Chapter 96 EPILOGUE 2: Their Given Paths
\[Atticus’ POV\]
“His help doesn’t come easy.”
The words leave my lips as I take Tabitha in, waiting to see if her resolve will quake. Maybe this was the reason that I fell for her, or maybe it was the undeniable draw that I felt. Whatever it was I knew, with or without my memories, I would choose her again and again because of the strength she radiated.
“I don’t care,” she says, beginning to move. “And if you’re just going to stand here and argue, you can..."
“No,” I sigh, hoisting Titus as he begins to slip. “Let’s go.”
I begin to move, heading into JD’s domain, and then lead the way to his room, where he should be waiting. When we arrive, the door swings open, and a broad smile rests on his face.
“Did you succeed?” He asks, eyeing the wrapped-up lump on my shoulder. “Or did you bring me another gift?"
“No,” I chuckle, throwing Titus on the ground. “It’s what you want.”
“But before that,” Tabitha adds, making her presence known. “There are some things that we would like to ask him.”
“An interrogation?” JD murmurs, rubbing his chin. “That might be interesting. Shall I help?”
Help? Was JD actually offering his help without wanting anything in return? What the hell was going on?
“Don’t look at me like that,” he chuckles, catching onto the way I was watching him. “Even I can be generous, especially when a beautiful woman is involved.”
There it was—the reason he would help. He had taken a liking to Tabitha. Well, I hated to crush him, but she was mine, and I would fucking kill him if he even attempted to touch her.
“How do you plan on helping?” Tabitha asks, attempting to keep a straight face. “We can handle it; you just..."
“With this,” JD announces, grabbing a small bottle from his desk. “Truth serum. He will answer each and every question honestly.”
As he speaks, he pulls the blanket from around Titus and meets his hateful gaze. Smirking, he grabs the man’s chin and pulls so he can dump the serum down his throat. When he finishes, he pushes his mouth closed so he is forced to swallow.
Once he is sure that Titus has consumed the serum, he steps back and waits while I pick Titus up and place him in a chair. After he is in place, I step back and look at Tabitha.
“Go on, then,” I urge her.
I didn’t know what was going through her head or what haunted her, but I knew that whatever it was she wanted to know must be important.
Stepping forward, she keeps her gaze fixed on Titus while a look of hatred begins to form on her face.
“Who was it?” She growls, grabbing his neck. “Who the fuck did you send to kill my family?”
"I..." he begins, but attempts to stop himself. “He lives in the north.”
“The north?” She repeats, leaning closer. “I need more information than that. Who the fuck is he, and why did he agree to help you?”
“Your creator.”
At his words, shock colors Tabitha’s features, and she releases Titus, then takes a few steps back.
“Creator?” She repeats, trying to process. “Do you mean..."
“He’s your father,” Titus responds, though it is clear he hates that he is answering so willingly.
“Father,” she whispers, clearly shocked. “And why are you working with my father?”
“Because you are the only one who can break the curse and bring us back to the light.”
“That didn’t work, you fucking idiot!” She growls, punching him in the jaw. “YOU ONLY BROUGHT ABOUT YOUR KINDS DEMISE! HOW DO I STOP IT?”
“There is no stopping it!” He laughs. “Once the wheels of fate are rolling, they can’t be stopped. You’re going to die! All of you!”
"Useless!" Tabitha hisses, hitting him again. “Take his fucking heart.”
Turning, she makes her way across the room and slumps against the wall while JD and I remain close to Titus.
“You heard her,” I chuckle. “Go ahead and take what you want so that you can make good on your side of the deal.”
Nodding, JD moves forward, and in one quick flash, he makes a swore appear and then slides it along Titus’ throat. As he begins to bleed out, he stabs it in his chest and begins to carve around the heart that he wants.
Remaining silent, I watch as he pulls it from Titus’ chest and quickly places it in a jar before turning to me.
“Come here,” he announces, motioning toward his desk. “Take a seat.”
“A seat?” I repeat, raising a brow. “And how the fuck am I supposed to do that?”
In one quick motion, he knocks everything down and then nods toward it again. Sighing, I don’t argue before I’m moving forward and then lying down.
“Now, this may be uncomfortable,” he says, placing his hands on either side of my head. “But bear with it.”
“Just fucking do it.”
Closing my eyes, I wait until what feels like knives begin to stab into my temples and pierce my brain. At first, they’re just annoying stings that keep chipping away at whatever it is that is blocking my memories, but before long, it feels like they’re being sliced.
Hissing, I grit my teeth while I continue to bear what is happening until, finally, the memories that I was missing begin to slowly trickle back. One by one, they come: images of Tabitha smiling, her flushed expression while she is beneath me, her determination. With them comes everything that happened before August interfered, and finally another memory, one I never knew I was missing, of an unseelie knight with my brother.
Eyes flying open, I sit up as I realize that in the process of having everything August took returned to me, I managed to unseal the missing clue to finding the ones responsible for my clan's deaths, but they were the last ones I would even guess.
“What is it?” Tabitha asks, not missing my shock or unease. “What happened?”
“I know,” I whisper, trying to ignore the rage that was beginning to boil up in me. “I know who killed my clan.”
“You do?” She asks, her eyes growing wide. “Who was it?”
“The very bastards that backstabbed and banished us,” I growl, jumping to my feet.
Why they would continue to come after us while we weren’t in the way anymore was beyond me, but now that I knew who I was after, I was going to make them pay. I was going to return to them every fucking thing they gave us until now.
“I have to return to the unseelie court.”
“Return,” Tabitha squeaks. “You’re leaving?”
“I’m afraid I have to. To avenge my family and my clan, I have to finish this.”
"When will you leave?" She asks quietly, clearly upset.
"Tomorrow."