Page 40 of To Ashes and Dust
I didn’t want to tell him about the partial shifting we'd tried. It hadn’t been successful, but I refused to give up. When I figured it out, then I’d show him.
Damien cleared his throat. “So, about the meeting with The Council...”
I gathered a bit of green beans onto my fork. “I guess I’ve got a lot to learn before then. It’s tomorrow, right?”
He nodded. “Not too much. I just want you present at my side to listen in on the discussions. They need to see you, understand what your presence means and how it’ll affect the war, that we have a chance to finish them once and for all if we can bring more warriors into The Order. I’m hoping they’ll be encouraged to enlist help more proactively.”
He took another bite of his food, chewing and swallowing, before continuing. “You’re welcome to speak your mind, just... tread cautiously. Some of the newer heads of the houses have not had to answer to a female, and they’ve become unreasonable and rude in recent centuries. There’s too much for me to teach you in a single day. There just isn’t enough time.”
I reached out to take his hand. “When is there ever?”
“I apologize in advance for what you might hear tomorrow. Most of them are rather reasonable, but there are a couple who don’t like humans. We’re going to show them that you’re more than that. You’re a demigoddess, regardless of whether you’re immortal or human.”
If I wasn’t already nervous, I was now. A group of males who may or may not look down on me as a woman, and as a human? I knew nothing about the members of The Council, didn’t know who they were or their names, but Calista and Zephyr had shared just how the aristocracy viewed females of the immortal race. We were objects for their benefit. They’d likely view me in the same light, demigoddess or not.
But I’d be damned if I let them look down on me.
I gripped his hand before releasing it to focus on my food. “So, I guess now’s as good as any to start learning a bit more about thiscouncil.”
Damien smiled, finished the last of his food, and rose to take his plate to the sink. “We’ll start with learning the different houses for now, but we can wait until you’ve finished eating.”
I took my last bite. “Perfect timing then, because I’m done.”
He laughed under his breath as he washed his dish. “I wish I was this excited when I learned to rule as you are.”
I set my plate on the counter. The tone in his voice, the emotion I felt in the air, sank into me. “You... didn’t want to be king?”
He shook his head. “No. I never did.” He took my plate to wash it but didn’t meet my gaze. “But we don’t always get to choose our paths. I know you understand that more than most.”
I’d never thought he might not want to be what he was. I could only imagine the pressures of ruling an entire race, being responsible for their safety. How heavy that must weigh on his shoulders, especially given the losses they’d suffered over the centuries. For years, I’d bent to the will of others, allowing them to choose the best course for me, never taking the consideration to give me a choice. He’d been the first to let me choose my own path, and I loved him all the more for it.
He drew a deep breath. “That’s for another time, though. Let’s find a comfortable place to sit. There’s a lot to go over.”
I smiled as he took my hand, leading me to the living room.
“Before The Fall of Kingdoms there were nine houses, each in possession of a power bestowed by Selene and her allies.”
My heart dipped as I remembered the horrid sight of the battlefield, the anguish Lucia had felt seeing her friends and family dead at her feet.
His eyes lowered, and he nodded. “House Latros, who were powerful healers, were wiped out during The Fall of Kingdoms. House Aíma, who could manipulate blood like Cole, was left with low numbers. The remaining few were killed off in the years following. One of the houses of power fell when the darklings first appeared centuries before.”
“Which house fell when the darklings first appeared?” I asked.
The air grew thick with sorrow, his face somber as he answered my question. “House Skiá.”
I frowned. That was Damien’s house. “But...”
His face turned to me, and his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I am the last of my house. If I fall, The House ofSkiá will cease to exist.”
I didn’t want to think about it, denied myself the opportunity to imagine a world where he didn’t exist. “I won’t let that happen.”
He pressed a kiss to my forehead, my heart skipping at the tender sensation.
“So that means there’ll be six house leaders tomorrow?”
“Yes, there will be six heads at the meeting, in addition to me. The heads of each house are referred to as Kyrios, and I want you to understand that, though you do not lead a house, you hold the same level of command I do as king. You are their queen; do not feel you have to put up with anything they say if you don’t like it.”
The title made my head spin. “No pressure.”
