Chapter 23 #2
And then the door was being lifted off of him again, a red-faced Anadil staring down at him.
“Griffin, you aren’t done yet. Whatever you do, do not trust your brother.
No matter the lies he tells you. He has told me unspeakable truths.
He has no interest in remaining in Grypheem.
He will do anything to force the crown onto you.
Your men will find you here, I will see to it.
Be safe, and I will retrieve you soon.” And then she was gone.
Griffin laid in agony for hours before Felix found him, only to share the news Raven hadn’t escaped. That Oleks had been captured.
It was the beginning of the end.
Present Day – Violencia
“Brother?” Griffin asked, attempting to force the memories out as he stepped into the throne room, his head on a pivot. The last time he had been in there was when he left for Violencia just a few months ago to find Jayce.
The space was just as cold and grandiose as he remembered.
There was not currently an audience, just him and his brother.
Except in this instant he knew this was the King he would be speaking to.
Drago stood from the throne, his crown wobbling as he did so. As if it didn’t fit quite right. As if it weren’t made for him.
“The High Priestess has insisted on the pre-matrimony ceremony. It will be the three of you. It will be viewed by witnesses as is the law.”
Griffin opened his mouth. He wanted to scream in his brother’s face, to argue that the law was disgusting.
That forcing Raven to fuck him and Julian together while a crowd watched on the eve of their wedding was asinine.
But he had long since learned when to hold his tongue in this room, and it wasn’t as if his brother had any control over the matter. It would be a waste of his energy.
“I understand,” he expelled instead. “And after the wedding?”
Drago marched down from the thrown, staring down at his brother. “Then we will invade Violencia. We will assist Anadil in her feats and Raven will be reunited with her child.”
For a single instant, there was a flash of a familiar emotion. One that he shouldn’t associate with his brother.
Distrust.
He didn’t trust Drago. He hadn’t since he officially met Nightingale, and he knew that was by design. But his brother had abandoned him for years. His brother had his own plans all along, and he had never deemed to share them with Griffin.
And then, when he had returned home, it had been cold and unwelcoming. And less than four years later he was being propelled back to Violencia again in search of Jayce with no explanation as to why.
“I found Jayce, and it was only after that I was taken. As if I was bait to be used and swallowed.” Griffin was testing the waters.
Drago’s lips tightened before he forced a smile. “Brother.” He walked to Griffin, a hand coming up and resting on his shoulder. “Surely you remember what happened last time you asked too many questions in this room.”
Griffin’s heart sank into his feet. “You told me to free my wings, but you always aimed to clip them, didn’t you?”
Drago let out a hearty laugh, throwing his head back, the crown falling to the ground behind him and rolling away.
Neither man made any move to go after it.
“I took on a role I didn’t want, to allow you the freedom to exist.” Drago sobered, turning away and going to the crown.
Bending down, he picked it up but didn’t put it back on his head.
Instead he twisted, marching forward and setting it on Griffin’s.
“After this, I will not return to Grypheem. I will stay in Violencia with Ana and you can remain here.”
Ana.
Griffin reached up, taking the crown from his head and flipping it in his hands. “You told the Priestess that Raven was pregnant.” Griffin’s eyes watched Drago as carefully as he could.
Each twitch of his fingers, his erratic breath, the clenching of his jaw.
His brother was livid.
“You came up with an insane attempt to skirt the laws. I did what was needed to keep her safe,” Drago explained. “I told her she was pregnant. And you must make it so.”
“And if I can’t?” Griffin offered the crown back to his brother. He had no interest in it.
“It doesn’t have to be you.” Drago bared his teeth. His attention flicked behind Griffin. “Amelia, sweetheart, thank you so much for coming here! Could you take Griffin to the meeting room? We need to all have a thorough discussion on the next steps needed.”
Griffin spun on his heel to find Amelia standing, her back against the door. He hadn’t heard her come in, couldn’t feel her energy. As if her soul had already left her body and all that was left was the suffering she had endured.
Amelia bowed her head.
Griffin wanted to argue, but he recognized in this instance he didn’t have much of a choice.
“The others should be joining us all soon, and I will be there shortly. I have one more meeting to wrap up.” Drago waved his hand, clearly dismissing them. “An hour tops. You all should start working on the plan for when we land in Violencia.”
Griffin’s plan was simple. They wouldn’t all be landing in Violencia. He had already decided what needed to be done. He would call Illiyana the day of his wedding. He would ship Raven off there to remain safe as this all passed.
Especially if he had to get her pregnant first, which was seeming more and more as a necessity.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
He heaved a sigh, his eyes flicking one last time to the unwanted crown before following Amelia.