wouldn’t just hurt Aria. They’d torture her and ship her back to me in pieces. Or even worse, they’d keep her alive and slowly destroy her until she was nothing more than a shell. Not even Ember was strong enough to stand against the enemies I’d made by declaring war against the Nine Realms, removing the high king they’d chosen through deception and betrayal.
No, it was better to pretend I hated Aria, and sometimes it was a close line that I felt for her. She dug deep, ripping my heart out with those sexy talons, and I swung back. I enjoyed the fire that lit in her eyes as her anger ignited and aimed that rage at me.
“Lili, I’m here. I think you’d have liked Aria. Her mouth would have floored you, but you’d have smiled that sexy little smirk you got when you liked someone’s forwardness. You’d have welcomed her into our world. You’d have liked her,” I swallowed, running my fingers over the stone slab image of Liliana. “I’m so sorry for what I said to you before I left. I didn’t mean it, baby. I didn’t mean any of it. Pain fueled my rage, and I couldn’t turn it off. I missed our son, and the images inside my head wouldn’t stop. Every single death, each gasp of air that left his lungs as death finally found him; it strangled me,” I whispered. “It felt like I was drowning, and you weren’t there for me. I’m sorry, Lili. I am. I love you, and I’ll always love you. Aria, though, she’s real. I feel her inside of me. I feel her so fucking deep that my entire world started turning tonight when she let me inside. I’m sorry for what I am about to do, but I can’t do this without knowing the truth. I have to let you go so I can give Aria what she wants from me. I have to give her myself without the ghosts.”
My hand slid over the picture of Liliana, and I waited for the pain to come. I waited for the sucker punch to the gut from my guilt. I’d told her I wished she’d died instead of our son, only for her to be taken from me right after. I pushed her tomb open as I closed my eyes. I inhaled, slowly peering down as I exhaled.
Inside the tomb were her remains, but on her forehead was the mark of the Hecate bloodline. I lowered my hand, touching the amulet Liliana had never taken off as I ripped it up, inhaling deeply of the scent, and then holding it away from my nose as I covered it with my arm. My heart clutched as my gaze slid to my son’s tomb. Pain wrapped around my chest, clenching, and I swallowed the scream that threatened to come out as rage filled my soul.
Moving to Sven’s tomb, I paused, touching the picture before I pushed it open and peered inside, finding the mark upon his skull as well. My gaze lowered to the raven toy his mother had made for him, lifting it as I inhaled, repeating the action.
I turned, staring at my wife’s grave. I moved toward it, ripping the skull away from the body to hold it up, starring at it in anger. Spinning around, I started slowly toward the door before moving toward it with purpose.
If Liliana was a plant, then so, too, was Aria fucking Hecate. I rattled until the windows shook with my anger, imagining her on the floor, pumping her hips in submission. I was about to chain Aria to the wall and leave her there until she was nothing more than a mindless slave for her part in this deception. Witches had manipulated and driven my entire fucking life, and now they would all pay.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Aria
Knox kicked the door to the library opened violently, marching into the room, followed by his brothers, who flanked him. All eyes were on me where I stood, staring at him dressed in a black, flowing maxi dress that held the symbol of magic on the bodice.
“Did you fucking know?” Knox demanded, staring at me through a murderous glare as he continued to advance on me. I smiled sadly, dropping my gaze to the skull he held along with the amulet.
“Not at first, no,” I admitted. “On the chest that Liliana made for you was a picture of her, and she was wearing an amulet. Amulets are very hard