Chapter 5
Hazel
The Conquer castle comes into view, along with the chaos of construction.
Tarp covers most of the outer walls as the centaurs who run the kingdom’s construction business work tirelessly to bring Anxo and Nevaeh’s vision to life.
Thankfully, the interior is nearly finished, but scraping the gold from the exterior walls is taking a lot longer.
Before, the Conquer Castle looked like a dragon’s lair, gold and precious stones layered across every surface to show off.
When Nevaeh called it tacky, I nearly sighed in relief. One word from her was enough for Anxo to tear it all down and rebuild something she actually liked.
Anxo was more than eager to destroy the castle and everything it stands for after we found out that his parents were complicit in Visha’s plan to kidnap and torture Nevaeh for a decade.
Because of their greed, Nevaeh, Harvey, August, and countless others were sent to a coven that ruined their lives.
He already had a complicated relationship with them after they made his childhood hell, but he couldn’t stand to look at them after what they did to his mate.
Before Nevaeh came home, Anxo only stepped into Conquer when necessary, so after things settled down, he decided his family deserved a fresh start.
If it were just him, he would’ve stayed in the Horsemen Castle forever, but he wanted to give his mate and son a real home… something he never had.
That’s how Anxo became obsessed with tearing everything down and building something untouched by his past. When it’s done, this castle will be a resting place for their family, no matter where life takes them.
I step inside, nodding at the guards, and find Grace outside the throne room, greeting residents waiting to make demands or ask favors from their Horseman with a warm smile, her dark skin glowing with happiness.
Technically, Grace should be in the War Castle handling her own domain since she’s the Queen of War, but after working with Anxo for so long, she hasn’t fully stepped away from being his unofficial right hand.
I don’t know how she deals with people from both War and Conquer without losing her mind.
You’d never guess this five-foot-four woman, whose blood is probably made from sugar syrup, is the Queen of War if she told you.
If it were up to Grace, war would be illegal everywhere.
She radiates a softness that puts everyone at ease just by being in her presence. Her curls are pulled into a half-bun, strings of glitter woven into the thin braids framing her face.
Glitter is just everywhere today, isn’t it?
“Why do you look like you want to strangle someone?” Grace grimaces at me.
“What is wrong with Dean?”
“A lot.” Nevaeh joins us, eyes sparkling with mischief because she knows I’m about to give details about my private life.
“I thought you were going to the Griari empire.”
“Don’t change the subject. What did Papa do?”
I sigh, “He’s not scared of me. Like at all. And he keeps instigating me like I won’t stab him.”
“Don’t take it personally. Dad’s not afraid of anything. It’s a little creepy.” Grace reaches to pat my shoulder, then stops herself at the last second.
I fucking hate it when she does that. I’m not going to bite her hand off if she touches me.
Yeah, maybe I look angry, but that’s just my face. I always look like I’m mad at something.
Nevaeh wraps an arm around Grace’s shoulder, pulling her into a side hug. “It’s not creepy, it’s a Blackburn thing. Get on board already.”
“No thanks. I’m trying to keep our bloodline sane.”
Nevaeh snorts. “It’s too late for that, honeybunch.”
Is this really the family I’m stuck with for the rest of my life?
I throw my head back with a groan. “I feel like I’m going to explode whenever I’m near him. It wasn’t like this with you and Anxo. You guys were so calm and nauseatingly happy.”
“Because we weren’t fighting the mate bond.
” Neaveh gives me a look when I roll my eyes.
“We were hesitant—mostly me—but we didn’t pretend like we didn’t matter to each other.
Trust me, the more you fight against it, the worse it gets.
Your Divine needs him. Give in before the hungry bitch decides to take things into her hands. ”
Okay, now I’m officially scared. “What do you mean?”
“There are some stories about mates going so crazy that they…”
“They what? They what, you glittery freak?!”
“I hope you never have to find out, mama.”
Mama?! I think I just threw up in my mouth.
Nevaeh blinks at me, a wide smile stretching across her face. She’s doing this on purpose.
I lean in until our noses almost touch, then poke her forehead with my finger to push her back. “Never call me that again.”
“But I always wanted a mama.” She fucking pouts like a child.
This entire family is insane.
The throne room doors swing open, and a guard announces that the court will begin shortly as the crowd filters in.
Nevaeh waves before practically skipping out, Grace following behind her to check in with Harvey.
As the crowd settles, I’m a little jealous that while Nevaeh will be having an adventure with the dragons, I’ll be stuck here listening to people talk about their personal lives.
Most requests are genuine, meant to benefit both the kingdom and their livelihoods, but some people come here to ask for more just because they can.
I step into a stunning throne room, passing the towering marble columns that rise to a beautiful gilded ceiling, carved with intricate patterns. Floor-to-ceiling stained-glass windows spill warm, golden light across the room, bathing everyone in a soft glow.
Silk banners hanging from the ceiling move lazily in the breeze. The grand staircase on both sides of the throne makes it impossible to look anywhere else. This room was made for a king, and it shows.
Anxo enters the room with the confidence of a Horseman, striding to his throne in a powder blue suit that matches the dress Nevaeh was wearing.
Those two and their ritual of coordinating outfits every morning.
Anxo takes his rightful seat, looking every bit the Horseman of Conquer, and the court finally starts.
One by one, citizens present their pleas. A couple wanted permission to temporarily move to a different realm because their kid got a scholarship, while others came with business ideas that could benefit them and the kingdom if they had more funding.
Anxo listens patiently. Some requests need us to do more research before he can approve, but he’s quick-witted and calculates cost and risk better than any computer, nearly resolving all the requests within this hearing.
There are only a few more requests left when a guard rushes in, scanning the room until he finds me.
I leave Anxo to finish the appeal and walk over to meet the guard halfway.
He’s breathing hard when I reach him. I remember he’s usually stationed at one of the eastern portals, meaning he must’ve run the whole way here.
The second he opens his mouth, I understand why he came in person instead of linking Anxo.
“Intruder. Captured.”
I’m on edge instantly, and Anxo notices. He dismisses everyone who’s left and asks for an hour to handle an urgent matter—a chorus of agreements rings in the air. No one can resist Anxo’s practiced charm.
By the time we reach the dungeon, Dean and Harvey are already inside the cell. Dean stands over a gargoyle chained to a chair, his head bowed, blood dripping from his chin.
As if he sensed me, Dean’s gaze snaps to mine, something unreadable flashing in his dark eyes before he steps back, shoving his hands into his pockets to hide his bloodied knuckles.
Anxo steps into the cell, circling the gargoyle. “Has he said why he came here?”
“That’s the thing… he wasn’t trying to cross the portal,” Harvey says, leaning against the far wall, arms crossed over his chest.
“So what was he doing? Circling a portal in the middle of nowhere for shits and giggles?” I shake my head.
Harvey and Dean exchange a look. When Dean looks at me again, his eyes soften, like he thinks I’ll bolt after hearing whatever he’s about to say. “Hazel… he was trying to break the portal.”
Break the portal? How is a gargoyle of all beings supposed to do that?
And breaking a portal doesn’t mean disabling it. There’s a whole process… something that only Horsemen know. It would take a lot of power to do something like that, and even if this dumbass somehow succeeded in putting a single crack in the portal, it would’ve collapsed instead of opening.
None of this makes sense.
Anxo crouches in front of the intruder. “Who asked you to do that?”
Great first question. There’s no way he acted alone. Hell, he doesn’t even look like he knew what he was doing. Someone set him up. Gave him bad intel on purpose, knowing he’d get caught.
But why? I don’t see an upside to any of it.
We’re missing something.
When the gargoyle stays silent, eyes fixed on the floor, Anxo straightens. He walks to the corner of the cell, grabs a sword, and heats it until it’s bright orange, then walks back.
One of his eyes is swollen shut, but the second he sees the blade, he starts thrashing, screaming into the gag Dean tied behind his head.
Anxo hands the sword to Dean so he can roll his sleeves up.
“Most people think torture is supposed to be quick and brutal,” Anxo says calmly. “But it’s far more effective when you take your time and do it right. Cauterize as you go, and the victim lasts longer. And the longer you live, I get to do this…”
The hot iron presses into our intruder’s arm, and he breaks instantly. He screams, trying to get away, but the movement only drives the heat deeper into his flesh.
I tilt my head, trying to get a better look at our guest, when I catch Anxo’s expression. His eyes… they’re no longer bright green but gold. Not as rich as Nevaeh’s when she channels her Divine, but paler, almost white, but impossible to miss.
I knew Divines merge after mating, but this is different. It’s still Anxo’s Divine, but now it carries a trace of Nevaeh’s essence in it.
The Fates were dead right when they paired them together. They’re both a bundle of positivity and warmth until something switches the flip inside them, and their demons take over.
Nevaeh never learned to hide her darkness, while Anxo built a mask even his demons can’t touch. He can perfectly split himself in two—Horseman on one side, mate, friend, and father on the other—and still thrive on both fronts.
People often mistake his patience for his weakness, but one wrong step towards his loved ones, and the chains snap.
Anxo spends the next half hour tearing through the man’s mind, but whoever sent him planned ahead. His memories are scrambled beyond repair.
There are only a few beings who can manipulate someone’s mind like that, and my gut keeps screaming his name.
But it can’t be him. Tiberius would never set foot on the surface. He despises this world more than anything.
When Anxo fails to find anything important, blocked by magic he hasn’t seen before, the feeling in my gut increases. His eyes find mine, probably coming to the same conclusion, but I’m frozen in place.
An hour later, we’re walking back to Conquer in silence, all of us lost in our own heads.
I’m scared to admit it, even though we’re all thinking the same thing.
It’s him. Tiberius is getting creative in his efforts to reach me.
“We knew this day would come.” Anxo’s voice cuts through my thoughts.
I swallow. “I thought I had more time.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
He sounds sure, and it eases the pressure in my chest even when I’m still on edge, scanning everything, everyone, not sure what’s out of place—if anything even is.
That’s the worst part about people like Tiberius. They get into your head long before they get close enough, and by then, you’ve already driven yourself insane with what-ifs.
I won’t let him ruin this. I built this life brick by fucking brick, and I’ll bash his head in with those same bricks before I let him tear it down.
“I saw your eyes… that’s new.”
“Uh, yeah.” Anxo scratches the back of his neck, suddenly shy. “It happened after Nevaeh and I… you know…” He clears his throat.
This is the same man who shattered someone’s mind without lifting a finger, not even ten minutes ago.
He’s a mountain of contradiction.
We sit through another two hours of court before the last person leaves.
Thank Lucifer, Anxo is handling everything because my mind is a mess.
I’m already running through scenarios where Tiberius breaches the portal and declares war. The good thing is, he loses in every single version.
I know both kingdoms’ forces inside out, and the Tetrad kingdom has more allies than Tiberius has warriors.
Anxo finally stands from his throne, stretching like a cat when the doors burst open, and my favorite four-year-old hurricane runs in. “Papa!”
Anxo is already moving, meeting his son halfway and scooping him up.
“I got in trouble!”
“Of course you did.” Anxo shakes his head, eyes flickering to the entrance. “Where’s your mama?”
“I’m right here.”
Neveah strolls in, and the second she’s close, Anxo grabs her hand and twirls her. She lets out a little squeak, smiling like her world begins and ends with him.
“He got suspended for two days,” Nevaeh grumbles, snuggling into her mate’s chest.
I focus on the troublemaker when his parents start kissing like they’ve forgotten I’m still here.
I poke his stomach, and he squeals like a dolphin. “Why are you so excited about getting suspended?”
He leans in, whispering like his parents don’t have supernatural hearing.
“Now we can play all day.”
His brows bounce, and I know exactly what he means… combat lessons.
When I gave him his first wooden dagger to practice with, I didn’t realize I’d become his trainer… or the first person he uses all his tricks on.
But it’s not like I had a choice. From the moment August came into our lives, it felt like he belonged with us. Every time he looks at me with his big blue eyes, he steals another piece of my heart.
He’s too young to carry what he’s been through, and I hate that I see pieces of my childhood in him.
But now that he’s here with us, I’ll do anything to make sure this little guy never has to walk the path I did.