Chapter 20 I guess the secret is out
Hazel
I take a deep breath, trying to center myself before stepping into the Horsemen castle.
I know it’s important to tell everyone what happened yesterday, but I’m only now realizing I can’t have that conversation without explaining why Timor came after me.
And once I say it out loud, I can’t take it back.
I’ve told Nevaeh more about my past than anyone else, but what she knows is barely a fraction of what happened in the first fourteen years of my life… before I decided to take my fate into my own hands. Before I stopped being a victim.
When Anxo first found me, I was roaming the human realm like a homeless beggar. I was a free woman. I could do whatever I wanted, but I was too consumed by dread to do anything but keep looking over my shoulder.
So when he offered to bring me to the Tetrad kingdom, promising a safe haven, I told him everything I could at the time. Not like I had a choice. But telling them everything now means admitting I can’t keep my head buried in the sand anymore.
The world as I know it is shifting beneath my feet, and I don’t know where I’ll land once everyone inside realizes what I’ve brought to their doorstep.
I’m numb as I walk into the living room and find everyone scattered around with desserts. I was supposed to be here for dinner, but I couldn’t get out of my head long enough to pretend everything was fine… so I showed up late when I wouldn’t have to sit and stew in their reaction.
Anxo is leaning over the center table, which is covered with dozens of samples from flower arrangements to invitation cards, dessert options, and more.
Seiji and Jackson sit on the floor, Seiji leaning back into his mate’s chest as he shows him a color palette. Grace makes a face from where she’s perched on Harvey’s lap on the recliner, eating what looks like an entire plate of… cake?
Pregnant woman and their weird cravings.
Grace and Jackson are voting on their favorites, but Nevaeh and Anxo obviously have final say.
Nevaeh isn’t too particular about these things, and Anxo just wants to get married as soon as possible, so he mostly tunes in to make sure Seiji isn’t going overboard.
The way Anxo is whispering into his mate’s ear, pulling her closer until she’s practically in his lap, I doubt he’d notice if Seiji slipped in a few of his own ideas. He is a party-planning legend, after all.
I don’t see August and his puppy from hell anywhere, but a glance at the clock reminds me it’s way past his bedtime. Then again, I’ve seen that kid wandering the halls at odd hours for no reason whatsoever, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he shows up for a midnight chat.
“But you can’t deny it, Anxo. Fates are partial to these two morally fucked up best friends.” Seiji points at Harvey and Nevaeh. “Harvey got red markings, we got standard black ink, and Neveah got golden essence and the rare ability to heal. What did we get?
“Comparatively better childhoods.” Anxo Deadpans.
Dean snorts in agreement as he walks out of the kitchen, carrying a bowl of fruit. He hands it to Grace and takes her empty plate.
Ever since he found out Grace is pregnant, he’s been feeding her rare fruits and nuts from different realms. Last week, it was grapes from a region forbidden to Lucifer’s creations—and Horsemen by extension—but of course Dean found a way to get them… and piss off Heaven in the process.
The moment Dean senses my presence, he comes straight for me. He presses a quick kiss to my forehead before guiding me to the couch beside him. I’m barely seated before the conversation around me dies down.
So now I’m sucking the joy out of the room just by being here.
Wonderful.
No one pushes me to speak, but I can feel them waiting. Dean already told them about Timor’s arrival and how we fought our way out of a horde of mermen, but I need to fill in the rest.
Dean leans back, his warm hand settling against my lower back, a silent support no one else can see, but it steadies me enough to take a deep breath and get it over it.
A lump forms in my throat at the thought of explaining what happened the night I escaped Eldoris, but I don’t have a choice. I can’t let my fear win when I know Tiberius is preparing to hurt everyone I love.
If I stay silent, I’m just handing him the knife.
I don’t get into the details. All they need to know is that I escaped Eldoris because of Tiberius. I briefly tell them the kind of man he is, how he rules his kingdom, and how he planned to force the mate bond on me, so they can understand that running was my only option.
Every word burns my throat, and it becomes impossible to stay neutral when I reach the night I thought I killed Timor.
Harvey stops me to ask what he did, but when I choke on the answer, he shakes his head, saying the details don’t matter.
But they can see right through me.
I know they see the gaps in my story, the pieces I’m deliberately leaving out, but they don’t push. And honestly, telling them everything would only hurt them. They know enough about my past to understand why Tiberius is still after me, and that’s all they need.
The rest would change the way they look at me, and I’m not ready for that. I don’t want to burden them with what Tiberius did… or Timor tried to do. Some things are too ugly to share.
Harvey’s jaw ticks once I’m done, but his face stays carefully blank. Anxo and Nevaeh don’t say a word, and I’m almost certain that’s because Khatri already told them what he knew.
That man has no boundaries when it comes to protecting this kingdom.
One thing I still don’t understand is how Timor survived that night. I know I wasn’t thinking straight because fear was clouding my judgment, but I’m pretty sure I saw him fall and stay down for several long seconds before my survival instincts kicked in and I ran.
My head falls into my head. “The dagger was laced with Asphyx, one of the deadliest poisons. It should’ve killed him. I was sure I killed him.”
Seiji mutters under his breath, “Well, you clearly didn’t.”
Jackson elbows his mate in the stomach with a warning glare that Seiji ignores.
“I made a mistake. I was fourteen,” I grit out.
“I would’ve finished the job when I was fourteen. But I get it… not everyone can be me.” Harvey leans back with a smirk.
I’m going to wipe that smirk off your face, you smug bastard.
My hand goes to my thigh, but Dean snatches the dagger from its holster before I can grab it.
Grace smacks Harvey’s arm, but he just whines, “What? It’s true.”
“It’s rude.” Grace offers me an apologetic smile, but I brush it off.
It’s not her fault her mate is such an asshat. Maybe he needs a reminder of how I wiped the floor with him a couple of weeks ago in combat.
“It’s also very wrong.” Nevaeh cuts in. “Do you not remember how Visha kicked both our asses before she kidnapped us? For a decade. Hazel clearly wins, dumbass.”
They fall into their usual bickering, but I don’t mind. It gives me a break from reliving the past.
“Stop worrying about what went wrong. If Tiberius tries anything again, you’ll have an entire army behind you.” Dean leans in, whispering, “And I’ll be here to help you do it right this time.”
I’m surrounded by a bunch of cocky assholes.
“I don’t need your help.” I glare at him, but Dean just grins.
“Of course you don’t. You’re my little hellfire.”
My face heats, and I look away before Dean turns me into a complete fool with that sweet-talking.
“How do you think Timor survived?” Anxo asks.
The question feels like a crack in something I barely managed to hold together. It sends a wave of unease through me.
“I don’t know.” I shrug. “He was bigger than me, a lot stronger. And honestly? Everything is a blur after the first swing. One minute I was covered in his blood, the next I was standing on solid ground, soaking wet, surrounded by humans who looked at me funny when I tried to walk, and my knees shook.”
Suddenly, Harvey and Seiji start giggling like teenagers.
“I hate everyone here.”
“Even me?” Dean pouts.
“Especially you.” I laugh, the easy banter between us catching our friends off guard.
I can’t even imagine how shocked they’d be if they found out Dean kissed me last night. And again this morning, before I left for training.
It’s strange how I haven’t been able to stop smiling since. Everything reminds me of how his lips felt against mine, or the way his arm held me tight.
I never thought a kiss could make every nerve in my body light up.
I never thought I could crave the taste of someone’s lips.
Dean might not be the only one obsessed here.
Before I can convince myself the worst is behind me, Dean clears his throat.
“There’s more.” He nudges my shoulder. I glare at him to shut up, but he doesn’t budge. When I refuse to say anything, he turns to Grace. “She’s been having nightmares.”
Traitor.
“What kind of nightmares?”
Grace sits up, looking at me like she’s trying to dissect what I’m not saying, and it makes my skin crawl.
I wait for her to drop it, but Dean’s insistence keeps their attention locked on me.
I lean back with a groan before I grumble, “Tiberius can dreamwalk. I haven’t been able to sever the connection between us, and he loves haunting my dreams.”
Nevaeh clears her throat loudly, giving me a pointed look.
Why is everyone suddenly on my ass?
“Ugh, fine.” I sigh. “The last few times, if he hurt me in the dream state, I woke up with bruises in the same places.” Dean’s grip on me tightens when I admit, “I think he’s getting stronger.”
Grace has been researching my kind since we met, constantly digging for more information about merfolk beyond what I’ve shared. She suggests a few potions she could easily drum up, but I don’t want the side effects.
They would dull my emotions and alertness, and I can’t afford that. Tiberius is a threat in my dreams, but he’ll be worse if I face him, and my mind is in shambles.
Anxo senses my reluctance and offers another solution. “I could help, but that means I’d be inside your mind while you sleep, building walls that will keep him out. It won’t be a one-time thing either. If he comes to hurt you, I’ll need to be awake to fight him off when you can’t.”
The thought of another person inside my head makes my stomach twist.
“You’re not sitting next to me while I sleep.”
“I second that,” Dean growls, quickly turning it into a cough when everyone looks at him.
“Then we need Hermani’s help.” Anxo settles. “The Queen of pixies will have a better solution.”
Seiji groans. “I don’t like her!”
Anxo laughs. “That’s because you always manage to piss her off. One of these days you’re going to get your ass kicked, and won’t come to the rescue.”
“Impossible. You love your mate, and she loves me. Nevaeh would be devastated if something happened to me.”
Harvey snorts. “You’re widely overestimating your worth.”
I can’t help but laugh, and then a thumb hooks under my chin, turning my head. Before I can react, Dean leans in and presses a soft kiss to my lips, like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“I love your smile,” he murmurs, his thumb brushing over my bottom lip before he turns me back to face the room.
Six pairs of eyes stare at me like they’re waiting for blood to spill.
“Did he just kiss her?” Grace whispers.
“That’s not possible. She would’ve killed him for that.” Nevaeh shakes her head, eyes nearly popping out of her head.
“She… she spared his life.” Harvey sounds genuinely shaken.
“For kissing her?” Nevaeh stares at me, lips pressed tight. “Don’t worry, Sharky, I’ve already linked the healer. Whatever’s wrong with your head—other than the usual—we’ll fix it.”
I roll my eyes, which is basically my default setting around these people.
This is all happening because Dean couldn’t control himself.
I link him, a glare fixed on him. “You’re going to pay for this.”
“Can’t wait, hellfire.”