Chapter 24

Chapter 24
Thorne’s POV

I looked at her, arching an eyebrow. “What is that supposed to mean?”

She shrugged and stood up.

“Is there anything to be worried about?”

“Of course.” It was Kade who replied. “Brother, as long as his soul cannot be destroyed, we have a problem.”

“Shit. It’s true,” I groaned. “He could find a host body.”

“Yes,” concurred Lyra. “Which is why we must not relent or sit back. Would you like to see Violetta?” She finished, changing the topic smoothly. “I shall inform her myself that you came to see her.”

A few minutes later, I was knocking on the door. Lyra and Kade had gone off to attend to some matter brought to them by a guard.

The door opened to reveal Violetta who looked extremely shocked to see me.

“Thorne?” she whispered. “I didn’t… is this really you?”

I offered her a soft smile. “Hello, Your Majesty.”

“I am not queen anymore, Thorne.”

“I know what happened in the capital,” I said, pulling her into a hug. She stiffened instantly at the unexpected contact, but after a second of hesitation, she slowly relaxed against my chest, resting her forehead against my shoulder.

“I thought you were dead, Violetta,” I confessed.

“I came very close to it,” she laughed lightly, pulling away.
“It’s not funny,” I scolded.

She simply shrugged and still smiled.

“Tell me what happened when the council confronted you.”

“The court discovered the truth about what I am, Thorne. Someone leaked the records of my lineage.”

“I wish I knew who did that. I thought your secret would stay hidden forever since I destroyed every record of it.”

Her head snapped back toward me, her eyes going wide with shock. “You knew about me?”

“I always knew what blood ran through your veins, Violetta,” I told her honestly.

She stared at me in complete disbelief. “You never said a single word to me about it even for once.”

“You never needed to know that I was aware of it,” I explained. “It changed nothing about who you were or how much I trusted your character.”

“You weren’t scared I’d ever lose control?”

“Why would I have been?” I asked her.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. But the council, they found out, and they acted as if I were a plague upon the realm.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “It actually has nothing to do with that. It is an excuse they are using. I knew there were corrupt people in the court who opposed your rule from the very beginning. I knew several high lords hated the fact that I chose a woman from outside their traditional houses, and I knew there would always be ambitious fools who wanted the old royal bloodlines restored to power so they could manipulate the crown.”

“I just never knew they suspected the specifics of your nature, and I never anticipated they would turn on you so quickly.”

“I am sincerely sorry.”

She looked up at me, furrowing her brows in confusion. “What for?”

“I handed you a crown, Violetta,” I sighed, feeling regret. “I never intended to hand you a death sentence.”

Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes, but she blinked them away and looked back up at me. “You didn’t give me a death sentence, Thorne.”

“My choices put you directly in their path,” I insisted.

“No,” she said, shaking her head adamantly. “You trusted me with the realm when no one else would have, and you gave me the chance to protect our people from total ruin. That was never a mistake.”

“And yet that trust nearly cost you your life,” I pointed out.
“That was not your fault,” she replied. “There’s a lot more… even if I wasn’t queen Svetlana would still…” she trailed off, turning her head as the door opened, revealing Lyra.

Violetta’s POV

The sound of the door opening made me snap my head towards it, revealing Lyra. She looked uneasy from what I could tell. Behind her was Selene who mirrored the same expression.

“Is there any problem?” I asked worriedly.

She exchanged a brief glance with Thorne before looking back at me. “My visions came back… it’s been a few months since I had one.”

“What about them?”

“I saw something terrible,” she admitted.

With the rare powers she had, seeing visions was one of her rare gifts. I remember Selene filling me in about things and mentioning that whenever Lyra had a vision, even about things that seemed so insignificant, they often came true.

“What did you see, Lyra?” I asked.

“Fae soldiers.”

“Fighting against the hollowed?” I guessed, my heart beginning to thump.

“Not exactly,” she hesitated. “They were running for their lives.”

“From what?”

“The hollowed army,” she said plainly.

My stomach twisted. “How many of them were there?”

“Enough to overwhelm the capital,” Lyra answered.

I looked forward for a long time. Will they be fine? I mean they don’t want me there, but what if they need help? Truth be told, I did not trust Evander who was now the new king to mobilize an army or to give the best strategy. The man was so proud and would not even want to listen to the young warrior who was championing our army. If Thorne and I did not go there to straighten things out, they might all be wiped out.
“They want to kill you by all means,” Thorne said, staring at me like I had gone mad. “You cannot be serious about wanting to go there.”

“I have a duty to my people no matter what they’ve done,” I retorted. “Moreover, we both know that the decisions of the council do not reflect the decisions of the masses. The masses are the ones that are going to suffer if a war occurs. The council has protection no matter what. We both know that. And you who has been king should know that as well.”

“I am going to go with you,” Selene interrupted.

I whipped my head around so fast towards where she stood. “You can’t be serious about that, Selene. That’s a death sentence.”

“What happens when you lose control?” she asked.

“You are not my caretaker, Selene,” I retorted.

“But I help. And I’ve been helping you. Lyra has been helping you. One of us has to go and certainly not the woman who has a kingdom to run and two children to take care of.”

“Selene, please listen to reason,” I urged, reaching toward her arm.

“I said no, Violetta.”

“You don’t understand what we’re walking into,” I pleaded. “The hollowed will tear apart anyone who gets in their way and you literally don’t have magic.”

“I understand perfectly,” she snapped back, crossing her arms firmly over her chest. “If the hollowed are attacking the Fae Realm, you need to be there to protect your people.”

“And that is my duty alone,” I argued. “You are not a soldier in my army.”

“And I’m coming with you whether you like it or not,” she said.

“You could die over there, Selene!” I shouted.

“So could you!” she fired back without missing a single beat.
“If you leave me behind, I swear to the Goddess I will find another portal and come through to the capital by myself,” she warned.

I stared at her, searching her face for any trace of hesitation. “You wouldn’t be so reckless.”

She raised a single brow at me. “Try me, Your Majesty.”

Thorne let out a weary sigh from beside the table. “I believe her, Violetta. There is no stopping a wolf with her mind set.”

I shot Thorne an irritated look. “Of course you would take her side.”

“I am just telling you what she is like, and I know you know that.”

“You should get ready,” Lyra said. She and Thorne left the room, closing the door behind them leaving only Selene behind. I stood by the wardrobe, my chest suddenly heaving. Lately, I had been feeling more than i should, and unable to mask it like before.

Suddenly, I felt her warm hands rest on my waist.

A l shiver ran down my back, and my breath caught in my throat. She stepped closer until her chest was pressed against my back.

“You’re shaking,” she whispered softly against my ear.

“I’m just getting ready,” I lied. “And um… thinking."

“It is okay to be scared. I mean you're going back to the people who want you dead.”

“Yeah, right,” I chuckled, turning to face her.

The gods knew ì didn't deserve her. She was so perfect and caring, and despite hurting her she still showed me what love was.

I leaned in before I could stop myself and kissed her hard.

It was hot, hungry, and full of all the feelings we had kept hidden for four years. She pushed her body against mine, holding my waist tightly while my hands tangled in her dark hair. My lips moved to her neck, kissing down her skin until a soft gasp left her mouth. It felt so good, and for a moment, I forgot all about the war, the hollowed, and the fear inside me.

I pulled back just a little, breathing heavily, her forehead resting against mine.

“We will finish this when we get back alive,” she promised with a breathless smile.

Before I could kiss her again, someone banged loudly on the door.

“Violetta!” Thorne shouted from the hallway. “Scouts report killings in Shadowfang's black market. They have killed portal owners!”