Page 113 of Clash of Kingdoms

Cobra clapped me on the other shoulder. “But we have one another.”

TWENTY-FIVE

AURELIAS

A lot happened in that moment.

Harlow and Ivory were so relieved that Huntley was unharmed that they spent several long moments together rejoicing as a family. The soldiers took my father’s body from the room to either burn him or bury him, but it was probably just to spare me the pain of what I’d done.

Harlow broke away from her family then looked at me.

I felt the dramatic shift, the relief transform into a fiery cataclysm of pain. As she came close, the sheen over her eyes was visible, accompanied by the agony in her heart. I knew the misery she harbored was for me, for the horrible thing I’d done and could never take back…the horrible thing I’d done for her.

She moved into my arms and hugged me tight, squeezing me with the same strength as her father did.

My chin rested on her head, and I closed my eyes. The comfort she gave was instant, a warmth that soothed all the aches in my heart. It was like a thick blanket on a cold night. Or sunshine on a flower petal in winter. It was the comfort no one else could give, only her.

“I’m so sorry.” She said it quietly against my chest, so quietly that only I could hear it.

I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I should be the one to apologize…”

She pulled away to look me in the face, her eyes still wet. She gave a subtle shake of her head. “No.”

My hand slid into her hair, and I cupped her face, seeing a woman so beautiful that it hurt my eyes. With blue eyes the same color as that crystal I’d destroyed, she was stunning. I wished I could look at her every day. I wished I could see her in the armor of our people, hundreds of years into the future, perfectly preserved like this.

But I couldn’t…and that made everything hurt again.

I would return home, a home that would be forever different without my father, and sulk alone. “Is your mother okay?”

“Yes. They'd locked all of them up in the dungeon.”

“How did they get out?”

“Fang pulled it off somehow.”

“No surprise there.” My father had always underestimated him. Despite the fact that snakes had given us these powers, he didn’t treat them very kindly. Treated them the way he treated everyone else, like they were there to serve him.

Kingsnake walked up to me. “Sorry to interrupt, but I need to speak to you.”

Harlow rose on her tiptoes to kiss me before she walked away.

I watched her go before I looked at my brother.

“This will sound insensitive, but due to the complexity of our situation, it’s a conversation that needs to be had. You’re father’s successor, and now that he’s gone, you’re King of Kingdoms. Do you accept?”

I held my silence.

“Because orders need to be given now.”

“Why would they follow me when I just murdered their king?”

“Because they know he’s been unhinged for a long time.”

They should turn on me for what I’d done, but not a single vampire moved against me.

Kingsnake continued to watch me. “Our purpose here is finished. The demons have been defeated. They’re safe from Father’s wrath. There’s nothing left to do but return home, and I know we’re all eager to get back.”

The dreaded moment had come. It had felt so far away for so long. “Have them bury Father in the cemetery. In two days, we’ll depart for the ships.”

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