Oslo lies still, blood pooling under his prone form.
Together, we rush to his side, an arrow stabbed through his chest, another in his leg, pinning him to the stage. He blinks, a trickle of crimson falling from his lips.
“Pull them out,” I command, already biting into my wrist. My blood can save him. It healed Max, it’s powerful enough to reverse this. I can stillsavemy uncle.
Max’s fingers hover over his chest and she catches my eye, sorrow filling those blue orbs. “Kaden, it’s too late. His heart.” Her fingers twist again and I know, from her tone, his heart has stopped.
Dark Fae can heal any ailment, but it cannot reverse death.
Oslo looks up at me, smiling, fangs painted red, lips mouthing one final message that I cannot hear. Not over the rushing in my head, the failure sinking my gut.
He’s dead.I didn’t plan enough, didn’t execute flawlessly. He’s dead because of me. My heart shatters as the pieces fall to the tile at my feet. It’s a similar feeling as to when my mother passed only so much worse.
Zelos killed her too. Killed Sose. Now, Oslo.
He tortured my mate, brutalized my sister, abandoned my brother. Left me to rot in a cage until I learned to appease him.
He’s taken everything from me—every shred of humanity, gone, crushed under his heel. He is no father—nokingto me.
There’s no fanfare, no celebration, no glorious battle as my uncle leaves this world forSeti’sdomain. He dies on the cold steps of the throne he swore to protect. And I’m powerless tostop it.
My shoulders drop, exhaustion so damn heavy that the grip I have on my curse relaxes. He howls, almost encouraging me as his chains fall away. I have no reason to let him stay caged. No reason to ignore him. Not when he can help me do the one thing I need.
Kill Zelos.
My body shakes and this time, I don’t fight the shift. Don’t stop or hinder it.
Looking to Max, I make her one more promise. One Iwillkeep. “Remember, kitten, I won’t hurt you. Not again.”
Her lips quiver and I close my eyes, fully succumbing to the curse.
Chapter
Thirty-Nine
MAX
Before my eyes, the man I love shifts, from the Fae I fought so hard to help regain, back to his bestial form. His control shatters and body hunching, bones cracking, hair growing long, he disappears into the curse.
Those deadly fangs elongate and his mouth snaps at me, growling into the abandoned room.
Fee stands, sword high, but he snarls at her, sniffing them in turn. Those eyes—widen and clear—are still amber, unlike before. He sees us,knowsus. I brace for an attack, already calling on my magic, but he doesn’t move. Doesn’t strike us.
Kaden’s tie inside my soul weakens, the curse hindering our connection. It dampens, becomes muted and it’s painful not to have that intimate feel of my mate within my soul. But I can stillfeelhim, buried beneath, the Fae I love. The Fae I fought for. And he’s grieving terribly.
Nose in the air, he inhales, a purr vibrating from his chest. Turning, he jumps from the chamber to the hall, in one glorious leap. I stand too, mouth dropping in shock. His display is primal, reminding me of the creatures in the Eternal Night Forest.
Hunting. He’s hunting for Zelos.Alone.
“He’s going to kill Zelos,” I tell the others, watching him leave. “Kaden isn’t going to hurt us but he will to anyone else.”
“We have other things to worry about,” Fee reminds me, checking Oslo’s cloaks for anything important. “What did Uncle say before he died?”
Her eyes are ringed red as the princess tries not to mourn the man who showed her love and kindness, dead under her hands. Instead, she focuses on the next task. Reid sniffles next to me, but he doesn’t break either.
They know we don’t have time to grieve. We have to stop Zelos, save Kaden. Grieving can happen later.
“The bond wasn’t foolproof. Losing Oslo, his exhaustion, it was only a matter of time before the beast was able to break free again,” I explain, glancing to Oslo’s corpse.MaySetigive you peace.“He saidbook. What book? Why would that be important?”
