34. Kyros
Chapter thirty-four
Kyros
“It's time Phaedra gets what she’s always asked for, and if I’m going to sit on the Diemos throne as King, I won’t do it without you sitting on my left.
” My pulse thunders in my ears as I lean forward on my knees in this dark, unremarkable room, asking my twin flame to be my wife.
I had never imagined this for myself. Not since everything about my life had been changed—ripped away.
It would just be something else that could be used to break my world down.
But if I had allowed myself to have hope of a future with a family of my own, I know it wouldn't have started like this.
Regardless, it doesn't stop me because everything about Astraea feels right.
“Come to Diemos. Claim the throne at my side. Be my wife. My Queen.”
I watch as she swallows, lips parting with shock we don’t have time for.
More sounds come from the other side of the door, where the others are handling what needs to be done.
But even as her eyes jump to the sound, my attention is only for her.
I look at her hand as it's eclipsed in mine.
We both tremble on the precipice of my request. Last night, while she was sleeping, I remained awake.
I ruminated over every possibility for how we are going to come out of this, but no matter what I could think of, there was only one right answer.
Together. The fates pushed us to one another for a reason, and even if she doesn't believe in fate, I have to trust that everything we’ve endured is not for nothing. We will do this together.
“I don’t want to be the reason for the pain of another kingdom being slaughtered, Kyros. I refuse it.” She shakes her head, and my heart stops altogether as I anticipate the rejection I didn't prepare for.
“I won’t let it come to that. I have many people who I know will follow my claim, and once my true identity becomes common knowledge, there will be no denying my place on the throne, Eathian or otherwise.
The Ruvaen name will solidify that.” My thumbs track lines back and forth on the ridges of her knuckles, and her eyes bounce between mine as she mulls over my words.
I bring her hands closer, turn one over, and press my lips to her palm.
As much as I don't want to rush her decision, I need to know before I open this door what I’m going to tell the others.
Everything hangs on her answer. I know this is the best option we have at saving Mavros and Zinya while also making it possible to help save the kingdoms. I don't allow myself to crave much from this world, but I want this.
I want her to say yes with every fiber of my being.
“Kyros,” She pulls one hand from mine; her fingers trace the side of my face as I look up to meet her worried gaze.
“Marry me, Shula. I know we’ve had a rough start to this, but I am man enough to admit that it was my fault.
I let my fear of the unknown take control, and all that did for me was make me push you away and almost lose the best thing that has ever happened to me.
It made me fucking stupid with my decisions.
I know where I’ve been wrong, and I will never allow it to happen again.
You have always been everything to me; it just took me longer than it should have to realize that.
Let me show the world by having you as my queen.
” Everything in me stills as I wait. She pulls her other hand away, cupping my face in her warm palms. Though her eyes never rid their worry, she nods.
A small sad smile pulls to her lips as her hands bracket my face, and then she says the words I’ve been dying to hear since I decided that this was what I wanted: that a life with her is worth fighting for.
“Okay, Kyros. I’ll marry you—.”
I can’t wait for her to say more as I lunge forward to my soon-to-be wife. My mouth claims hers as I pull her to her feet and wrap my arms around my future. Our kiss is resolute as my tongue parts her lips, and her answering moan into my mouth makes the flame in my chest blaze.
“I will make up for my wrongdoings. I promise. I relinquish my soul to you, Astraea,” I say into her lips. Her breath catches on my words, and I smile, feeling the truth of those words. I lean back into the kiss and relish in the stolen moment of happiness.
“Are you fucking serious?” A voice yells as the door bangs against the wall and someone rushes into the room.
“You’re the one who ordered everyone to rush around getting these people ready for another wave of soldiers, and you’re in here with your tongues down each other's throats?” Ruaan says as Astraea jumps back.
Slowly I turn, sliding my thumb across my lower lip as I eye him.
His arms are crossed over his chest and face twisted into a grimace.
Colette comes sliding into the room right after.
“We were—” Astraea starts, but I interrupt, turning back to her, and I press my hand to the small of her back.
“I did give an order, Ruaan. So why are you here?” I ask calmly. Ruaan scoffs, stepping further into the room, but to my surprise the redheaded best friend bars him from coming any closer.
“Respectfully, we don't have time for you two to be measuring dicks. We need to get a fucking move on it. The soldiers have already been spotted not far away from the border of town.” Shit. We’re out of time a lot quicker than I had anticipated.
Astraea turns toward me, reaching for my other hand.
With a gentle touch, she pries my fist open and entwines her fingers with mine.
“We have a plan. Let’s see it through.” She says, once again surprising me.
She looks between the two people in front of us and then back to me.
Taking a deep breath, she nods before shouldering past Ruaan and Colette.
I notice the look Astraea gives Colette before exiting, and the latter puts her hands up in surrender.
Ruaan, being Ruaan, mutters something under his breath, and it takes everything in me not to turn around and confront him about it.
Astraea is right; we have a plan, and we need to see it through.
But first, we need to make sure everyone else is caught up to what exactly that plan is.
“Do you really think this is a good idea?” Rowan asks, his voice layered in disdain.
Meanwhile, Beckett, Ruaan, and Viltarin shuffle on their bellies towards us, where we are already crouched at the high point the watch usually stays at.
Morning has barely begun to surface on the horizon, with only a thin layer of the sun’s light outlining it in the distance.
“We should have just portaled out of here.”
“I wouldn't have suggested it if I thought it was a poor one, Rowan. We can’t just run and leave Aithne to their brutality.” I can't conceal my vexation at this hushed conversation as we focus on the men approaching the border. “You know that just as well as I do.”
“Oh, are we suggesting things now?” Ruaan grumbles next to Beckett, and my brother smiles wide, catching my eyes.
“What? It’s funny!” Beckett whisper-shouts and shrugs when I narrow my eyes on him.
“Be ready. They’re almost to the point of attack.” I bark as I try to keep everyone focused. Ruaan simply looks at me and scoffs.
“Another suggestion.” He deadpans. This ass just can’t help himself. I grit my teeth so hard my jaw creaks. Ignoring the bait, I fix my eyes on the horizon where the group of men dressed in familiar black leather armor close in on where we lay waiting.
“Viltarin.” I signal, and not a moment later the closest of the men halts.
He raises his hand up, making the rest of the men follow suit and stop in their tracks.
Well, it appears we are evenly matched. In numbers at least. While many of Phaedra’s mercenaries have some form of magick, none of them that I know of even compare to the magick I hold—much less with Rowan, Viltarin, and Ruaan in our ranks.
Even though Beckett does not harness magick, he's trained with all of us enough to know his way around a fight.
I have no doubt that these men are mostly outmatched against us.
Beckett is only here because he wanted to be, and I didn't have the energy to argue. I’ve had to do that enough with the others.
It took nearly all the will I had to turn away from Astraea, leaving her with the others at the cabin.
Even now, just thinking about it, my lip curls in frustration with the urgency I feel about getting back to her.
Viltarin uses his magick to distract the men.
He doesn't use it often. It's relatively draining on him when he does. He prefers to fight with his hands, and I certainly don't fault him for it. His magick is primarily mental. I guess I’d consider it to be much like Zinya’s, but whereas hers manipulates people's emotions and silently bends them to her will, Viltarin’s magick taps into the fear of the person.
He can create sights and sounds that are entirely in their heads.
These hallucinations are exceptionally strong, rendering the subject completely incapacitated...
But mental magick, especially that which weaves imagery, is very hard on the wielder.
He and Beckett were ordered to stay here while Rowan, Ruaan, and I either capture or kill the team sent to do the same against us.
I cut my eyes to Tarin as our targets begin batting things away from them that aren't there.
His eyes are rolled back into his head, showing nothing but white as he bends their minds. I look to Benett then.