Page 61 of Crown of Chaos

“Why are you doing that?” she asked when I pulled the sheer gauze from the large basin of herbs.

“I am blessing her in the cloth to assist her into the afterlife, whichever one she takes. I soaked the gauze in herbs to give her strength for the journey. The cloth hides her sins and protects her identity for when she enters the afterlife. I do it so that she may enter free of what corrupted her in this lifetime and so she can find a better one in her next.”

“She tried to murder you, yet you are helping her pass into the afterlife?” she asked sharply, clenching her hands tightly at her sides. “I don’t understand why you would want her to be blessed.”

I peered down at Luna’s uncovered face and gently brushed my fingertips over her cheek. Tears fell from my eyes and rolled down my cheeks until they fell and were absorbed into the gauze.

“She was my sister once, and I loved her very much. She suffered a loss, and it allowed darkness to enter her soul. Witches cannot birth boys easily, but for Hecate’s direct descendants, it’s forbidden for them to sustain life outside of the womb. Luna gave birth to twin sons. Both were faceless and dead when she delivered them. It broke her. She never got back up from her loss,” I specified, watching her frown deepen.

“You had sisters?” she asked, which caused me to grimace.

“In a way, yes,” I confirmed softly, uncertain she should hear the truth. “At one time, we were a family. I honor the memories more than I honor what she became at the end,” I admitted, glancing to where Knox sat watching from the other side of the barrier.

He had silently refused to leave, and the library hadn’t allowed me to close my side off to him. I’d spent hours sitting against the wall, unwilling to say goodbye yet. In that time, I’d admitted defeat. I needed to stay long enough for the children to recover, and they could do that here.

“I don’t have any family,” she said as she reached into the herb basin and withdrew a wrapping. “I am alone now. I’ve no one.”

“That is not true.” Her attention flickered with curiosity. “You’re never alone, Maddie. You may feel it sometimes, but look around you.” Her eyes slid to the girls who watched us from the shelves.

As if her glance broke some silent agreement, the other children silently filled the room. I smiled softly at the way she gave them a silent once-over before her frown lessened into somewhat of a smile. She nodded before lifting her chin, allowing the others to get close enough to help us.

“You may have lost your mother, but she sacrificed so much to protect you. You were loved, and she made sure that you were protected. Her last deed in the world was to ensure that you, her most cherished possession, was safe. You’re with us now, and we’re here with you. You’re not alone anymore,” I murmured, watching her cheeks turn pink as Haley slipped her tiny hand into Maddie’s slightly larger one.

“Sometimes you don’t get the family you want. You get the one you need,” Esme stated, coming to stand beside me.

“And even in times of loss, you feel the pieces sliding into place to make you whole again,” Soraya said, bumping my shoulder. “And that’s what keeps you moving forward against those that wish to see you defeated. I lost my sister to the darkness, but I got new ones who keep me going.”

“And that’s what being a witch means, in the truest form. We’re stronger together, and when we rise, we rise together,” Siobhan whispered, lifting another piece of gauze from the basin to help with Luna. “A family is made of the people who are there when you need them and stay with you when you don’t. In your darkest hour, and your weakest moment, they’re the ones you can depend on to remain beside you.”

“I am not alone,” Maddie said firmly. “I choose to be here, and I chose the family that picked me up when I was lost. But can we eat soon? I’m hungry.”

I laughed, nodding as I continued to wrap Luna. Once she was fully covered and blessed, we stepped back. Joining hands until the room was a spiral of girls standing around the ivory altar.

Selm’s rendition of “We Will Go Home (Song of Exile)” slowly filtered through the library as a gentle breeze rustled our hair. I softly sang along with it, and soon, the entire room sang with me, easily learning the lyrics. I smiled, wondering if they assumed it was some chant, since most were singing it as such. I also wondered if one day, when they went their own way, they’d carry the song with them.

“I’ll see you again, sister.” I bowed my head, watching beneath my lashes as the body became ashes that slowly drifted into the air, vanishing and leaving behind only the cloth we’d used to bless her. “Blessed be, Luna. May you find your sons and feel their weight and warmth in your arms in the next life you live, free of this cursed line.”

We remained in place until Avyanna announced there was food appearing in the upstairs room she’d been sitting in. The children rushed away, but the women stayed with me until the temptation was too great to be ignored.

“Aria.” Knox’s raspy tone disrupted the silence, forcing my attention to where he now stood.

I didn’t speak or reply to him. Instead, I crept closer to where he examined me with concern sparkling in his gaze. Of course, I didn’t buy for one minute that he was worried about my well-being. After all, he’d basically abandoned me after I’d killed innocent people who had been his to protect.

“Are you okay?” He pressed his palms against the translucent shield, leaning against it while he slid his oceanic gaze down my exhausted, thin form. “You’ve been through hell and aren’t well.”

“Don’t pretend you care about me. It’s pathetic and weak, King Karnavious. I’ve seen the banners and the declarations plastered in every village I’ve been through. Tell me, was it because I ended life needlessly, or something I did? Educate me, Knox. What did they offer you to throw me away? Or did you decide I wasn’t worth the trouble?”

His cheek jumped, and a slow tic started before he snorted. “That wasn’t my choice. I forced you to the altar, and under witch laws, it voided our nuptials.”

“Mmm, strange.” I laughed coldly, placing my hand on the barrier, testing it. “You assured me that your name would protect me, and the moment I needed it most, you revoked it. You must think me naïve and gullible to believe that wasn’t by design.”

“If you think it changes anything, Aria. You’re wrong. We’re mated, and that means more than some vow made before my people. In this realm, a true mating means more than anything else and is the one thing that cannot be undone—not by anyone,” he hissed vehemently.

“And, yet, rumors circle that soon you’ll take Celia as your bride. I’m sure the people of your kingdom will rejoice, for she is loved here while I am not. The most ironic part about that is that I don’t even have enough energy to care anymore,” I replied, sucking my bottom lip between my teeth. It released with a popping sound, and his brow knitted together with worry.

“Don’t say that, Aria,” he muttered, pushing his fingers through his tousled hair. “You are my mate, and I still want you. I’ve no intention of marrying Celia, ever. I have made myself very clear on that subject.”

“If not Celia, then maybe Sabine?” I continued, pretending I hadn’t heard him. “I have it on good authority that she loves thick cock and could probably handle yours. At least you’d get to fuck someone who wouldn’t run away from Lennox.” I laughed, carefully studying the perfection of his features. “If not her or Celia, it will be someone else. You’re a dutiful soldier, and I’m sure they’ll pick someone out for you soon enough.”

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