Chapter 39 Dead kings and other pretty things
Dean
It should feel majestic to watch Hazel step into her full power and turn it on Tiberius. It should feel like victory. Instead, it feels like standing too close to a storm that doesn’t know friend from foe.
It’s the first time Eldoris has seen a siren brimming with magic that rivals their king. The same girl they dismissed as nothing more than a slave.
Her eyes glow like a swirling storm. Layers of pale blue and silver churning beneath the surface like a living galaxy. Like something that was never meant to be contained inside a body. Something that was always meant to break free.
And then it does.
Hazel is breathtaking as her power crashes through the battlefield, forcing everyone to their knees. But it shifts too fast, too sharp.
When she grabs Tiberius’ head, every warrior from Eldoris freezes. His scream rips through the air as she tears his mind apart.
But it’s not just his pain that stuns us. It’s her.
Hazel is holding something uncontrollable in her hands, and no one knows how to stop her.
I knew my mate could tear Tiberius’ flesh off his bones, but this woman—this siren—isn’t Hazel. This is someone colder. Some broken in a way I don’t recognize.
I don’t know what she’s seeing in his mind, but it’s cracking my mate at her foundation, breaking her apart piece by piece.
Her eyes burn icy blue as she hums, low at first, then louder, deeper until the sound turns physical, pressing into my bones like it’s trying to burrow under my skin.
The ground fractures beneath my hands. Mermen fall to their stomachs, clutching their heads, bracing for something.
Her scream hits me like a blade to the chest. My heart drops when her face twists with pain, and I’m moving before the first tear slides down her cheek.
She might be destroying Tiberius, but something is tearing her apart from the inside.
Fear locks my throat when her cries get louder along with his screams, until I can’t tell where his pain ends and hers begins.
Warmth trickles from my ears. Blood. I glance at the mark on my wrist and watch it slowly fade away. Then a searing pain explodes through my chest, forcing me to my knees.
But it’s not just me. Every single warrior on the field is driven down like the sound of Hazel’s cries is a siren song, pinning them to their knees, forced to submit.
I thought Jackson’s spell would protect us, but Hazel’s power is so overwhelming that it shatters every barrier, dismantles every protection until we’re left helpless on the ground, begging her to stop.
I try to link Hazel, calling out her name, but she’s lost to whatever is holding her hostage inside Tiberius’ head.
So I crawl. My knees and arms scrape against the crushing weight of her magic, fighting to keep me away. With every inch I drag myself closer, I call her name, hoping it will snap her out of it, but nothing does.
I’m forced to listen to my mate’s heart-wrenching sobs, the agony in her voice so raw it drags tears from my eyes.
The pain ripping through my body is nothing compared to what’s tearing Hazel apart as she drops to her knees and drives her dagger into Tiberius like a woman possessed.
With every strike, I expect her to break free from whatever has her trapped, but she only sinks deeper into that abyss, slipping further out of reach until I can’t bear to hear her cries anymore.
She doesn’t stop until there’s nothing left to stab.
This time, when I whisper her name, her head snaps up, searching the bodies scattered around us until her eyes lock onto mine.
A broken, trembling smile pulls at her lips that doesn’t reach her eyes.
I push up onto my knees, dragging in a harsh breath before forcing myself to my feet and moving toward her, toward my mate.
Hazel stumbles before she can take a single step, and something in my chest twists. Something’s wrong.
She wipes under her nose, and her eyes widen. That’s when I see the blood.
Everything happens too fast for my mind to catch up.
She sways, stumbling back again, and I watch in horror as her eyes roll back.
Then she’s falling… off the stage.
“Hazel!” I shout, already moving, jumping after her without hesitation.
Gasps and screams erupt behind me as I dive, but I can’t stand there and watch my mate fall.
My shadows surge ahead of me, reaching her faster than I ever could, wrapping around her like they know losing her isn’t an option. Just before we hit the ground, I twist in the air, shielding her head with my arm.
My essence absorbs most of the impact, but my back still slams into the ground, the air punched from my lungs.
Spots burst across my vision, but the moment I feel Hazel’s weight on top of me, I finally breathe again. She’s safe. That’s all that matters.
My Divine pulls back, circling us like a restless guard, giving me space to breathe as it patches the damage from scraping against the ground.
I push up onto my knees, carefully settling Hazel’s head in my lap.
When she fell, so did my heart.
I can’t lose her. I won’t survive.
Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay.
I tap her cheek, trying to wake her up, but she doesn’t move. “Hazel, open your eyes, baby. Wake up. Please… just for a moment.”
I flinch when a trail of blood slips from the corner of her mouth, my vision blurring.
No. No, no, no.
I smooth her hair back, checking the back of her head for injuries, but there’s nothing. I know she didn’t hit anything. I made sure of that.
She’s fine. Then why the fuck isn’t she waking up?
Suddenly, Nevaeh is at my side, pulling Hazel’s hand from mine. I grit my teeth, forcing myself not to snap at her. She’s here to help.
I need to keep it together. Even if every instinct in me is screaming to tear the world apart instead.
“I don’t get it.” Nevaeh’s brows furrow. “She’s not hurt. There’s nothing to heal.”
“Then why isn’t she waking up?”
The absence of an answer on her face sends a storm of emotions spiraling through me until everything else burns away, leaving nothing but fear.
Anxo rushes toward us, dropping to his knees beside Hazel’s head. His hand hovers just above her, waiting until I give him permission before he touches her.
His eyes close as he slips into my mate’s mind, searching for whatever is keeping her from waking up.
His head jerks, eyes squeezing shut in pain before they snap to me. “Take her to Grace. Hazel needs mens sanitatem. That will help her until I’m back. Then I’ll fix the rest.”
“Fix what?”
Anxo swallows, his gaze flicking to Nevaeh before he sighs. “Dean… she broke whatever hold Tiberius had on her Divine.”
“That’s supposed to be a good thing.”
“It should be... but it’s too much. The magic, the flood of memories, killing Tiberius, being back here. Her mind is a mess. I think her Divine is trying to protect her before it completely shatters.”
“By putting her in a fucking coma?” I snap.
I should’ve known. There’s only so much a person can take before they break.
Why did I let her come here? We could’ve dealt with Tiberius without her. She could’ve been safe back in the kingdom this whole time.
But Hazel never would’ve agreed to that. She’s a fighter. She was always going to fight this battle on her own, but I should’ve been here. I should’ve protected her.
“But she’ll wake up? She’ll be fine?” My voice cracks, but I don’t look away from Hazel, afraid I’ll miss the moment she opens her eyes.
Anxo’s hand lands on my shoulder, squeezing until I finally look at him. “We won’t let anything happen to her.”
I nod, repeating his words in my head until I almost convince myself this isn’t as bad as it looks.
She’s just resting, taking a break from everything. If anyone deserves it, it’s her.
I carefully lift my mate into my arms as my shadows surround us, ready to take us back to our kingdom, where someone will have answers.
She’ll come back to me. She has to.
We won. Tiberius is dead. Hazel’s birthplace is free. But I still feel like I lost.
This isn’t the end. It can’t be the end of our story.
She’s not leaving me here. I won’t let her.
Before I can teleport, Nevaeh grabs my arm, ready to come with me, but Anxo stops her. “Sweetheart, we have to make sure Zale takes the throne. Hazel wouldn’t want us to leave without ending Tiberius’ rule for good. Let him go. Dean will make sure she’s okay.”
With a final nod, Anxo steps back, his confidence feeding my hope. “We’ll be home soon. Take care of her.”