she, Siobhan? Where the fuck is the goddess in our darkest hour? Hecate can rise using any bloodline witch she wishes, and yet as Ilsa slaughtered the babes, Hecate has refused to rise. She is the reason the Nine Realms is in this mess, to begin with! Where the hell is she? Your savior, your vain goddess who can’t be bothered to wake up and fight with us,” I shouted, moving down the line as they watched me. “Hecate could end this, and yet she has refused to come back for us in our time of need. My grandmother was the vainest, narcissistic bitch in all the realms. She demanded control, starting wars with anyone who opposed her. She murdered and destroyed kingdoms in a rage, uncaring of the innocent lives lost. Now her victims are taking our lives because of her actions. There’s a mad queen on our throne. Ilsa is murdering witches who refuse to follow her, and for what? For not wishing to break the laws that she, herself, put into place? Fuck that and fuck her. Let Hecate sleep, unbothered by our suffering. We don’t need her, do we?”
“You can’t take Ilsa down alone, Aria,” Siobhan snorted, her eyes moving to where Knox was slowly walking toward me.
“She isn’t alone. Aria Primrose Hecate has agreed to become my wife. If that doesn’t tell you her level of devotion to you and the other witches, nothing will. I will wed her during the Beltane celebration and make a Hecate witch my wife. I will secure her throne with her, and we will rule it together,” he lied, and I stifled an eye roll that would have caused the bell at the back of my head to ring.
“You’re marrying the high king?” Siobhan asked, searching my face before narrowing her stare on Knox.
“I am, and before you think it is something other than it is, I love his cock,” I announced, causing Knox to laugh as he pulled me against him. “It’s a really nice cock.”
“Indeed, it is,” she snorted, glaring at me. “You aren’t marrying the king for his dick, though. You’re marrying him to give him the throne, meaning you’re selling us out before you ever become the rightful queen.”
“I am not selling anyone out. I am doing what is needed for our people. I, alone, can’t save us. I know there are good witches out there, and they don’t deserve to die. Any bitch who can slaughter our sons and daughters doesn’t get to be my queen.” Tears slipped free as I stepped away from Knox, moving to Siobhan. “Any woman that can murder an infant by tearing her into pieces to cause pain is the evilest of beings,” I whispered thickly through the emotion as she watched me, her own eyes filling with unshed tears. “I intend to make sure Ilsa feels a thousand deaths, in a thousand ways, reserved for only the evilest of creatures.”
“That is what your grandmother did for King Karnavious, Aria. His son suffered that fate, and he was merely a lad of seven years. If you think it will be easy to sway us to your side simply because you’re a Hecate witch, think again. We’ve lived in this war zone your bloodline created. Your legacy is Ilsa because you and your bloodline placed her on our throne.”
“I know that I have a lot to atone for, Siobhan. I don’t expect blind devotion. If you could blindly follow someone, then I don’t want your loyalty. I intend to earn your respect and to prove who I am. I am unlike any witch within the Nine Realms. I am a witch and a monster, and these days, my monster is much louder than the magic within me. I am a Hecate witch, but hear me now. I do not need your magic or your strength because I have my own. I will never ask you to feed me your magic because the Nine Realms fuel me. I require nothing of you, other than your support for my throne, and to help me protect others like us before they share the same fate as the children last night.”
“Prove it. If you’re so powerful, then undo the curse your grandmother placed on us. Undo the curses against the other races. Prove that you are really seeking to atone for what she has allowed! Hecate muted every race, their strength and power held hostage by your line. Our power feeds you magic, draining