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I huffed. ‘Then why do you hold me back?’

‘I’ve done nothing to hold you, Voski. What you feel doesn’t come from me. But I would urge you to listen to it.’

I frowned, glaring when my mother took another step forward, my heart thumping in my chest—the sting in my skin under that mark throbbing and sizzling in time with my pulse. Panic urged me forward—Grace needed help. More help than I could give, or even Koa.

And yet, if I turned my back on my mother…

‘No fear. What decision do you make without fear?’ Kham rumbled in my head gently.

I swallowed. Without taking eyes off my mother, I raised my voice so it would be heard by anyone in the vicinity, because I could sense them there—most who’d fled when the dragons clashed hadn’t left, they’d only taken shelter under the trees.

“The Dominus mark is mine!” I shouted, and spread my jacket and shirt wide so any who could see me could identify it.

Mother’s face tightened, but she bowed her head to the mark. “I can help—”

“I don’t need you for anything!” I hissed at her. “You drag everyone who follows straight to hell. Do you hear me, Mother? I say no! No to you, no to your power. And no to anything you’d suggest. I cut you from my life and any power I might possess! I want nothing from you—my power is in the love of my mate, that you attempt to remove from me!”

Her eyes widened and her lip curled up in rage. “You ungrateful little prick! How dare you?!” she snarled. “How dare you make her the reason for your strength? I have given everything for you! Even my own Pair! I offered everything to set you on the throne you now claim, yet now you’re too good for me? I gave it all to empower you, and your future son, and his. And what do you offer in return? Taunts and betrayal?”

I would have laughed. “If there’s a traitor here, it’s not me!”

“Bullshit!” I could see the shadow of black power drawing around her, pinpoints of light sparking and crackling through the dark cloud. It was taking her longer to accumulate the power she needed, but she still possessed magik.

I didn’t give a shit.

Torn between returning to my mate, and launching at my mother to snap her neck. But I didn’t need Kham to remind me of the weight that came with death. The burden I’d carried over my father for all these years.

Please, I prayed. Please, end her. Stop her. Stop allowing her to destroy everything, and everyone. Please.

I wanted to kill her. And I wanted to weep. I was so sick of constant vigilance. Sick of intimidation and fear. The only things my mother and the Cruors brought to this world were darkness, and weight, and pain. I was finished cowering before her.

As she drew power around her like a stormy shawl, she stared her rage at me.

I wasn’t afraid.

“Throw it, Mother,” I said quietly, shaking my head. “You won’t touch me. I’ve seen the truth of what is really valuable in this world. If I die in protection of that, so be it.”

Mother sneered. “Weak little prick—”

“No, Mother, just not your puppet anymore.” I turned to lift my voice and make certain anyone who hadn’t fled heard me. “She is powerless against the Creator and unconditional love—watch! Watch her, Cruors! See the truth! Watch her try to touch me with that. She can’t! She leads you to nothing but death and—”

Mother snarled and threw her magik once more, but it bled off before it even reached me.

I whipped around to face her again, and a weak voice rose behind me. “Don’t let her speak. Don’t let her hold anything over you.”

I turned with a gasp, to find Grace, supported by Cali, wobbling to her feet, shaky and pale, but beautiful.

I felt my mother suck at the power, and calmly stepped between her and Grace so when she threw it, it deflected.

I would have been triumphant to see Grace on her feet, but it was clear something was desperately wrong. Yet my brave, beautiful mate gritted her teeth and met my shocked gaze with love in her own… then turned on my mother.

Purpose

~ GRACE (Moments Earlier) ~

The pain was intense. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t keep my words in order. Could barely think. I was curled in the dirt, Voski and Cali crouched over me, and all I could do was pray.

‘Koa… something’s wrong.’