He raises his wrist to me to show a leather bracelet circling it. “Nifty little bracelet keeping me from using any magic. This place is about to go down in less than twenty four hours anyway so I guess they’re not worried I’m going to go rogue. It helps that my brother is the future king of Llìria.”
I glance at him sidelong and shake my head, flipping the page. “That won’t get you far. Theon murdered Braylie Fairchild out of spite. He won’t hesitate to kill you once all of this is over.”
“Not when you’re an encyclopedia on Zodiac Hunters.”
“Alright. I’ll bite.” I rest an arm on the table, tilting my head up to face him. “What do the Hunters want with my baby?”
“Total destruction of the Zodiac race. What else?” he scoffs as if it were obvious.
I roll my eyes. “You’re useless.”
“And you’re crabby for a pregnant girl.” he says, settling into the chair to my left. “Especially one who’s about to give birth to a baby with magic our world hasn’t seen in over a thousand years.”
I look up at him curiously. “Oh? And what do you know about arcane magic?”
“I might know something.”
“Hah, forget it.” I close my book and stand, collecting the rest to return them to their proper shelves. “Like I said, useless. Theon should have just killed you after he found out what you did.”
“Wow. Tell me how you really feel.”
“You betrayed me. You were just going to let the Hunters come without even warning us and yet, somehow, it’s worthy of humor.”
“It’s funny.” He moves around the table, leaning against it only an inch from me. “I was willing to let this place burn, yes, with everyone in it, and yet you think this is personal? That I betrayed you? If Amara can give your brother a second chance why don’t I get one?”
“I’ve given too many chances. I’m done with all that.”
“Sounds like a girl who’s gotten her heart broken.”
“Hah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? For me to be some damsel in distress?”
“Aren’t you?” Haydan moves with a preternatural speed I’ve never seen any Zodiac possess, pinning me between him and a shelf. My breath catches. “You’re definitely in distress.”
“Distress,” I pant, drawing my lips close enough to touch his. He thinks I’m going to kiss him. He’s ready for me to. At the last second I move them to his ear. “Distress is just another word for sorrow. You have not seen sorrow, Haydan Kasanoff. Pray you never do.” With all my strength I shove him away from me.
“I can help you ya know.” Haydan calls after me. “I can help you figure out how to control the magic your son will possesses once he’s born, maybe stop this prophecy altogether.”
“Nothing is free in any world, Haydan and I think that whatever you want is going to come at too high a price.”
“A second chance is all I want. Call it a probational period until you can trust me again. Just get Theon to let me live. I can be useful here, Kara. I know the plans they have for your baby and I know how they operate.”
“Why would you try and help now, Haydan?” I swing back around to face him. “Why?”
“I’m a survivalist, Kara. I’ll always be on the winning team. For a while that was the Hunters. Now that Theon has the Nexus…”
“Now they don’t stand a chance.” I surmise.
“Not once it’s used.” The look in his eyes is what has me caving. He looks…scared. It’s the kind of fear I know well. The kind where you don’t know if you’ll live to see tomorrow.
“I’ll talk to Theon.”
“Thank you.”
I know Theon is still strategizing with Amara and his soldiers, even at this late afternoon hour. I don’t know how much leniency I can hope for from Theon given Haydan’s betrayal, but he has a point. If we want to fight the enemy we need to know the enemy and Haydan certainly knows them.
I wander into the empty ballroom when I hear music playing to find Clea playing the piano. I peer around the room to see she’s alone. I walk over and slip down onto the bench beside her.
“I didn’t know you played.” I say. She starts to pull her fingers from the keys, but I shake my head. “Don’t stop. It’s beautiful.” She continues to play, looking as sad as the melody she’s playing. “Everyone’s been running around with their heads cut off, trying to find Amara, trying to protect me, that nobody’s really asked how you’re doing with all of this.”
Clea offers me a small smile. “I’m okay.”
“Oh come on, Clea. I know you. Or, at least I know the you back in Baal, and she was never shy about telling us exactly what was on her mind. But ever since you got your soul back you’ve been different. What’s going on with you?”
“I’ve been fighting this war a lot longer than you have, Kara. I’m just tired.” she says.
“You’re uh—you’re hurt, that Amara hasn’t really talked to you since she got here.” I surmise. “It’s not personal. She’s been avoiding a lot of people these days.”
“She’ll never forgive me, for what I did to Tristan.”
I sense her unease. I immediately want to chase away her fears. My friend who we’ve all neglected, Theon especially. She did a terrible thing, but under the influence of her smothering brother, without a soul to tell her what she was doing would hurt her very best friend. “You weren’t you, Clea.” I remind her. “She knows that.”
Clear blue eyes flick to me. They are moist with tears. “Then why is she still pretending I don’t exist?” Her eyes search me desperately, waiting for an answer I don’t have for her. Her gaze shifts away from me and then returns to her playing.
I look to the door, to see what she saw and find Theon approaching. He holds a hand out for me to take. “Dance with me, love.”
“I can barely see my feet anymore.” I tell him.
“I’ll guide you.” he says, meaning all things. I slip my hand in his and let him drag me to the center of the dance floor. Clea tries to play something soft, but happy for the two of us.
Theon pulls my body up against his, placing his other hand at my waist, keeping me close. His touch burns right through me, but I’m a fire user and I welcome the flame. Haydan is no better than the village rats I might have ended up with had I stayed in Baal, but Theon is every bit the prince that he was born to be. Smooth, collected, gently charismatic. He has a quiet grace that reminds me of Amara. Perhaps it’s why they get along so well despite what he’s done. They have an understanding. What’s more; she has an understanding of me. It’s okay ya know, to love him. Her words serve only to taunt, but maybe they don’t have to. Maybe she’s right. Maybe I can love him without feeling guilty.
He carries the dance, allowing me to lean on him, off my poor feet, supporting the three of us. Me and my nameless babies. After a while I have to call him out when all he does is stare down at me adoringly. “What?” I ask gently.
“You amaze me, Kara Volterra.”
“Do I?”
“Yes, you do. I understand it now, why the Echo formed itself between you and Amara. You are the same. I only wish we had met properly, that I’d done things properly. Perhaps if I had things might have turned out differently.”
“Enough.” I say softly. “We can’t change what’s already done, Theon. We can only do better now, going forward. I only wish Clea could understand that.” My eyes fall to her across the room, playing silently, working out her pain through music.
“Clea is a glutton for punishment.” Theon says.
“We’ve all done bad things, Theon. I might not have slept with Tristan, but I thought I did and never told Amara about it. Keenan hurt her, let her be tortured. He beat me into a miscarriage. You killed two people we cared about. Kol betrayed us. Everyone has done bad things, but it was all because we thought we were protecting someone. Kol’s right. We may not be human, but we all feel the way they feel.” I move my eyes up to him. He watches the breakthrough unfold in my eyes. “And I’m
done apologizing for the way I feel.”
Hope flickers in his pretty blue eyes and he almost smiles. Suddenly we’re not dancing anymore and he’s got both my hands locked in his. They hold on desperately, afraid the moment might slip from us. “And how do you feel, Kara?”
I feel the small prick at the back of my neck at the same time the music stops. I whimper as the sick poison of Nightshade courses into my veins. I let out a strangled whimper, meeting Theon’s eyes before I collapse into Aaric’s arms. “Theon?”
“I’m so sorry, my love, but I need you safe.”
The last thing I see is his blue eyes, pleading for me to understand before darkness falls over me.
—CHAPTER FORTY SIX—
AARIC
WAR
Theon Beleros looks back at me furiously.
“Really?” He hisses at me. “You couldn’t wait thirty more seconds?”
I shrug, moving Kara up into a cradled position in my arms. “You said to come in when Clea stopped playing. She stopped.”
“You played your part well, little sister.” Theon says to Clea.
She shrugs. “Kara has a soft spot for wounded birds. I.e. you, brother.” Clea replies.
“Kara also weighs twice as much as she usually does so let’s do this.” I hesitate, looking back at Clea. “Don’t tell her I said that.” Clea smirks.
“Over here.” Theon gestures towards an empty table across the room. I lay Kara down onto the table gently and Clea produces the Nexus.
“Are you sure this is going to work? I mean, the girls don’t all have to do this at the same time for it to work properly?”
“All it needs is her nether magic. She’s been injected with enough Nightshade to keep her down for hours so she shouldn’t even notice what pain it might cause. It’ll work, I promise you that.” Theon assures me.
Theon takes her finger and pricks it on the end of the nether spike. A muscle in her cheek twitches, but other than that she shows no sign of being in pain. “Mm,” Kara whimpers incoherently, though she doesn’t wake. A gust of wind picks up around us, seemingly coming from nowhere.
“What the hell is happening?” I demand. Beside me, Clea slams her hands on the sides of her head, keeping her wayward hair from whipping around in the wind.
“It’s getting its first taste of magic.” Theon shouts over the wind. If anyone hears us shouting in here like idiots they don’t say anything.
Kara whimpers some more, making me nervous. “It’s hurting her.”
The Nexus starts to light up the nether gem below the engraving, a grayish black smoky color. “It’s working.” Clea says.
The wind seems to intensify for another few seconds before it stops suddenly. Kara’s golden mane slowly trickles down at her sides and she is silent.
Theon feels for her pulse. “Her pulse is strong. She’s going to be okay, Aaric, I promise. I would never hurt her. I wouldn’t have done this if I thought it might.”
That at least I believe.
“Alright. Find the little one and get her out of dodge.” Theon says urgently.
“My brother has a name ya know.” I say defensively.
“Bay and I will get her as far away from here as we can, but we’re going to need a safe place to bring her.”
“I have an idea of where you can bring her.” Theon suggests.
“Don’t leave us hanging here, Beleros.” I say when he seems hesitant to proceed.
“After your trip to see the Aguillons the other day Lathan Aguillon reached out to me. And, believe it or not, he declined Amara’s interest in wedding him.”
Clea blinks, stunned. “Wait, what? Why would he do that? We’ve got nobles practically busting down our doors ready to propose to their future queen for a chance to be king. Why wouldn’t Lathan want that for his son?”
“What she said.” I add.
“You met Lathan Aguillon, Aaric. I’m sure you noticed the man is very…” Theon pauses, searching for the right word. “Easygoing, you might say.”
“You might.” I nod. “I noticed it. I found it odd.”
“Well it isn’t an act. Lathan Aguillon believes in happiness before duty. They turned down the proposal because Varen has his eye on Niykee Lysander.”
“Niykee?” Clea and I both say together.
“Lathan Aguillon married for love. Albeit she was a nobleman’s daughter, but the people in that family live by their own set of rules. They marry who they choose, not who is chosen for them. And apparently our dear Niykee made quite the impression.”
“So it doesn’t matter to them that Niykee isn’t a royal or even a noble?”
Theon snorts a laugh. Then he looks at my face, unamused. “Aaric, she’s part of your Zodiac. That’s as good as royalty.” Theon glances between me and Clea when I still look confused. “He doesn’t know. Royals are allowed to marry anyone in their Zodiac, Aaric, royal blood or not. That was the entire basis of the Zodiac Ball to begin with. To tether you all together, as one.”
“So, me and Haven…”
“Would have been a fine match had the Limacoran king agreed to it.” Theon finishes for me.
I digest that news for only a second. We don’t have time for me to complete yet another thing I hadn’t known that could have avoided an entire world of pain.
“I’m assuming you mentioned the Aguillons because you think Kara will be safe there?” I don’t meet Theon’s eyes. I’m too annoyed. Secret after secret. Will we ever know them all?
“They will be, but Aguillon asked about his daughter. He can’t know we’re keeping her here. And while Dariella didn’t technically break any laws, she was holding the Nexus for someone.”
“We’ll make sure Kara and Bay don’t say anything about Dariella while we’re there.” Clea assures him.
Theon’s gaze falls on an unconscious Kara in my arms. He pushes the hair off her forehead and kisses her there softly. “I’ll make it safe for you to come home, my love, I promise.”
Bay meets us in the foyer with no less than two dozen guards. Outside a transit waits to take him and the two girls somewhere safe. Daxon is with the guards.
“Did it work?” Bay asks as we approach. “Were you able to get her magic into the Nexus?”
“We were. It worked. She should wake soon.” I say, eying Kara in my arms. My eyes drop to her stomach. “Keep them in for as long as you can, babygirl.” I whisper to her, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
“I’ll take her.” Daxon offers.
I’m reluctant to hand her over. I’m reluctant to let anyone take away one of my three girls after what happened to Haven, but I hand her over anyway. Once she’s in his arms I tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “Please take care of her.”
Daxon meets my eyes. “We will, Your Highness.”
“Be safe, little brother.” I tell Bay.
“You too, big brother. Keep our sisters safe.”
“I will, I promise.”
I watch from the door as they file one by one into the transit. I feel Theon’s presence behind me. We watch in silence until the transit is through the gates and out of sight.
“I wish I was going with her.” Theon says quietly.
“So do I, but we’ve got a job to do, to make it safe for her to come back.” I reply. “Let’s get it done.”
“We’re meeting in the war room in twenty minutes.” Theon says and then he’s gone, to gather the remaining Echo girls.
Before the battle begins I need to talk to Haven. I figured she’d already be in the war room, but I spot her inside Amara’s chambers when I walk by. I walk in to find her standing in front of the mirror, holding her hair off to the side, looking at her neck.
“Haven?”
She quickly drops her hair and turns to me. For the first time since Limacore, Haven comes rushing toward me when she sees me enter the room. “Aaric, hey.”
“You okay?” I ask delicately.
“I’m okay. Just ready for this to be over with. You’re ju
st the person I wanted to see actually.”
Hope claws its way back into my chest. A hope I have been trying very hard to suppress. “Well I’m here.”
Her eyes are golden brown, more than usual. They shine in the wake of tears and my heart aches to make her feel better. “Look, I know that once the Hunters get here that you’re gonna have your hands full, but I need you to do me a favor.”
Instinctively I reach for her hands, but pull away before I can touch her. Her eyes drop from mine. “Anything, Haven.” I hold her gaze for a moment so she understands how much I mean that.
“I would never ask you to put his life before anyone else’s, but if you can, will you at least try to keep Haydan alive? I know he’s no one’s favorite and he’s a traitor, but he…”
“He’s your brother.”
This time when Haven looks up at me she looks like the old Haven. She even smiles, looking understood for the first time in a long time. I hate Haydan Kasanoff. He hurt Kara and if he died tonight I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it, but Haven would. Enough of my girls are hurting right now. I won’t add to her pain.
“I’ll protect him, Haven.”
“Thank you, Aaric.” Her eyes darken a moment. Then she presses a kiss to my cheek. I smile. It feels like progress.
“Haven, I—I didn’t know that members of a royal Zodiac were allowed to be together. Theon just told me. I didn’t know. If I’d known—”
“Aaric, I need you to stop living in the past, okay? The only way either of us are going to move forward is if we forget it.” More words of hope. It’s these words that feel enough to forget the part I played in her torture. It makes me want to try, at the very least. I’ll never forget it, but I can certainly try to forgive myself, for her.
“Okay, Haven. Okay.” I say, solemn.
Haven leaves first and I follow. She’s about three quarters up the hall when Haydan comes waltzing by. I cease him by the back of the neck and yank him to my side, forcing him to fall in step with me. “Haydan Kasanoff, just the man I wanted to see.”
He flinches under my touch even though it’s his magic that can kill a man, skin to skin. He’s antsy and rightfully so. Neither side is going to protect him. Not the Hunters. Certainly not Theon. The only one who seems to want to protect him is Haven, and Kol. It’s his twin. I get that. Even if Amara betrayed us, I’d protect her. To the death.
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