When Hayle’s eyes met mine, they softened. I swallowed hard, my sight going watery. I didn’t regret kissing Lierick, but I would regret every second if it hurt Hayle. I didn’t deserve him.
Kian reached out and shook the Baron of the Third Line’s hand. “Sir. Good to see you again.”
“You too, young Halhed. Please, call me Viktor outside of the Conclave. I hate the grandstanding.”
“Me too, sir. You remember my brother, Bach? And this is my sister, Avalon.”
Viktor Taeme shook hands with my brother, but when he got to me, his eyes were assessing. “I don’t think I’ve ever had the honor of meeting Miss Avalon. It is good to make your acquaintance finally.”
He seemed… warm. Friendly. He knew that I was his son’s Soul Tie—Hayle had told me earlier that he’d informed his father I was his Goddess-ordained mate. If Viktor Taeme was disappointed in me, he didn’t show it.
“I look forward to getting to know you too,” I choked out.
Viktor looked like the older version of his son. The same lightly wavy hair, though admittedly, with more gray streaking through it. He had lines around his eyes and across his forehead, and he was larger than Hayle, more solid across his chest and shoulders. He looked like an unmovable mountain of a man, but despite his power, he didn’t feel threatening.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t a threat, which I quickly learned as Vox melted out of the darkness of the forest. “Good, we’re all here,” Vox called, and I watched all the casualness leach from the Baron of the First Line.
His lion, who was as tall as Viktor if you included the top of his mane, let out a low, warning chuff. The Baron in front of me now was one hundred percent dangerous.
Vox lifted a hand, but bowed his head. “Baron. Thank you for coming.”
Hayle came to stand beside Vox, as did I. Viktor looked between the three of us, his face scrunched in confusion. “Someone better explain what is happening here.”
“Dad, uh, you know that Avalon is my Soul Tie, but she is also Vox’s…” Hayle trailed off. We hadn’t really put a name on it.
“Girlfriend. No, she’s more than that—she is my person. If it were possible, I’d make her my wife,” Vox said with that cool monotone he always had, which I was kind of glad for at that moment, because if he’d put any feeling in it, I might have cried.
I wasn’t sure who looked more confused, Viktor or my brothers.
Hayle cleared his throat, patting Vox on the back reassuringly. “It was my idea. Anyway, that’s not why we wanted you here. Actually, the fact that Vox and I are in a polyamorous relationship with someone from the Lower Lines will probably be the least shocking thing you’ll hear tonight.” He laughed nervously, reaching over to grab Lierick, tugging him toward us. “Father, may I present Lierick Hanovan, Heir to the Second Line.”
Bach audibly gasped, while Kian frowned. The Baron’s lion stepped forward and snarled, but Braxus stood in front of us, his own growl hair-raising.
Both the Baron and Hayle called their companions back, and the silence in the clearing grew tense, until the Baron let out a long sigh. “You’ve decided to move then?” he asked Lierick, and now it was my turn to look shocked. At least I was in good company.
Taking a step forward, toward his father, Hayle looked as confused as I felt. “Youknew?”
Viktor Taeme gave his son an indulgent look. “Yes. We’ve always known that they’re up there on the other side of the Herelean Cliffs, from the day they left. The Third Line Baron knew almost immediately, and every Baron since then, right up to myself, has been told. When I hand over the reins to your brother, I’ll tell him too. Although, it might be a little redundant by then.” He looked regretful. “Sorry, son. It was a secret that had many lives attached to it. Every person who knew was a crack in the armor that kept them protected.”
He shot Lierick an intense look. “There are very few secrets that can be kept from the Third Line. We have always known the Second Line would rise again. If your intentions are noble, we won’t stand in your way.”
Lierick appraised the older man. “But will you stand with us?”
Looking between Lierick and his son, Viktor raised an eyebrow. “It seems we already have.” The lion at his feet chuffed again, and Viktor nodded. “This is not the place to speak of such things. Later.”
Lierick nodded back, and Hayle went over to his father. As Viktor took his son in his arms, hugging him tightly and speaking softly in his ear, I watched with envy burning in my chest. And when I looked over at my brothers, I saw the same longing on their faces.
Reaching out, Kian pulled me closer. “Are you sure about this, Avalon?” His brow was scrunched in a familiar look of worry.
I wasn’t sure which part he was referring to, but it didn’t matter. The answer was the same. “Yes.”
He squeezed me tightly in his arms. “Then we have your back. Always.”
I reached out and wrapped an arm around Bach too, until the three of us were hugging. “I love you guys. There’s still so many things you don’t know, and I don’t know how or when I can tell you—” My voice broke, and I buried my face in my brother’s shirt, just like I used to do when I was a little girl. My father might have been a disappointment, but Kian had never let me down.
He tilted my face up. “It doesn’t matter what it is, Avalon Halhed. You’re our sister, and we love you too. We’re always on your side.”
A noise in the distance had all the animal companions’ ears pricking up, and Braxus took off into the darkness while the lion and Alucius stood guard in front of our group. A yip in the darkness had Hayle taking off too, and I ran after him, despite my brother calling me back.
