I couldn’t hold the nostalgic smile from spreading across my face.
Dimitri and I had jumped on the Mayflower in September and escaped as soon as we set foot in America two months later. We moved west, leaving the people we sailed with behind, until we could settle on our own farther away. It was the first time either of us left Europe. The first time in centuries that we lived like free, normal people. Mingling with native americans, sharing their customs…We had been far and lucky enough to find a tribe that took us in.
Those had been three of the best years of our life.
“It was,” I simply answered, choosing to keep this part of Dimitri and I’s past for ourselves.
Dimitri and I got married there. Blake used to say I’d been cruel to make Dimitri wait for so long…But marriage, back then, was nothing more than a business arrangement. It felt different there, when we were cut from most of the world.
“Zhizn moya,” Dimitri croaked from the bed, his eyes still closed.
I sat up, handing my cup to Marcus and rushing to grab Dimitri’s hand over the white sheet.
“Remember when we blew up that colonist camp near the tribe after they already tried to attack once?” He paused, a small grin slowly illuminating his face as one of his red eyes opened. “Good times…”
Chapter 26
Carter
Lola sneaked out of bed around 8:00 a.m. She still kissed me as she left, thinking I was still sleeping.
So even if she left me to wake up alone, I chose to take that as a win.
What happened to me? I went from being a grumpy ass to craving and begging for the slightest hint of her affection.
My depraved little matehappened to me.
If only there wasn’t so much crazy shit happening all around us, I’d be living the absolute dream.
So, until Dimitri was strong and lucid enough to answer my questions about what the fuck happened and why Arc was acting like a psychotic freak, I decided tofinallyfollow Margaret’s instruction and finish reading the damn journal.
Amyntas was raised weak.
I blame his mother for showing him kindness instead of discipline.
I wish he wasn’t my heir. He’ll only weaken the Dragon line, unlike my second son, Hecatus. His mother taught this one properly.
Maybe Amyntas will choose a good Maiden. No matter where she comes from in the world or what absurd name she gives his heir, it can’t be worse than him.
Or, even better, maybe he won’t find a Maiden at all, and be challenged by one of my other sons for the shard.
It’ll be the best outcome.
Amyntas, dead, and his useless mother gone with him. And when it does happen, I’ll be there watching it all unfurl.
What a lovely father that man seemed to have been…
I turned to the next page, surprised by the change of penmanship.
Reading all these pages filled with garbage and demented thoughts makes me more confident in my actions; Tedregon didn’t deserve to be spared, and he outlived his usefulness.
I’m the Shard Carrier now. And I don’t plan on letting one of my dumb brothers take it from me.
My mother is now safe and free in a human clan. Far from the reach of any soldier feeling brave enough to keep raping her. What happened to her is a grave offense, and I hope the stars will forgive our bloodline for breaking our sacred laws.
Maybe they have, already. Blessing me with a mate was the greatest gift of all.
Only a few Astrals ever found their own. Finding my core, even though he wants to keep it a secret, has given me the push I needed to clean up after my despicable father. After all, I don’t want him to be associated with a clan of liars, rapists, and murderers.
