“Take a good hard look, Galen. You said they belong to you, but they do not. Haden is mine, and if you ever lay a godsdamn finger on him again, I will slit your throat. Then I will make sure there is not a shred of you left before I send you straight to the depths of hell.” ?
I grabbed his hands with my starlight and squeezed, breaking them all over again. Galen screamed in pain. I summoned ablade and held it against his throat, causing him to shut his mouth immediately.?
“I want to hear you say it. Tell me that you will never touch them again.”?
This time, there was no hesitation in his voice. “I won’t touch them again,” he cried.?
I shoved him to the ground, forcing him to instinctively try and catch himself. I smiled when he yelled in agony as his hands hit the ground. I turned to their mother.?
“And if you ever try and help him hurt your children, I will send your soul straight to fucking hell with your husband.”?
Her face paled, and she nodded frantically. Fuck, I needed to calm the hell down. I was angry enough to start destroying shit. I took a few deep breaths before turning to Haden and Remiah. They were gaping at me.?
Haden was still bleeding, and I took a hesitant step forward, hoping to not scare him. But he didn’t move at all. I lifted my fingers and touched his face softly. He stared at me as I healed his wounds.?
“Are you alright?” I asked.?
“Yes.”?
“I lost my cool,” I sighed, and Remiah laughed. Haden’s lips twitched slightly. “Has he always put his hands on you?”
Haden swallowed hard and nodded.
I turned to his father and, without hesitation, used my magic to snap his arm. He screamed as the crack of bone was heard, and it only made me want to kill him, slowly. Haden grabbed me and turned me. He yanked me to him and hugged me. Instantly my anger subsided. I buried my face into his chest and inhaled deeply. Home. Tears filled my eyes as I held him tighter, like I would wake up and this would just be a dream. I pulled back and looked at him.
“If you need me, just yell for me, and I will come running. If he hurts you, I will kill him next time.”?
Haden nodded.?
His pretty eyes traced over me, and I worried that at any moment he would be repulsed by me and my wrath.
“Does this side of me scare you?” I asked the same question he asked me. I saw a small smirk dance on his lips.?
“No.”?
I made myself invisible to everyone but him and leaned forward, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Haden’s eyes closed softly. The scent of his frost filled my lungs, and I felt more relaxed than I had in 300 years. Home. My home was back.?
I pulled away.?
“Will you be alright staying here?” I looked at his parents.?
“Yes, we will be alright, and if we aren’t, I’ll call for you.”?
I didn’t want to leave him, but he did not ask me to stay. I gave him an awkward wave before disappearing.
Chapter 18
Della
My eyes drifted to Ivy, the Goddess of Nature. She had shown up at our home unannounced, which she had not done before, because she was convinced the God of the Sea was missing. Ivy was erratic as she tried to explain that she thought someone was stealing gods. Honestly, she had always been a bit eccentric, but this morning was a new level for her.
Her green dress wrapped around her like vines, covering just enough to not be too revealing. Her red hair was up, in a messy bun that had strands falling out.
“Are you sure he is even missing?” Mikel asked.?
“No, but he has been gone for months.” Ivy was becoming more frantic. “He has never left for this long. Haven’t you noticed how uncontrollable the sea has been? It acts as if it is angry because it knows he is missing.”?
“Admes warned us before that Kaios might be missing.” I reminded Mikel.
