Page 74 of Fallen Heirs

“Even then.”

“I don’t—”

“You’ve had so much trouble with it and I know sometimes you still do, but I trust in all your abilities. I trust you’ll always end up on the right side of things, that you’ll do what’s needed without going too far in the process.”

“Even with my vengeance crusade against Constantine?”

I smiled out at her. “Even then.”

“Orpheus, Xavier told me what happened when I used necromancy that night when we found some new acolytes of Constantine’s. You thought I’d lose control for real.”

“What happened that night wasn’t what it seemed where I was concerned.”

She arched an eyebrow. “How so?”

“We’ll get to that once we sort out the situation here.”

“There’s nothing to sort out.”

I frowned. “I’m not going to allow my father to keep you here against your will.”

“It won’t be against my will.”

“What does that mean?”

“Bring the guys here and your father. I know what needs to be done.”

18

~Alena~

Comfort had enveloped me as my men had fawned over me, kissing and hugging me tight to them on the bed for several minutes straight, none of us wanting to let go or pull away for the longest time.

When we finally actually had, Talon and Xavier had taken to studying the space intently, while Orpheus paced up and down, clearly trying to contain his agitation that I’d cut our conversation off prematurely.

It was because I’d needed them all here for this.

For what I needed to do.

Something that would be the best thing for everyone involved.

Not what I wanted, but what was necessary.

“This place is the shit,” Talon exclaimed, over by the entertainment unit, his hands over everything.

Biting sarcasm dripped from Xavier as he said, “Not bad for being held—”

A clear of a throat from Orpheus had him pulling up short.

“It’s okay,” I assured them. “I don’t need you to walk on eggshells around me. We’re past those times now.”

“We know, beautiful, but this is a lot,” Xavier said. “Especially after what you’ve been through.”

“I hear you, but I’m done letting that define me.” I shifted my weight in the bed, wincing as that lightheaded feeling I’d had since I’d woken up still plagued me. “I thought the way to do that was by putting Constantine down. But now I see there’s more than one way, and that’s what needs to be done now.”

“And what might that be?” Saryan spoke, suddenly entering the space.

“It looks like it’s going to involve her staying here. By choice,” Orpheus muttered, clearly not happy about it.

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