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A towering figure turned to me and revealed a face that was a combination of my brothers and I. He shared Noah’s slender and broad build, the midnight-black hair that Raphael bore with the same length as Christopher’s. Grand, umber eyes stared with a parallel fire as Kaleb’s, his sharp features alike to Jacque and Jacob— yet, it was his voice that evoked an ache from my bones due to the similarity to mine.

“Alek.”

A thick, golden band gleamed against his left ring finger, like the one our mother continued bearing until her passing. Yet, on his opposing hand, he bore a ring of complete polarization.

He sported the crest of the Sephtis name, the very one that assumed our mothers’ mausoleum. On his finger the snake tightly coiled against the bottom half of his index finger. On him, our crest signified more than the destruction of others for our lineage, but rather, the very destruction of us.

That’s what he had done with our mother. It’s what he would do to my brothers and I.

My jaw tightened at the sight of him before the very same space he occupied.

“May I have a moment with you?”

“What for?” The words were dry upon my tongue, the swelling in my throat rasping.

“Your marriage acceptance.”

“You want to speak with me, not about your first ever appearance before us, or Kaleb, who’s fending for his life at this moment,” my eyebrows furrowed as I took in his oddly remarkable deadpan expression, “but instead, a fucking marriage proposal?”

The anger that fueled my veins was one I’d never fully experienced. The hatred I’d bore for That Man had long been faint and overlooked. Standing before him in this very moment surfaced a turmoil of sensations that spread like wildfire in its driest of seasons— a chasm that entwined further into my bones, all-consuming.

“I witnessed what took place, and I can assure you that your brother, Kaleb, is well.”

It was then a connection sparked in my mind. “It was you who left me that note?”

“Yes.”

My chest caved as the memories flooded my mind in an ongoing chain. “You were present while the ballroom turned into shambles, and vampires, humans, and guardians alike, lost their lives?”

“My presence couldn’t have been known. I—”

A chuckle escaped my lips. “It’s remarkable that after all these years, you’re still a coward who forces a façade that promises nothing butlies.”

“Alek—”

“Don’t you ever call for me in such a tone!” I shouted and neared, his eyes lowering onto me. “You were never our father nor a husband, just a man that succumbed to the thrill of sitting in the highest authority while your family rotted.”

“And yet, you’ve made the same dreaded decision,” he muttered. “Usha advised me on the matter, and it escalated to an affair beyond my expectation.”

My stomach constricted as I asked, “Ms. Hoko? Why would she have spoken to you?”

“There are many things you have yet to learn.” His eyes darted beyond me and searched. “But that shall wait.”

Footsteps echoed, and Christopher came into view, That Man blurring past us and vanishing into the underground tunnel. He halted by my side, retaining distance.

“Did you know about his attendance?”

“I had my suspicions,” Christopher said. “Ms. Hoko had vanished alongside a man too uncanny to overlook before the chaos erupted.”

“And why didn’t you mention such a thing?”

“It was sudden, and once the thought surfaced, they vanished. It was as if they knew when the conflict was incoming.” Christopher crossed his arms against his chest. “Kaleb’s awake. I believe it’s best you hear what he has to say.”

I couldn’t help but wish for my disappearance, to retrieve to a moment where it was only Katerina and I. Where had it all gone wrong? Where did it all start leading to this moment?

The atmosphere within the infirmary was one I wasn’t expecting. Though my brothers surrounded the wall, fury radiated from all of them, and a sense of gloom clouded the space.

Kaleb sat with straightened shoulders on the bed, the suit clinging to his body in shreds as bandages concealed his chest and stomach. His eyes flickered onto Christopher and I as we entered, and the habitual keen grin flourished across his face.