Nerezza's Point of ViewAll I could hear was my rapid beating heart. Smell the fear clinging to my skin. This was the start of a new journey. One I had no idea where it lead. The only thing I needed to know was that my soul would be lighter after this goodbye. That I had paid homage to the man who had brought me this far at least.There was once a time when he had loved me. And I had loved him. Now the time had come for me to move on. Become someone else again. A version of myself that was happier than before. Gone was the plan I had for my life. Gone was the idea that I might one day sit on the throne.None of those things were nessacray. But saying goodbye was. Because for all his faults, he had been good to me in his own ways. Yes, he knew where Conan was and I was going to get that answer from him yet. But all the other things weren't as tainted as I had once thought.Our memories together. Farren in the garden, picking flowers to bring me whilst Reginald lay with his head in my l
Amadeus' Point of ViewI fucked up. Alastair was livid beyond comprehension. I had kept yet another thing from him. Concealed it because Nerezza had made me promise. Now it came back to bite me in the ass. As it always does.Would I do it again if I needed to help her? Absolutely! Would I regret it afterward? Hell fucking no. His anger was better than her being hurt again. Especially after dick-face abandoned her. Although, now my twin wanted almost nothing to do with me. It was a harsh reality of being this close to someone. Of being born together. Soon enough, the sun would rise and Nerezza would explain this to everyone. Tell them about what Priamos had done. Not that he had made any effort to explain himself either. The man was mute. Only speaking to his fawn in hushed tones when the thing became unruly.He had slept in a spare bedroom. Woke up two hours before dawn only to find the three of us already waiting for our mate. The disdain on his face was enough to knock a lesser man
Nerezza's Point of ViewI woke up to the smell of mildew. Musty. A stench I had come to know only in my previous life. Not here. Never in the palace. Everything was always so clean. Pristine and neat. As if just one speck of dust could send the entire empire into ruin. So, waking up to that pungent smell was strange, to say the least. Then came the aches in my body. My back was stiff. Pounding hard against my spine. Every muscle groaned as I sat up. Forced my eyes open. For a moment, I had no idea where I was. There was barely any light and it took my eyes a second or two to adjust to the dimness.The walls were of deepest red brick. The floor was made of cement. There were bars to my left. A makeshift toilet in front of me. The rest of the air smelt stale. No one had been here in a while. Or they cleaned this place so thoroughly that no scents would linger. Which was highly unlikely.Sorting through my memories, I remembered the night before. How Reginald had died, blood spurting ev
Lysander's Point of ViewOur worst fear had come true. Nerezza had been thrown in jail. Our newcomers had told us everything. How they were sent to kill Reginald and how Nerezza had taken the fall for it. According to them, they were too shocked to take her with them. Finding their mate was one thing but realizing she had more than one was a whole other ballgame. So, they had fled into the night. Left our unconscious mate there to be thrown to the wolves. She would no doubt be hanged for her crimes against the royals. Put to death in front of spectators. They would cry. In outrage or in sorrow was still to be determined.I could see our other newcomer struggle against himself. Veins popped out from his neck as he looked at Zaven and Kallik. His eyes morphed into anger. Farren wasn't the same, either. There was a smallness to her now. As if she had collapsed in on herself. Bags beneath her eyes. Red-rimmed. Had she been crying about Nerezza or the lost father figure? We would never
Priamos' Point of ViewFarren was beyond angry. And so was I. What the prince had said on the screen wasn't even close to the truth. Nerezza had done nothing wrong. Instead, he had ordered the demise of his father. Spurred by greed and power, he killed his own flesh and blood. I didn't know the entire story beyond that. What had happened in the past was something only Farren could tell me. Which wasn't an option now. She was brooding as we drove on. Angry and silent. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she looked out the window. Glared at anyone who passed us by and recognized her. All of them would wave. Or bow their heads. Another mystery I couldn't piece together.Being in the dark felt blinding. I didn't know what to expect. What to even think. It was obvious where we were going but what I didn't know was how Farren and Nerezza had ended up there in the first place. Being away from civilization for so long was now the worst mistake of my life.Sparing a glance to my left, I n
Priamos' Point of ViewWatching the two of them face off was like watching a train crash. You knew it was coming but it looked so peaceful. In slow motion, building up until the inevitable crash. People's getting ruined. Screaming women. Crying children. Their tones were flat. Composed. From years of being inside a palace, I guessed. There was no hard evidence as to how this woman came into the picture from the start. Just that she now owned the place and that didn't sit well with my sister.Even the way she was sitting on the couch was dominating the space. Arms spread out across the back. Smile on her face that bordered on cruel. This girl was the opposite of Farren. Yes, my younger sibling was composed. Elegant, even. She had a dominating aura about her. But this other woman was a master. Where Farren played in the minors, Phaedra won at the masters."What kind of betrayal, Farren darling?" Phaedra mused and scooted in her seat. Took up more space than she had just now. Farren coc
Nerezza's Point of ViewThe roaring of engines woke me up from my fitful sleep. People greeting each other in bolstering voices. It all carried down here to where I sat in purgatory. A ghost waiting to finally leave this earth and settle into her hell. The funeral must have been closer than I had first thought. Much closer if everyone was already arriving. From my slitted window at the top, I could see the sun's rays rising. They were here early. Coming in by the dozens. Of course, they were here for the funeral but they would stay for the coronation.And my execution. The thought of dying chilled me to the bone. There were a lot of things I had still wanted to do before that day. Before the world became a blank canvas to me. But I should have thought of that before I wanted to ruin the entire royal family. Thought of my son more.Sometimes I convinced myself that I did none of this for him. All of it for me. But that wasn't always true. I had wanted what was best for him in life. T
Lysander's Point of ViewI couldn't go to work. Nor could I see my family. With the latter, the reason was more complicated than the former. I simply didn't want them to see me this upset. Distressed. Mother would pry and send father to speak with me when she couldn't throttle it from my throat. Isaac would complain about how I was now leading a double life and they knew next to nothing about it.The same conversation I had every night with my brother.With the former, my mind was a complete mess. Nerezza surrounded every waking thought I had. How we could help her and what they were doing to her in that hell. It was a neverending road that lead me to spiral from time to time. Rip out small hairs at the base of my skull. I was a sitting duck, waiting for our minds to come up with a fucking plan. This was the worst part of it all. Waiting. Always fucking waiting.The twins had settled into a tense silence beside me. Their last argument was about several seconds ago. The moment the new
Alvara's Point of ViewEveryone was waiting. Everything was ready. Perfect. The best day of my life. But I couldn't help the sudden surge of nerves. What if the cake fell off the table? What if Ciaran had forgotten the rings? So many things could go wrong so fast. It was an endless cycle of what would be worse.Someone showing up in white or the brides' maids tripping halfway down the aisle. "Can you stop fidgeting? Geez. You look perfect!" Teagan exclaimed. Downed the last bit of champagne in her glass. I frowned at her. Looked toward Adelia to back me up. She only shrugged. Smiled and stood.Her long blue dress swayed against the tiles. Heels clicked as she moved closer. Wrapping her arms around my shoulders, we stared into the large mirror together. "You do look perfect. And you are marrying the loves of your life. Nothing can ruin today. I promise." She tried to comfort me. It wasn't working. My large A-line dress did the best it could at hiding the fact that I was pregnant. Nea
Nerezza's Point of ViewFarren had changed the estate exponentially. Enhanced it to the point where I was uncertain if we had come to the right place. No longer were the walls a dull black fence. In their place stood a large hedge with flowers sprouting in every direction. Security posted at the white frosted gates. White gravel leading into the place. It was exactly the type of wonderland I had thought her capable of constructing. A mansion fit for a fairy queen.I could feel my jaw slipping open. Feel awe creep up on me. She had accomplished so much in just over two weeks' time. Knew where her strengths were and used them to the best of her abilities. It was astonishing. We stopped in front of the gates. Were greeted by guards I knew the faces of. Couldn't place them immediately until one spoke up. "Miss Nerezza! Farren wasn't expecting you to be back so soon!" The man exclaimed. Held open his arms for a hug. I looked back at my mates. Noticed their frowns. But the gesture finally
Nerezza's Point of ViewWe had gathered everyone in the open space in front of the house. Gave them all blankets. Scavenged some clothes in all the surrounding houses and dressed the youngest of the children. Not all of the garments fit properly but it was enough to stave off the cold. Protect their innocence. Especially seeing as they had been through so much already.Conan was still passed out in the blanket Priamos had taken him away in. Milla sat close to him. Hugged his legs to her. Whimpered whenever one of my mates would get too close or linger too long. Her clear distrust of anyone was to be expected but I had never imagined someone of her age would already possess such hatred for other people.Alastair had turned back into his wolf form. Scouted for any remaining men in the surrounding area. He made his second lap around the premises before I stopped him. Held my hand on the patch of white he had on his forehead. The dark brown wolf nuzzled my hand. Looked me in the eyes."Go
Nerezza's Point of ViewThe brute had no time to recover. Or dodge. Only time to twist before Zaven lunged at him. This gave me an opening. Enough time to slip past the brawling bodies. Snarls and yips echoed into the hall. Slithered down my spine.I pushed them all away. Focussed on finding my son again. The chaos coming from downstairs was enough to bring me to my knees. The fighting had spilled inside. Men peppered the house with bullets. But none came up. Saw me at the top and shot but never pursued. "Conan!" I called down. Felt fear ripping at my heart again. If he was down there, the odds of him making it out alive were slipping away by the second. "I am in here!" The boy called dutifully. His voice came from behind me. From the door I had seen the brute enter. Slipping inside, I closed it. Pushed the closest thing I could find in front of it. Which was a doll house. Large enough that a toddler could climb in and disappear. The roof of the house was a bit worn but brand new t
Nerezza's Point of ViewThe second floor of the house wasn't nearly as run down as the first floor. Held much more luxury. Paintings of people long since passed. Pieces of art. The floors were of high-quality stone. Made me feel almost guilty for walking all over them with my dirty feet. Children's toys were also scattered about. Littered the landing of the stairs. Along with the modern living room beyond. Off to the right, there was a kitchen. Neat. Clean. State of the art. Glass front cupboards lit up by lights on the inside. It almost rivaled my own."This way." The elderly lady whispered. Touched my arm briefly in passing. She lead us down a short hall. Past two other rooms with their doors tightly shut. A bathroom light was on at the far end, just beyond the third room. This was where the lady slowed down. Stopped in front of. The door had a name on it in colorful lettering. Conan.I felt my heart skip a beat. Until voices drifted into my ears. Amadeus hadn't followed us up. H
Nerezza's Point of ViewWe moved toward the light. Split up into our respective groups as we progressed. Our paws made less noise in the snow. Or maybe I couldn't hear them anymore above the pounding of my own heart. Either way, Amadeus and I remained behind the rest. Lagged a bit.From our current vantage point, I could make out two trucks closest to us. Neither looked to be filled with children, which was a slight relief. Until I realized where most of them were. In a hole, unable to ever return to their hopeful parents.Under Reginald's rule, several hundred children had vanished, seemingly, into thin air. I had a part to play in that monstrosity of negligence. Had always swept it under the rug so that he focussed on what I had wanted first. Now I came to regret it. Knew that those children had most likely been peers of Conan's later on. Priamos lead the way for Lysander's team. Curled his head left. The assassins and the heir padded off in that direction. Settled in somewhere out
Nerezza's Point of ViewConan might be in a dark and freezing hole somewhere. Trapped by other children's corpses. His soul unable to return to the goddess by proper burial. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run to that village. Scream at the top of my lungs until my son answered. But it was out of the question.I would get killed before I even made it inside the first circle of houses. Bunkers. Whatever they used to store these neglected children in. Anger mixed in with my despair. Coated my heart in a sickly black slime.They had to pay. Whether Conan was alive or dead, they had to face the consequences of their actions. Humans had long since forgotten there were monsters lurking in the dark. Had forgotten that firelight never scared us away. We would have to hunt all of them down. Every last one. Devour them.Because they had taken my son from me. The last ray of hope I had left in this life. No amount of tears would fill the hole he had left inside of me. I braced mysel
Nerezza's Point of ViewPriamos, the twins, and Lysander set out at first light. Four men innocently walking around in the jungle wouldn't spark much interest in the enemies we had more to the north. They had taken hunting bows with them. Arrows. Face coverings. No one would suspect them to be anything but four men trying to find food in this frozen wasteland.Zaven had set out to look for more firewood for the day. Or so he had claimed but I had a feeling there was something else brewing on his mind. Whatever it might have been was irrelevant. Trivial. We could deal with all the emotional fallout of the group once Conan was safely back within our reach."Have you ever fought someone before?" Kalliked asked. Shook out his black hair from some snow that had fallen on him. The snow made his caramel skin look lighter than it was. Made him seem less threatening and more clumsy. But it also made the white tattoos surrounding his neck stand out.Shaking off some of the same snowfall, I nodd
Nerezza's Point of ViewWe had drifted off to sleep. Comforted by the various warm bodies, I couldn't help myself. Felt more loved at that moment than I ever had before. It was a revelation to know that after so long, you were indeed loved and cherished. By the very men you had wronged time and time again.The goddess had known exactly who to give me. Even if I had failed to see that at the beginning. At least I was grateful now. If not for the cold then for their warmth.A persistent knocking drove me out of my slumber. I looked toward the door. Noticed the knocking turned into a frantic beat. This made me wiggle my way out of the mess of bodies. Some of them were even snuggled together. Like Lysander holding Priamos. Zaven holding Alastair. Slipping out of bed, I stared down at them. Felt my heart swell.After everything we had been through, they still remained. Devoted themselves to my happiness. To finding Conan. A few more hours of rest couldn't do anything to them but improve th