but we both know it isn’t true.
“But I did choose Ren and to be his mate. I did choose the vampires, and the light above knows it,” I whisper back, bringing up another thought. Thallon, Henry, Ren and Myles...I can’t choose between them, but I have no idea how they each feel about this all. Like Thallon can read my thoughts, he tenderly presses his lips to my forehead. “I choose to be at your side, and I want you protected and loved. The others are good men, and I see how they look at you. I’m happy as long as you are, and you wouldn’t be with them if they weren’t good for you.”
“Is it selfish that the idea of you touching another woman makes me feel so angry and jealous?” I ask him, and he shrugs. “Yet I’m asking you to share me with other men.”
“Who cares but us? I just want you; you never have to worry about anyone else,” he softly tells me and kisses me gently before pulling away, both of us well aware we aren’t alone. I rest my head back down on his chest, and he rubs his thumb in circles on my hip as suddenly I hear a distant sound...that sounds like singing. It’s not a song, just a prayer of some kind, and it’s very melodic.
“They sing every night around now. The city of the angels always sings,” Thallon whispers to me. The song mixes in with the sounds of crying nearby, the wails of the vampires hurting my heart with how hopeless they sound. “Even when the vampires weep, Neamh sings of hope.”
I don’t have a response to him, and I know his words will forever haunt my soul.
Morning light flickers into the room as the sun rises, kissing our bodies as we lie on the bed. I sit up, leaning over Thallon as he sleeps peacefully.
“He hasn’t slept this well in a long time,” Vesnia whispers to me, and I turn to see her by the door. “He calls for you every night.”
“If they kill me, you will look after him, right?” I quietly ask, and she meets my eyes.
“They will not kill you, and if they do, this city will burn. We will never stop until we have revenge,” Vesnia says strongly. “The vampires will avenge you because you are Ren’s queen. I’ve spoken to so many of them, and they all feel the same way. They may not understand you, but in their eyes, you are on their side and not the angels’.”
A warning bell rings once just before at least four angels land outside our room. Thallon wakes up with a jolt and quickly wraps his arms around me.
“Make this easy, or they will be hurt. Come out, it is time,” a guard demands, and they make space for me to stand in the middle of them, but their hands rest on their swords. I lean up and kiss Thallon, pouring everything unsaid between us into the kiss, knowing he will understand.
“I love you,” I tell him, hoping how scared I am doesn’t sink into my words. This might possibly be the last time we see each other, and I don’t want for him to see me scared. Gods, give me the strength to be brave. He rests his forehead against mine and takes a deep breath.
“They will not kill you, and I love you too,” he whispers. “I will love you forever, Kaitlyn Lightson.”
Letting him go is harder than I ever thought possible, and it hurts in my chest when I step back and hold my head high as I walk over to the angels. They surround me as two hands grip my upper arms, and they fly us up out of the prisons and above the city. Holy angels…Neamh is beautiful. We are in a castle, a huge castle right in the centre, and the walls look like they are made of pearls, the bright white reflecting across the white buildings spread across the city. Angels and winged horses fly around the city made of pure white, everything from the trees to the pebbled streets and cottages on the outskirts of the city, before they hit the deep forests. White blossom blows around the city in the warm air, and it almost brings a tear to my eyes, taking in how beautiful it is. I notice the sun seems so close, so warm as it shines down on the city, and it doesn’t look