Chapter 152

Aeron

Michael breaks the silence first. “Sooo… is there like a word for what she is?” he asks, tapping snow off his boots. “Or are we just gonna keep calling her ‘cosmically terrifying but also kind of adorable’?”

Hakon doesn’t even lift his eyes from the glitter-coated table. “No,” he says simply. “There is no word. The universe shapes what it needs to fill its voids. Isla is just the newest thing it made. A natural evolution.” He looks up at me. “And evolution isn’t something to fear. It’s something to adapt to.”

"I'm not so sure," Valeria says. "Evolution created those reptile things in the deadlands."

I should have kept the bitch gagged.

"Those things weren't made by any gods," Hakon says and leans back in his chair, throwing his feet on the table. "That was made by humans. And the universe responded by creating Isla to deal with it. She is a Stoneheart. That's what matters."

That ends the discussion.

It should.

But Valeria shifts against her chains with a muffled curse, reminding all of us that she’s still here. Still dangerous. And still annoying as fuck. I gag her before she can speak again.

She glares back at me with a feral intensity that, once upon a time, would have been impressive. Now…it’s pathetic.

“Let’s deal with our guest,” I say.

Michael snorts. “Guest. Cute word for someone who tried to knife us in the back the moment we blinked.”

"The North is without a king. Without a leader," I come to Valeria's defence - kind of. "She made her move, she failed. We move on."

"Great." Nicolette hops off the edge of the table, twirling her blade between her fingers. “Can I kill her now? Pretty please?”

“No,” I say. “Not yet.”

Valeria tries to spit around the gag.

Michael leans back in his chair. “Aww, she's angry. Might I remind you that the only reason you were given the East was because no one else wanted it.”

“No,” Samuel says, half laughing, half serious. “She’s not angry, she's terrified. Look at her aura.”

We all look.

Valeria’s eyes dart around the room like a trapped animal. She’s strong, but she’s not one of the originals. Her makers did not want the kingdom either. No one wanted it after the humans dropped that bomb.

“She knows Isla could kill her without lifting a finger,” Samuel adds. “That’s what’s eating her.”

Valeria screams behind the gag at that.

Hakon’s face goes cold. “She did help to upset the balance when she allowed the creatures on that island to live.”

The fucking balance. I am so sick of hearing about the fucking balance. "That's not on her. They evolved regardless. They were impossible to kill."

Isla could. The universe’s course correction.

My bride.

I push the thought aside and focus on the problem in front of me.

“We need to decide,” I say. “Valeria is a queen. Her lords are few, but they are ancient and loyal. If we kill her without their permission they will retaliate. Do we really want another war?”

“So we invite them here for a tribunal,” Michael suggests. "If she broke the law, we can deal with it then. Until her lords arrive, she'll be our... welcome guest."

Nicolette rests her blade on Valeria’s shoulder, tilting her head. “You are one lucky bitch. I looked forward to skinning you.”

“Stop it.” My voice cracks through the room like a whip.

The hall falls silent.

I step closer to Valeria.

Her breathing quickens. She is genuinely terrified. "Take her back to the dungeon," I say and turn to one of the wolf guards. "Make sure she's... comfortable."

Valeria gives a strangled laugh when the wolf picks her up by the upper arm. I'm sure she has a lot to say, but as she walks past Isla, Valeria kicks out. My bride ducks just before the queen's foot connects with her head.

Michael kicks his chair back and stands. “Lords or not, I will fucking end you.”

Valeria’s eyes widen.

“No,” I say again, raising a hand. “Sit down. I've had my fill of wars and blood.”

Samuel nods. “Same. We took the North. Who will be the king?”

I look at my siblings. "Do any of you want the job?"

"Why are you looking at me?" Nicolette asks. "I'm too young to boss around the ancient ones. Also... I really don't want the job."

Michael snorts, "I did such a great job of keeping Tanya's territory together? No thank you."

"I suppose you don't want it either?" I ask and look from Samuel to Hakon.

Both of them shake their heads.

"Then what the fuck am I supposed to do?"

"Take it yourself?" Isla suggests. "Incorporate it with the South?"

"No. That is too much power for one man," Hakon says. "We decided long ago never to do it again."

"Agreed," I say. "But King Richard is dead and we can't leave the place to its own devices."

"What about his Queen?" Samuel asks.

Richard was an original vampire. Damn near impossible to kill, but Fiona found a way. Because of course she did. She was just that fucking petty. "She fled," Hakon informs us. "No one knows where she is. Her children say she's in mourning and does not want the kingdom."

"Do you trust any of his children to take the throne?" Isla asks.

"Fuck no. I barely trusted Richard."

My bride sighs and shakes her head. "Then what about Zael and Rhema? The love each other. Zael held the gate for months."

Michael looks at me, his eyes sparkling merrily. "She has good ideas. I like her ideas."

I laugh softly. "Fine. I'll send word, and the will be there with Zael when the lords of the North pledge themselves to their new king and queen."

"Nepotism at its finest," Nicolette says dryly. "Giving an entire kingdom to your son and daughter."

"Zael is no longer my son."

"Fine. Your brother," Nicolette corrects. "Same difference."

"I offered it to you first," I tell her with a smile.

From the corner of my eye, I can see my bride grinning. For the first time in a long while everything feels right. Normal. And I have a feeling that things we will be okay.

It won't last. It never does. But for now, I'll bask in the normalcy of it all.