Page 38 of Crown of Chaos

“If I’d told you and then admitted that I had no intention of not fighting, you’d have argued against it. Tell me I’m wrong, Knox,” she hissed vehemently, the self-loathing she felt at her actions cutting me deeply. “I’m complicit in their deaths because I put them second to the others. Ember wanted a baby, and I did, too, but I asked her to wait because the Nine Realms aren’t safe for innocent lives yet. Even knowing that, I can’t say that I hadn’t wanted them. In fact, from the instant I found out I was pregnant, I imagined us all together. I was happy that I was going to have your babies.”

“And now?” I urged hesitantly, not knowing if her answer would be truth or tainted by the grief running through her.

“I crave to destroy the world because our little girls will never live in it with us. After all the visions without you, I kept thinking that if I just tried hard enough for what I wanted, I’d get that happy ending. Now I see you were right. Creatures like us, we’re not meant to live happily ever after. You and I made life, and I failed them. Aurora doesn’t see me as anything but a weapon. You both look at me and see me as something to add to your arsenal. Tonight, they left me to die. I learned I can’t count on my family, or anyone else, to save me. I lost our children, Knox.”

“You’re my mate, so we can try again when you’re ready, Aria,” I whispered hoarsely, and she placed her palm flat against the barrier, which shifted to allow me to feel her warmth against my skin. Her eyes closed as I held my palm in place, afraid to move from her touch. She looked delicate, and defeat burned in her stare.

“I don’t think I want babies anymore,” she stated, pulling away from me once I held our daughter’s still, lifeless body. “I almost had that, but I lost them,” she whispered, studying Evelyn’s face before she turned and walked across the room.

Her wounds were still so fresh, her soul forever altered. I knew that agony and how deep it cut. The guilt riddled you every moment of the day, and grief snuck up at the most random of times, over the simplest things. Memories came out of nowhere, and those were the ones that hurt the most. There was no easy way to get through the loss, and I hated that she planned to grieve alone.

Aria passed Eleanora to me a few minutes later, and even though I accepted the slight burden into my other arm, I waited for her permission to move from the room.

My men lined the path as I exited the palace through a secret entrance, ensuring that no one else knew that the twins had ever been born. There would be no funeral to mark their passing or coffins paraded through the village as we’d done for Liliana and Sven. No, their passing would be marked by a hushed prayer whispered in the mausoleum, and then they’d be swaddled in the prayer cloth of the dead that would hide the power they would have wielded.

Aria gazed down from the window before I entered the mausoleum, and I hesitated. She stepped back, struggling through emotions as her chest heaved with grief. My stomach clenched tightly, coiling with the need to force her to join me while I laid our children to rest. My jaw clenched, holding back my words that wanted to rush out, refusing to upset her any more than she already was. Finally, she turned away, and I swallowed my pain and left her to mourn.

Hours later, I sat alone, peering at the tiny coffins that Killian found for my daughters. They were the smallest coffins I’d ever seen, and they held a part of me I hadn’t realized I could lose. I’d placed their names on the wall beside Sven’s. One on either side so that, even in death, he’d know they were his to protect.

Scraping sounded by the door, and Brander, Killian, Lore, and Greer entered the dimly lit tomb before I could open it. Dismissing them, I went back to staring at the boxes. I felt numb, but I didn’t mourn them as Aria did. I hadn’t known they existed until a few hours ago, which left me spinning about how to feel about their loss.

“Aria is sleeping, but restlessly,” Greer announced, sitting beside me. “Tonight, I saw her flame dulling, and I’m not sure if it’ll ever be fully lit again.”

Killian snorted as he brushed his fingertips over the white coffins. “That woman is resilient, and when she relights that flame, the world will realize they fucked up. They awoke a beast that had been slumbering within that tiny, cute package.”

“Aria’s strong, but this one hurt her deeply.” I exhaled, lifting the bottle of whisky Lore handed me to my lips and taking a deep drink. “Let’s return to the room. I want to see Aria and know she’s okay, even if she doesn’t want any comfort. The dead don’t need me.” The men agreed, and within moments, we were crossing the threshold of the library.

They settled into chairs and onto the couch while I grabbed a log and lit the flames within the fireplace. I fed the ifrit the image of the babes to carve, and it went to work, etching their faces into the ancient oak log. As I settled into the overstuffed chair, my gaze slid to Aria, now surrounded by sleeping women. I didn’t like it, but I was glad someone was comforting her.

“Tell me what you discovered at the meeting with the lords I sent you to deal with yesterday,” I demanded, turning to Killian, who was staring at Esme, currently the little spoon to Aria.

“I met with some of the mid-level council members, as you requested, to see what I could discover about your pretty little monsters. Of course, I asked them about Freya and her time here twenty-six years ago. At first, everyone claimed ignorance, but after I had Malinda slip the truth serum into their drinks, they were more forthcoming. It turns out Cedrick knew that Aurora, not Freya as we’d assumed, had returned to the realms during that time.” He smirked when my face tightened, and my eyes shot to Aria, sliding over her features carefully. “He thought nothing of it since one Hecate witch had to be inside the Nine Realms anyway. He figured she was here because of it and dismissed her.”

“And where was Aurora during that time?” I inquired, hoping he’d spell out who Aria’s father might be. I grabbed the bottle from the table and then poured drinks before settling back to hear his reply.

“He witnessed Aurora entering ruins inside the Kingdom of Fire, slinking into the ruins her mother left of the place,” he stated softly. “I think maybe she found one who survived and made a pretty little daughter with him. Phoenixes don’t breed in multiples, though, which could explain why Aria alone survived birth. She’d have consumed her twin intrauterine. We already know Freya lost one of her twins, which would have made it easy to lie and say Aria was hers, helping her sister hide the truth of Aria’s parentage,” he surmised.

“If Aria’s a phoenix, maybe they were pushing her to develop early? It’s possible they weren’t trying to murder Aria, but to push her powers to develop faster.” I exhaled as the sound of Aria’s soft whine caused an ache in my chest. “Holy fuck, they weren’t trying to create the perfect monster. Those sadistic bitches were trying to breed something they could drain for a power boost. Or maybe they knew their mother wasn’t inside that tomb and were preparing to come back and fight her. If that’s the case, then they would have had to kill Aria to drain her magic, which would have sparked the immortality on her phoenix side. Once Aurora and Freya realized that, Aurora had to alter her plan and ensure that Aria stayed loyal to her.” I tapped my finger on the glass of amber-colored whisky, frowning.

“That raises the question of whether her father is after her because he fears for her life or if he wants her because she’s instrumental in his plan to bring his people back into power. If Aria is a phoenix, which could be possible, she’s born of the first people and the Hecate bloodline. Her son will be the key to murdering Hecate once and for all.” I leaned forward, studying how beautiful she was. “Which means we’ll have to breed again and somehow keep our son alive long enough for him to murder his grandmother.”

“Could you do that to your child?” Brander asked, his eyes sliding over Soraya with something darkly wicked sparkling in them. “IfAria was even successful in removing the curse Hecate placed on her bloodline andifAria is capable of carrying your son to full-term, would you really be okay raising him and then pitting him against that monster?”

“No,” I admitted, but Aria was right. We would do whatever we needed to do in order to take Hecate down. “But can I not do it? If my and Aria’s son can murder that evil bitch, could I live with myself if I stood in the way of this entire realm being free of her hold?”

“Who’s to say you and Aria are even who will create the son the prophecy is talking about? She isn’t the only child born of the Hecate bloodline and the first people. Her friend is as well,” Lore countered, popping a kernel of popcorn into his mouth without taking his eyes off Esme. “Daddy is hungry, and she’s looking like my new favorite snack.”

“You think you’ll land her, Lore?” Killian asked, a smile curving his lips.

“Yo, bro, don’t go there. I’ll piss on her damn leg if I need to do so. Daddy wants it, and Daddy intends to get that little creature,” Lore stated with his brows wagging.

“Yeah, we’ll see. May the best man win, huh? I suspect that she’s not into calling anyone her daddy, but she’ll scream whatever I want her to when she’s riding my cock.”

“Really, assholes?” Brander snorted with his eyes locked on Soraya’s unmoving form. “Now isn’t the time for that shit. And bloodline witches are vastly different. They’re created from the children descended from Hecate’s direct line. The less powerful witches were created when Hecate entered the Nine Realms. The tell is, those who can summon the mark when casting, versus those who can’t. Hecate’s line holds the mark, even when watered down through generations.”

“I know that,” Lore snorted, still silently stalking the sleeping female’s every move.

“You guys should get some sleep. Killian, tomorrow I need you to see if we’ve gotten any reports about what’s happening at Veldaria, and if we’ve not heard anything, send a rider to see why. You’ll also need to send word to the men I placed to monitor the lord. I’d expected to deal with him myself, but shit happened here before I had time. One man mentioned witches were being brought in, and that they could get them away before the prick fed them to his dogs. He’ll now be used to send a message to the other lords that I will not tolerate my orders being defied or ignored. Lore and Brander, I’ll need you to run interference with Celia and keep an eye on the council. If a single one of them even breathes a word about what happened here tonight, I want to know about it. I won’t be available until tomorrow night, or later. Now, everyone get out.”

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