And fate—godsdamn fate—had done this to her.
The realization curdled in my gut, sharp and bitter. I had been bound to a lie. She had been bound to a monster.
“The fates are working overtime with you and Elowyn.” Thomas smiled. “Balance must be restored. And for that, you are meant to end that bloodline. Your reward is having the woman who should have been your mate to begin with.”
I swallowed hard before looking at Ezra. His shoulders fell as he let go of Thomas. Realization sinking into both of us.
“But it will be at an unknown cost to Ezra and Farris. Fate always demands a price, even if you are the god of it.”
“Where is she?” I asked. “Can you see where she is?”
Thomas nodded as he watched me with curious eyes.
“For the God of Fates, you sure aren’t seeing a lot.” Thomas raised an eyebrow in question.
I sighed. “I can’t always see the fates of the gods, especially if they are close to me. And I have never been able to see Elowyn’s fate or my mates.”
Thomas’s eyes slid to Ezra and lingered there far too long. Something unreadable passed over his face before he smiled.
“You, beast,” he murmured, “will do great things. Terrible things.” He nodded before turning his gaze back to me.
Ezra looked at me but I had no clue what Thomas was speaking of.
“Fate is working overtime, Abram. It will ensure Elowyn meets Philip—even cursed it had them cross paths. That was always meant to happen. But when you loved her back, when you saw the bond and still chose her, you broke the curse without knowing it. Your choice was the only thing capable of undoing what Jade bound to her.”
He paused, letting the weight of it settle.
“Jade’s curse is already fading. Fate will reward Elowyn by giving her a mate, and in time, it will reveal the bond between them.” His gaze sharpened. “And you are running out of time.”
I stared at Thomas, not sure if I should punch him or hug him for being able to see what I couldn’t.
“But what was the point of the curse if it led her to her mate anyway?” I asked.
Thomas shook his head and sighed.
“You are the curse. She was always going to fall in love with you; it is why the moon brought you together when she asked for the man she would love. She did not ask for hermate. Theheavens wanted you two to fall in love so that you would sacrifice your mates. The realm is suffocating because of what Gilyx did with the barriers.
“The vyrak are helping the god, Rolph, from Gilyx. This is the heavens protecting the realm. You and Elowyn can have each other, but only if you do what you must—kill the vyrak for good. Besides you should know that Kilryn is fucking everything up too.”
Thomas looked at Ezra. “Farris has her own secrets, and they are what drove her to stay with Philip. By then though, he had already attached himself to her, and that fake marriage they put on was him wanting you to suffer. Philip and his familyhatethe gods.”
“So they aren’t married?” Ezra asked.
“They are, but not in any sense of a true marriage. He just wanted you to leave her alone so he could keep her. And he knows her secrets, and she is willing to die for them.”
Ezra deflated at those words.
“Great, so this went from complicated to nearly impossible.” I began pacing.
I couldn’t hurt Farris. I would never do that to Ezra. But the heavens were going to force my hand, and I knew when push came to shove, I would protect Elowyn above all else. Ezra seemed lost in thought for a long moment before his beast form slowly lessened its grip on him. He stared at me without giving away any emotions.
“We have to kill them,” he said. “Fate will not allow another outcome, especially if the realm is in danger.”
“Ezra…”
“I’ll save her,” he assured me. “I will save Farris even if it kills me.”
Thomas stilled all of a sudden. He walked to the front door and opened it, stepping out. Ezra and I followed him to see what waswrong. Our mouths fell open when we saw the sky lit up with lanterns.
