Prologue
Two years later...
Alec King
The dark bourbon burned on its way down my throat. It wasn't enough. I needed more than the hint of a burn it provided. But still, it gave me something to distract from the itch in my veins that demanded I hunt down the dark-haired woman occupying my every thought.
Twirling the dark liquor in the crystal glass, I looked down at the file in my lap illuminated by the fire that burned in the hearth. The flames flickered in the movement of the liquid.
Her dark eyes stared back at me. There were shadows under them, revealing her exhaustion. I clenched my jaw.
Was there ever a time I had seen her without the dark crescents?
I took a breath and steeled myself against the sight. Soon, I was going to have to face more than just a picture of her exhaustion.
When that time came, I wasn't going to let anything stop me from making sure we got what was ours.
These two years of near solitude and focus gave me one thing that I needed.
Time.
Time to think. Time to reflect. Time to plan. Time to rectify.
It also gave her time to come to terms with her inevitable fate. But now time had run out. I had no reason to wait. On the contrary, my brothers were proving that I had more than enough to drag her back, even if it was kicking and screaming.
But I had different plans for her.
It wasn't going to be hard to show her the consequences of her decisions. All I would need to do is take a step back and let everything speak for itself. Her departure had caused enough chaos and destruction that the pieces could be seen scattered around us in plain sight. It was impossible to miss them.
She wasn't going to be greeted by the same men she left.
My brothers weren't the same since that night. Feeling the worse of the betrayal since he thought he was the closest to getting through to her- to having her, Luca had been more withdrawn. Though he didn't lack other reasons for being so reserved lately. Jace, on the other hand, had turned to substances to numb her absence. He wasn't a stranger to them, but... it had never been like this before. It seemed less like an indulgence and more like a need lately. I'm sure there would have been countless broken hearts too if he didn't care for a certain heartbreaker and her pain so much.
Not that she cared for ours.
She didn't know, I tried to tell myself as my hand tightened on the glass, threatening to break it. We kept her in the dark for too long.
But that doesn't change the fact that she chose him and not us.
But he wouldn't be a problem anymore. Well, not the way he had proved to be before.
I let out a breath and took another sip of my drink. If Jace hadn't angered Luca due to his past stupidity coming back to haunt us, maybe things wouldn't have been so bad at the moment. They could have at the least been there for each other. But no, instead they turned to solitude and temporary escapes.
It was time things were set right.
If we were to wait for her to come to us, we would be left waiting until dust began to settle. I was done waiting. The tether that tied her to me was a continuous pulse that I was aware of more than my own pulse. It was one thing they couldn't understand. They may have wanted her, but they had no idea the depths that want could reach.
I did.
I was done playing the scared fool. I was no longer a child. I was a man. A leader. A King.
I was steady, level-headed, and had my beasts on my side. I let fear override my other half's natural instincts in the past, but this time our objectives were in line. We wanted her.
It had only taken a few weeks of solitude to realize that my wolf and the demonic part that made me feed on blood were not as they should be. If my mind wasn't consumed by my panicked plans to "fix" everything, I would have noticed they weren't right since I denied them their mate. The fact I hadn't felt an urge to shift once since I found Damaris or the fact that I had felt increased bloodlust, even towards our mate when she was injured, should have given away the fact that something was wrong.
But I was a fool who had been blinded by my past.
But no more.
There remained no shock, disappointment, or fear that once clouded my rationality. No fears remained to be resurrected. The only one that did was the fear of losing her.
And I wasn't going to let that happen.
She was mine. My mark made that clear.
I traced a finger down the image before me where my mark should have been. All that was visible was the slight shadow of what lay beneath the makeup she had been diligently applying. It was a shame she tried to hide it. She would soon come to learn the prestige it held.
And the world will learn who placed it upon her.
She was mine. Ours. I was done denying that.
My beasts stirred, demanded I hunt down our mate.
This time, I didn't push them down. It was time. Her time was up.
"Sir, our men have their eyes on the targets. They are awaiting your orders."
I took another sip, my eyes continuing to roam over Damaris's latest picture. "Any signs of suspicion?"
"No, sir. They locked up like normal and are preparing to restrengthen their wards per schedule."
I nodded, holding back a laugh. Their wards were useless against monsters like me. Nothing could keep me from getting what was mine.
Magnus and Jane were fools to even consider that they could breathe near my mate without me being aware. Now that everything was in place, I would let that foolishness be the hill that they'd die on.
"Were there any further issues with the weapons?" I inquired.
There was a pause.
"The last shipment was short a handgun and two cases of bullets. We were able to locate them under a loose floorboard in Miss. Rosalia's office and retrieve them."
I sighed.
During the last two years, we had collected enough demon crystals to have Rosalia painstakingly enchant the weapons our men would be armed with. She had to take breaks between infusing each weapon and each individual bullet with dark essence to recharge. Otherwise, there was a chance of her keeling over dead before we had enough weapons to ensure easy success. It still took a great toll on her regardless, but if I had to over-exhaust a witch to protect my mate, then there was no question about it
Strangely though, It hadn't crossed my mind that she may have tried to steal from me. I must have been losing my edge if my subjects thought they could even consider attempting such a thing.
I would deal with her later. Tonight, I had another matter to focus on.
Tonight, I planned to get rid of Marcus and Jane once and for all.
It was time for them to die. No threat to my mate could be allowed to go on. They were the first on the list, placing themselves there when they had delivered their gruesome threat to our front door.
Sadly their deaths wouldn't be as gruesome as the corpses they hung as a warning.
"Make sure to leave no signs. She's to think they left for a trip." I didn't want to start things off by giving her another reason to fear us. I took another sip as I continued to commit the picture of her to memory. Just like I had done with every single one that came before it.
My lips flattened into a line. "They may proceed as planned."
"Yes, sir."
I listened to him leave my office as the fire continued to crackle and pop, casting dancing shadows across her image. Lifting the glass to my lips, I downed the remaining liquor.
Get ready, kitten. I'm coming for you.
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