Page 73 of Lethal Souls

Caz stares at it, the blood draining from his face.

Yuri.

“He lives inside you, Caspian,” Hassha takes a step closer to him. “We’ve waited millenniums for this moment—for the man who would be worthy enough to carry Yuri’s power and fulfill his prophecy. He chose you.”

“But he said the person had to be good in heart,” Caz says. “That isn’t me.”

“You don’t believe you are good in heart?” she asks, and he cuts his eyes to hers.

“I’m not an innocent person.”

“No one asked you to be innocent,” she retorts. “Innocence is frail. What Yuri wanted was someone willing to fight. Someone with no fear who is willing to honor and protect what belongs to him, just as we are willing to protect what belongs to us.

“We have all done bad things. I know your past weighs heavily on you. You let it trick you into thinking you’re wicked, depraved, unworthy of life and love. Those are simply the darker parts of you that Selah instilled when she planted that seed. But I see what’s really in your heart.

“We tried postponing this moment for so long to better prepare ourselves. We took Willow out of this world entirely, simply so you wouldn’t mate too soon. Mating was the trigger. But that was bound to happen eventually. And next was the use of your blood to awaken Selah. As much as we didn’t want it to be, that was meant to happen too.”

“So why did Korah try to stop me?” Caz asks.

“Because you weren’t ready take Selah on yet…and because we weren’t quite ready to let go of the lives we’ve built.”

Hassha caps Caz’s shoulder. He tenses. “But no matter what we feel, it is time. Now, my dear Caspian, you must use what has lain dormant within you to protect your mate, your family, your territory, and our world. If you don’t kill Selah, she will kill you, but not before killing everyone and everything you love first. She will make you watch as she destroys it all, and she will not stop until you’re dead because you’re the only one who can eradicate her. You could have had more time to prepare for this but The Council forced your fate.”

Caz says nothing. Instead, he stares at the floor.

“But if Caz kills her…won’t that kill him too?” I ask. “You’re all bonded. You said if one of you dies, all of you die, right?”

“Yuri was created separately, so he’s not tied to me and my sisters the same way,” Hassha answers. “Caspian will not die. As for me and Korah…yes, we will likely die when Selah does. But we’ve prepared ourselves for this fate. This is why Selah wants Caspian so badly. If she harnesses Yuri’s energy, she will be strong enough to separate herself from me and Korah. She’ll be able to kill us while she lives on. But we will not let that happen.”

“Oh. I’m sorry,” I murmur. “I didn’t realize.”

“There is nothing to be sorry for.” Hassha raises her chin, a smile gracing her lips. “Everyone’s life must come to an end one day, even those deemed immortal.”

“I don’t stand a chance against her.” Caz finally speaks again, looking into Hassha’s eyes. “She has powers unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”

“But you have more. You are filled with the blood of every single Regal, Caspian. You are so much more than you know. Just like a weapon, you must learn how to use it.” She presses a hand to his chest. “Yuri knows your needs. He knows your strengths. He will not fail you. You just have to trust him to take over.”

“How am I supposed to learn any of this?” my mate asks, raising his hands and staring at his palms. “I’ve tried controlling it, but I can’t. It only works when I feel like my life is in danger or the life of someone I love.”

“Then that is exactly what you use to draw it out. Everyone you love is in danger. Practice is all it requires, and soon enough, it’ll become second nature. Trust in your abilities. Korah and I will be here to assist you as much as we can.”

Caz nods, though I sense wariness. I don’t have to read his mind to know he’s not confident in these new abilities. There’s now more pressure on his shoulders. He’s the key to saving Vakeeli, and if he fails, we’re all as good as dead.

That is so fucked up.

“Is there anything else you and Korah are keeping a secret from us?” Caz locks his gaze on Hassha as he stands next to me.

Hassha puts on a boastful smile. “In fact, there is.”

“What is it?” he asks.

“We plan on training Willow too. We need her to be able to defend herself during the times you can’t be there.”

“What?” I gasp.

“No fucking way!” Caz shouts at the same time.

The rest of the clan retort just as loudly with deep frowns on their faces.

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