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“Gods, I was so worried about you,” Willow breathed, cradling her best friend’s cheeks and hugging her again for good measure. “Welcome back, Kingston.” Willow’s warm gaze swept the chief carefully, making sure he was okay, and then landed on me. Her onyx eyes turned icy as she regarded me. “You…”
Not waiting for a response, she whirled around, dragging Evie by the hand.
Kingston and I exchanged a glance, his expression conveying to give her time before he began to walk after them.
“Welcome back, Brother.” The words reached me when Asher pulled me into a tight embrace. “We were worried about you.”
Speechless, I pulled back to look into his eyes. I appreciated his welcome, but I had expected the ice treatment from him too after learning my secret. Knowingly he smirked, rubbing his hand over my hair and messing it up like only an older brother would. Laughing, I pushed him away, only to be hugged, or actually kind of choked under the armpit of the rest of the guys.
“Where the hell were you?” Harper scolded. “You had us all worried sick.”
“Yeah, what happened to you?” Harrison added, his sentiment echoed by the rest of the warriors.
“I didn’t say anything,” Asher assured, which I appreciated.
“We have a lot to talk about,” I confessed, prepared to tell them the entire truth. We had become family, and I couldn’t lie to them. Not anymore. “But it will have to be later. I need to help the princess with something.”
Without waiting for their response, I jogged past them to catch up with Evanna and the others.
“Princess Evanna, wait!” I called after her, receiving an evil glare from Willow when they stopped. “Remember we need to check your parents' painting in the throne room.”
A defeated sigh left her chest, as though it wasn’t even worth it. Before she could tell me to forget it, Kingston placed a hand on her back. “We should go check.”
Her uncertain eyes met with his for a moment. “Okay,” she finally agreed, and she and Willow began to walk towards the throne room.
I began to follow, but the chief held my arm, looking into my eyes with fierce caution. “Are you going to tell them the truth?” he nodded behind us, to where the Elevated Warriors walked our way.
“They are my family, Chief. They deserve to know.”
A troubled feeling clouded his expression.
“You can tell them about your father, but make no mistake, Braxton. They should never learn the truth about your mother.”
The grave and dangerous warning in his words travelled through me like icy darkness, freezing everything it touched.
“But, Chief—”
“Listen to me,” he hissed. “If they discover who your mother was, if anyone here learns that truth, it will be the end of everything Evanna’s family built. The destruction of what your parents and hers gave their lives to protect. You will not be seen as anything more than the descendant of evil.”
The powerful words mixed with the pain of truth spoken. His gaze carried the sadness telling me this brought him, especially because he’d loved my mother like family too.
“Our people will forgive your father’s secret, Braxton,” he continued, “but they will never accept Raithian’s grandson as one of them. Never.”
His somber gaze held mine for another moment, making sure I understood the severity of our situation, and he turned around, walking towards his charge.
The silence stretched around us until we finally entered the throne room, and our gazes went to the large portrait of Ezra and Sienna Skyborne.
“You may check,” Evanna informed, remaining back with Willow.
My brothers and sisters remained back as well, while Kingston and I walked to the wall. They exchanged a glance, surely confused with what was happening, but no one of them spoke.
The painting was far wider than my father’s because it depicted both the king and queen, heavier too, but Kingston and I carried it to the floor together, laying it on its front.
“What are you doing?!” Willow demanded of me when I began to rip the paper that covered the back. Fortunately, Kingston’s hand motioned her to please wait, just as Evie held her hand.
Evanna’s face was the perfect semblance of a queen, showing no trace of emotion, like when she had to witness my duel with Lachlan. A beautiful mask, perfectly crafted to give nothing away, but I knew her. I saw the way her muscles tensed, and she held her breath, silently hoping there would be something for her there, but preparing herself for it to be empty.
Willow noticed too, instantly linking their arms together to offer her strength, even when she had no idea what was happening.
