Chapter 42 Luka
LUKA
Two days later, we arrived in Verbial, the capital city of the Twilight Court, the city Declan grew up in.
The court was home to the largest population of shifting fae, but it looked no different than any other court.
You could pass anyone on the street and have no idea they could shift into anything from a hawk to a three-headed Cerberus.
I had loved visiting Verbial as a child, I was fascinated seeing all the different shifting fae. Watching them shift was a magical experience in itself.
But now—it no longer held that magic. That wonder.
Instead, it churned my stomach.
Walking along the cobblestone streets made me want to empty my stomach as I thought of Declan’s blood running between the stones as he lay unconscious at his father’s feet after one of his punishments.
I had known his father had been vicious, but I didn’t know the extent until that day.
That was the day I pushed Declan to get out.
The day we started making the plan of how he’d leave the day he turned sixteen a few weeks later.
The elder Captain Hale’s name might hold status in Verbial, but it didn’t to me. Not anymore.
Declan had tried to come with us into the city, argued he was no coward, that he could come with us, that he could handle seeing his father again.
But we didn’t give him the choice. Lennox and I gave him a job that would prevent him from coming into the city with us.
He was the Star Court’s Captain of the guard, it was his duty to remain with the Aquatic Kings outside the city with the army. He was to use the day to whip them into shape and talk strategy. Whatever he needed to do—but he would not be coming with us.
It was a cheap shot, but I wouldn’t put him through coming back here. Not now. Not with so much on the line.
Although I’m sure part of him still felt guilty for not accompanying us, I could see some of the tension leave his shoulders as we commanded him to stay.
But he wouldn’t relax until we left this place, left this city and all it held.
Nol offered to stay back with him, Luciana, Kara, and Zienna too, none of them having the desire to step foot in the palace.
Nico, Lennox, and I, we’d do this together.
When we arrived at the palace in the center of the city, we were ushered into a formal sitting room, the king and queen expecting our arrival after the letter we sent beforehand.
The sitting room was large, surrounded by windows on two sides, allowing natural light to stream into the room. A low table was set by the far side windows, an array of food covering the tabletop, as if anticipating our arrival.
“High Queen Lennox Adair and High King Luka Rossi, let me introduce you to King Leone and Queen Viona,” the guard announced.
I swallowed back resentment as I took in the King.
He looked practically the same since I had seen him last, so many years ago.
His chestnut hair was cropped close to his head; his hazel eyes stood out against his fair skin.
According to Declan, Leone turned a blind eye to his father’s cruelty.
But Declan hadn’t said anything about the Queen, she blended in at the king’s side.
He towered over her delicate frame. Her dark eyes were slightly upturned and were the same color as her hair, which fell in a straight sheet, like a dark waterfall, past her slim waist.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Lennox Adair.” King Leone extended a hand.
“You as well,” Lennox spoke for the two of us. “This is our emissary, Nico Elsher.”
“Yes, it has been a long time since I’ve seen you, you as well.
” He looked at me and then Nico. “You two have grown into fine males.” I gave him a tight smile.
Even if my few interactions with him during our visits had been pleasant, I would keep my walls up for the way he treated Declan. The lack of treatment.
“Please have a seat.”
We took up residence in the sitting area, Lennox wasted no time diving into why we were here, giving them the bare details of our journey that led us here before asking the Twilight Court to aid us in this looming war.
Except it wasn’t looming anymore, was it?
It was right on the fucking forefront.
“This is quite the trouble you’ve gotten yourselves into.” Leone leaned back on the couch, stretching his arms over the top. “Lethenia heading into war isn’t something I anticipated experiencing in my lifetime.”
“Neither did we, but we have no other choice.” I sat forward and rested my elbows on my knees. “The Vanir and Panateia have given us no other option.”
Leone opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, he was interrupted by the door to the sitting room bursting open.
I reached for my blade with one hand, the other reaching for Lennox, as the intruder spoke.
“I’m sorry I’m late. Some of those trainees don’t know their ass from their sword.”
My blood turned cold as I took in the male heading toward us.
Leone rumbled out a laugh. “Captain Hale, we’re glad you could make it. The High King and Queen were telling us of this war they’re edging into. They’ve asked if we will aid them.”
Lennox stiffened at my side as she realized who the male was. The pommel of my blade bit into my skin as I held it tighter.
Bergan Hale looked cruel; there was no other way to put it. The harsh lines of his face in combination with his expression that was perpetually stuck in a state of apprehension and the scar running across the left side of his mouth, there was no other way to describe him, but cruel.
And I hated that Declan looked like him.
Everything from their build, their bone structure, the color of their hair. Bergen’s hair was even long now like Declan wore his.
The only true physical difference was their eyes. Declan’s golden shade was a sharp contrast to his father’s pitiless black.
Bergan Hale took a seat in the chair on the opposite side of Nico, popping a grape into his mouth as Lennox relayed our mission once again.
“How do we know this is true?” Bergan asked when she was finished. “What if this is all a hoax to get us to aid you so Luka can get revenge on his uncle?”
“Have you not heard everything I’ve just said?” Lennox countered, red traveling up her neck. “Of the torture I endured, endured at the hands of the Panateia? That my brother has been held captive for years? That Luka received his grandfather’s head in a box?”
“We do not know you, we have no reason to believe this is true.” Leone’s gaze bounced between Lennox and Bergan, but he remained silent. “Why should I give over my army for a cause I do not support?”
“You support the elimination of an entire species?” I said, my voice low.
“No, we do not,” Leone added quickly.
“So you do have an opinion,” Lennox snapped. “I thought you were letting your Captain make all the decisions for you.”
Leone’s mouth opened and closed several times before he finally spoke. “I make the final say, but I take into great account the opinion of my Captain, as I’m sure you do too.”
“Where is your Captain?” Bergan interjected, a cruel smile creeping up his face.
“He’s with our army, training them and planning with the Aquatic Kings while we take this meeting.”
“He’s doing his duty that was assigned to him,” Lennox added, her tone sharp.
“Sure,” Bergan smirked, crossing one leg over the other as he leaned back in his chair. “Declan was always a coward.”
“Keep his name out of your mouth.” Lennox’s voice cut through the room, Leone and Viona froze, as Bergan’s laugh rumbled through the room.
“He’s my son, I think I can talk about him if I want to.”
“You lost the right to call him your son a long time ago.” I closed my hands into fists as I met Bergan’s stare.
“He’s lucky I even acknowledged him as my such.” Bergan’s mask finally broke, his cocky smile disappearing. “That worthless piece of shit. When I finally got him whipped into shape, he went and left without warning. Leaving a note like the fucking coward he is.”
The three of us stood, our bodies acting as one in defense of Declan, our friend.
“If you speak about him like that again, it will be your life you lose,” I seethed.
Nico palmed a dagger from his side. “And we’ll gladly hack you to pieces.”
Began didn’t move from his seat. “All this for my son? For Declan?” He made a noise in the back of his throat. “Doesn’t seem worth it.”
I couldn’t hold it in anymore. Declan wasn’t here to stand up for himself, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t do it for him.
“If it was up to me, you wouldn’t get to call him your son.
You’ve never been a father to him. If it was up to you, you would have disowned him at birth.
You practically did. It is an honest-to-Goddess miracle he’s made it to where he is today.
The way you treated him—your fucking son.
” I stepped into his space, towering over him as he remained sitting.
“I’d love nothing more than to kill you and tear you limb from limb for what you did to him.
But Declan’s a better male than I—he’d never allow that.
Because despite everything you put him through, he still chooses to take the high road. Because that’s the kind of male he is.”
Bergan snarled, the scar across his lip wrinkling. The scar Declan gave him, the one and only time he fought back against his father and his punishments, two days before he left for good. “What makes you think you can speak to me like that—”
“I’m your fucking High King—that’s why.”
His eyes flashed with anger.
“If you decide to join your forces in this war, you will stay the fuck away from Declan. If you so much as look at him or say anything other than ‘yes, Captain Hale’ to him, I will kill you.” I gripped his shirt in my fist. “Do you understand?”
“Yes,” he grit out.
I let go of him. “Good, now get the fuck out of my sight.”
I finally turned my attention back to Leone and Viona. “I don’t care if his name holds weight here. Declan Hale is the captain of my royal guard. He holds a higher rank than him.”
I turned my attention to Bergan one last time.
“He wanted to come here, to face you, Declan did. It was Lennox and I who commanded him to stay back. We didn’t want him to have to look at you.
To come back here after everything that was done to him.
” I steered my gaze to Leone. “To face everyone who ignored the cruelties done upon him.”
“So this is how it’s going to go,” Lennox interjected.
“Your armies are going to aid us in this war because I command it. I will, however, leave it up to you who in this room accompanies us. I am smart enough to acknowledge Captain Hale would be an asset to our army despite his shortcomings. But know this, Declan will be in charge, you will fall in line behind him and his direction, and you will take orders from him.”
Bergan’s face scrunched, but Lennox continued.
“You have until tomorrow morning to make your decision, Captain Hale. Your army is hereby directed to march with us toward the Blood Court in the morning. Let us know if we need to send someone to help rally the troops. Thank you for your time,” she finished. “We will see our way out now.”
“Do you feel better now?” Lennox whispered in my ear as her arms snaked around my waist.
“A little.”
“Me too.” She reached up and kissed my jaw as we made it through the doorway. “And I have to admit, that was pretty hot.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, I’m serious. You say it makes you hard when I show my violent side, I guess seeing yours can have an impact on me too…”
I stopped her with a kiss, sealing my lips against hers as my hand clasped around her neck.
“C’mon love birds, you can make out all you want later, but I want the fuck out of this palace.” Nico’s voice caused me to pull my lips from Lennox’s, but I still held her against me.
“To be continued.” Lennox kissed my lips one more time.
“I can’t wait until this war is over. That beach retreat is sounding sweeter every fucking day.”
“Holy fucking shit, you two were amazing in there,” Nico howled as we exited the palace. “Fucking badass. You two make such a badass King and Queen, I was ready to bow at your fucking feet.”
Lennox shook her head, a smile creeping up her face. “That felt good, didn’t it?”
“Really fucking good,” I agreed. “I almost wish Declan could have been there to witness the look on Bergan’s face.”
“Telling him about it will be just as sweet,” Nico cheered.
“I can’t believe that man is Declan’s father,” Lennox mused.
“Me either, and I’ve known him for a long time. Bergan is a menace to this continent.”
“He deserves to die, I would have loved to see you make him bleed, Len.”
“There’s still plenty of time for that.” Lennox smiled. “But his life is not mine to take.”
“How did it go?” Declan was upon us the minute we stepped foot in the camp.
“Good?” I said tentatively.
“Good? Lennox and Luka ripped into your father. Let him know exactly what they thought of him. They were this close to knifing him.” Nico pinched his fingers together, only leaving a millimeter of space between them. “But man, Dec, the look on his face—he was practically shitting bricks.”
Declan looked between the two of us, brows furrowed.
“Let me tell you what actually happened.”
When we were done, a ghost of a smile crept up Declan’s face. “You said all that?”
“They sure did,” Nico confirmed. “It was fucking awesome.”
“Thank you.” Declan shook his head, his dark hair falling across his face as his wings tucked in tight.
“Of course.” Lennox draped her arm around his shoulder gently, resting her head on his shoulder “He’s not your family anymore, we are. And you know as well as anyone, I protect my family.”