Page 39 of A Surrender Of Hope

“The night of the battle, the Hunters from the Asian and European divisions attacked, the Seniorem leading the battle with Hunters and Beastia amongst them.” I frown but nod, already knowing this part. “The fight was going well; we were driving them back and keeping them away from the wall. Jesthren and I managed to move Inanis’ tomb into the dungeons below the castle, and Valen charmed them to add protection.”

“Do we know how the North American Seniorem had the tomb? I didn't even know the location of it; only Varak did, and he took that secret to the grave to keep the Devil locked away,”I grind out, hating that my friend's sacrifice may have been in vain.

“No. To my knowledge, the Seniorem didn't have the power to release the Devil's tomb. Even with the magic they were harvesting from Valen, it wouldn't have been enough to accomplish the task,” Lennox snarls, his hands fisting in rage as he shakes his head.

“What happened after that?”

“Arch showed up and tried to kill Razar. He had a Demon’s bow crafted with onyx and shot at him three times.” I lean back in my chair, my stomach rolling at the picture my son paints me.

“Why would he do that?” I ask, not to Lennox but to myself. I raised my sons together and encouraged them to bond rather than pit them against each other as the kings of old had. I allowed the Legion bond between them to avoid history repeating itself, yet here we are with a very real situation that is all too familiar to me.

“I—I don't know. But Razar saw Arch himself. He has no doubt that it was Archer who tried to kill him.” I frown, looking at my son, a question burning in my mind.

“Archer doesn’t miss. His aim is impeccable. How is Razar alive if it was truly Archer?” I already know my son isn't dead. His body, the one I had cried over with my wife and buried in the crypts myself, is missing. The moment I received word from Lennox about Archer's appearance in the fight, I went down to the crypts myself and tore the massive granite lid from my son's grave in order to prove his innocence. But instead of his dead body lying in that cold tomb, it was empty.

“He didn’t miss,” my son rasps out, his eyes shuttering as he inhales sharply. “Meyer saw him as he climbed on the wall and took aim at Raz. She—” Lennox stops talking, looking away from me as he visibly swallows, but from the pained expressionon his face, I don’t need the rest of the story to understand what happened.

“Razar as well?” I ask, wondering how the hell this slip of a girl managed to enchant four of my sons. Lennox nods, and I groan, running a hand over my face and then gripping at my beard, tugging it as I study my youngest son. “Do you have any idea how strained your relationship with your brothers will become if they hold actual feelings for this girl? Valen and Creed were going to be hard enough. But Razar? Your Mother is going to kill me if I take something that boy actually cares for,” I point out, a flicker of unease passing through me when I remember how Razar’s Beastia protected the girl, something that I’ve never seen happen, not even for my wife, who Razar cared for the most.

“You won't be taking her from anyone,” Lennox responds, making me tilt my head in question. “There will be no conversation with Valen, Creed, or Razar.”

“You’re going to break the bond?” I ask in surprise, then jerk back when magic explodes from Lennox, the black tendrils spiraling through the air like tiny daggers. I release my magic to try and contain my son’s. The only problem is that it's not as easy as it used to be, and I start sweating at the physical effort it takes to calm him.

“No,” he hisses out, the murderous look he’s shooting my way something I would usually kill someone for sending my direction. “That isn't even a possibility… is it?”

“Would you if you could?” I ask, curious to know if this whole thing was simply a lust-induced lousy decision. Lennox narrows his eyes at me, recalling his magic, and settles back into his chair, composing himself faster than I thought possible.

“No.”

“Hmm.” I look away from him, glad to know he’s at least sticking by his choice no matter how ridiculous it is. “No, there isno breaking a mate bond without death. However, a king doesn't share a mate. You will kill your brothers in a jealous fit of rage if you allow them to mate with her.”

“I won’t if the Legion bond remains intact,” he whispers, and I shoot a dark look at him.

“That won't be happening. A King cannot have any emotional ties to anyone other than his mate. Hell, we wouldn't be allowed a mate if they didn't serve the purpose of calming our bloodlust. You know this, Lennox,” I scold despite seeing his point. The mating would possibly work if I allowed the Legion bond to remain. There would be no strain on their familial relationship, and he might even benefit from the mating if he had someone to help with his mate.

Viviane is almost more than I can handle on my own; her sense of adventure and strong spirit is a joy to have around, but also a burden when I have to confine her to the palace for her own safety. I often wonder what would have happened if my father allowed her to keep the other man she loved. If he would have let the two of us mate her as a Legion, as Lennox is now proposing. I hadn't even asked back then, knowing the union would weaken me as a ruler, and instead, I allowed my wife’s heart to be broken, tearing her from her other love and destroying one of the most valued relationships in my life.

The urge to think with my heart instead of my mind hits me square in the chest, and I have to bite my cheek and shove it away. If I allowed Lennox to do this, not only would it open him up to even more enemies, but he would have multiple weaknesses that would threaten the stability of our Kingdom. No, I just have to hope that the strong relationships I have urged the boys to build are enough to test the pain of heartbreak.

“It would weaken you,” I rasp, hating the fact but knowing it's the best decision for our people. Lennox doesn't get the freedom to do as his heart wants. He’s already chosen a mate ill-suited tohim, which may cause a fight between our house and one of our most loyal supporters. I cannot allow another slight to happen.

“I think you’re wrong,” Lennox argues, standing from his chair and looking down at me with confidence. “Keeping my Legion intact will not only help stabilize my relationship with my mate and brothers, it will ensure the throne's safety. No one protects a person like a Legion does their brother or mate, not even the Royal Guard.” I keep my mouth shut, not able to argue that point. “And having Valen bound to my mate would also unite the Dream Walkers and Versipellis Kingdoms. I know he’s happy staying under our roof for now, but what happens in a hundred years when he wants to rebuild? Having him bound to me and my mate would ensure the rulers stayed united, our kingdoms stronger than ever.”

“And what if Valen wants to take his mate to his own castle? What then, Lennox? Would you allow your mate to live separately from you?” I ask, pointing out the flaw in his plan.

“Valen has already agreed to a blood bargain if we were to mate the same girl,” he says, shocking me. “He would agree to stay in this castle as a family if he ever decided to rebuild the Dream Walkers. If a castle were to be built, it would be at the borderlines of our Kingdom. One where we each would hold court, but our main residence would remain here. However, the fact remains that he has no interest at the moment. Besides Meyer, there hasn't been any sign of another Dream Walker. Even if a few were found, it wouldn't be enough to go out alone. They would be torn apart by the Beastia in weeks. We would welcome them here under Valen’s rule, but by the laws of our lands.”

I lean back into my chair, not entirely swayed by his argument, but proud of the fact that he’s at least put some thought into this plan. He’s not just throwing ideas out there like I thought he might have. It’s clear he’s talked everything overwith Valen and figured out what to do if this ridiculous plan was allowed.

“We will revisit this talk after I have time to think upon it some more,” I finally say, watching as Lennox's shoulders slump a little, but he nods in agreement. “Tell me what happened after Archer shot at Razar.”

“We, um. Well, I was trying to keep Meyer alive. Her heart had stopped, and everyone was freaking out,” he admits.

“And?”

“The gates were breached. By the time I had restarted Meyer's heart, Arch had disappeared, and Valen had killed every one of our enemies still on the field.” I open my mouth to chastise him for being distracted but pause as his words register.

“Valen killed everyone on the field?” I question and frown.

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