Chapter 45
FORTY-FIVE
Z
“ O ne week. You’re saying I was gone an entire week?” Dair stared up at me in amazement, and god help me, I wanted nothing more than to kiss him.
“Eight days to be exact.” Lupe pushed open the tent flap and stepped inside, the rest of my mates trickling in behind him.
They all stopped to greet Dair with those awkward “man hugs” that usually ended with a slap on the back.
Dair volleyed his gaze between me and the others before focusing on the shifter. “Lupe…you’re back?”
“We are.” Bash leaned against the nearest post and kicked out his legs, crossing them at the ankles. “Arrived a day or two earlier.”
“And everything went okay?” Dair pressed.
I wanted to ask him about the trial, but I could tell he had other things on his mind.
What test would my mother put the prince of envy through?
“We were able to free over two thousand humans,” Killian piped in, stepping forward. “Half of them are willing to join our cause.”
“The other half is too weak or young,” Bash said. “We’re going to send them with Davia.”
Davia, B, and Paco arrived six days ago. We all agreed that the innocents should get as far away from the battle as possible. They would go with Davia to her original camp—as far away from the fighting as possible. We would send some of our best soldiers with them for protection. They were packing up as we spoke and should be on the road by the end of the day.
Those of us who remained would fight.
“We were able to liberate five work camps,” Lupe said.
Unlike Bash and Killian, who sounded proud of their accomplishments, Lupe just sounded tired. Forlorn. There were heavy circles beneath his eyes, and I knew that guilt was the cause of them. He had seen firsthand what his father had done, and it haunted him.
“The rest would be too difficult.” Bash frowned. “They’re located in heavily populated cities. We won’t be able to take them out until we have the backing of Lilith and Lupe is officially king.”
My shifter mate’s hand curled into a fist. “Once I’m king, these prisons will be abolished once and for all.”
Dair nodded, taking this all in, before turning towards me. “What’s the plan?”
“The plan?”
A tiny smile flickered on Dair’s face for a fraction of a second. “I know you, Z. After the most recent battle with Aaliyah, you won’t be willing to just sit on the sidelines and wait for her to come to you. So what’s the plan?”
Ryland stepped forward then, bare-chested and with a bandage wrapped around his torso. Despite the healer’s pleas for him to remain in bed, Ryland refused, insisting he needed to help. I didn’t blame him. If the situation were reversed, there was no way in hell I would willingly stand on the sidelines while those I loved were in danger.
“Now that the shadows are on our side, I’ve been sending them to spy on Aaliyah and her army. We know where her base is, and we’re gathering intel on her next move,” the shadow prince said.
“We plan to intercept her. Take her by surprise. Bring the fight to her,” I finished.
Dair’s eyes widened. “Even without the shifters?”
“We don’t have time to wait.” I glanced out of the corner of my eye at Lupe, who still appeared stone-faced, taut lines visible between his brows.
I edged closer to him and gripped his hand in mine, wordlessly reminding him that I was here, that I loved him, that our time would come.
Lupe didn’t squeeze my hand back, but he also didn’t release me.
“We believe Aaliyah will try to get to the capital again. She must know that the only way she can win this battle is by freeing the kings—which we can’t allow to happen.” Devlin shook his head, his lips pursed. “Which is what I want to bring up next…”
“We have the backing of Lilith, and because of that, the backing of our people.” Jax seemed to be on the same wavelength as Devlin, his red eyes glimmering with some unnamed emotion. “We don’t need the kings any longer.”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” I asked, hope and shock vying for dominance in my chest.
I wanted the kings to pay for the way they’d treated my mates over the years.
“We should return to the capital and publicly execute them. Show our enemies what happens when they cross us.” Devlin said all of this without inflection, his violet eyes expressionless.
I had no idea what he was thinking or feeling.
He hated his father—they all did, with the exception of Ryland—but still…
“Are you guys sure this is what you want?” I made sure to meet all of their gazes individually, one after the other. “They’re your family?—”
“You guys are my family,” Dair cut in, his tone scathing. “My trial reminded me of that.”
Once again, I wanted to ask him what he’d experienced but knew this wasn’t the time.
“I want my father to pay for all he has done,” Jax said gruffly.
“My father’s a monster,” added Killian. “He doesn’t deserve to live.”
“We can’t risk any of them getting free,” Bash pointed out.
“If we need a witness to detail all of their crimes, my father would be willing,” Ryland said, the shadows flickering around him.
They didn’t cover his scarred face this time. He was allowing us to see him—all of him—the good and the bad.
“Once we do this, anyone not loyal to us and our cause will throw their support in with Aaliyah,” Bash said.
“There’s no going back,” Devlin added gravely.
I stared at each of their faces once again, gauging their emotions. All I saw reflecting back at me were steely determination and an almost desperate need to right the many wrongs their fathers had committed.
“Okay.” I nodded and swallowed, feeling as if I’d just eaten a handful of molten lava. “We’ll let B know of the change. We’ll take a small contingent of soldiers with us. The rest will prepare to strike.”
“Aaliyah’s going to come after us as soon as she discovers what we did,” Dair warned.
“And what about your father, Z? He’s still at the capital, isn’t he?” Killian began to fidget with the hem of his shirt, his tail switching. “What if he attacks you? What if he kills you? What if?—?”
“We can’t focus on what-ifs.” I took a deep, shuddering breath. “This needs to be done. We need to kill the kings.”