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Cyrus

I am a fool.

I allowed my hatred for humans to be my downfall. My enemy noticed and exploited it perfectly, leaving me completely vulnerable and far away to protect the one thing that mattered to me.

A human.

The forest is beginning to grow dim as I continue as fast as I can atop my horse to the estate. I never should have separated her from us, and I never should have placed her so far away, especially when Elias expressed his interest and purposely baited the both of us at every turn. I thought my threats would be enough. He clearly knows my history and the line I hail from, but that wasn’t enough for him to keep his hands off what’s mine.

He watched me for weeks, taking in my kingdom and how I interacted with my people. He doesn’t think I will go to war over her, a human, especially since I sent her out of the kingdom. He ordered an attack on the palace to keep me occupied. He knew those beasts he sent had no chance. He wanted to keep me away long enough that Anna would be vulnerable. His words to me race across my mind, fueling my rage.

“She’s proven that she wants nothing you have to offer her.”

An overwhelming hopelessness pours over me as I race through the forest. I make so many mistakes when it comes to Annalise, this being one of the worst of them. I let everyone else’s words cloud my judgment, and I let my distrust outweigh what was right in front of me. I failed. At every possible test I failed, and now not only my people but possibly Annalise will pay the price.

“Fuck!” I shout.

The scent of blood hits my nose as the top of the estate peaks through the trees. My heart is racing as I approach. If I can smell this much blood from this distance, then something is definitely not right. The estate is silent as I ride up the path. There are no guards to greet me and no servants as well. But I see no signs of blood on the outside.

I jump off my horse as he rounds the front, sprinting up the steps.

“Cyrus, wait!”

I ignore Felix’s calls, pushing open the doors. I’m assaulted by the overwhelming scent of blood. My eyes widen as I take in the massacre before me. Bodies are littered across the floors and hung from the ceiling, each of them sliced open in a violent way. Every servant and guard has been murdered. I hear Felix’s footsteps, along with the rest of my guard, entering the estate, their murmurs of horror filling the air.

“Cut them all down. Now!” I shout.

My gaze shifts to the blood surrounding the door of Annalise’s bedroom, and I quickly make my way up the steps, pushing open the door. I quickly take in the scene in horror. There’s blood everywhere, but none of it belongs to Anna. As a matter of fact, none of her blood has been spilled within this estate. My scan immediately halts when I see Joan on the far side of the room.

“Felix!” I shout.

I quickly make my way to where Joan’s body is, my fingers trembling as I reach her. Her body is held up by the blade that protrudes through her abdomen, anchoring her against the column. The blade itself has begun to cut through the rest of her as the weight of her body brings her heavier down on the blade. Her head hangs as blood drips from her lips. A wave of relief washes over me when I hear the faint patter of her heartbeat. She’s alive.

Barely.

“Joan,” I say her name softly as I remove the blade from her body, catching her unconscious form.

Felix’s footsteps enter the room, and I hear him hesitate as he takes in the scene. His gaze falls on Joan and me, and his eyes widen slightly in panic.

“No,” he murmurs, quickly approaching.

Joan is a fierce warrior. She was a beast who earned top marks in the academy and trained under Felix to join the palace guard. When Annalise came back, I decided to trust her life with Joan. She is a generational warrior, and her family is dedicated to the crown. Each generation served in the military, including her late father, who was killed in the war against hunters. She was proud of the job I had given her, to be the silent protector of the future queen.

Felix kneels next to me, studying Joan’s injury.

“Is she…”

“No. She’s hanging on barely. I can only keep her alive at this point. We need to get back to the palace and get her to the healer,” I say quickly.

I stand with Joan in my arms, heading to the front of the estate.

“What else did we find?” I ask.

Felix is silent for a moment.

“Tell me,” I growl out.

He takes a deep breath before responding.

“They’re all dead. Everyone stationed at the estate. All the beasts’ bodies have been robbed of their hearts. The only body that hasn’t been accounted for is the human that Annalise saved,” he says.

“What!” I hiss.

My gaze shifts over my men as we step out onto the balcony and I look at Felix, narrowing my gaze.

“Not a word of this to anyone until I can figure out what the hell is going on,” I snap.

My mind is all over the place. I am familiar with injuries and tactics in the art of war, but this attack doesn’t make sense to me. Anna’s blood isn’t anywhere to be found on the grounds, and the human is gone with her as well. But Annalise wouldn’t betray me, nor would she leave without Ciel. And I can’t believe she would turn on Joan, leaving her in such a state. She is too gentle of a creature for that.

But the more evidence that turns up, the worse this looks. All signs point to betrayal. It makes perfect sense. I brought her back against her will and took her son while forcing her to be a part of a culture she hates. Even in her last moments, she begged, and I still turned my back, taking Ciel and her freedom. I took the last thing tethering her to my kingdom and she’s completely turned on me, only sparing the human she chose over her son’s kind. And seeing as she didn’t use my seal, she must have worked with Elias.

“Cyrus. Calm down.” Felix’s voice is low as he tries to calm me down.

He can see that I am losing control.

“We don’t know anything for sure. And making assumptions won’t help anyone, especially right now. We need you to remain calm until this is sorted,” he says.

I look down at Joan. Her breathing is shallow, but she flinches in her unconscious state, showing signs of waking up. Her pain must be terrible. She fought hard against Elias, but I can only wonder if Annalise was on the other end of that sword, telling him to kill her.

Suddenly I remember what Felix said about the dead bodies. Their bodies were desecrated, meaning Elias killed them for the purpose of taunting me. Joan, however, was left alive. They didn’t take her heart.

“Elias kept Joan alive for a reason. Come. We must return to the palace quickly.”

“Would you like me to take the little prince?”

I look up from the maps on my desk to see the servant who cares for Ciel in the doorway. I shake my head.

“No. You’re dismissed,” I say.

She bows, leaving me alone. Ciel has finally fallen asleep in my arms. He’s been fussy and stubborn all day, the lack of Annalise’s presence daunting to him. And I refuse to let him out of my sight.

It’s been two days since we returned to the palace, and Joan has yet to show any signs of waking up. She lost a lot of blood and had damaged internal organs. The damage isn’t something that could be done by a weapon but by the power of a beast. The damage also extended to her vocal cords but I was able to save them mostly.

Lucky for me, when they attacked, I was in my right mind enough to keep one alive for interrogation. But we also don’t seem to be getting anywhere with him. This is all new territory, and it seems that each answer brings more questions. When we traveled across the sea, there were no signs of beasts. Even Felix said the scent of Elias was strange and I noticed it when I spoke to him. I sent a few men to track them down, but I know it will be difficult because of these variables. And I cannot leave as king because I do not know if Annalise aided him to escape. Too much damage was done for me to leave the kingdom. Too many lives were lost. And the palace fell under attack. I am needed here.

The door to my study opens to reveal Felix. He has a worried expression on his face.

“Joan is awake,” he says.

I don’t hesitate as I stand with Ciel in my arms, making my way to the infirmary.

When I arrive at the infirmary, Joan is sitting up, her eyes down as I enter. Her face is covered in bruises and cuts from her battle. Her throat is darkened, where Elias damaged it, and she has stitches on the side of her face. She looks up at the sound of my footsteps, trying to move.

“Don’t,” I say softly.

I take a seat next to the bed and Joan’s eyes fall on Ciel just as tears form, spilling over. She drops her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking as she speaks.

“I tried, Your Majesty. I just wasn’t strong enough. I failed you. I failed both of you,” she says softly.

I inhale deeply reminding myself that Ciel is in my arms. I silently stand, handing him off to Felix.

“Take him to bed. Watch over him,” I say softly.

Felix bows, exiting as I turn back to Joan. Usually, I would be swift in getting answers, but the words are like lead on my tongue as I force myself to speak them aloud. The fear of history repeating itself on such a wide scale paralyzes me.

“Did she do this to you? Were they working together? Did she willingly—”

“No! Of course not, Your Majesty.”

My gaze shifts to Joan, and she’s watching me with wide eyes.

“Annalise was taken. She begged for my life. He offered her freedom and revenge, and she wouldn’t take it,” she says.

I don’t know what emotion to feel. Joan continues to explain but I can’t hear her due to the ringing in my ears. It grows loud as the world seems to fall away. Annalise was taken. She begged for Joan’s life and turned down revenge. She was taken. She didn’t leave on her own.

I slowly sit in the chair next to Joan, my eyes focused on the ground.

“Your Majesty?”

When I look at Joan, she has a concerned expression on her face.

“What did he say to you before he took her?” I ask.

“His last words to me were, ‘Tell your king, I have now claimed the stray human he allowed within his palace walls.’”

My fists clench as I hold back my rage. I force myself to think of my father’s words to me, forcing my mind to remain calm. As a king, I cannot be hasty.

“Thank you, Joan. You have done well, and you will be rewarded generously for your sacrifice. We will speak more when you have fully recovered,” I say.

I turn away from her, making my way to the door, when Joan calls out to me.

“Wait. There’s something else,” she says.

I notice the shift in her tone, turning to face her. More tears spill down as she finds the words to speak. The words seem to elude her as she looks at me, her eyes wide with terror.

“Annalise is pregnant, Your Majesty.”