Man, I have a lot of people to make things right with and not a lot of time.
Have mercy on me Fates.
CHAPTER 39
My past, my future, my hell
Anxo
Sending a frustrated groan heavenward, I force my legs to keep moving. My lack of sleep in the past two weeks is rearing its ugly head these days. Not having Nevaeh to hold through the night has taken a significant toll on my health, and the giant purple bags under my eyes are proof of that.
All my thoughts revolve around my mate. Our memories together keep playing on repeat like a broken record, and each time, the pain returns like a vengeance when I remember how lost and numb she looked that day.
Now, my life is a never-ending cycle of loving her more than life but having to live it without her. The emptiness in my soul yearns to be with her. My Divine claws at my insides, hoping I would feel its pain because it’s my fault she’s not here.
The day after Grace forged her plan, I had to stand in front of the entire kingdom and announce the departure of my mate. Denying her rights, fate, and power didn’t help settle the guilt.
The news caused an uproar, and I watched angry, disappointed faces demanding me to take my decision back. As happy as I was by those curses and demands, I didn’t miss a ripple of excitement that buzzed through the crowd. Standing before my people, I watched the traitors find glee in the fact that she wasn’t protected anymore, and they had the golden opportunity for a final strike.
Those reactions were the reason I was doing this. So, when Grace asked if I was ready for the final step, I didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. The three Horsemen of the apocalypse present in the kingdom performed a discreet ritual that altered the original enchantment of the barrier protecting our kingdom.
Now, no one intending to harm the Horsemen or my mate can enter the realm—or leave.
With every chant, a chip of guilt fell off my shoulder. My action went against every oath I took, but the image of my mate holding back tears was forged in my brain, encouraging me to go on.
Two nights after the declaration that the Princess of Death was now a rouge, hundreds of my soldiers marched to the portal in the middle of the night, carrying enough weapons and manpower to destroy an entire realm and not just a princess.
As much as that picture enraged me, I didn’t overlook the lengths they were willing to go to cause a single scratch on my mate’s beautiful body.
The Princess of Death has never not lived up to her title.
Our ruse to lure out the traitors worked smoother than I imagined. The power rippling from the force field was so strong it reduced the first line of warriors to ashes.
Once they realized it was a trap, the traitors to the kingdom tried to run back, but a defensive wall of my most trusted and vetted soldiers was waiting for them.
Every single traitor was captured and led to our dungeons, where they werequestioneduntil we had every last one of them imprisoned.
Death was the elected punishment for anyone found guilty of treason. For the first time in Horsemen history, the loyalists and elders united and refused to give a second glance at the traitors. No formal proceeding or public execution. Even the families of those warriors turned their backs on them.
Hazel helped Khatri with the interrogations and learned about the different mythic nations who had pledged allegiance to the coven in their war against the Tetrad kingdom.
One visit to each kingdom and more than half the supporters turned on their tails and ran, leaving the coven to fend for itself. It’s remarkable what a single visit from an out-of-control siren can achieve.
I was in the process of making a contingency plan for the families that lost their breadwinners in the past two weeks, hoping to offer financial aid when Khatri linked me, requesting my presence immediately.
His anxious tone had me brushing off the paperwork so I could rush towards the dungeons at the crack of dawn. Warriorhead Khatri has been of immense help in the past two weeks. Even when he has a family with two kids and a mate to tend to, the man hasn’t once complained about the extra workload.
Stepping out of the shadows, I find the man pacing back and forth. The tense vibe circling him tells me that whatever he found will give me another sleepless night.
Sighing tiredly, I approach the uneasy man, “As much as I appreciate you, it’s five in the morning Khatri, and I’m bone tired.”
“Apologies, Horseman Conquer, but I figured you’d want me to inform you immediately.”
Being cryptic at five in the morning should be a crime.
“Lead the way then.”
Following him, I cross the dungeon gate, nodding at the warriors keeping guard before descending the stairs. As soon as the door behind me shuts, I only hear prisoners complaining or crying.
