“They stopped believing in me, Everett!” I throw my longbow at his chest. It clatters at his feet.“Look where we are. Surrounded by death, and the cause of it. You and Father have forced me to be friend and foe; I heal so they can fight to the death again. That’s not honorable. You have turned me into a monster!”
“That’s man’s fault, not the gods,” he retorts, shaking his head as bitterness coats his words.
“If we are their children, shouldn’t they care about us? Where the fuck are they? Why don’t they want the war to end?”
“Who says they don’t?” he sharply replies.“Every parent has to let their child go. We must watch them fail or succeed.”
I shove past him.“I’m fighting.”
The time bubble snaps, prickling my skin.“Guards!” he shouts.
I whirl around.“Don’t you dare.” Two guards come to my side, each grabbing my biceps.
Everett steps closer.“You can spend the battle in the healer’s tent or locked up. It’s up to you. Today will not be the day you die.” He storms past me, never looking back, which means today he won’t die either.
I’ve never been scared of dying. How can I be? Everyone must. I came to terms with that early on.
I never imagined I’d die with my mate’s cock buried so deep inside me I saw the heavens. An ambush of colors, senses, tastes, and smells I can’t define.
And when he bit me, fed from me… it changed everything.
My heart? Erupted.
When he drank that first mouthful of my blood, I was reborn.
Ever since Everett stopped me from dying in battle, I’ve been waiting for death to claim me. After my brother's death, I hoped my death would be soon. I longed for it, for the pain and grief to stop.
Then Titus showed up, and everything shifted. I sensed he was my mate. I hated it. If Iwere mated, I would have to endure overcoming the grief of Everett’s death. It’s a dirty fact I don’t want Titus to know.
I stopped thinking about death. I was focused on keeping Titus alive. There is something else I haven’t told my mate, a deep knot in my stomach that is so anchored and buried, it can’t be freed. So I cut it loose from my ship—my mind—I stopped thinking about what Everett hinted at.
But now I feel it, a huge barrier blocking all the warm fuzzies settling in my belly.
I praised Titus for being brave. Yet here I am, lying under him, floating between consciousness, lost in an orgasmic high. I’m a hypocrite. A part of me wants to convince him to run away, so we both can just find a cave to live in and fuck in till the end of our days.
That’s a happy ending Tristen would applaud.
Everything Everett has predicted is coming true. Everything… including my ending.
The problem is, I don’t know when it will be.
Titus is with Adrian. Tristen has remained outside my door as I sit, hugging my knees. I’m sore in the best way possible. I wish I could bask in that.
I should sleep more, but the tea I just drank makes closing my eyes impossible.
“Tristen!” I shout. A moment later, the door opens.
“Did you call?” He pokes his head inside. His goofy grin is a defense, buying him time to dissect his prey. Look deep in his eyes, and you’ll see the offense he’s hiding. He’s a lethal weapon, just what I need to protect my mate.
He makes you laugh because you step closer and speak freely. He’s waiting to gobble up your secrets and turn them into weapons. He uses his thick lashes to make you think he’s a ladies’ man looking for his next hookup.
In truth, he’s scanning the crowd, spotting the predators that might prove deadly to his family.
“Come,” I wave him inside.
He steps into the room and rubs his ears. “Sorry, I wasn’t sure if you called. I’m still deaf from all the sex screams. Next time, can you warn me to descend a flight of stairs?” He holds up his hands. “Listen, I’m happy Titus got laid, but… yeah… I don’t need to hear it, which is odd because sometimes Nero and I share. I don’t mind when he’s there, but Titus is too much like a parent.”
I wrinkle my nose in distaste. “That’s a lot of details I didn’t need.”
