Page 34 of Heir of Broken Souls (HOBF #3)

Chapter 34

Delilah

I t isn’t until I’m fumbling atop the deck from the storm crashing against the ship do I pull away from the griffins. There’s no need to explain our plan because, quite frankly, I don’t believe we have one.

There is just one goal—stay alive.

I have no doubt that what’s coming is what the prophecy warned us about.

With guided fins comes the battle at dawn, that which you must survive.

Though no one guessed that the battle was not face-to-face with one of our enemies—Hazel—but with the power she wields against the sea.

Knox strides toward me and as he sways, I know it’s bad. And by the furrow of annoyance flitting across his brow, Knox is brimming with tension at the lack of control.

“Gods,” he swears.

“The harder it gets to remain steady the more I want to throttle her.”

A look passes over his eyes, one that makes me pause.

Regardless of our earlier conversation in the late night, what feels like days ago but was only a mere few hours, I ask again, “Do you think I’m becoming a monster?”

Knox shakes his head as he reaches me, wrapping his thick, corded arms around my waist. He plants us both firmly on the deck, as if to remain steady all we have to do is stay connected.

“I believe you’ve suffered a great travesty. I believe your life has never been in your own hands. I believe that having your fate manipulated by others would make even the soundest minds go mad.”

My face crumbles into a frown. “That’s very poetic of you, but you dodged my question.” I can’t help but snort. “And are you saying I’ve gone mad?”

Knox throws his head back on a deep belly laugh.

I shove his chest playfully. “I’m serious! That was a whole lot of nonsense.”

“What I’m trying to say, Angel,” Knox says around a chuckle, his fingers tucking a piece of hair behind my ears, “is that you could never be a monster, because I feel you have every right to be as angry as you are.”

His eyes bore into mine with a hard graveness that makes me pause.

“If I were in your shoes, with the weight of all you have to carry—the loss, the grief, the injustice of having your very life ripped away from you and placed in the hands of a true monster—I would have gone on a killing rampage against all those who did me wrong.” He pulls back, a sly smile tilting up the corner of his lips. “So, no, I do not believe you’re a monster, Angel.”

Something within his words makes the knot in my chest loosen. As if everything I’m feeling has now been validated by the one opinion that matters most. Because at the end of the day, a part of my soul has already been lost and what remains lies within the palm of his hands.

Expelling a long breath, I drop my forehead to his chest, bending my knees as the ship sways and tilts. “When we make it out of this, after we defeat him—because we will—I refuse to exist in a world where he does not perish for his crimes.”

Not that there will be a world to exist in if he conquers these lands.

“I want to spend my days on the estate with you,” I say softly, letting out a small tinge of vulnerability by voicing a dream that may be new but I believe is worth fighting for. “I want to spend my days lounging in bed knowing I’m not needed to hunt down demons. I want to take a dip in the sea and know that the screams along the shore are those of children squealing in joy and not fright. I want to ride Creseda through the forest without the fear of an attack, and most importantly…” I pull back, allowing him to see the depth of my emotions in my blue eyes. “I want to spend the rest of my days with you by my side knowing that he can never take you from me.”

His mouth opens, no doubt to retort with his greatest fear, but I beat him to the punch.

Placing a gentle finger against his lips, I whisper, “I know all the struggles that come with being a king. I know you will always have enemies and foes, but I do not care so long as you are beside me.”

A deep emotion fills his eyes as his face softens, but his hold on me doesn’t waver.

“We’ll get there, Angel.” He drops his head, planting a feather-light kiss against my forehead. “I’ll fight every day for you to have the life you deserve.”

Sucking in a deep breath, I pull back, only to rise on the balls of my feet and plant a kiss against his lips. His touch is electric, stealing the breath from my lungs, but I don’t need it. Not when I’m touching him. Not when his kiss is what fuels the beats of my heart.

Knox moans into my mouth and the sound of it sends chills throughout my body.

The feel of him, the taste, the touch—it’s a heady power. Always has been and always will be, because nothing will ever compare to him.

“Beautiful,” he groans between kisses.

Someone clears their throat behind us.

Knox, as stubborn as ever leaves his lips against mine, pushing himself against me harder as if to make a point. One that I don’t mind.

When he finally does pull back, I keep my fists clenched around his shirt, loving the feel of the linen instead of the leather fighting outfit, purely because I can feel the warmth of his skin. Although that will no doubt change soon. Elysia’s vision showed everyone in their leathers. As if we could all fight against a storm with our steel.

Coming out of the haze that is Knox Holloway, I turn with flushed cheeks to see Harlow, her hand on her hip and seething with a judgmental glare. All the while, Elysia rocks on the back of her heels beside her, smiling.

“I’d say get a room but considering we may lose this ship I don’t think that’s wise.”

Scoffing at Harlow’s dramatics, I keep my hand latched onto Knox as the ship tilts to the left. “We’re not going to lose the ship.”

“We’ve barely entered the storm and Lenox is already seasick.”

Knox rolls his eyes. “Lenox has always gotten motion sickness, and I hate to break it to you, but losing this ship doesn’t depend on the movements of his stomach.”

“It might if the ship nearly capsizes,” Elysia mumbles, leaning as the ship tilts again.

“How long until the storm hits us at its peak?” I ask.

Harlow cocks her head side to side. “It’s hard to say considering it isn’t natural.”

Knox’s eyes jump to the sea growing darker by the minute, gray and black clouds rolling in despite the sun beginning to rise.

“Do you think we have something to fear?” Elysia asks softly, her gaze also upon the churning sea.

He swallows thickly. “I think we all need to hold on tightly.”

* * *

Thirty minutes later, the storm hits the ship at full force.

The mermaids are safe, well below the sea in the deepest parts of the ocean, as they’re apparently able to hold their breath for hours on end without surfacing.

The ship rises, the mast rising higher and higher and I can’t help but scream as we pass over a wave and see the treacherous drop below. The ship falls, careening down the wave face and it takes everything within me to hold on.

Lenox maintains a steely determination as Harlow screams in frustration, her right hand clinging to Elysia as she, the weaker of us all with no combat training, has nearly fallen three times. Axel covers her body with his, assisting Harlow in keeping the blonde Fae from plunging to the raging water below.

We’re all clinging for dear life.

“I can’t do this much longer!” Elysia screams, her voice full of panic.

“Just keep going!” Knox roars over the wind, his body slowly moving toward mine until we’re flushed side by side. “Everyone get as close as you can!”

“Can’t we just…fly?” Elysia calls back.

Harlow’s voice cuts through the wind, the slight fear tinging it making my heart plummet. “Not with winds this strong. Our wings would never survive!”

“Gods, how don’t you know that? You’re Fae!” Axel growls out of frustration.

“Axel!” Harlow and I reprimand at the same time.

“Excuse me for never being in a storm as deadly as this before!” Elysia spits.

“Enough!” Knox screams. “Focus on clinging to the ship!”

Knox’s order rings through right as a precariously large wave tips the ship, making it free-fall at such an alarming rate I scream. From the sheer drop, from fright, from the pain of my fingernails digging into the wood. Knox wraps his arm tighter around me and yells over the rushing wind, “Get to the griffins! We can’t keep holding on like this or we will die! We need to get in the?—”

But as Knox is screaming his order, a large ball of black fur flies past my head.

All I have is a moment—a split second.

Because what falls past me, their wings no longer flapping, is Aurora.

The roar that leaves Zephlyn is one full of agony and panic.

Without thinking I move, screaming her name with a fierce plea to the forgotten gods.

“Aurora!”

I let go of the sail and push off Knox, crying out as I free-fall.

There’s no time to think of what I’ve just done. All my attention is upon my bonded griffin, hurtling for a sure death.

Falling faster than I thought possible, I reach my hands out for her as the ship hits the bottom of the wave. Water explodes in all directions, and then the ship rises again as a wave greets it once more. Lifting right toward Aurora.

Panic like no other consumes my entire body, pumping adrenaline throughout my veins. I tug relentlessly on our bond, screaming and flailing to wake her before she careens through the ship. A small sliver of reprieve slices into me as her golden eyes flutter open the moment my fingertips graze her fur.

But she’s run out of time.

“Delilah!” Knox roars from behind.

And then suddenly, we’ve both run out of time.