Page 47 of Heavy is the Crown
Oisin seethes, his face going red and his teeth ground together in a determined scowl. “Fucking Harbinger,” he spits. “I will have that magic soon.”
Astrea rolls her eyes. “Many people have wanted this magic, and yet, here I stand with it still. You will be no different.”
Movement behind Oisin catches my eye—Buttercup and Onyx. The two snakes moved off Astrea unnoticed at some point to join the fray. Onyx aims for Oisin, while Buttercup slowly makes her way toward Ava’s small form crumpled on the pavement. As soon as Onyx is within a few feet of Oisin, he spins on the snake, but Astrea’s eyes gleam and she literally mists herself from one spot to another.
“Boo!” she says, taking her daggers out and slashing at him. He stumbles back, startled by her sudden appearance, giving Buttercup enough time to curl herself protectively around Ava.
“Shadow, get them out of here,” I command. He doesn’t hesitate. Opening a portal, he rushes forward, grabbing both Ava and the snake, and leaps through it.
Ciaran stands back and watches as his mate spars with his half brother, arms crossed across his massive chest. A pleased look on his face.
Oisin screams in rage when Astrea manages to hit him square in the face with her fist and blood gushes from his nose. She lets out a cackle as she moves to swipe his legs out from under him. He manages to dodge the attack and whirls toward where he left Ava. He growls low when he realizes she’s missing, a primal fury painted across his face.
“You won’t win this! Hell and Gothic Grove will be mine, whether you work with me or not, Ciaran!” He looks toward me and adds, “And Ava will be mine.” His power lashes out before Astrea has time to throw a shield up, sending her reeling backward. Ciaran pushes forward, throwing his own golden magic out, but Oisin snaps his fingers and winks out of existence, leaving the three of us in the road.
TWENTY-SIX
The Knights guard the royal family. But above and beyond that, they show who has control of Hell.
– Personal Journal of the Royal Family.
Ava
Jackson paces back and forth in front of us, his anger sparking his magic under his skin like static electricity. His eyes keep shifting from silver to black and back to silver again.
He arrived the moment Shadow closed the portal behind us, just minutes before Drago, Ciaran, and Astrea came barreling into the house. Drago made a beeline for me, while the latter two hung back a bit awkwardly.
“I can’t believe that motherfucker tried to take you,” Jackson seethes. “I can’t believe he was just using me. He was part of the fucking Order the whole gods damn time.”
Shadow shifts next to me, his thigh brushing my own, which is still peppered with blood and bits of glass. On my other side, Drago clasps my hand in his.
They haven’t left my side since we returned to our home on the bluff. I can’t help but feel thankful for Shadow staying, but Iworry that if he leaves the room, he’ll be gone for good.I have to enjoy this time while we have it, even if he plans to leave.I know Drago shares the same fear. I’ve caught him looking at Shadow out of the corner of his eye, as if he’s ready to jump on top of him to stop him from leaving if he makes one wrong move.
The fear of Oisin returning has begun to fester in my chest, the anxiety of it slowly eating away at any peace I had. He was the man in my vision, I just hadn’t realized it. The vision that showed me our world ending. That showed my friends leashed to him, and my mates dead. I haven’t told anyone about it, not even Astrea, and the paranoia is rapidly encroaching on me. It’s like walking through a haunted house, expecting him to jump out around every corner. Expecting that future to jump out.
Fuck . . . Astrea and Ciaran.Both have stayed out of the way of my brother but haven’t left yet, putting both my mates on edge, given the revelation Oisin dropped.Half brother? Fuck.Part of me feels betrayed, worried that Ciaran and Astrea played us all. That they have been biding their time. But the rational part of my brain also knows if he had wanted to follow through with Oisin’s plan, he would have the moment he saw me. My silver eyes are a dead giveaway of who I am. But he didn’t, he helped Shadow and me. So, I’m willing to hear them out, hear their side of the story.
Sitting between both my mates, I let their scents wash over me as exhaustion tries to pull me under. Time has no meaning at this point, and a look outside shows only heavy dark clouds, as if the seasons, too, are trying to decide who takes over next. The air is thick with anticipation.
“When was the last time you guys talked?” I ask hesitantly, trying to keep myself alert as Jackson paces back and forth in front of us.
He scrubs his face with his hand, and I notice he looks a little ragged, his facial hair starting to show. “He left not long afteryou did. I should have known—he was acting weird even before that.” He lashes out suddenly, his fist connecting with the wall nearest. “FUCK.” His whole body trembles as he tries to control himself.
Jackson will never forgive himself for this. He will hold himself responsible for something that he could never have foreseen. I want to get up and comfort him, but the thought of losing the connection to Shadow and Drago, even for a moment, is too much.
“Jax, breathe,” I say calmly. His back heaves a few times as he regains control before turning around and facing us again. I frown. “What about Arcanna?”
The moment the name is out of my mouth, I know it was a mistake. Grief and anger flash across my brother's face before he catches himself. “Arcanna doesn't speak to any of us anymore. And no, I don’t want to fucking talk about it.”
My mind drifts back to when she asked to become Lady of the Souls and the devastation that painted my brother's face when she did. “Jax—” But he cuts me off.
“Drop it, Ava.”
Shadow clears his throat, interrupting us. “We need to address the other issue. Astrea and Ciaran,” he says, his voice low.
Shadow has kept some part of himself constantly touching me since we returned. My head still throbs from the hit it took, and without thinking, I let it fall onto Shadow’s shoulder. He stiffens under me but doesn’t move. Drago squeezes the hand he still holds, and I feel myself begin to relax into the contact of both my mates. My body is struggling with the low magic I have, starting to shut down. Judging by the way Jackson is looking at me, he knows.
Jackson’s eyes narrow as he goes to open his mouth, but I give a subtle shake of my head. He stops but doesn’t break eyecontact with me for a long moment, before taking a deep breath and shifting to look at Drago and Shadow.
