Page 20

A heavy silence passed. The fire cracked and popped.

Time continued on, the moon creeping higher into the sky outside the window.

The crickets were audible in the grass that surrounded my home.

“I made a deal with Bahamut long ago. My soul in exchange for a request. I served him for hundreds of years, and once he was gone, I was appointed as his replacement. It’s not a position that I wanted, but I had no choice but to take it. ”

“What was the request?”

He was quiet as expected, but that silence never ended. It continued to burn long after the firewood had been extinguished. An answer never came.

I didn’t ask again. “There’s no way to be free?”

“No.”

“Have you ever?—”

“I want no more of this.” He didn’t raise his voice, but there was unquestionable power in his tone.

I let it go. “Okay.”

His muscles relaxed slightly as he gripped me.

“I like that you stay.” Sometimes my lovers slept over, but most of the time, it was just a means to an end.

Viper and I had stayed together in his quarters in the castle, but we knew we had an expiration date.

Wrath could disappear whenever he wished, go away as quickly as he emerged, but he stayed with me through the night like he didn’t want to go.

“You make it hard to leave.”

I walked through the courtyard of the castle.

The cemetery was there near the edge of the cliffs, most of the headstones faded because they’d been weathered by the sea air and the sunshine for so many years.

It contained the kings and queens that came before me, my father’s family that I didn’t have the honor of ever knowing.

There was a single headstone unlike the others—because it had two names.

Vivian and Lena Rothschild . And it usually had a beautiful arrangement of white flowers gathered at the base. I never saw who put them there.

I walked past it and headed toward the double doors between the olive trees.

As if my father knew I was coming, the guards opened both doors, and he emerged, dressed in his king’s uniform without his blade, the family crest with Khazmuda in the sky above. His jaw was clean like he’d shaved earlier that morning, and he usually looked angry even when he didn’t feel that way.

But when he looked at me, that hostility always dropped—and he never looked happier. “ Zunieth .” He walked to me, and as if we hadn’t seen each other in weeks rather than days, he embraced me with a kiss on the temple. “How are you?”

The guilt started to get to me. If he knew I’d bedded the God of the Underworld, even if it was because I desired to, he would be so livid he would probably disown me. It was temporary and it was a secret, but I still felt like I’d committed a horrible crime. “Good. You?”

“My men told me you’ve been sailing.”

“Yeah, just to catch dinner.” I tried not to take anything from the stores. Wanted to live on my own and be my own person. I seemed to have inherited my father’s stubbornness…among other things.

“I’m glad you’re getting back on the water.” He smiled.

“Khazmuda will be here soon. We’re going on a hunt.”

“So, you do like bear?” I teased.

He smirked. “Just for old time’s sake. We both have our own families and our own lives. We don’t spend time together the way we used to, not when we were inseparable.”

“That’s cute.”

“I can see the same connection we share between you and Zehemoth.”

“Yes.” But we weren’t fused. My father said I needed to wait until the right age to make that commitment, to be frozen in time in that appearance forevermore. He said I was still too young, needed a few more years.

“Were you here to visit your mother?”

“No. Actually, I came to see you.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Everything alright?”

“Yes, all is well.”

He probably told Khazmuda to give him time, because he turned his head slightly as if he was having a conversation with someone that wasn’t there. He looked at me again, his eyes focused like he didn’t want to miss a word of what I had to say.

“I don’t want to detain you. It’ll be quick.”

“Everything is second to you. You know that. Khazmuda knows that.” His face remained serious and focused, proving his words with his actions. “Talk to me, Zunieth .”

“Well, I’ve done some thinking and…” I knew I wasn’t a coward. I was someone who faced challenges head on rather than took the easy way out. Maybe I wouldn’t be as great as my father, but I would certainly try. “I want the crown…if you still think I’m worthy enough to have it.”

His reaction came on slowly, like a flower that gradually bloomed in spring.

Brightness reached his eyes, and then the rest of his features followed suit.

The happiness was infectious, the sense of pride was strong, and the affection was the deepest it’d ever been.

“You already know that answer, Lily. But is this what you want?”

I nodded. “It is. I was scared that I’d never be you. But I know I could never be you…I can only be me. It will be a different reign, guarded by a different blade, but my heart still beats the same as my forefathers—and it will beat strong for this kingdom.”

A smile lifted his lips, and he took a deep breath. Signs of mist erupted in his eyes, but they disappeared before his next blink. He stepped closer to me and gripped my shoulders, looking down at me with pride brighter than the sun. “That’s my girl.”