Heir of Broken Fate: Chapter 36

Pain laces through my hand with each swing of my sword, yet I don’t cower from it.

Instead, I welcome the pain. My mind won’t shut off, won’t stop flooding with images of Hazel being attacked and guards dying, each flitting image worse than the last. With each image comes my anxiety and the spiraling of my thoughts.

I did this. I brought her into this mess. I left her alone and she nearly died.

Hazel nearly died.

Knox’s guards died.

Everyone around me is dying.

As each thought stabs my heart and assaults my mind, I strike harder. I don’t remember when my blisters became raw, when my skin splits open, when the blood pools down my palm.

All I can see is Hazel covered in blood, the same deep crimson red of Easton’s. I’m responsible for spilling both. I can’t take it if another person dies because of me. I push my body harder, not stopping for anything, even as my lungs scream in pain. I lunge, my legs wobbling as my arms come up over my head. Flowing into a fighting sequence, my sword flies through the air. Turn, strike, start again, attacking the air as if it were my thoughts.

“Delilah.” Knox’s deep voice brushes a sensual finger down my spine.

I pause, my chest heaving as I try to get more air into my lungs. “I’m not in the mood, Knox,” I say, gritting my teeth as I continue with my regime.

Suddenly Knox is standing in front of me, the sword no longer in my hands but clanging on the floor. I open my mouth to yell as he grips both of my forearms, his touch gentle yet firm.

“Delilah, why are you training in the middle of the night?”

I look into his sapphire eyes, seeing uneasiness and…concern?

My throat burns as I whisper, “I can’t stop seeing it.”

Knox stares at me intently; it’s like he can see right through me. The pull I feel toward him grows inside me with every passing second.

He glides his hands down my arms, sending goosebumps along my skin, and takes my hand. “Come with me,” he whispers.

“Where?”

He leans forward, slowly dragging his jaw against my own, brushing his lips against my ear. I bite my lip to stop the sigh from escaping, his touch soothing the ache in my heart.

“I promise it will make you feel better,” he whispers.

I’m so mentally and physically exhausted I have no fight left in me to push him away, not right now. Not when I feel like my very heart is breaking.

I trail behind him, his hand still clutching mine as we walk through the silent house to the front yard. He turns, gently scooping me into his arms as his wings flutter open, and takes off.

He flies for what feels like hours. The wind on my face, smell of crisp fresh air, and the night sky lull me to sleep at some point. Yet I don’t think it was the flying that I have to thank for that. I think it’s the man carrying me and the comfort he brings.

Warmth brushes against my ear as a soft voice whispers to me, “Delilah.”

I flutter my eyes open. Dawn is fast approaching, the night sky fading to a deep navy blue. I blink rapidly, looking around as my mind begins to wake up, piecing together where I am. We’re on top of a mountain peak, the twinkling city lights of Azalea shining up at us, the beautiful ocean surrounding the coastal town sparkling beneath the fading moon.

It looks like a dream.

I start to move forward, to be closer to the breathtaking view, when I notice I’m seated on a large rock boulder, two powerful male legs on either side of me.

I’m sitting between Knox’s legs.

I begin to shift away, entirely alert to how close we’re sitting when he wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me back flush against his chest. My traitorous body responds with a shiver, melting against his hard planes.

His voice is a deep husky rumble as he says, “Just pretend for a moment that you don’t hate me.”

“I don’t hate you,” I argue.

“I know. I just wanted to hear you say it,” he says smugly.

I elbow his stomach, laughing with satisfaction as he grunts.

I lean back, allowing myself to soak in the intricate details of the sparkling city, the happiness that emanates from it. “How did you find this place? It’s so peaceful.”

“I snuck out of my room one night when I was a young boy. I loved flying and spent most nights in the sky. One night I had run myself ragged; this was the closest spot I could find to land.”

“When did you get your wings?” I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.

He groans. “A long time ago.”

“How old are you?” I tease. Knox looks no older than his late twenties, yet so does Hazel. I’ve come to expect the Fae features to be misleading when it comes to their age.

Knox’s arms tighten around me. “That, Angel, I cannot tell you.”

I huff out a laugh. “Why not?”

“I don’t want it going to your head.”

I click my tongue. “You’re insufferable.”

How does he do it? He knows how to calm me, yet pushes every one of my buttons. I was punishing myself, my mind overruling me, and now I’m sitting with Knox laughing and smiling. Even with everything going on around us, my heart feels at peace when I’m with him.

“What do you dream about?” he asks suddenly.

“That’s a strange question.”

“Entertain me,” he purrs.

I pause, considering his question. What do I dream of?

“Honestly, I’ve only dreamt of making the human lands a better place. To make the world a happier place.” Knox can’t see the smile that spreads across my lips. “That’s why I’ve fallen in love with Azalea. It brought hope to my heart again, to see a city so full of life and joy.”

“Why did you lose hope?” he asks quietly.

My smile dies. “My father began executing innocent people.”

His body stiffens behind me. “He executes people?”

“Daily. He made a show of it, made it a law that the citizens must watch otherwise they’ll be the ones up there the next day.” My voice grows quiet. “The week I left, he murdered an entire sector. Eleven thousand people…gone in an instant.”

“Why did you decide to leave then? He had murdered people before that.”

His blunt words make my spine straighten. “Because I realized I couldn’t help anyone. I had been freeing as many innocent people as I could for years. Yet, in the grand scheme of things, nothing truly changed.”

“That’s not true,” he argues. “I know the people you freed wouldn’t say what you did was worthless.”

“No, they wouldn’t,” I whisper. “I crossed the border to help the trapped Fae in our lands. But a large part of me hoped that in doing so, the Fae would help the humans.”

Knox places his chin on the top of my head. “You want to overrule your father.”

“I just want my people to be happy and to live a life of freedom. A life worth living.” My body starts to relax once more, melding into the hard planes of Knox’s muscles. “That’s not the only reason why I’m helping.”

“No?” I can hear the shock in his voice.

“Your people deserve freedom as well, and in this situation I can actually do something. I have the power to help.” I lower my voice, barely hearing my own words. “I’ll never turn my back on people in need. I’m tired of seeing people suffer.”

My admission silences us both, but it’s true. At the beginning, I wanted the Fae to help my own people, yet over time, as I slowly fell in love with everything about this beautiful city and its people, I wanted to do this for them, to end their suffering.

“What do you dream of?” I shoot the question back at him, watching the sunrise as the golden hue illuminates the ocean.

Knox is silent for a moment, mulling over my question. When he speaks, his voice sings to me, calming me. “I want my people to be safe, for the family I’ve created to live a long happy life. That I myself will live it with them.”

“Do you think you won’t get that?”

I feel his shoulders shrug against my back. “Threats and danger come with being king. I’m not naive enough to think I’ll never have enemies at my back.”

“I hope you get to live the life you dream of. You deserve it.”

He doesn’t say anything, and I wonder if I’ve stunned him. The birds chirping and the distant crashing of waves below fill his silence.

“Why did you bring me here?” I suddenly ask.

Knox clears his throat. “I come here when I need to clear my head.”

“Thank you,” I whisper.