Page 26 of Crown of Chaos

“He wasn’t going to hurt us,” I whimpered, knowing that had he cared if I died, he wouldn’t have let them leave with me. She searched my face before snorting and standing. I wanted to know how Aurora found us, and if she’d discovered us so easily, why hadn’t she tried to reach us when it was needed?

“Keep telling yourself that, but his hatred for you burns in his eyes, Aria. That man will be the death of you. Mark my words.”

I turned toward the healers, choosing not to respond as they chanted, balancing out the magic within me. Aurora didn’t lift a finger to help them. It was her way of letting everyone know that, as far as she was concerned, I’d betrayed her today. I’d chosen the enemy, and in doing so, I’d drawn an invisible line between us as surely as I’d erected the barrier between myself and Knox inside the library.

Chapter Fourteen

It took almost two months to heal completely, and I’d spent most of it alone, tended to by Avyanna, who Esme and a few others had managed to restore to the beauty she’d been before Karion Grayer had attacked her. Avy’s bright green eyes narrowed on me cautiously, and she frowned when I left the bed to slide into the large porcelain tub, which had been brought in for me to use.

“Quickly,” she ordered, standing to block the door in case anyone tried to enter unexpectedly. “They may not notice the slight changes when you’re dressed, but they might if they see you naked.”

I was a little under five months along in my pregnancy. Of course, I had been oblivious that I was, indeed, pregnant for most of it. Witch pregnancies varied in gestation times, and I didn’t know how long mine would be or how much longer I could hide it. Luckily, I was small, and the rounded curve of my belly was easy to conceal. Avyanna said it was because it was my first time being pregnant and that I wouldn’t show until much later. It had eased my worries until she also pointed out that I was malnourished as well.

Just in case, I’d done a spell that allowed only those I wished to know about the pregnancy to see the changes in my body. Ember had changed our scent and kept it the same, preventing anyone from scenting the difference. She’d assured me that Knox and Lennox hadn’t scented the pregnancy either, which was a relief since, apparently, they would have had a far more violent reaction to my being injured had they known.

Carefully lowering myself into the bath, I cradled the swell of my belly, smiling at the feel of the twins nestled within me. Then I closed my eyes and groaned in pleasure at the heated water over my cold flesh. Ember purred softly, and my smile grew wider. Avyanna had assured me they were both healthy and hadn’t been harmed by the hemlock or my interfering to protect their father. Apparently, Knox created strong, durable babes.

I’d had time to adjust to the truth, and even though I didn’t allow my hopes to get too high, I had grown attached to them. I was going to be a mother, and that fact was as startling as it was amazing. My joy was shadowed by not sharing the news of them with their father, but he’d made it clear he didn’t want this with me. Releasing a soft purr, I flicked my attention around the room when Ember intensified the sound to ensure I knew she approved of my thoughts.

Ember did it often when I touched the babes that felt like butterfly wings fluttering inside me. She chuffed or purred when we felt them moving or she sensed my love for them.

There was still the fear of being pregnant and fighting this war, which had forced me to reevaluate how I approached matters. I hadn’t thought about them—or even myself—when I’d protected their father. I’d acted on instinct, and it could have killed all three of us. Though, realistically, it was doubtful I would have done anything differently. Aurora had every intention of killing Knox, and that was wholly unacceptable.

“You’re glowing.” Avyanna handed me the bar of rose-scented soap and my favorite shampoo Aurora had made for me.

“Am I?” I smiled as my hands moved over the perfectly round bump in my lower abdomen. “They’re moving.”

I laughed as something pressed against my hand and paused. Using my fingers to gently press, I could feel the babes shifting positions. It was the most amazing sensation to experience life flourishing within me. Ember was also in wonder over the twins, trying to pick out the worst names possible because, according to her, I’d failed to offer her acceptable options.

“Hurry,” Avy instructed, watching me with a concerned expression. “Your sisters are coming to check on you again.”

My sisters had been in and out of the room for the past few weeks. I knew they had felt me pulling away from them, but I couldn’t prevent it. Ember no longer wanted them close to us, and I understood her fear. Hell, she didn’t want anyone near me in my current state. A quiet rattle slid free as if she agreed with my assessment.

I rinsed my hair while Avy leaned her slight weight against the door. Then, quickly washing off the suds, I stood, dried off, and pulled on the first dress I found. The skirt had barely settled into place before Avy was behind me, carefully tying the ribbon, as the bedroom door swung open, revealing my sisters.

“Are you planning on remaining inside this room forever?” Reign grunted, flopping onto my bed and staring me down.

“Not forever, but I am still sore from being hit by Aurora’s magic.” I lied smoothly. “I am feeling better, though. I’m more myself than I was and see things more clearly that I had been.” I took a seat, allowing Avyanna to brush through my tangles, which she insisted on doing. Kinvara settled beside me, smiling impishly.

“You’re up, Aria! I thought you’d never stop lazing around and enjoying the pampering. Plus, Aurora won’t let us attack without you, and it’s pretty boring here without something to pass the time,” she announced with a pout. “I miss drinking together and singing off-tune to the songs we love. I miss home, too.” She assumed I shared her sentiments about missing the human realm, but I never had fit in there. Enough time had passed that I barely thought of that world, or the things in it, either.

I knew that most of my sisters missed Haven Falls. They yearned for the convenient things that life there offered, such as fast food, movies, and grocery stores. I’d probably be homesick for the Tenth Realm, too, if it weren’t for the library and all its amenities. Aurora hadn’t attacked because I wasn’t available to throw at her targets?Shocker.It took effort not to roll my eyes at the statement tossed out as if it was my fault they’d been unable to attack.

“I miss the closeness we shared at our old house,” I replied. “I should be better soon enough, but absorbing the amount of magic Aurora used, well, it left me needing time to heal,”

Reign frowned, and her gaze searched my face before lowering down my frame. She sat up, standing to walk to the wall, and leaned against it. “Something is different with you, Sister,” Reign stated, scrunching her nose. “You’ve also started using that obnoxious shampoo Aurora makes again.”

“You never were a fan of roses or their scent.” I laughed, watching her eyes sparkle with mirth. “You would rather use blood-scented shampoo, right?” Ember was already concealing the scent of pregnancy, but the shampoo offered another layer of protection from it being detected.

“Always.” Reign fidgeted, which gave away her anxiousness. I wondered if she was feeding off my own unease about them being in my room. “You could’ve died, Aria, and I still find it hard to believe you did that for him. You told us how cruel he was to you. How could you stop Aurora from attacking Knox after all that he’s done? She could easily have ended the threat he posed to us.”

Reign’s bluntness had never bothered me before, but there was a hint of betrayal in her tone that hadn’t waned as the weeks slipped by. I understood the confusion because not even I knew why I’d reacted how I had. It had been two months since it had happened. My thoughts had gotten no clearer on him, or why I’d chosen him over them. Knox had issues, sure. Did he deserve to die because of them? No. We’d created those issues, and I was pretty sure Aurora would have ended his life. That wasn’t a choice I could’ve lived with.

If I were being honest, I’d tell Reign that Knox’s broken pieces fit perfectly against mine. I’d say that he made me feel a little less alone in the world and that, when he held me, I felt safe. I’d make sure she understood that, between the whiplash of his emotions, he somehow gave me glimpses of the man he could become one day.

Knox loved with a vengeance, with the same fierceness in which he fought, and he’d done so by using all he had within him. Broken things had nothing to lose, and when they found something worth holding on to, they rarely let it go. They’d forced him to live through hell, and he refused to stay down. Of course, he wielded his pain like a blade and had murdered hundreds of blameless witches, so I could see how she’d be blinded to all that I saw in him.

“I don’t know.” I lied.

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