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“After all, Scylla knew what she was doing when she set forth the prophecy pertaining to the child born of the first people. Scylla was among the first people within the Nine Realms. They’re mirrored after the nine worlds in Norse mythology. Her blood houses the gift of fertility through it, which is how she could influence and design the matter of Aria’s birth. Scylla didn’t blindly select Aria as a champion. Instead, she molded her from magic and carefully built her into what would be needed to end the suffering of her people. Everything Aria is, or will be, isn’t by chance. It’s by design.”
“How do you know that?” I queried as Lore picked up the volume I’d been reading earlier and began tossing the ancient tome into the air. “Lore, that’s older than you are. Put it down.” Greer glanced across the room at Lore, smirking as he begrudgingly placed the heavy tome back on the table.
“You’re not the only one who has access to the library, Knox. Do you think I waste away pining for you when you go out to safeguard against attacks? I pity you if you truly thought I did so. I enjoy history, but I love learning about the little queen driving you up the wall. Your pretty peasant is a mystery to even those of us who know it all.” Dusting an invisible speck of lint from his tunic, he returned his attention to me. “If you’d have been paying attention instead of fantasizing about Aria, you’d have read the part where Scylla didn’t merely call upon the old gods. She called on the Norns. The beings who shaped the course of destinies from two beings into that of one.”
“What does that mean for Aria?” I demanded, as emotion shot through me. Fear of losing her after I’d finally learned to see more than my anger. I’d never craved to be bound to anyone. Definitely not as badly as I wanted Aria to be tethered to me.
“It means, you dolt, that she’s destined to discover who she is and then, once she has, whoever is connected to her will grasp onto the thread. Once they do, it will either intertwine their destinies and souls together, or create inner turmoil until both rip it from their souls to free themselves of the connection. The Norns were both malevolent and benevolent maidens. Which one answered Scylla’s call remains unknown.”
“Are you telling me Scylla was unaware ofwhichtype of Norn answered her fucking plea before she sacrificed God only knows what in order to create Aria?” If that were true, it meant Aria could be malevolent, as well. If what Greer said was factual, it meant she might turn into the monster the Nine Realms feared she’d become. Which would leave us with a new, stronger, more calculated monster running rampant through the world.
“It’s impossible to know which type answered her call. I can tell you that the malevolent Norns enjoyed causing tragic events, while the benevolent Norns were both kind and protective. If you’re asking if either taints Aria, then the answer is no. She’s neither. That girl is the monster you and others created. They couldn’t influence her any more than I could. Who and what they are isn’t the issue at hand. It’s who they twined the thread of fate to, which should worry you the most. If the latter of the two held the thread, then Aria would know much more tragedy before she unravels it, severing the thread. Aria will have to decide whether she wants to intertwine her fate with someone else or cut the thread that connects them together. But if Aria breaks the thread, she may lose her own life.”
The blood humming through my veins stilled, then began thundering in my head. I wouldn’t allow her to cut shit if it ended her life. Nothing was worth that happening, even if it meant abandoning her. I wanted her with every fiber of my being. I knew I didn’t deserve her after the shit I’d done to her, but I planned to do whatever it took to ensure she remained mine. Unless the cost was her life.
Without that girl, the world held no value to me. I’d rather watch it burn to ashes than live without her light burning within the realms. If given the choice between her life, and saving this world? I’d choose her. If I couldn’t have her, so be it, then. I’d walk away to ensure she survived at all costs, even my happiness. I had been raised to become a king since I came into this world. But it had also forced me to sacrifice what I wanted for most of my life. It was ruled by a fundamental element, all pertaining to my reign. As king, my wishes and wants came dead last to the entire kingdoms. They had taught me that since my father had told me what would be expected of me. She’d be another thing I’d sacrificed for the greater good.
“Stop that,” Greer growled, forcing me out of my mind. “You haven’t lost her yet. I doubt you can easily sway her to give you up. The difference here is, you’re both fighting for one another. Aria didn’t leave you for another, Knox. She left to discover who she was and where she came from. Don’t you give up on her merely because you’re uncertain if she’ll end up tethered to another? I doubt she’d ever allow anyone other than herself to choose her path, let alone a preordained destiny not of her own making. That thread? It doesn’t attach to her pussy, either. It’s merely a connection, one she’ll decide how deeply embedded into her soul she’ll allow it to touch or link with.”
Greer stood, then sauntered to the whiskey where he poured himself two fingers of bourbon. Swirling it in his glass, he sniffed the amber liquid before pegging me with an arrogant stare.
“The issue at hand is this: Time isn’t the same between their realm and ours. There’s no telling exactly how much time has passed there. I’d also advise you to worry about her brothers. Not all will be so willing to step aside and let the youngestdaughterof the Prometheus bloodline sit upon their throne.”
His words forced tension to fill the space we occupied within the library. A quick glance at both Killian and Brander told me they’d felt the same fear churning within them as I did. Lore, on the other hand, was Lore. His eyes lifted as they met mine, then slid to Greer, who frowned as Lore’s brows shot up and a smirk pulled up the corners of his lips. Then he broke the silence with the question churning through all our minds.
“So, how do we get my girl back? Daddy needs to be sure his future baby momma is safe. Can’t have her having all the fun, either. I mean, I get she needed to do this, even if it was a stupid idea. But think about this, gents. If Daddy Lore rides in on a stallion to save the pretty princess? Shit, Aria may saddle up and ride me like a cowgirl in reverse while milking my balls,” Lore stated as he turned his head to peer at a picture of the magazine he held. “I don’t know who this Marilyn Monroe is, but baby girl is on fire! Bet she’d be fun between the sheets. Think she’s still single? Because I’m going to be honest here, I wouldn’t mind rolling around with her. Hell, I don’t even care if it’s in the grass or mud.”
My palm scrubbed over my face at his inability to stay on one subject. Lore was much younger than the rest of us, but his brain had its own thought process, which bordered on chaos and strategic planning. Unfortunately, the former was normally holding the reins. The others chortled before tossing back their whiskey while buying time to find a polite way to break Lore’s heart.
“If by ‘sheets’ you mean a body bag? I’m certain Norma Jean’s currently turning in hers after hearing your crudeness, Lore.” Greer’s rebuttal had Brander and Killian chuckling as Lore’s frown deepened.
“Who the hell is Norma Jean?” Lore asked with confusion stamped over his face.
“Marilyn Monroe was a stage name. Norma Jean was her actual name,” Greer explained with the patience of a saint. “I swear, you and peasant have more in common than she and the king do. For the record, she’s off-limits. I’ll not have you tarnishing her image with your . . . juices. Find someone other than the Blonde Bombshell’s image to deface.”
“Is there a way into the new realm?” I interjected during a moment of silence between them. Both missed Aria and her sass. Greer missed her litany of slander, while Lore missed her down-to-earth attitude and rattles.
“If there is, well, you’d find the answer you seek here. This library houses information pertaining to every land within its cosmos, but also every magical being living in them as well. If it were my girl who’d gone traipsing off to a strange place, I’d be devouring every book pertaining to the creation of it. Then I’d tear it apart until I knew how to enter it as well. But that’s just me,” Greer stated.
“I’ve searched every annex in this place. There’s no mention of the new realm, not that I’ve discovered.” Did he think I wasn’t scouring the entire library for any hint on how to reach her? From the second I’d felt her leaving this place, I’d become obsessed with forcing her back here, to me.
Greer shrugged indifferently before finishing the two fingers of bourbon in a single drink. “Then you’re not looking hard enough, King Karnavious. If you want her? Fight for her. That girl’s worth fighting to keep. If you want her, then fight. If you don’t, then you’ll only have yourself to blame when your prideful ass is alone with no one but your miserable, ill-tempered disposition for company.”
“Damn, Greer,” Brander muttered. “At least use some lube before you fuck his heart that hard. He intends to fight for Aria. It’s Knox. The poor bastard is infatuated with her. Shit, we all are. Knox knows that if he doesn’t fight for her, we’ll all be willing to take his place. He isn’t about to lose her, not after we forced him to face what we’ve all known.”
“And what is that?” I demanded as his words caused Lennox to rear his head, preparing to rattle until they bowed before him.
“That Aria is your queen. She’s your other half, asshole. That girl was born to bring you to your knees. But she’s also the one who’s helped heal your wounds.” Brander’s eyes slipped to obsidian as Lennox released a soft rattle, as if he respected my brother’s overall opinion of Aria.
“He’s not wrong, Knox,” Killian agreed with his eyes downcast from Lennox, who sat beneath the surface of the veneer I wore. “As someone who was against her to start with? You know I hate admitting to ever being incorrect. But I was about Aria. She makes you a better king. That girl makes us all see beyond the hate we held against witches. Fuck, you know I tried to hate her. It was impossible to hate her, though. She sings to babies and carries them as if they’re her own. She’s the queen, to your king, and there’s not another I’d approve of sitting beside you on the throne of Norvalla.” Killian shoved his fingers through his messy hair and smiled. “So, where do we look for the answers to gain entrance into the new realm? Because I sure as fuck don’t intend to watch you sulk until she returns. Besides, my guess is this within that realm? There are other women who rattle and purr. I’m glad you got one, but that doesn’t mean I’m not jealous that you did.” The other men snorted their agreement as I rose, smiling.
“Then we best get to it, assholes. If Greer is correct. Which, we know he normally is, Aria’s walking into a hostile environment. She assumed they’d welcomed her with open arms. But that might not be the case.”
“Have you met Aria?” Lore asked with one eyebrow pushed up to his hairline. “Because that little momma isn’t about the ‘fuck around lifestyle’. My future woman is more about the ‘find out what happens when you do’. We should pray for them. They’ll underestimate her. Aria’s dainty like a flower, but that is a gross miscalculation. Nah, Aria’s the nuclear option. And when she chooses violence?” He shivered, as if imagining what she’d do. “Let’s just say if they force her to that point, we won’t need a doorway into their realm. They’ll be rushing out of there in hordes, which’ll be a hard thing to miss for anyone watching for her to return to the realms.”
Chapter Seven
Aria
