“I’d never refuse anyone who wants to fight for what they believe in. I wouldn’t dream of denying you the chance to seek vengeance.” I clasp her hands in a show of comfort. “I’ll give you some time to speak with your coven. When you’re through, there will be someone available to show you inside for refreshments.”
“Thank you so much, Your Majesty. I’ll also reach out to a few other covens I know of. Although, it wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve been getting the same messages guiding them here that we’ve been receiving.” I watch as she strides to the gazebo, eager to share what she’s learned with the rest of her coven.
Derrick and Klaus step up to take their places by my side once more. “Seems that went well once you got past the rocky start,” Klaus points out.
I wring my hands together. “Yeah... I probably should’ve kept a better hold on myself when she challenged me. I was expecting it, and yet something snapped inside when it happened, and I may have gone overboard with defending my position,” I reply, confessing the uncertainty of my actions.
Klaus pulls me in to kiss my temple, and Derrick runs his thumb over my knuckles. “Don’t doubt yourself, Precious. It’s good to remind people why you’re Queen from time to time. It’ll also instill confidence in your subjects when it comes time to face off with Silas. They’ll be emboldened, realizing you’re a force to be reckoned with,” Derrick comforts me.
We turn toward the castle and walk around the large building to see the progress of family homes being built. I’ve been trying to spend at least some time each day helping those who would like to build their own home instead of living within the castle. We’ve had so many shifters flooding in each day that the castle is quickly filling up. The prejudice over those with a preference for shifting into an animal other than a wolf has quickly dried up. Especially after everyone can remember being able to shift into any animal they want. It also seems Silas has fueled hatred toward anyone who doesn’t shift into a wolf.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve had individuals reporting Silas’ influence in the ruling of our people in my family’s absence. The four Alphas helping us rule had Silas in their ear time after time when it came to making decisions. Then he had himself placed in charge of keeping our presence secret from the humans. This is how he was able to abduct shifters to hold hostage in his dungeon all this time without being suspected of a thing. I’m sure it also has to do with him using blood magic.
We’re just about at the corner of the castle when Alex telepathically calls to us,“Hey guys, I need to show you something. Can you get back to our suite now-ish?”There’s excitement laced in his voice, and it makes me wonder if he found anything by infusing magic within his hacking attempts.
Without missing a beat, William comes through next,“I was just fixing to call you back too. We just got an update on Silas.”Well, shit. Think of the devil and he shall appear.
Chapter 15
Marcus
Cecily bursts into the room, with Derrick and Klaus trailing behind. The moment my eyes lay on her, a tightness in my chest unravels. She provides a sense of calm no other could give me. Something I greatly value since my emotions were turned back on. It’s been a struggle for me to gain control and understanding of them.
She beelines for my twin and stops just before she’d run into him. “What did you find out?” she demands of him, breathless from her rush to get here. He reaches out a hand to cup her face, trying to calm her down, but she wants nothing of the sort. Her face swings to the side to avoid the gesture. “Will! Just spit it out!”
“Guys! In here! For fuck’s sake, I was the one who called you all here first,” Alex complains, with a shout from his tech lab.
William shrugs his shoulder as if to say he agrees with Alex, and Cecily rolls her eyes before shoving past him to find her other mate. The rest of us follow, hot on her heels. As we enter his space, Alex waves us to crowd around him while he sits like a king behind his monitors. He starts clicking around and brings up a video feed to fill one of his screens. On the monitor is Silas staring at his phone in one of the hallways of his castle.
“You did it!? You figured out how to hack him?” Cecily asks him excitedly. She bounces on her heels and crowds toward him a little closer. As she lays her hand on his shoulder, he scoots his chair back and pulls her into his lap.
“I sure did, Angel. Told you I was making progress, and it was all thanks to you.” He presses a kiss on her cheek before glancing back to make sure we’re all paying attention. As Alex hits play, we find Silas pacing back and forth, gaze trained on his phone.
The sound of his voice comes through the speakers with a slight crackle. “How the fuck was he able to get out of here? Goddamn waste of potential. And then the Heirs all disappear at the same time with a fucking human. What a disgrace to all of us. The whole lot of them.” His thumb swipes across the screen of his phone.
Suddenly, as he reads whatever’s on his screen, his back stiffens and his face goes slack, eyes unfocused, staring into the distance. The picture seems to be frozen. “Is that it?” Klaus asks.
“Keep watching,” is all Alex says in reply. It takes several minutes, but Silas finally blinks and comes out of his trance. His face grows redder and redder before he finally chucks his phone at the wall, causing it to break apart with the force he put behind the throw. In a fit of rage, he yells, moving into the next room. Alex minimizes the window to click on another camera feed where we watch Silas smash a vase from a table, then rips a painting off the wall and puts his knee through it.
He systematically destroys the room until there isn’t a single item left untouched. His breathing is rough and ragged and we watch in fascination as he gathers himself together and a blank expression comes over his face. His gaze becomes cold and detached, before he says, “I’m going to fucking rip her limb from limb. Then, I’m going to do the same to my traitorous leech of a nephew. Can’t follow a fucking command to save his own life. Raise him from a pup with intentions to allow him to rule the world by my side, and this is the thanks I get.”
Once again, he strides from the room and Alex shows us each camera angle, following him through the castle until he finds his first-in-command. “Evacuate everyone to the mountain compound. Make sure they leave all devices behind. We have a queen to hunt and behead,” Silas seethes. The screen pauses on his snarl, plans of murder and torture clear in his eyes.
I never once doubted the accounts Cecily and my twin shared with us on how unhinged Silas is. But it’s a whole new experience to know about it, versus seeing it for yourself. The man I just watched is so different from the one I’ve grown up knowing and then later working with. He’s a master of manipulation and making others believe what he wants them to see in him. I can’t wait to watch him meet his end.
We’re all silent for a moment after watching the footage. So it’s official; Silas now knows Cecily is still alive. Fear ebbs at the edges of my sanity. I know she’s more protected than ever with her bonds all completed, but it doesn’t stop me from thinking of all the what-ifs. I’ve never opened the connection of our emotions through the bond before. I find myself wanting to know what she’s experiencing, if she’s as worried about the possibilities like I am. Thankfully, I’m now confident in being able to control my own emotions, to enjoy the luxury of exploring hers.
Slowly, I open the connection. Cecily outwardly appears calm and collected, even if a little caught off-guard. Internally, she’s a swirling mess of every reaction you could imagine in the situation. Klaus lays a hand on her shoulder, acting as the calming force in her raging storm. She bends her head to lay on his hand in appreciation of his action while staring at the paused screen.
“I guess you all know what my news is now. Way to steal my thunder, Alex,” William says with faux annoyance. Cecily pushes against the desk, forcing her and Alex to turn in the chair so she can gaze upon my twin.
“So is Thea coming home then?” she asks him. It’s clear she’s worried about her friend being behind enemy lines.
William shakes his head and runs a thumb over her furrowed brow. “Sorry, Darling. She’s following Silas so we can find out where this mountain compound is. Once they arrive, we can set off to settle things once and for all. This will all be over soon, and we can settle into ruling our people and bringing peace to all of us.”
Cecily releases an exhausted sigh. “Can’t we just jump past this fucked up shit? Just thinking about seeing Silas in person again is giving me anxiety, and I hate it. I’m giving him power over my emotions and I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it either.” Emotional struggles? Now this is right up my alley. I swoop her up in my arms, Alex’s objections sounding right away as he lunges up from his seat. Ignoring him, I stride from the room. William provides interference as the others try to follow me. We may not have grown up together, but our bond is there as if we did.
The more time I spend with my twin, the more I remember all of the nightmares I was never able to recall over the centuries. I’ve had dreams my whole life about the experiences he lived through. The unknown connection we share is part of the reason why I lost the ability to experience an emotional connection to anything around me. I was developing a bond with Cecily without knowing it through him, then when she went into soul form, I felt the loss viscerally. With my twin and my woman in my life, I finally feel complete for once in my life.
