Page 96 of Of Vows and War: Special Edition
“What is stopping the fae rebels from believing what the queen says about us and joining her cause?” Cyprus asked.
“The rebels know the truth of the demons,” Nicola said.
He faced her, his mouth agape. “How do they know that?”
“Because I am their leader, of course.”
As if on cue, every single one of them—apart from Kafele—stared at Nicola in sheer bafflement. There were no words that could accurately explain how that news felt. When I found out at the dinner table in the Fire Lands, I had no time to truly process it. Was I angry that she had led a rebellion that was willingly killing innocents? Proud of her leadership and initiative? Jealous of her bravery? All of them. Definitely all of them.
Nicola had done something I had dreamt of. She stood up for the fae of Betovere. She had proven just how far she would go to take down the royals. I only wished I would have done the same. I stared at her, trying to think of what to say. Apparently, something else took precedence, because Nicola’seyes momentarily went wide and distant. Kafele grabbed onto her, tugging her close to his chest as she seemed to go to another place—another time.
“Bellamy, you will have a guest by night’s end,” was all she offered in explanation. Everyone seemed poised to say something in response, but Genevieve spoke first.
“Sterling, we need to get out of here. Mother and father have been—”
“What?” Sterling cut her off. “Gen, I need my memories back. And Asher, she needs me. I have to stay here. I want—”
“Excuse me? Absolutely not! You will not be another one of her pets waiting to be sicced on her foes! You. Are. Coming. Home!”
“No I am not!”
“Okay, okay, we all need to calm down,” I said, stepping between them as they squared off. Genevieve sneered, her gaze flicking to my bruised face. I rolled my eyes, unimpressed with her implied threats. “You will both stay the night and we can all work towards a plan tomorrow.”
“But—”
“No buts. Henry will find you a place to stay here at Pike. Now, all of you leave me alone so I can fuck myfiancé,”I demanded, raising my hand and wiggling my fingers their way. Despite Bellamy having mentioned a wedding earlier, they all seemed shocked to see my ring. Everyone but Genevieve and Sterling cheered, swarming us once more and celebrating in the rare bit of wonderful news.
Chapter Forty-One
Bellamy
“What about purple?” Noe asked, her pencil twirling just above the paper. When I lifted a brow at her, she added, “Like Asher’s necklace.”
“While I am eternally grateful that Sipho showed her love when very few had, I do not think I am strong enough to have my wedding themed after his necklace,” I drawled. Noe snickered, writing the word purple and then crossing it out four times before writingBellamy is too insecure, must not usebeside it. “You are a—” I cut myself off, eyes darting to the three mortal children who sat at the table with us. “…menace.”
“Ooo burn,” Noe teased. Rolling my eyes, I turned to the children.
“Make sure you eat the carrots too,” I ordered. Nyla’s two, Gemma and Safre, both grumbled in response. Octavia, Mordicai’s youngest daughter, was not so quiet in her distaste.
“They taste like utter garbage,” Octavia groaned, scrunching her small nose and shaking her blonde hair. She looked so much like her father. Talked like him too. Safre nodded in agreement, frowning. Coating the dark skin above his lip was a small line of white where milk had splashed, making him look too sweet to be so sour.
“Do not tell Ray that, she worked hard on this menu.” I laughed, looking around the large dining area and scanning the faces to see if my assistant was around. She sat in the far corner, Lara beside her. Looking back at the kids, I noticed Gemma was eyeing me curiously. She was the most daring of the three, so I turned to her fully and raised my brows.
“Are you too scared to eat the carrots, Gemma?” I challenged. Within minutes, the three had fallen into a sort of competition, scarfing down their carrots as if their lives depended on it. With a smirk of triumph, I faced Noe again. She was smiling softly, making my cheeks heat. “What?”
“Oh nothing, just thinking about how good of a father you will be one day.” Her words, while meant to soothe and compliment, hurt.
Asher was not able to have younglings. Not yet. And it did not feel like a priority for either of us to attempt to fight the magic. But, even if we could, would I really be a good father? Could someone like me be good at such a thing? Adbeel had raised me, and he was the greatest father anyone could ask for. But Xavier had conceived me, and it was his blood that ran through my veins. Mia’s blood. The blood of horrible parents.
“Anyways,” I said, shaking my head. “I think red would be a good color for the carpet.”
Noe scoffed. “You have had enough red for an entire lifetime. Pick something else.”
“But—”
“No buts, you are not going with red.”
“Black?”
