Watching their reunion as they reminisce about days before the light was stolen from our kingdom gives me a glimpse of what it’ll be like when the rest of the kingdom sees their missing Horsemen again.
Nevaeh stiffens in my hold, and I know exactly why. Harvey remembers everything. Khatri, their past, all of it. Meanwhile, she can barely string two memories together without blanking on the details.
“Nothing to worry about, sweetheart,” I speak softly so only she can hear me. “We’ll make new memories. Better ones.”
She gives me a half smile. “Black magic.”
I can’t help but laugh at my silly mate.
I don’t know how it started, but every time I guess what she’s feeling when she’s trying to hide it, she calls it black magic. But it’s not… It’s instinct. Devotion. I’m always thinking about her, my eyes always searching for her.
Exhaustion is slowly catching up to me like everyone else, but there’s one last thing I need to do before I can rest.
“We need to talk,” I say to Harvey, nodding at Grace in silent reassurance. She’s chewing her bottom lip so hard I’m worried she might draw blood.
Harvey stares at me, quiet and expectant. It’s oddly unsettling… like he already knows what’s coming.
Turning to Nevaeh, I ask her to freshen up while I have a quick chat with Harvey. She’s clearly tired because she doesn’thesitate before kissing my cheek and heading off with Monkey fast asleep in her arms.
My heart swells at how naturally she trusts me now. My mate is a paradox. She’s stubborn, guarded, fiery, and yet she’s soft and trusting with me. It’s an honor I don’t take lightly.
I take Harvey up to the roof instead of talking anywhere near the penthouse. Nevaeh has been through too much tonight. She’s not in the right headspace for more bad news. We’ve been dumping one life-changing event after another on her, and I can’t risk saying too much too soon.
Harvey, aka Mr. Daredevil, climbs up onto the roof’s edge like it’s nothing, and I have no choice but to follow him up.
We sit in silence for a moment while I search for the right words, but there’s no good way to say this.
“Harvey…”
“If you’re about to tell me about my parents, I already know.”
I whip my head toward him in shock.
He blankly stares at the city lights, a faraway look in his eyes. He’s trying to pretend his whole world isn’t falling apart, but it is. I hate that he thinks he has to hide himself from me.
“Visha told me,” He clears his throat. “I didn’t believe her at first, thought it was just another one of her sick tricks. But then Ifeltit. Something in my Divine shifted. A power surged through me… but it wasn’t mine. And I knew she wasn’t lying. Not this time.”
I have no words. Nothing I say will make it better. Judging by his sad smile, Harvey knows it too.
“I’ve had years to come to terms with it, Anxo.” Harvey shakes his head with a weak laugh, raking his hand through his messy hair. “I’m not going to lie, I still hoped for a miracle. That maybe, somehow, Mom and Dad would be waiting for me when I got home. It was nothing more than wishful thinking in the end.”
“I’m sorry. I wish things had turned out differently.” I rest a hand on his back, doing my best not to react when my fingers brush over the raised scars etched into his skin.
“I don’t regret anything. I chose to stay with Nevaeh, and if I had to, I’d do it all over again. She’s always been family. I like to believe my parents were proud of my decision.”
“They were.” His eyes shine with hope at the surety in my voice. “Henry never stopped talking about how brave his son was. He was proud that you stood by Nevaeh when she needed you most.”
His head falls back, weariness settling in. “What the fuck happened, man?”
I have to fight the urge to stall and remove myself from a position where I’m once again responsible for delivering the bad news. But Harvey deserves the truth, even when it rips me apart to say it.
“Your mom got sick almost immediately after you were taken. The grief was too much for her, and unfortunately, our Divine can’t heal a broken heart. The pain ate away at her, and… she was gone within a year.”
A tear slips down his cheek, but I keep going. “Henry held on as long as he could. But I found out too late that he was only waiting for me to take over Conquer. A week after he passed War to me temporarily, he gave in to his heartache.”
My voice wavers, and Harvey doesn’t bother to hide his tears anymore. We sit in silence for a long time, letting the grief settle in before life demands that we pack it away and keep moving forward.
Harvey wipes his face and lets out a bitter laugh. “So I’m an orphan now.”
