The Forgiven

by Nikki Hunter

The sound of Bekket’s muffled sob as he covered his face sent Camila into motion. She placed her hand in between his broad shoulders. Bekket looked up but didn’t meet Camila’s gaze. He watched in shock as the king stilled, his last breath a shudder that broke Bekket.

  Guards that had rushed in after the fact or who had stood up from where Camila had thrown them out of the way, began to chant.

  “The king and the queen are dead. Long live the reign of King Bekket.”

  The sound was quiet and empty. No one moving amongst the bodies that were littered on the floor. Some guards hadn’t made it. Jasmine hadn’t made it. Queen Katrice and King Reynold had produced their own end.

  Camila sighed as Lance, Yehven, Zayn, and Kade began to wake. A small wave of relief and joy filled her even in this moment of sadness. She mulled over the thoughts of everything the queen had said, of everything she had seen in her actions.

  They weren’t so different after all.

  Two women willing to end it all for the ones they loved.

  Epilogue

  Camila stood, staring into the room she had barely occupied. The space where she had battled her emotions after hearing about their pasts. It felt like so long ago. The space, their relationships. It was all different now.

  Bekket had taken on his crown, though it was a battle for him to accept it all. Something inside of him still seeking approval from himself that he couldn’t easily give. Now in Noreen’s castle for formal negotiations, Camila was back.

  None of the men knew of the version of themselves that had stayed here. Or of the conflict that they had all put themselves through with all their pitiful insecurities.

  Unsure of what to do with herself, she stood at the edge of the bed letting her mind wander. Her squabble over the things they hadn’t told her felt so childish now. Wasted tears. Even with the now unbroken bond still in place she still thought back to the pain of it breaking. Of the time it took for her to realize that she would accept not one but all of them as her mates without it.

  The stirring of a gentle breeze against her back broke her train of thought and the soft click of her door closing startled her enough to send her in a turn that left her stumbling.

  Blue. Like the sky just before the sunsets and paints itself with a pink and orange farewell. Blue. Mixed with the brown of a sand storm that left behind chaos. Somehow a calm mixed with never ending violent tornadoes of churning emotions. It was his eyes. Kade’s eyes. That somehow always caught her off guard. So many feelings always bottled up within him. His magic always feeding off of others leaving him to carry everyone else’s burdens.

  “You’re confused,” Kade said slowly, finally making Camila look away from his eyes and to his parted lips.

  Confused. Yes, that was a good word for it. Camila slowly nodded. Perhaps, it would also fit to say that she was at war with herself. With the emotions of being back, with the memories no one else shared with her but would always cherish, with the fear, the wild, unwarranted fear of commitment. But Kade would know that. Kade would sense that.

  Casually, Kade pushed his back against the door, his hands digging into his pockets as he chewed on his lip.

  Camila bawled her fists as they itched to reach out to him, run her hands over his broad chest and down the etched lines of his abs.

  “It’s okay to be confused,” he started, pulling away from the door. Unhurried, he reached for her hand. Opening up her fist, he began to draw circles over her knuckles. “In time you’ll come to an understanding with everything that happened here.” He stopped the gentle circles on her hand that left behind a sensitive sensation and pointed to her head. Kade’s finger touched her temple quickly before he continued, “One day you’ll get your mind to compromise with this.” His fingertip, trailed down her face, over the curve of her cheek, the tendon of her neck, the point of her collar bone, and stopped just over her breasts. “You’re heart.”

  The slow intake of breath caused her chest to lift up, his finger stilling as her breasts lifted closer.

  “What if you all really have a mate out there? Someone you’ll love more than me. Better than me.” Camila had explained to them the dilemma of the bond the fates had created. Worry creased her brow.

  “Not possible.” He shook his head, lowering his hand back to his side.

  “But it is possible. There would always be this chance you’d pick someone else. Someone who was made for you. Someone the gods handcrafted to please you. Someone who isn’t me.” Camila closed her eyes tightly, wishing away the rotten feeling that filled her as she envisioned any one of them with someone else. “You shouldn’t choose me. You should choose her. Whoever she is. Though I wish you wouldn’t. Is it selfish of me to beg you all to stay?”

  Kade shook his head, reaching up to cup Camila’s face. “I choose you. They choose you. I’ve never been more certain in my life. But it’s you that needs convincing. It’s not any of us. If you let me, I’ll show you how bad I want you. How bad I need you. ”

  Her cheeks heated as a magic chased through her veins. Arousal running rampant under her skin. A gift from Kade. Her core tightened. Her eyes grew wide as she looked back into his gaze.

  “I want to, yes. I don’t want to admit it, damn, it’s even harder to say aloud. But, I’m scared. Will Bekket’s kingdom accept a renegade as their queen?”

  “Camila, you and your rambling.” He tilted his head against hers, his tongue running over his lower lip before he spoke again. “Talk faster, talk less, or just quit talking all together. We’ve already made you our queen.”

  A slow smile broke over her lips, her worry draining away as Kade swept her up in a confident kiss.

  Somehow he was right. One day after everything had settled Camila’s head quit fighting with her heart and she let herself be loved and cared for by five men as she loved and cared for them.

  And it was magnificent.

  Check out more great reads from Nikki Hunter!

  Also by Nikki Hunter

  The Royal Harem Series

  The Hundred Year Curse

  The Curse of the Sea

  The Legend of the Cursed Princess

  The Magic of the Jin Series

  The Needed

  The Wanted

  The Rising from Ruin Saga

  Dawn of Danger

  Day of Ruin

  About Nikki Hunter

  Nikki Hunter is a mom and wife, but also a Friends nerd. When she’s not writing she spends her time binge watching Seven Brides for Seven Brothers while making her husband crazy.