Page 120 of Secrets & Curses of Crimson

“Did Zade and Leer survive?” I glanced at him. Haden frowned.

“Leer is alright. Zade is wounded badly, but he should be alright.”

My chest tightened at this news. My fire burst from me as grief hit me. Why? This would all end today. I would stop all this violence.

“I have to get back, but I will save Cassius and his family. I will kill everyone for Crimson, for Exile, and for my mother,” I promised.

Haden and Della looked at me with pride as I turned and went back to the wedding reception. My family hadn’t known I disappeared, but all I could think of was how happy they could be as they killed innocent fae.

?????

When a guard found me in the hallway, on my way to find Cassius, he told me that the prisoners had been taken outside. I swallowed hard as I made my way outside but paused when I saw the amount of fae gathered. All I could picture was Cassius being taken from me. He knew.

My heart pounded violently. My hands clenched tightly as I walked toward the crowd slowly as if it were a dream—a nightmare. I didn’t know what to expect.

This was not how I was going to do this. I wanted to do it without Cassius near me. He needed to stay out of it. What if they hurt him already? Would I know if Cassius died? I shook the thoughts from my mind.

Fulfill the prophecy. Prophecy. Prophecy. Prophecy.

My darkness was excited. It wanted the blood of every fae that had kept my husband from me. The sun blistered to an uncomfortable heat as I made my way toward my father.

“Thea, my dear, come join me.” My father called from beside me. I hurried to him and looked at the arena-like structure I had seen in my vision. Gods, there had to be thousands of fae gathered here. My father must have used magic of some sort to transform it into an arena.

He had been planning this and didn’t tell me.

Was he suspicious of me and my loyalties? When I reached my father, he stood with Jesper and the girls. He smiled at me proudly and it pissed me off.

“Father, what is going on?”

He grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly in his before turning to the crowd.

“Fae of Cerithia and Kizar!” he bellowed. “Today is the day that my dear Thea fulfills her prophecy!”

The crowd went wild. I flinched at the noise. After a moment, my father raised his hands to silence them.

“Father?” I asked softly.

“Thea has tried to break her curse and come back home to us for eight years, but now... we bring her every royal family so that she can end this once and for all!”

All the families.

Just then the crowd of Cerithian guards split, and every royal family member kneeled, bloodied and tied up. My eyes met Sybrien’s first before moving to Cassius’ family—my family. My darkness burst from me without warning. My father smiled as if I were doing this because I wanted to kill them all. The guards holding Cassius shoved him so forcefully that he fell to the ground in front of the rest of the prisoners.

I took a step forward, ready to beat the shit out of the guard, but stopped. Cassius was kneeling with his family atthe center of the royal families. My darkness immediately swarmed around me in angry black wisps of my magic. I’m sure my father thought it was a reaction to seeing Cassius and wanting revenge. But this was pure rage at the sight of my mate bleeding, bound, and looking at me like I would end him.

My eyes pulsed red with my rage. They flickered at each member of my family that was bound. Each one of them was terrified and hurt. Cassius stared at me oddly as if he were trying to tell me something. Tell me what Cassius is thinking, I begged my magic.

I'm sorry.

I could feel the tears sting my eyes.

You will let me die if you have to. You need to save everyone else, even if that means I do not live.

I shook my head no.

You can survive without me, my love.His eyes filled with tears as he stared at me. How could he think I could survive without him?If something happens to me, it is not your fault. Don't blame yourself. It has been an honor to call you my wife, Thea. You have always been my purpose for living, but this is your destiny. This is your purpose. I love you. I will always be with you.

Tears gathered in my eyes, and my throat burned as I tried to hold them in. Cassius was wrong. He was mydestiny. He was my purpose. Cassius living—having a life with him was all I ever wanted. If he died, I would fulfill the prophecy before I followed him in death. I could never exist where Cassius did not.

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