She will know what to do,Nyx whispered,as her world isdifferent to our own. And the Primals have different needs. They need hope.
I released a breath of understanding. As I pulled back, the air shifted, wind picking up my hair.The Underworld will need a new Elysian monarch,Nyx added,a ruler to take the throne Rhadamanthus has given up.
My sweet Elysian King, who no longer wanted his crown. Silently, I reached for him, felt his ancient, deadly power meet mine like old friends, and with it, his soul burned to life on my hand. Both greeted me with the knowledge that it was time to move on. To find another worthy of it. And so, I pulled the power from Damon and set it free to seek a new ruler, a demon worthy of it, and his soul I released to him with a promise of forever.
The Fae, I said quietly, looking upon their war-stricken realm.What about them?
What do you wish to do?Nyx asked, curious.
They knew what they wanted. They always knew what they wanted.
They wanted their own Queen. Their own world back. The Fae were never supposed to exist amongst us forever as creatures of Nyx.
Give them their High Queen back,I said.Return to them their own ruler.
Then let it be, Nyx whispered, pulling me into the realms of Fae. With magic I knew would no longer be mine, I rebuilt their ancient palace. I gave back the original power Queen Titania had bestowed upon Pandora, passing it onto the island and giving the land—ancient and powerful—the right to find their rightful Queen once more.
And then I cut myself from Faery once and for all, leaving only a thread of power between us should their new Queen ever need me.
And what will you do, Daughter?Nyx asked as we returned to the palace.What will your destiny hold?
My stomach turned as I considered what I wouldwantforthe first time in months. Not what would be expected of me. What I wanted for myself—for my mates.
I thought about the beautiful house on the secluded island where I could safely raise my little sisters and the twins, where I could live the quiet, comfortable life I always wanted growing up. I never wanted the pressure or expectations that came with ruling. The thought of it made me nauseous. I’d always pushed it down because I thought accepting my fate was the right thing to do. If I had the power to do it, then I should use it to do good.
But I considered the creatures who would be left with the aftermath of the destruction. Who had already been hurt by Dante, exploited and forever changed. I thought about how they needed something stable—and I wasn’t that ruler.
You are a catalyst for change, Sable had told me in my dreams. And she’d warned me I would be forced to make a choice. To choose my path.
At every step of the way, I’d had choices stolen from me. Decided by higher powers. Choices that should have been mine were ripped from my hands before I even knew what I was holding on to in the name of fate and destiny.
I didn’t want to be that higher power for anyone else.
The power must be mine though, doesn’t it?I asked Nyx, prying my eyes open. The world around me was still while I lowered my face from the sky, finding the Goddess standing where Dante once did.
“Yes,” she said, the cowl slipping down her head to reveal her youthful face. “A Daughter of Nyx must hold my power.”
“But not a Queen?”
Something like hope flickered in her silver eyes as she shook her head. “Not anymore.” Her gaze dropped to the skull in my hands, pain crossing her features. Her last connection to our world. “The women who came before you did their jobs beautifully,” she murmured, meeting my stare. “And you are doing yours just as well.”
I blinked hard, though the tears didn’t stop falling. “I think it’s time for a new era.” I glanced down at Dante, painconstricting in my chest. “Not the world he foresaw, but something else. Something the creatures of Nyx can find pride in. Something that istheirsto claim.”
“And what do you wish to happen, Daughter?” Nyx didn’t move as I turned towards the battle frozen behind me, and my mates—my amazing, loving mates—were around me, surrounding the barrier around Nyx, Dante, and me.
I took them all in, a lump forming in my throat. “You know, back home in my world, we don’t really have use for monarchies anymore,” I murmured, shivering as the Goddess joined me in observing the battle. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t corruption or war or useless deaths.”
Nyx hummed under her breath. “There are opportunities for more creatures like Dante to infiltrate our systems if you step down.”
“I know,” I replied honestly. “But it didn’t stop him from trying regardless. He still saw a weakness and he exploited it.”
“As do all like him,” she said, looking down at the rotting male behind us. “That does not answer my question.”
“Would I be selfish if I said I wanted to step down as Queen and give them the power to rule themselves?” I asked, staring at the agents—the other creatures—who came to fight with us against Dante’s forces. Who were putting themselves at risk by helping my mates. The Wrath demons brought to Avalon by the Elysian demons. Creatures from the city who sought out the battle. Agents who stayed, returning to fight.
Nyx stepped forward, her face a careful mask of calm as she observed her creatures. I couldn’t help but watch her as she took them in; from those wounded and still rising to keep fighting, to those who knew they couldn’t win and yet risked their lives anyway.
Something softened in her expression as she cocked her head. “Perhaps,” she replied finally. “But it would be no different to what I had to do, I think.” As she turned back to me, the mask slipped, and her true form revealed itself. The half skeletal side of her face lit up with the same markings as the skull, though rather than the violet that mimicked my magic, itwas silver. “My power created Pandora to forge balance. At the time, the world needed a Queen. There was no unity between my creatures. There was no real peace. But the world is different.Youare different. And it is time we reflect that.”
