“We were so happy, for a time. I imagined my life stretching out into the centuries with him beside me, always. But my family—mybrother—” he scoffed with derision. “He insisted that the line must continue.”
“The line?” I raised a brow, not sure what he meant.
“The royal line.” He clarified, making me gasp in surprise. “My brother was king of Day then. Your great-grandfather.”
My mouth fell open. Shock on a level I hadn’t felt since my transition radiating through me. That meant… Titan was my great-great-uncle?!
“He insisted that I had to marry a noble woman so we could produce children that would keep the line plentiful. It was my duty, according to him. Despite the fact that soulmates are supposed to be sacred, preordained by the gods—not something a mere Fae can overrule. Not even a king,” he explained, shaking his head mournfully. Pain was written all over his face in sharp relief as he continued. His large body slumped slightly from the regular, upright soldier’s posture he usually maintained.
“The very thought disgusted me. I wouldn’t marry some noble woman when my soulmate was right there. So, I refused to marry anyone but him. My brother was of course enraged that I would dare to defy him. He said that if I wouldn’t contribute to the family, then I was no Earendel. I told him I was perfectly fine with that, that I would leave, and he’d never have to see me again.” His voice stuttered, and he closed his eyes. I put my hand on his shoulder as this huge warrior Fae, the oldest Fae alive, whom I had believed impenetrable, fought back tears. He clutched at my hand, forcing his eyes back open.
He cleared his throat, gathering himself before he continued. “So Zephyr and I planned to leave. He didn’t care about me being royal. He loved me for who I was, not what my name or blood brought with it.” Titan smiled softly, closing his eyes at the fond memory. “Zephyr was willing to leave his whole life behind if it meant we could be together. We knew that we could build a good life for ourselves somewhere else.”
His expression darkened as he opened his eyes, “But my brother viewed my refusal of a royal match and decision to leave as a direct insult to him. Everything was always about him, you see. I was out in the city, finalizing our travel plans, when I felt something strange through the mate bond. I ran home as fast as I could.”
A sinking feeling in my gut told me I knew what was coming next.
“I got there and found my brother standing over Zephyr. He waited until I walked in the door, smiled at me, and then drove his sword straight through his heart, killing him instantly.” Titan choked out, tears beginning to fall down his face as the pain finally overwhelmed him.
“He made sure I would be there to see it, but not close enough to do anything to stop it. That I’d be able to see the heartbreaking fear in Zephyr’s eyes. See the sword piercing his heart as I felt my own shatter in my chest. That as the bond went dead, I’d have a front-row seat to my brother’s glee as he killed the only person I would ever love. As he doomed me to an existence as empty as his.” Titan’s voice shook as he recounted the tragedy.
His head bowed as he struggled to rein his tears in. I sat back in shock, my hand covering my mouth as I processed the horror his brother had put him through. I couldn’t imagine the pain he must have experienced, that he still clearly felt. The idea of walking into a room to find Arien standing over Calix, unable to do anything in time…
It would haunt me for lifetimes.
Just as it had clearly haunted Titan.
“I swore,” he continued, his voice raspy from crying, “that I would get revenge one day. My brother thought killing Zephyr would bring me back and make me yield to his demands. Instead, I escaped at the first opportunity. I went across the border, disappearing into Night before my brother could stop me. Calix’s grandfather, Nadir, helped hide me from my brother. He took me in and made me part of his family, in a way I was never part of my own. He became the brother I never had.”
Titan smiled sadly, looking at me. “I promised I would look after his family for him, while I kept myself alive through the centuries with the promise of one day getting my revenge on my brother. Even after his death, I knew his son, and his grandson, were no different. I wouldn’t let that line continue forever. I promised I would find a way to end them all.”
He grabbed my hands, and I was so speechless I just blinked at him. I vaguely felt like I should apologize, even though this was all many,manyyears before I was born. “You are the promise of a new era, Asteria.”
I tilted my head to the side, uncertain what he meant.
“You will dismantle the horrid rule my brother set up. The system they have in Day is horrendous because of him. All the worst parts of my brother’s corruption. But my revenge? It was hard to admit that my chance for it truly disappeared centuries ago. Now, the best revenge I can hope for is seeing my brother’s legacy dismantled. And you will be the one to do that. You will make anewEarendel line. One that my ancestors and I can be proud of. And you’ll be ruling side by side with the Erebus line, the one I’ve spent centuries loving as I should have been able to love my own.”
“You don’t hate me for being an Earendel?” I asked quietly, dipping my head down. It was all a lot, and I was struggling to understand.
He lifted my chin, our sky-blue eyes meeting, and I suddenly didn’t know how I missed the resemblance before. Even his blonde hair, cropped short, was the same color as my father’s.
“Not any more than I could hate myself.” He smiled gently. “We didn’t choose the family we were born into. But we can stand against the ones within it who perpetuate such evil. We can put a stop to it.”
“That’s why you’ve been training me so hard since I came back Fae.” I realized, “You knew I’d be able to help you accomplish this.”
“Partly, yes.” He conceded with a nod, before his eyes gleamed brightly. “But more than that, I finally saw an Earendel worthy of the name and the crown.”
I sucked in a breath, holding back tears. The idea that I wasworthyof either…
I threw my arms around his wide shoulders, and his arms came around me in turn. I hugged my newly found great-great-uncle, another piece of family I didn’t think I’d ever have, and mourned for what had happened to him. What he had lost.
What had happened to both of us because of the actions of those who should have loved us unconditionally.
Blood can always hurt you deepest.
* * *
By the timeI’d showered and changed, Priscilla had been waiting for me in my room. I jumped, surprised to see her waiting on my bed, and she laughed happily.
