died. He’d have ripped out your fucking throat and mounted your head on his wall like a trophy kill. Stop being a fucking lamb and start thinking like a lion,” he growled. “I know,” I replied, frowning when he merely continued watching me. “Why did you really surrender?” he probed. “Because you weren’t going to make it or because you assumed I was the one about to capture

you?” “Ember said that eventually, we’d become crazed if we didn’t do something about the situation.” I swallowed past the embarrassment I felt admitting my predicament. “She informed me we could either find you in the height of our heat cycle or we could do something else to hold off the worst of it for a while longer.” His cheek jerked as he stared at me. Knox didn’t speak, but his persona dared me to explain what else we could do. Slowly, he started undoing his armor, and I hungrily stared at him as he stripped out of the chest plate and set it aside. His gaze never left mine, but he also removed nothing else. His bloodied hands dropped, clenching at his sides, waiting for me to continue. “She said we could trick our body into thinking it was getting what it needed,” I admitted hesitantly, sucking my bottom lip between my teeth before releasing it. “That if we orgasm while we could scent you near us, then we didn’t need to . . .” My words died off, hoping he would fill in what I’d left unsaid, but he offered me nothing. “Actually do it.” “You want me to stand here and watch you fuck yourself? And you want me to use my hand while you do so?” he asked cautiously, noting the way my gaze slid to Celia’s lifeless head, which judged us through unseeing eyes. The bitch couldn’t even stop staring at him in death, apparently. “Yes?” I asked nervously. “No.” He snorted. “If you need to get off, Aria, do so.” He lifted his hand to the barrier and I watched in horror as his nail sliced through it. The entire wall rippled, revealing just how thin it had become. “I will not sit here and torture myself with being unable to touch you. If you want me to fuck you, you can walk through this damn barrier and ask me to soothe that ache of yours. Be woman enough to own your needs.” His gaze slid over my face before he stepped back. “You want it? Come and fucking take it yourself, Aria Primrose.” “It’s Aria Prometheus,” I corrected. “What the fuck did you just say?” he asked in a tone that sent shivers rushing down my spine and racing to my toes. Had it been fear or disbelief? “My name, Knox,” I explained hesitantly, “is Aria Primrose Prometheus. It was the name I should have been born with.” “Where the fuck did you hear that name?” he demanded, folding his arms over his chest while canting his head, waiting for my answer.

“Inside the house where the shifters found me, I was searching for Aden because he promised to bring me to my father when I was ready. I found Eva instead. She called me Aria Prometheus and said I was the daughter of the sun. I told her that if he wanted me to come meet him, then he would have to assure me that neither I nor Esme would be mated or harmed. She agreed.” “You think you’re the daughter of the king of the Kingdom of Fire?” he asked carefully, slowly searching my face with something . . . worrisome in his expression? “You think you are the daughter of the king of Phoenixes?” His gaze slid over mine before he laughed. “Hecate filled Tirsynth with liquid gold, which solidified within him as it cooled, and she did it in front of the entire Nine Realms over a thousand years ago. So he cannot be your father. He’s a lifeless creature buried somewhere hidden within the Nine Realms. If Aurora somehow found him and managed to have enough power to release him—which we both know isn’t possible—then we’d all fucking know he was back by now. But you made a deal”—he scoffed—“with someone, so I’m sure whoever it was will honor it to the fullest letter of the agreement,” he stated with sarcasm dripping from his words. I winced as he stepped back and picked up the head before he turned back to me. “If you want me, you can come and find me.” “What if I can’t find you?” I questioned, watching the sinister smile playing on his lips. “What if you’re somewhere that I cannot reach when my time comes?” “You are brilliant, and you’ll figure it out.” He laughed and gave me a shallow bow without dropping his gaze from mine. “You’re like me, Aria. It wouldn’t matter where you were. If I wanted you, I’d hunt you down and make you mine. I sure in the fuck wouldn’t care who was with you or where you were.” My eyes lowered to the head he held, as if he were used to holding them. I swallowed hard against the fear flickering through my stomach. Because he was used to it. “Will you hurt me? Is that your plan? To end my life as the others wish to do?” “You’ll have to trust me and figure that answer out for yourself,” he whispered before his eyes slid down the gown I wore. He smirked, and then he left me standing alone in the library, wondering at his cryptic words.

Chapter Forty-One Knox I stared at the council, none of whom had been thrilled to hear about Celia’s betrayal and untimely demise. Not that I cared. After a time, I called for a recess and slipped from the room and toward the balcony overlooking the city of Laveran. The capital city of the Nine Realms, which I never spent a moment longer in than I’d needed to. The city was bustling with activity of every breed and type of creature imaginable. It was a sanctuary for all who made it here alive, minus witches. That was something that was changing now since Aurora had crowned herself as the throneless queen of witches. From my vantage point, I could see the ships coming and leaving port. I’d agreed to that as well, allowing Liliana to talk me into opening trade from Norvalla into all other eight realms. “She’s not out there,” Sabine stated, settling beside me to stare out over the evening lights. “What the fuck do you want?” I asked, unhurriedly moving my gaze to hers. “I think we both want the same thing, King Karnavious, but I might be wrong.” She sighed. “I want Aria to be protected, and I think you want that, too. I think we can help one another, so if that’s possible, I’m willing to swallow what little pride I have left, and ask you to assist me.” “You proved she didn’t matter to you, Sabine. Or did you forget I was at that council dinner and saw exactly how swiftly you all turned your backs on her?” “If I had left with her as I wanted, Aurora would have harmed my siblings. Aurora has my other sisters here. She brought them here before you forced us to return. If I don’t play her game, she’s promised to harm them, or worse, add them to her own grid to face off against her mother with their combined powers. You think she hasn’t been playing this game a lot longer than either of us or Aria has? There were sixteen of us. Amara, Reign, and Rhaghana are all gone. Lune and Aine are already with Hecate. Callista is now missing, and I fear she’s ended up with her as well. Add up

the numbers and tell me if you don’t think she didn’t bring the others through when she herself allowed the barrier to splinter.” “And I’m supposed to believe that you don’t want Aria dead because you are willing to admit that Aurora is conniving?” I probed, watching her expression for a lie. If I wasn’t certain this was a ploy, I’d tell her Aria had murdered Luna. The thing was, I didn’t trust her, and Aria was being accused of enough shit already. Sabine was soft curves and sinfully made. Of course, she was a nymph. It stood to reason she had been created to lure the eye to her beauty. She didn’t house the fire Aria did or match her resolve. In Aria, you saw the strength the moment you looked at her. Sabine was the polar opposite, seeking a way to lure you into her beauty and seduce you. Aria didn’t give a fuck if you thought she was pretty because, if she couldn’t eat you or fuck you, then she had no use for your opinion of her. Where Aria would tilt her head when she’d finally worked out ten ways to end your life, Sabine’s lips curled, trying to draw attention to them so she could seal the deal with a kiss. Sabine took time and worked on her appearance, while Aria didn’t have a fuck to offer for clothing, but damn, when she did, it was a feast to look upon. “No, but other than being unable to openly stand by her side, I haven’t given you any reason not to trust me. Aria isn’t my sister, but she’s the girl I raised from the time she was old enough to walk. I couldn’t stop Freya and Aurora from hurting her, but that doesn’t mean I think what they did was right. I failed her, Knox. I failed that girl so fucking hard that she won’t ever forgive me.” She paused and scrubbed a hand over her face. “I was the one who taught her loyalty was earned and to trust no one who hadn’t fought to earn it. I was the one who held her when she sobbed at night because she was terrified of Freya. Most of the time, it was me who helped heal her when she was wounded, not Aurora. Her life wasn’t easy back then, but I tried to show her she was wanted.” “You witnessed them trying to murder her?” I asked carefully, wanting to remove her fucking head. Aria had been an innocent child who hadn’t asked to be born. I knew what they had done to her, but Aria never spoke of it. “I watched them torture her as an infant. Each time I would sneak outside and sing to her until her cries stopped, I would promise her that, one day, we would be strong enough to stop them. That we’d end their tyranny

together,” she admitted, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. “It doesn’t matter. I failed her. We all have failed her,” she whispered, exhaling. “It did matter to her.” Her head shook, and she leaned closer to the railing. “Aurora’s going to ask the council for your crown. Not in the way you assume, but through marriage to one of us. It is why she took it away from Aria. She doesn’t want just Norvalla, Knox. She wants Laveran so she can take the crown of high queen.” “You don’t think I already know what she wants?” I countered, studying the look in her eyes. She was hurting, which Lennox could scent through me. Her heart wasn’t racing with deception, and I hadn’t caught one lie in anything she’d told me. “I’m aware of what she wants, and she can’t have my crown.” “Marry me,” she offered. “Marry me, Knox, and have Aria. I don’t want children or a husband. I never have. I want an open relationship that has no cage to hold me in. You would get her, and I’d be free. I’d never be your actual queen and would step aside to allow Aria that right.” While her offer was unexpected, she wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. I knew of Aurora’s need for power, and she’d been rather transparent about having set her sights on my throne. But I wasn’t sure if Sabine realized that, if I took her up on her offer, it would mean that Aurora would have to come for her head in order to claim the crown. “If I marry anyone, it will be Aria, Sabine.” I snorted. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me. “The council will do whatever she wants and give her whatever she demands because she told them she could consume the magic within Aria. She promised to use that magic against her mother, but you need that magic to wield against Hecate, too. Tell me you don’t.” “I need what Aria holds, but that’s not only why I want her, Sabine. And furthermore, I honestly don’t give a fuck who they think I’m going to marry simply because they say I should. I’d send the head of whomever they tried to force upon me back to them on a fucking silver platter with a polite fuck you note in its mouth.” I slid my eyes over her head, smirking as the color drained from her face. “If they think Aurora can actually take what Aria holds, they’re naïve, gullible, and haven’t been paying attention. Aria’s magic comes directly from the Nine Realms because it has chosen her as the heir and true queen. It wouldn’t allow Aurora, or anyone else, to use it

because it belongs only to Aria. I am in Aria’s way of taking her throne. But only because I plan to stand beside her and rule the realms by her side with my mate, and queen. Together, she and I are unstoppable and nothing like this world has ever seen before.” “I’m aware, and I realize you and Aria are true mates. She is different with you, and I honestly hate you for it. What I can’t hate is that she allowed someone to finally see her broken soul and the cracks she’s been holding together. You’re an arrogant, conceited, selfish prick, but she sees more than the outer shell you show the world. That is what I am hoping to use because she’ll never trust me or my sisters again. It’s also why I’m here asking for your help. If I thought I could reach her without you, I’d have done so. I need her to know that Aurora has our sisters and that is why we haven’t abandoned her and sided with Aria. Tell her the others are being held to ensure we don’t step out of line. Amara never opened a portal, Aurora did. She planned and orchestrated events if we were forced back here.” “Ask me if I fucking care, Sabine,” I hissed, giving her a glimpse of Lennox, who wanted the bitch gone. Her eyes rounded, and she stepped back, but she merely strengthened her resolve and continued. “The council you appointed? Aurora didn’t need to seek them out, Knox. They came to us. Think about that for a moment. You’re the fucking king, right? Why aren’t they turning to you for leadership? Why are they going to her and talking about the new world order of the Nine Realms will look like?” “I don’t care what they think or do. I placed them there for a reason, and everything happening is by design. I leave nothing to chance when I am making my moves. And I assure you, if they think to depose me as king, I will add them and anyone who follows them to my throne room walls.” She tilted her head, and her light colored brows pressed together in thought. “Unless your plan is in play and you intend to start making moves soon, that’s irrelevant, King Karnavious.” She smoothed out her features and pursed her lips. “Aurora is demanding your crown and will only be satisfied when one of us stands beside you. So, even if you’re moving parts, even if you somehow considered this to be a scenario to plan for, you should accept my offer anyway. Even if you do it for no other reason than to add another ally on your board. I’m not saying we need to be friends or that we should fuck because, I assure you, I have no interest in facing Aria’s wrath, but our

goal is the same. We both want Aria protected and safe from Aurora’s plans.” “It doesn’t matter what Aurora wants, Sabine.” Brander snorted. “And Knox isn’t the king of Norvalla. I am. Hard to force his hand when it is me holding the throne as his proxy,” Brander admitted, crossing his arms over his chest as her lips dropped open in shock. “What?” she asked. “Aurora thinks Knox is king since he ordered Celia’s punishment and carried it out. In fact, the council does as well. They’re all closed in a room right now, discussing how to convince Knox to marry one of us.” “What they assume isn’t my problem. Brander’s my proxy, and he has been since I married Aria.” “So she could never take your throne?” she asked, snorting before her eyes lifted to the stars. “Exactly,” I returned coolly, watching as her mouth tightened with anger on Aria’s behalf, which told me more than her pleas had. “That’s actually brilliant,” Sabine stated. “It still changes nothing, though. She’ll ask for the king’s hand in marriage still because she wants a monopoly on the Nine Realms, just as her mother wanted. We’re all trapped until we figure out where she hid the others, which means Aria will be alone until we do. Not that she would trust us either way. If I were her, I wouldn’t trust us, and I hate it.” “Hate what?” Brander asked, staring at her profile. “That she’s out there alone and thinks we’ve all turned against her. Aria was this soft-spoken little thing when I began caring for her. When she was little, she was content to accept what Aurora and Freya told her as truth, but when she got older, she started asking questions about who her father was.” I considered her words, wondering how different a creature like Aria would have felt among others. Even that minor detail of how Aria was as a child deepened my insight of why she was the way she was. How she was easy to forgive and could see beyond emotion to the reason behind it. She’d been me and knew exactly how hard broken creatures fought to pull their pieces back together. “Most of us know who our fathers were, and more often than not, Freya used us against them. No one even thought about Aria’s father until one day I found her sitting in a perched position, tracking me like I was prey. She was only five and had climbed onto the roof, crouched down, and watched

me as if she intended to hunt me through the yard. When Aria reached the age to use magic, she’d yanked so much magic from the Nine Realms that Aurora and Freya forbid us from teaching her or training her. It was terrifying to realize that she was more powerful than any of us.” “Is that really why you never let her inside your little fucking magical circle?” Brander asked, but Sabine continued speaking, ignoring his question. “Because she wasn’t like you, or because you knew she wasn’t your sister?” “I knew she had to control it, so I began training her myself in secret. The first time I attempted to teach her, she and I were in the basement of the House of Magic. I began, of course, with the basics. Igniting the mark and using it as a focal point to ground you before seeking the magic you’d wield. I’d expected her symbol to be the same as mine, but it wasn’t. It was a sun, and her eyes glowed when it lit up. I panicked, and after I’d calmed down, I taught her how to project our mark. I also added runes into her ribs, hidden in the first raven she got to hide the scars my mother left on her. As she grew, I retouched, reworked the ink to conceal the true meaning of them from prying eyes. I spelled the tattoo to cover her mark and conceal the memory of it from her. I knew that if anyone else discovered she was different and carried that symbol, she’d be even more of a target.” “Which raven holds the runes to prevent her mark from appearing?” I inquired, observing as Brander slid his eyes down Sabine’s frame. My brow lifted as a cocky smile played on his lips. “The fourth one beneath her heart with extended wings,” she admitted carefully. “If you touch it or disturb the ink and her symbol’s exposed, you’ll place her in danger.” I nodded in understanding, but my jaw flexed at the craziness of what she’d disclosed. I’d laughed in Aria’s face when she’d mentioned her last name, but I wasn’t laughing now. If Sabine could be believed and Aria had been correct, it meant that someone had survived all those years ago and had the pretty little monster I was obsessed with. “I’ll marry you and give you an open relationship,” Brander announced, which had Sabine and I turning to him—her in shock and me in incredulity. “Or I’ll offer you my hand, but you won’t make it down the aisle with me, Sabine. That doesn’t have to reach anyone else’s ears, though.” “It would buy time.” She nodded. “If she and the council assume I’ve brokered a deal to the king of Norvalla, it would stop them from pushing

the matter for a while.” “We’ll play the fucking game, but if you fuck over me or anyone I care about, I won’t hesitate to end you.” “I’m aware of your ability to follow through on that, Knox.” She swallowed audibly, leaking fear from her pores. Smiling tightly, I flicked my gaze to Brander. “Discuss it and let me know what you decide,” I stated, moving back inside. If Aria was a Prometheus, it changed everything. It also begged the question of which one had survived the massacre? It wasn’t the king because he was the first to be punished in Hecate’s initial attack. If King Tirsynth’s son was Aria’s father, then he’d more than likely know exactly what he’d been creating when he’d impregnated Aurora. Whether Aurora had been stupid enough to seek the fallen heir and breed with him depended on how desperate she’d been after betraying her mother. Considering that Hecate witches turned to extremes when scared, and I was betting Aurora was a fair bit more than scared, it wasn’t unfathomable that she’d taken that risk.

Chapter Forty-Two Aria Inside the main room, I stewed over the dismissal Knox had dealt me. Fear fueled my thoughts, forcing every worst-case scenario that could unfold into my overactive brain. The way he’d tilted his head and looked at me with sparkling, taunting eyes had me convinced he’d been calculating just how much time I had until I hit the psychotic-nympho-with-anger-issues stage again. Avyanna was updating me on each child while I half-ass listened. Siobhan would randomly offer her own information on one or another of the children. “Do they ever shut up? My vagina aches, and he left us. He walked out, and there was a head in his hand. It was so sweet of him to bring her head to us, but the rest of it wasn’t sweet at all. I let him smell our need, and he walked out. What does he want from us? I am horny and achy. Maybe we should have asked the library for something sexy instead of the grandma nightgown you wore.” I sat up straighter, blinking at Ember’s outburst. She’d been silently pacing within me for days and had totally gone silent last night. “I don’t think he cares what we’re wearing when his entire plan is normally to take it off,” I pointed out crossly. “We’re going to grow cobwebs soon, cobwebs, I tell you! Bats are going to move into our pussy as if it is the ideal location for the bat cave! Why, oh why did I get you as my host? Can’t you feel me wasting away from lack of dick?” “I really don’t think anyone’s ever died from lack of dick, Ember. You’re being overly dramatic. Besides, he literally told me to fuck myself because he would not help us out this time. He and Lennox are driving us nuts on purpose.” “No, he isn’t driving us anywhere, and that is the issue. And I’d suck his nuts if you’d give me half a chance with him! But no, Aria isn’t willing to be captured because she doesn’t want to be chained to the bed. Bitch, please! If he chained us to the bed, he’d be fucking us so hard that you wouldn’t

have time to give a shit about the chains. I miss his cock. I want to hug it and rub it and name it!” “That’s sad, Ember.” I snorted, but the sound wasn’t inside my mind and Avyanna paused and looked at me. “Are you all right? You seem anxious and more annoyed than usual,” Siobhan pointed out as she pushed the hair away from her face. “Your fangs also keep sliding out, which we can actually hear. It’s frightening the children, Aria.” “She’s heading into a heat cycle, and Knox basically told her to either figure shit out on her own or women the fuck up and find him to take what she wants,” Esme informed before popping another kernel of popcorn into her mouth and moaning at the deliciousness of the buttery goodness she was eating. “Do you need assistance, Aria?” Jasmine asked, turning her green eyes toward me and smiling. “I can be ready to please in seconds, which puts most men to shame.” “No, thank you,” I muttered, scrubbing my hand over my face before flopping back in the oversized chair. “You might as well slap a born-again virgin sticker on our vagina and hold a funeral for it. I doubt anyone would come to it, since it’s a failure and couldn’t land dick in the first place, though.” “A funeral? Why? If it is born-again, it isn’t dead.” “It feels dead to me.” “It does not. As we speak, it’s clenching with signs of life!” “That’s because it’s flopping around, gasping for dick to give it life again. I know. Ask Knox for mouth-to-vagina resuscitation! That’ll make us weep with pleasure as he breathes life back into our poor wilted, severely neglected vagina. He’ll assume he is the hero, and all parties will be happy with the outcome.” “That isn’t how resuscitation even works—or, maybe it is? That’s beside the point here, Ember. There is more to life than just getting dick. Knox isn’t interested in fucking us anymore. Deal with it.” “You’re insane if you think that was what he meant. Jesus, Aria. I thought you were thick, not stupid. He wants to be chased! I love chasing. So, if you’re not willing to capture him and fuck that aggression out on that magnificently thick dick that promises to rearrange our guts, move on over and let me into the driver’s seat. This bitch can drive that dick!”

“I don’t want to drive that dick, and I have shit to get done,” I growled, standing to pace before the fireplace, which wasn’t anything like Knox’s. “Maybe if you worried about getting off as much as you worried about those stinky midgets, we could focus on the same thing.” “Maybe if I had bigger tits and a larger ass, Knox wouldn’t be commanding me to hunt his ass down! Isn’t he aware of how this works? The man chases the woman, not the other way around.” “Do you think better curves could help get more dicks or get Dicker to notice us more? I mean, we could go eat a village, and I could slow our metabolism down to force some curves onto your skinny ass,” she shot back with a hopeful note in her tone. “No! This isn’t Build-A-Bitch Workshop. We have to focus on what I need to get done. I need to get the wind element now that we’re aware of where it is, and then I need to get my scrawny ass to the cave where we met Aden. There’s no dick in the plan, Ember!” I snarled, turning as children whimpered at my sudden outburst. “And now we’ve scared the children. Are you happy now?” “We could just eat them and handle the issue quickly. They literally are nothing more than whiny midgets who enjoy sitting in their own feces and urine. If I’m being honest with you, I don’t think I want one anymore. They’re ungrateful, shitting, urine-infested creatures who stink and drool. I now understand why we eat our young and find it most appealing.” “Oh, for the love of god, stop! We’re not eating them. They’re children. It’s what they do! Eventually, they’ll be potty trained and won’t drool anymore! Now, that’s enough about eating them!” I snarled and then winced because everyone was staring at me with wide, horrified eyes. Their little lips quivered, and then the entire room erupted with crying. “No, no, stop crying! Aria won’t eat you. I promise she didn’t mean it like that. She’s working through some internal issues,” Avyanna cooed, giving me a side-eye. “You won’t, right?” I groaned in frustration and rubbed the bridge of my nose. “No, I will not eat the children. I promise I will never eat you, sweet witchlings.” I added that to the list of shit I never thought I’d say. Jasmine snickered before whispering, “Polite, murderous creatures go outside to speak about consuming children—or most do, anyway.” Deflating, I groaned again before blowing the air from my lungs. I needed to eat, and while the food the library provided was delicious, it

didn’t satisfy Ember’s craving for raw meat. “I need to go check out the area around the stronghold we’ll be attacking in the next couple of days. Esme, do you want to come with and watch my back?” I questioned while folding my lips between my teeth. “Are you allowing Ember to eat, by chance?” she countered, grabbing her weapons to strap them on as I did the same. “Yes.” Her shoulders sagged in relief, and I turned to Siobhan and Avy. “We’ll return shortly, properly fed to stave off another unseemly outburst.” I didn’t wait for their response before I turned and headed toward the portal. The eyes of the room followed us, and I felt their relief as I exited the room. It burned that the children actually thought I was a threat, but after what I said, I didn’t blame them. I felt Esme exiting with me and grinned at the idea of catching large prey that would sate the inner hussy within me. The moment we were through the portal, cool evening air bathed the heated skin of my exposed arms. The landscape was breathtakingly beautiful as we passed through a forest. There were high cliff walls that had hundreds of tiny waterfalls that sent water crashing to the river below. Large birds flew around them, occasionally diving into the river to pluck out fish that had ventured too close to the surface. Splashes of color added vibrancy, and occasionally, I stopped to pick a flower to smell along the way. I had been reaching down for a red one with black petals when Esme grabbed my arm, yanking me away. “That’s poisonous. You need to stop smelling the flowers, Aria.” She snorted, baring her teeth at the flower as if it would understand the warning. “If you watch the animals, you’ll figure out what is poisonous and what isn’t. They stay away from shit that can end their lives, which will save yours in return,” she explained as we continued to take in the vibrant scenery. After that, I avoided the flowers as we walked deeper into the forest where the scent of pine, evergreen, and other trees grew thicker. I’d avoided speaking to Esme about our upcoming vacation, if you could call it such. “If you had a chance to meet our people and your father, would you?” “Inside Jasmine’s room, you saw something, didn’t you?” she questioned, forcing me to still. “Is that why you keep walking up to me, making strange faces, and then walk away?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure we should trust it, but I think we need to?” I asked hesitantly. “Elaborate because there’s more to it than that, Aria.” “I saw Eva. She told me that if I wanted to meet my father, I had to go through a set of trials. She stated I could only bring you with me, and that we had to get through them together.” “Why would we need to go through trials to meet him?” she asked, as if it were the most ludicrous thing she’d ever heard. “No idea, but if I want to see him, that’s what I have—” The sharp snap of a branch sounded somewhere deeper in the forest, and Esme and I froze, searching for the source of the disturbance. Silently, we stepped back and slid behind a large rock formation. A long moment passed before I could make out the sounds of women’s voices as they whimpered, rushing through the forest. The accelerated rate of their rapidly beating hearts punctuated the scent of anxiety and the gentle hint of excitement. Men’s voices echoed next and they were followed by the sound of hounds snarling and growling. Then three girls, who were not much older than we were, burst into the small clearing we’d been standing in moments before. “Run! I’ll buy you time to escape,” one pleaded, her arms bloodied as if the hounds had already attacked her. “I’m not leaving you! We go together, remember?” another warned in a high-pitched tone, her dress filthy with dried blood. I frowned, wondering if they realized their shouting was drawing the men directly to them. Or maybe they’d given up being silent because the hounds had their scent? It would explain why they were just standing out in the open like easy prey instead of running. “We have to hide,” the third warned as the dogs’ feral noises drew closer. “If they find us, they’ll kill us! You know it as surely as I do. Lord Carrack won’t allow us to leave him alive,” she wailed, dropping to her knees in exhaustion. They cried but didn’t seem to be in a rush to hide from whoever the hell Lord Carrack was. I chewed on my lip, pondering if I should help them, but Esme snorted and shook her head. “This clusterfuck is not our problem, Aria,” Esme stated. “Then whose problem is it, Esme? They’re exhausted and bleeding. That means the hounds won’t lose their trail. It also means they’re fucking dead if we don’t step in and do something.” I tilted my head to stare at her

pointedly as she rolled her eyes. “Besides, you’re hungry, and those men are about to burst through the trees. We can consider them fast food if you’d like?” Between one blink and the next, her eyes had gone from violet to the vibrant amethyst shade of purple that told me her monster was peering out at me. “Let’s go get you some food, my little beta bestie.” “Not my best friend.” She snorted, still in control for the moment. A moment before we stepped out of the hiding place, men rushed through the heavy branches with their dogs leashed. One smiled cruelly at the huddled women, who still weren’t making any moves to escape. He raised his hand, sending a whip rushing through the air toward the woman’s arm, barely missing it before recalling the leather strap. I’d been wrong. She hadn’t been bitten; she’d been horse-whipped. I sent magic toward the leather and directed it to wrap tightly around the man’s throat. Another flick of my fingers had the other end of the whip secured to a high branch while he struggled to free himself. The men with him peered up and then released their holds on their leashes, which sent the dogs racing toward the terrified women. “Heel or die, mother fuckers,” I snarled, rattling deeply from my chest. The dogs skidded to a stop and pressed their whole bodies tightly to the ground. “Good doggies,” I cooed, stopping in front of the women. “You will pay for this, witch!” one man snarled as he drew a wickedlooking blade. “Why do people always say that?” I asked, gradually pulling more magic to me. His look turned calculating as he glanced at the man next to him before turning back to where Esme and I stood. He bared fangs as his face shifted. I winced at the snout that replaced his nose and then tilted my head as tusks pushed from his face. “That looks like it would hurt.” I chuckled, unfazed by his transformation. “Want to see mine? I can do that, too,” I asked, clapping as he began stomping and squealing. My claws pushed through my fingertips, and my fangs elongated, sliding through my gums. I snarled, rattling so deeply and so loudly that it echoed through the forest, making ravens scatter into the open sky. The dogs whined loudly, subdued by the bigger alpha present.

“What the hell are you?” the man who hadn’t shifted asked, his words barely a whisper of breath as fear wafted from his pores. “A mistake that you shouldn’t have made.” I glanced to Esme, saying, “I got the one on the left, you get the one on the right, and then we’ll handle the one hanging when we’re finished with these two.” I’d barely finished speaking before the men were gone, sprinting back the way they’d come. Ember chuckled, turning to look at Esme, who had yet to give me the name of her inner beast. Glowing violet eyes met mine, and she smiled viciously. Her fangs differed from mine, more needlelike than serrated, but they were undoubtedly just as lethal. Her nails also pushed from her fingertips, revealing longer, black rounded curled nails. She took off, and I waited, cracking my neck as the thing in my spine squirmed and pressed against my skin. My eyes rolled to the women, who had gone quiet the moment Esme and I showed up, and I dismissed them. The dogs remained on the ground. None of the animals would meet my stare or challenge me. I casually walked forward, peering up at the man swinging lifelessly from the whip he’d intended to use on the women. “Blessed be, bitches.” Ember chuckled coldly and shot off toward the easy meal. From within her, I saw the color fading away from our shared sight. It was something that had been happening more often, but I didn’t know why. She hunted the rapid pulse of panicked heartbeats and the delicious scent of fear through the woods. Ember didn’t hunt like most predators. She played with her target, moving around him, circling him. Had she not been so focused on causing the man as much fear as she could before she caught him, she would have noticed the blade sooner. As it was, she barely had time to dodge out of its path and avoid being impaled. Rattling in anger, she turned toward the man who sent his blade toward us and paused. It wasn’t the man we’d been chasing. Esme’s scream tore through the forest, and fear dropped into my stomach like a boulder. Another blade rushed toward us, and we vanished with a burst of speed. More and more men emerged from the thick forest, and not a single one of them released a scent or sound. We were being hunted, and judging from the scream she let out, they’d already gotten to Esme. Ember rushed toward the sound of Esme’s cries, and when she found her, she slammed into one man and tore the throat out of another. She ripped his flesh until blood ran in a river down his stomach. A third man

attacked, his blade already swinging, but Ember sidestepped the blow, grabbed his hand, and yanked. His arm came off at the shoulder with a wet ripping, popping sound, and she pivoted to sink her newly acquired sword —arm still attached—through the stomach of the man trying to sneak up behind us. Esme was gasping for air, which caused Ember to stop long enough to grab her from the earthen floor and toss her onto my shoulder. She moved back toward where we’d left the women so fast that our feet barely touched the earth. When we got close, though, caution had her slowing before she stopped and tucked us behind a large tree. The women were pointing up at the tree while men gathered around them. Ember lifted her nose into the air, and our vision became laser-sharp with focus. Something wasn’t right with the scent we sucked into our lungs. The women’s scents shifted, becoming filled with excitement as the sound of heartbeats exploded behind us. We spun to face them, but something slammed into the side of my head. It continued to crash against my skull, causing the world to spin around me. Voices rose to announce we were down, and my hands slid through the wet earth, drenched in my blood, as I struggled to push myself up. Laughter from sounded all around me, and again, something slammed against my skull. I went down hard, Esme’s dead weight pinning me as I clawed at the dirt and rattled my anger until I had no breath left in my lungs. Someone kicked Esme off me, and the object assaulting me started anew. I waited for the popping noise of my skull fracturing, but Ember still struggled within me. Power ripped through the surrounding air, and the agonizing assault abruptly ended. A strangled scream tore from beside me, and then body pieces began raining to the ground around me. I pushed Esme off me and struggled to sit up on my knees, gasping as I tried to see through the blood dripping into my eyes. Shrill screams filled the woods, and the yelping cry of the hounds began, ending in a wet gurgle before silencing. I gasped in air, sucking in the coppery tang of blood that hung thickly around me. Bright red flames tore through the area around me, sending smoke plumes thick in the air, causing my eyes to water. I coughed and groaned at my inability to move away as the flames inched closer. Dark shadows

converged around me, and I fell back against the tree, seeking escape from being captured. A soft whimper escaped my lips, and I slowly pushed up from the ground, feeling the bark scrape along my spine. My fingers trembled as I lifted them to touch the softened bone they’d battered relentlessly to subdue me. Crimson saturated my hair and dripped from the ends of it. One shadow knelt, gripping my shoulders as it spoke in a male voice. It echoed in my ears, as if he was talking from the other end of a tunnel. The blood coursing through my ears was drowning everything else as the world began spinning around me. Blinking past the splotches of light swimming in my vision, I exhaled as the blackness drifted through my consciousness and lured me deeper with the promise of oblivion. The hands on my shoulders forced me forward, slipping around me as darkness slid through my mind, stealing away any coherent thought as I gave in to the need to let go.

Chapter Forty-Three I jolted awake and pain ripped through my head, forcing a groan to slip free as nausea soured my stomach. I lifted my hand to where my skull felt as if something had forcibly cracked it wide open. My fingers trembled as they examined the wound, and when I drew my hand away, my fingertips were painted with what I assumed was blood. The room was dark and my vision was still blurred with pain, so it was hard to tell. Ember was noticeably silent inside me. I fought to focus, seeking what was around me. A soft whimper escaped my lips, and I focused on pulling air into my lungs and slowly releasing it until the throbbing in my skull eased. Then I skimmed trembling hands over my body, searching for any other injuries, but I didn’t find any. Thankfully, I still wore the soiled dress, but my shoes were gone. Who removed them was just another item to add to the list of shit I couldn’t remember. I could hear people outside the room and the distant sound of rushing water outside. The scent of campfire and smoke was smothering, which drew my mind back to the last thing I’d smelled before darkness had swallowed my coherent thoughts. The soft beating of a heart forced my attention toward the darkest corner of the room. Slowly, so I didn’t throw up, I turned to peer into the shadows. I could make out legs spread apart with large hands resting on them and boots covered in thick mud. Earthy undertones of smokey spice assaulted my nose, removing the lingering hint of smoke and fire. He remained hidden, even knowing I was aware of his presence, which made me hesitant to speak. I tried to look over the edge of the bed, but I shifted too quickly, which sent my world tilting and forced me to focus on my breathing again. Once I was confident I could safely move without vomiting, I sat up. “If this is where you threaten to torture me, get on with it already,” I mumbled, but the words slurred. Deep, rasping laughter filled the room, and I closed my eyes to smell past the scents, trying to steal my attention so I could find the one I knew would be there if I looked hard enough. When I found it, my eyes drifted

closed in relief. Tears of disbelief pricked my eyes as I prayed I wasn’t wrong. One moment, I was leaning forward while inhaling, and the next, my jaw was captured in a strong grip and lips slammed against mine. I moaned, reaching to grip his hair tightly and pull him closer to my starving lips. I ignored the pain, needing to taste him, to assure myself this wasn’t a dream. His soft mouth claimed mine, demanding my submission, which I gave him freely. His fingers curled beneath my jaw, pressing harder as he deepened the devastating kiss. He growled hungrily, rattling as he pushed me back onto the bed. His free hand pressed against the mattress, and his shadow braced over me, making it harder to grasp his response. He hissed above me before frowning as the fresh scent of coppery blood wafted around me. Ignoring his look of worry, I lifted my mouth, brushing my lips against his with gratitude. “They almost captured you, Aria,” he murmured in a raspy voice. He used his free hand to push back the hair sticking to my face and tuck it behind my ear. “I thought I told you to stop being the sheep.” “Lions appear when the sheep become vulnerable, do they not?” I queried, combing my fingers through his hair. “Maybe I wanted to be devoured by the lion, Knox.” He made a strangled sound from deep in his throat before lowering his lips to brush them over my forehead. His weight against mine was delicious enough to send need coursing through me. The air sparking with tension, and I shuddered against the scent he was saturating the air with. “You were lucky that I was close enough to catch your scent. If I hadn’t tracked it, I wouldn’t have been close enough to hear your rattle sounding through the woods,” he said before reclaiming my mouth in an earthshattering kiss that caused my thighs to clench wantonly. “I should turn you over and spank your fucking ass, Aria.” “I’m down for that, Knox.” I chuckled, groaning as the room spun and my hand moved to the wound on my head. “Wicked woman,” he whispered as concern tightened around his eyes. I squirmed beneath his scrutiny, knowing I was a mess. I could feel the soiled clothing sticking to my skin, and I knew my face and hair were soaked in my own blood. There were other things, too, like the fact that my vision still refused to focus on him. “Esme?” I inquired softly.

I struggled to get up, to force my body to comply, but Knox pushed his hand against my shoulder, keeping me down. Worry flashed in his gaze as it flicked to my head before moving to the doorway. Magic rushed through the room, and a fireplace lit with a soft glow before a handful of candles placed around the room followed. “Killian, Lore, and Brander are fawning over her at the moment. She was hurt in the attack, but she’s more pissed off that they caught you both off-guard.” I tried to rise again, but he held me in place. “You need to stay still, Aria. You have a pretty nasty head wound from a mace. I don’t think they intended to take you alive.” That wasn’t something he had to tell me. No one hits someone else that many times unless death is the goal. “The women I tried to save?” I asked. “They were all in on it, I’m afraid,” he admitted, pushing another strand of hair away from my face. “They were sirens, which you know can use their voice to fill others with a false need to save and protect them. You both fell into their trap, but Esme more so. She didn’t want to leave them and fought my men to remain with her new companions. I ended up slaughtering them all.” “Is Esme okay?” I questioned with worry deepening in my tone. Knox had murdered people to protect me? That thought sent a wealth of warmth flooding through me because, while he’d told me as much, I hadn’t actually trusted that his words had been the truth. “She took a few hard hits to her skull, which Brander worked on. She seems okay, mostly. If we hadn’t been there, you’d both be headless and being displayed on that bastard’s wall right now. He’s been continually spreading rumors to lure you into his forest. He has spent weeks replaying that same scenario within the woods behind his keep,” he snorted, lowering to his knees before what I assumed was a fireplace, where a tiny flame danced. “Shouldn’t we be escaping?” Not that I thought it was possible. I wasn’t in any shape to be running from anything so long as the room continued to spin and I struggled to focus. His shoulders shook as if he were silently laughing at me. The scent of magic rushed through the room, and I felt a gentle tug against mine. He tilted his head, and he extended his palm, where flames danced and kissed his flesh before vanishing to ignite the tattoos covering his arms, sides, and

shoulders. It was something I’d never seen him do before, as if he’d consumed them into his soul. “They won’t come here, Aria. They’re not invited onto the land I hid us on,” he explained, slowly running his fingers over my cheek. “You look exhausted.” “I am,” I returned, grabbing his hand. I twined my fingers through his, needing to feel his skin against mine. Even injured as I was, I craved him and wasn’t about to ignore it when he was this close to me. “You saved us.” “I’m sure you would have prevailed,” he offered sarcastically, but his words escaped in a roughly spoken tone that curled and shot through my center. “I merely happened upon a beautiful maiden in need of assistance,” he returned before his expression turned serious. “You need to learn who’s worth risking your pretty ass to save. Stop thinking everyone here is a victim because, I promise, they’ve learned to use your need to save them against you.” “I thought they were being hunted,” I admitted, hearing a moan coming from the next room. “How are they tending to Esme?” I lifted one brow and waited. He just shrugged and shifted so he was sitting next to me. “However she wants. She’s not an alpha female. Esme is a beta, and they prefer to catch and release men. If she doesn’t let them fuck her, it’s her choice. Unlike you, who enjoys being chased and captured and forced to submit.” “There’s nothing wrong with being chased and thrown down by an alpha. In fact, I enjoy when you do that to me. Ember enjoys it, too,” I admitted. “That comes from being an alpha female. You need the excitement from it and the violence that comes after. It’s your inner beast demanding a potential partner prove his worth, strength, and prowess before you allow him to take you,” he murmured, leaning closer to drag his fingers over the wound on my head. Lately, when Knox chased me, I got needy as shit. It took a lot of willpower not to purposefully fall and wait for him to catch up. “You’re man enough,” I said without ire or derision, but then my nose crinkled. “I stink and smell of blood.” “Sit up and I’ll help you strip out of your clothes. I prepared a bath for when you awoke. Move slowly, and we’ll need to be careful of your hair. That wound isn’t small, Little Monster.”

I did as he asked, finally able to see well enough to confirm that he did actually have a small tub waiting for me by the fire. His ability to deduce what I needed before I asked made heat rush through my chest, and something foreign settled within it. Knox tugged my dress off and then helped me stand before kneeling to pull my panties down my legs, making sure I was steady as I stepped out of them. When he rose, I didn’t shield my body from him or shy away since he’d already had me in every way. I exhaled a gasp when his hands landed on my hips and his mouth lowered to run his lips over my shoulder. Knox pulled back, scanning my face for any sign that I was going to fight him. He made a deep rumble of sound before walking me toward the tub and helping me climb in. The water was chilly, but I sank into it anyway as Knox watched. After grabbing a bag from beside the seat he’d been in, he settled beside me. His hand dipped into the water, and I frowned as bubbles started rushing to the surface. “It was rather presumptuous of you to think I’d wish for a bath,” I teased, smiling when he frowned. “I carried a very limp, very battered woman into a cabin. Her clothes were covered in her blood and the blood of others. You stunk, Aria. The bath wasn’t for you. It was to keep my senses from being offended,” he countered mischievously. “Indeed, I’m sure that was it.” I laughed, wincing against the pain it created in my skull. He withdrew his hand and dried it on a cloth before he opened the bag beside his knees. He withdrew soap and began lathering the cloth before gesturing for me to give him my arm. “I can wash myself,” I offered in a raspy voice filled with sultry undertones. “You could, but you’d have to fight me for the cloth, which we both know would be more effort than it’s worth. So, shut up, and let me bathe you, woman. If you don’t, I may have to see if you’re really into me spanking that tight ass of yours.” His eyed lifted to where my head was still seeping blood, and then he went back to gently washing me. Every move he made was slow and done to create a pulsing ache between my thighs. His breathing grew labored, and mine echoed his. When he smirked, I wanted to kiss it off his devilish mouth.

“You’d tempt a saint, Aria,” he growled, setting the items he’d used aside and pulling me up with him as he rose. The water sloshed onto the floor as he set me on my feet in front of him. I remained still as he used a fresh towel to dry my body with precise moves that had my breath stalling in my throat. Again, Knox reached for the bag, and this time, he withdrew a shirt to tug on carefully over my head. Once he was satisfied, he helped me back over to the bed, allowing me to climb onto it before he sat on the edge, staring at the dying flames in the hearth. He growled, spinning to pin me in place with the need burning within him. “Fuck it,” he rasped before he slammed his lips against mine. His kiss was hungry and hard. It fueled an urgency within me that had my legs clenching together. His hand slid beneath the shirt, roaming over my spine as he yanked my body closer to his. All coherent thought left me, fleeing with the arousal drenching my pussy. Knox lifted me easily, forcing me to straddle his lap. I rocked against the hardness of his cock, and he broke the kiss, slowly lifting my shirt until he could bend and close his mouth over my nipple. “Knox.” I moaned, grasping at his hair and wrapping my legs around his waist. I tugged on it, urging him to return to my mouth. He laughed wickedly, sucking my nipple until his teeth grasped it, and he bit softly into the delicate tissue, which had a strangled moan tumbling from my lips. “You’re on fire,” he whispered huskily, and when I dragged my eyelids open enough to see what he was talking about, I found my hands covered in flames. “If this is how you thank me when I save your sexy, wanton ass, I’m going to end up chasing you forever, Aria,” he warned. “I promise not to enjoy it too much, asshole.” I laughed, brushing my lips over his. He growled, shifting to lay me back on the bed. When my head touched the soft mattress, I gasped in pain, and he pulled back. “It’s okay,” I murmured. “Don’t stop, Knox.” It was too late, though. I knew he fully intended to ignore what we both wanted. Needed, even. I was the fire, and he was the gasoline, but he was dousing himself in repellent. It made me want to scream in frustration. “You’re wounded,” he said as if I hadn’t been aware of the matter. “And you will be too if you don’t finish what you started,” I returned in a voice heavy with defeat. He laughed, but the sound was empty as his

oceanic stare slid over me and he fought the need to do as I asked. But he won. Dick.

Chapter Forty-Four He slowly pulled from my hold before inching from the bed. Then he growled and strode from the room. I silently pushed up and watched the flames that danced in the fireplace. Hugging my legs to my chest, I shoved away the sting of him leaving me to stew alone. The fire crackled, and the endless noises coming from the other room continued on. Long moments passed before Greer and Brander entered, both smiling. Knox followed behind them, but he leaned against the doorframe, studying the way I beamed at them. “Peasant,” Greer said with a hint of worry in his tone. “I’ve missed you, Meat Suit.” Admitting to it now didn’t bother me because it was the truth. He leaned down, brushing a soft kiss against my forehead as he hugged me tightly. “You still reek of dead meat,” I grumbled, pulling back to smile up at him. “How is it that sometimes you don’t stink as badly as you do right now? We need to figure that out and remedy it immediately.” Brander grunted, lifting a brow. When Greer failed to elaborate, Brander answered for him. “It depends on whom he eats. If he feeds from a lower class of species, he stinks of rotten meat. If he feeds from the higher-class breeds, he’ll stink a little less. Greer’s a whore for the stable boys, who are mostly lower breeds.” “Boys?” I asked carefully, reassessing my opinion of Greer. He rolled his eyes and leveled a scathing look at me. As if he couldn’t believe I had the audacity to call him out. I returned his look, tilting my head, which caused me to groan in pain and his eyes glint with mirth. The sadistic asshole enjoyed my pain, and he didn’t mind me knowing it, either. “By boys, he means they’re only a few hundred years old, Aria. If we want to look closer at age differences, we should evaluate your relationship more closely. After all, Knox was born centuries before you were ever even a sparkle in your evil mother’s eye.” He winked awkwardly before tucking my hair behind my ear. “Touché, Greer. You know, we could blame that on my age, which left me unprepared for the magnitude of skill that the old geezer has. Or that I’m simply helpless to ignore Knox’s overbearing, egotistical, caveman allure. Honestly, what more could I ask for other than to be tossed around,