“Do you, though?” he asks quietly, and I growl.
“Well, I am assuming if we die for our sins, she dies for her choices too,” I snarl. “But it still hurts.”
“Along with the lycan species.” James withdraws his hand from my shoulder and steps away from me. We both sit in silence for what feels like hours before he finally speaks again. “What’s done is done. There’s no point dwelling on it. You only have a couple of days to redeem yourself, so this moping about needs to stop,” he tells me.
His words bring a flood of emotions—anger, hurt, betrayal, and loneliness—all washing over me like an intense wave that threatens to consume me whole.
I want to rip Zeke’s head from his body, but I know James is right, and giving in to wrath won’t change how she feels about me. It would only make things worse. She needs time to come to terms with the things I’ve had to do.
Nothing will change the fact I’ve tormented my own people for over a decade, making them fear their own shadows. It doesn’t matter if I would never intentionally harm them. Living in fear is not living at all, so even if I led those people to the mine shaft every month and tossed them into the waiting nets, I can’t really be sure if Zeke stepped in to save them the way I assumed he would.
“So, what are we doing? Making a declaration of love, fighting to the death, or having a pity party?” James asks, and I glare at him.
I have no idea what to do. I prayed that Zeke was saving the prisoners from the mine shaft all these years. I wonder if I should go check the nets and make sure nothing is down there. The driver always complained of the stench, but I know Zeke. He’d make it believable. He may be the worst of us, but in some ways, he’s also the best of us.
I glance at my phone, about to call him to ensure they got back to his kingdom. Before I can, it’s buzzing in my hand. An incoming call from my father.
His voice is strained. “King Slavic came to the castle looking for you all. He took Malachi,” he blurts. My eyes dart to James whose attention goes straight to me as he eavesdrops on my father’s voice.
“What?” I ask, sitting up straighter.
“He took Malachi,” my father rasps.
“Crap, I am on my way,” I tell him.
Then there’s a gasp, a gurgling sound, and my father’s voice falters. “No, get Malachi. I’ll be fine.”
“What is it, Dad?” The silence from the other end is deafening. “Are you sure?” I press on, but still, there is no response. “Dad?”
His rattling exhale sends a surge of panic through me, followed by a hollow thud. “Dad?” He doesn’t answer, and I look at James, who stares at me with worry.
He snatches the phone from my hand. “Theron, you wrinkly old bastard, answer before you give me a heart attack.” Still silence, and I see him press his ear harder to the phone. His vampire hearing is a little better than that of a lycan. “I think he’s passed out, but I can still hear his heart beating,” he states.
I snatch the phone from him and stand.
“Dad if you can hear me. We’re on our way,” I tell him, hoping he can. Snatching up some clothes, I dress as I rush down the steps, leaving the ruins of my room behind and heading back to my father’s kingdom. James rushes to keep up with me, and we are in the car just as I pull a fresh shirt over my head.
As I start the car and James slides in next to me, I call Lyon. The phone connects to Bluetooth just as he answers. “Hello.”
“Where are you?” I demand, my voice hoarse with worry, though I am relieved he answered because that means Slavic hasn’t found him.
“Heading to Zeke and Zirah, why?” Lyon responds.
“Good, stay there and don’t leave her side,” I order, gripping the steering wheel tighter as I accelerate out the gates and onto the road. The morning light is just peaking over the mountains, blinding me for a second as I crest the hill leading to the highway.
“Well, I wasn’t planning to. What’s wrong?” Zeke asks, and I can hear that he is driving by the sound of his indicator ticking as he turns a corner.
“Something’s going on, and I’m heading back. I need to check on Dad before I see King Slavic. He took Malachi.”
“Do you need me to meet you somewhere?”
“No, get to Zirah and Zeke. Let Zeke know what’s going on. I’ll keep you all informed.” The conversation ends, but the silence isn’t comforting as I speed up the highway.
The endless road stretches ahead as James tries to reach anyone at the castle, dialing all the numbers he has, but when they are met with no answer, worry really sets in.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Once off the phone with Regan, I call Zeke. It’s barely light out, the sun only now just starting to show. I feel a tinge of unease about my father, but I trust Regan’s word. He has always been the most rational one, the one who does all the jobs we don’t want to do. He deals with the surrounding kingdoms so we don’t have to. He handles treaties and takes on most of the hard work. So when he says he’ll handle something, I know he will, but it’s always best for everyone to be on the same page.
