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Octavia sighs. “I can’t carry you and do all the hard work. Titus and I created Solarem. We created mortals. I gave up the love of my life so that you all could flourish. The mortal realm isn’t what I thought it would be, and the rest of you have squandered what I’ve built. Excuse me if my willingness to help is spent. Galen’s resurrection was my reward. The rest of the world can burn.”
“What is it going to take for you to commit to helping?” Essos asks, still holding out hope for one of his parents to be the person he thinks they are. I walk to where Essos stands behind his desk and place a hand on his shoulder.
Octavia laughs bleakly. “There is no more help I can give you. The last thing on your to-do list besides kill Posey is to put the veil between the realms back in place. You won’t be able to do it. You need the blood of…” She pauses, catching herself. “You need the blood of the God and Goddess Supreme together.”
“You weren’t at the wedding, so how did Posey manage to remove it without you?” I point out.
Octavia gives me a Cheshire cat smile. “Are you certain I wasn’t there?”
I think back on it. I remember Miranda, who I now know was Octavia, disappearing from my wedding in all the chaos, but could she have given Posey her blood to use for the ritual that ripped the veil away. “Could the blood of your children work?”
“Their blood is too diluted for that. No, that veil is never dropping again, unless by some miracle you have some of Titus’s blood lying around here in a vial somewhere.”
Dread forms a lump in my stomach. We need to find a real way to make sure the mortal realm doesn’t attack us. The threat of that adds a host of complications for our life that I don’t think we’re ready for, including maybe even needing a representative to act as an ambassador. A worry for tomorrow.
“Why are you being so difficult? There has to be another way,” Essos nearly pleads.
“I’m not being difficult, Essos. I just don’t care. I don’t know what about that isn’t clear.” There is a slight relaxation of her shoulders. “I’m done. I’m done with Solarem and the mortal realm. I’ve spent eons of my life caring, and what did it get me? Not a whole lot, so I’m trying something new. I’m tryingchaos.”
“Chaos isn’t working for me, so I’ll give you one last chance, Mother. Get on board, or get out of my house.” Essos looks at Spot, almost purposefully avoiding the hurt look on his mother’s face. “You can leave. My wife and I have much to discuss, and you’ve broken our trust.” Octavia rises and heads for the door. “One last thing, Mother.” She pauses and turns to face him. “If you don’t turn the dagger over to Xavier by tonight, I don’t care what promises we’ve made, I’ll chain Galen in a metal box and drop him into the ocean so deep that even Kai won’t be able to find him.”
She clenches her jaw before walking out of the room.
I wait until Octavia has closed the door behind her before pulling Essos into my arms. Slowly, he enfolds me in his grip, squeezing just a hair over the line of uncomfortable, but if this is bringing him any amount of comfort, I can suck it up.
“I’m sorry,” I tell him.
“You have nothing to apologize for.” Essos presses a kiss to the top of my head.
“I’m sorry your mother is a monster. I’m sorry I’ve managed to come between you and your whole family. I’m sorry that Octavia won’t help more.”
Essos releases me to sit on the couch. “Come here, boy.” He beckons to Spot, who leaps at the chance to smother Essos and jump on the couch. I smile at the sound of Essos’s laughter before sitting on the arm of the couch. Spot takes this as his cue to climb over Essos and lave me with licks too. “You have nothing to be sorry for, my love. It’s all circumstances we already knew about, all circumstances outside your control. I should have known she wasn’t going to be helpful. She wasn’t before now, so this isn’t exactly a grand surprise.”
“You’re allowed to be disappointed that your parents aren’t who you thought they were,” I tell him gently, scratching at his scalp.
“Stop being insightful. It looks like we’re needed in the mortal realm. We should shower and head there before I change my mind about forcing my mother’s hand.”
“Not going to lock this princess away in her tower?” I tease, pressing a line of kisses along his neck.
Essos pulls me onto his lap, where I land with a yelp. “While my brother is in this house? Fuck no.” His gaze softens. “Be honest with me: are you all right?”
I give him a quick kiss before threading my fingers together at the nape of his neck. “I’ll be okay. I’m a little shaken up at the confrontation, but mostly, I’m just relieved it’s over. It’s like she ripped off the Band-Aid while I was sleeping. Sometimes, anticipation is the worst part.”
“You are appallingly relaxed about this.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m relaxed. I’ve just accepted that his coming back was inevitable. Now, rather than making myself sick wondering when it was going to happen, it’s already happened. It’s done.”
Essos is silent, and I wonder what he’s thinking. “Let’s go. Your father is probably waiting for us. I also want you out of this house. Maybe we should move back into the apartment in Solarem.”
I smack his chest lightly. “We will not be driven from our own home. We just need to come up with a way to keep Galen in line.”
“That’s why Callie is here. I’m the only who know knows how to get to her sons. If Galen wants any hope of being able to meet them, my brother will behave.”
“Let’s hope that is enough.”
* * *
When I emergefrom my shower, I find Cat sitting in my room.
