Page 149 of Dark Souls

“I don’t know.” I wiped my eyes and rolled my shoulders, feeling pure hatred settling in my stomach and pulsing through my veins. “But when I find out, I will kill them.”

“Ilaria, we will help you figure this out but there are certain procedures and laws nowadays that we must abide by, especially as Royals. We will find who is responsible and they’ll be given a trial with—” my mum started.

“No,” I interrupted her with icy conviction. “I will kill them. I will kill every single person who has ever harmed my mate and his family.”

Mum sighed, running her hand down my hair once more as if I was still a child who didn’t understand. “We can’t go around murdering people without hearing their side and deciding on their punishment. Self-defence is the only acceptable murder of a supernatural and even that must be proven. A death sentence of a supernatural that is not deemed as self-defence must be agreed by all the royals and if it cannot be agreed, the council will hold the trial.”

“Then agree.” I moved my gaze around the room. They shuffled uncomfortably in their seats, avoiding my eyes. “Agree right now that The Devil and his witch mate deserve to die so I can kill them when I find out who they are.”

“Ilaria, we cannot agree without evidence and–” Dad argued. I darted out of my chair.

“You are all hypocrites. How many people have you impulsively killed for threatening or harming those you love?”

“Times were different back then. There was no order and we weren’t royals.”

“What about Sienna and Raiden?”

“Trials happened and you know it.”

“This is just because he’s a Demonski Upir, isn’t it?” I threw my hands out at my sides, shaking my head.

“No. Of course not. But you have to understand that this is all a shock, Ilaria, and will take time to digest. We have believed things about Demonski Upirs all our lives and you have just told us differently. Heathen just proved that he has some element of self-control by leaving when he could have attacked, but you are also asking us to trust a creature that has been ripping out hearts and murdering supernaturals for years with no mercy.”

“Because he is being forced to by The Devil! He is not the villain here!” I screamed, losing my cool completely. Why weren’t they getting this? Why weren’t they as furious at the injustice of it as I was?

“That may be but there are still so many unknown factors at play here. We need to know exactly what happened and why. We need to understand who Heathen is and make sure he is not a threat to humanity. That is our duty to the whole of the human realm. If what you say is true, of course, we will support him and make sure justice is served,” Mum said calmly.

I was feeling anything but calm. “If? You don’t believe me?”

“Of course we do, but at the moment, we only have one side of the story.”

“There is no other side!” My blood was boiling. “He is my soulmate! There is only his side!”

The room fell silent and I released an aggravated growl through my teeth and stormed out, unable to be around them without saying something I’d come to regret. I had never been so furious with my family and their titles in my entire life. They were putting duty before justice. They were putting duty before love.

I raced out of the front door and kicked the gravel of the driveway. I threw my head back and screamed up at the night’s sky.

“Ilaria?” the soothing voice of my Grandma Alina broke through the red haze but the rage continued pulsating, blurring my senses as I paced back and forth outside the castle. “Ilaria, what’s wrong?”

I felt her soft but firm grip on my shoulders as she turned me to look into her concerned emerald eyes. My lips wobbled as I wondered if Luka’s eyes were once that green and that I may never know because he couldn’t live with the pain of his past. And my family still didn’t get it. A sob shook me to my core as I fell forward into her arms and felt her wrap herself around me in a tight embrace. She shushed me and whispered comforting words until I had no more tears left. When I pulled back, I noticed my Grandpops standing behind her, looking just as worried. They’d only just arrived for family night and missed the whole drama.

“Logan, why don’t you go inside and let them all know I’m with Ilaria and we are having a little chat,” Grandma said with a small smile, wiping the dampness of my cheeks with her thumbs.

“Course. Come, give Pops a hug first though, little one.” He outstretched his muscular arms and I felt like a five-year-old again who had fallen over and needed his comfort. I squeezed him tight and he bent down and kissed the top of my head. “Whatever it is. It will all be alright. You’ll see.”

I wanted to argue with him but he spoke with such heart-warming confidence of a man who had been through his own hell once upon a time, watched his own parents slaughtered and was in hiding for years from Lucius that it gave me the hope and clarity I needed to calm myself down.

“Come on, sweetie.” Grandma held out her hand to me and I took it. We walked through the castle gardens, strolling between the rose bushes in silence as I regulated myself with her guidance and breathing techniques. When she sensed I was in a better head space, we entered my grandparents’ orangery and sat down on the swinging bench. The scent of flowers and the thick humidity felt like a safe blanket as I lifted my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

“In your own time,” she said patiently and I inhaled before spilling everything to her. I told her about it all, not leaving out a single detail from the night Heathen first saw me, the stalking, the way it made me feel alive and excited, to meeting Luka at Sienna’s hen party. I told her everything that happened after that; who Luka and Heathen were and what had happened to them. Explaining how they were still being controlled and under a spell Celeste and Cora Anderson had created themselves. She listened intently, hiding her shock very well and just nodding and rubbing my back when something I said triggered an emotional reaction in me. When I finally finished explaining what had just gone down in the dining room, I turned my head to look at her.

She had tears in her eyes and a sad smile on her face. “Oh honey. That was a lot.”

I burst out laughing despite the sadness that consumed me and nodded.

She sighed. “First…” She grabbed my hands, forcing me to turn to her in the seat. “…congratulations on finding your soulmate. He sounds incredible and I can’t wait to meet him.”

My face broke into a wide smile through my tears and I nodded, feeling warmth and love replace the bitter poison of rage. “He is amazing. Heathen and Luka. Both sides. He is the best person I know. He’s been through so much, Grandma. He’s never felt accepted, ever, and it’s so unfair.”

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