Page 75 of Dark Reign

Silas stepped forward with both hands in his pockets. The confident stance he took made it clear he’d thought this through, and was certain this was the right thing to do.

Julian never did things that rocked the boat. The impetus behind his every move was to earn and keep his father’s respect.

Above all else.

It was this same desire that had driven him to accept his calling to rule. Meanwhile, those of us who knew him best saw how the decision had made him die a little inside—hence the reason we showed up to help him celebrate, to keep him in good spirits a few nights ago.

He was hardwired not to follow hisownwill, but his father’s. I wasn’t wrong to recognize the need for a change, but it wasn’t lost on me how horribly awry things had gone.

“It’s gotten way out of hand, Julian, but … you have to know I only meant to help,” Silas added. “My intent when I agreed to be a part of this was never to hurt you. I simply wanted to see you find happiness, by enabling you to get out of your own way and follow your heart. I had no way of knowing it would … lead you straight to Corina.”

A blank stare washed over Julian’s face, and Silas stood in silence, awaiting a response.

“What are you saying? What did you do?” Julian stood, seeming out of sorts, but there was no missing the hard, angry stare he directed at our brother from the North.

I swallowed hard, listening.

“What happened at the gala wasn’t random,” Silas began. “I bestowed you with true sight, limiting its power to only manifest in your romantic life. I only wanted you to release your inhibitions for a bit. You have to know that I didn’t foresee any of this happening,” he confessed apologetically.

However, as Julian lowered into his seat again, it was abundantly clear Silas’ act of contrition wasn’t enough.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Julian scoffed, his wild gaze searching Silas’ expression for some sort of explanation. “I took away Corina’s choice today. Now, maybe that only means something to me because you messed with my head, but … she didn’t want this.Ididn’t want this,” he added, jabbing a finger at his own chest. “Within the span of sixty days, she’ll undergo irreversible changes—physical, emotional—and promptly after that, if I don’t turn myself in first, I’ll be hauled off to the magistrate and sentenced.”

Silas lowered his head.

“We could hide her, maybe,” Roman interjected gravely.

It wasn’t lost on me that, for once, his suggestion hadn’t involved Corina meeting an untimely end. Also, the red-hot anger he’d just aimed toward Julian seemed to subside. Perhaps the reason had been his respect for Silas’ gift. A respect weallshared. His ability, although more subtle and understated than the rest of ours, was incredibly powerful. The feelings it revealed were true, meaning Julian’s affection toward the human, who had changedallof our lives in such a short span of time, were real, powerful, and unavoidable.

“It’ll never work,” Julian rebutted. “With the attention we managed to attract, news outlets will be chasing interviews and exclusive stories for years to come. Starting with the one Jenna arranged tomorrow.”

I felt my expression shift to a scowl as I spoke. “Come again?”

Julian nodded. “There’s a press conference and Corina and I are both expected to be there. I thought it best to address the people myself as opposed to allowing rumors to continue shaping the public’s views on what took place at the gala.”

“Cancel it,” I blurted. “You’ve got the authority to bide your time. Tell Jenna to push it back indefinitely, and for Pete’s sake, let the public think what they want! You owe them nothing.”

Julian was already shaking his head in disagreement before I finished speaking. “The longer I let this fester, the worse it will get. I decided to face it head-on and I’m sticking to that,” he concluded.

Silas breathed deeply. “This is all on me,” he asserted. “The whole thing is just one big disaster, and there’s no one else to blame. So, first thing in the morning, I’ll be the one turning myself in. Not you, Julian. I can’t let—”

“What?” My head lifted quickly as things continued to spiral out of control. “You’re insane! No one’s turning themselves in.”

“It’s only fair,” Silas reasoned. “I can’t watch one of my brothers suffer because ofmyactions. It’s on me. I have to make it right.”

Leave it to him to be so noble. Not that I would have let Julian take the fall on his own, but Silas was almost zealous at the idea of falling on his own sword.

Bloody hell …

I suppose there was nothing else to do but make my part in all this known.

“He didn’t act alone,” I admitted with a sigh. “And, I suppose if you want to get technical … this was my idea. So, if anyone goes to the magistrate, it should be me.”

Without a selfless bone within me, it felt like I’d just had an out-of-body experience as I copped to the consequences of what I’d done. However, when it came to these three, I had a bit of a soft spot.

Julian stared at me, as bewilderment filled his gaze but said nothing.

Not that I expected him to, considering all we’d dropped on him today.

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