Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,113

entire life to become the next king as the firstborn son. He never found joy in training to become king, but there wasn’t a choice. Knox loved learning and would spend hours hiding in the Library of Knowledge that only responded to him. Knox was something else, this kid who wanted to teach himself everything, devouring books that no one else cared or thought to look twice at.”

“You were his teacher,” I noted, watching Greer smile from the memories.

“Indeed, I was. I’ve been with Knox since he was born. I was there for his greatest feats and defeats. I was with him as he held Prince Sven in his arms, begging for his life. I am the one who found Queen Liliana on his bed and tried to prevent Knox from entering the chambers. I watched a once carefree king become cold and calculated. The boy I knew wouldn’t have hit you, even if it was a knee-jerk reaction to your taunts that forced him to relive memories of his wife and son. I know you did it because you wanted him to feel pain, and he did. I heard it in your voice when you said the words. I’ve also seen Knox watching you, and I have caught glimpses of that boy in him through you. You’re his equal in every way, Aria Hecate. The world took his wife and son from him, but it gave you in return, and for whatever reason that happened, only you two can discover the answers together. Admittedly, I thought he would have murdered you, not kept you.”

“Wow. That’s deep, Greer. Wait, you actually thought Knox would murder me?”

“I’m being serious here, Peasant. Knox is broken, but broken things can be fixed. You are a rarity, and he craves you. I don’t think he even realizes how much he does. I’ve seen Knox around hundreds of women, and never once has he cared about them or kept them close. He can’t seem to get enough of you. He planned to fuck you and be done. You fucked him, and it was game on. He enjoyed chasing you, like a kid hunting down his first wild beast. He’s stared at you when he thought no one was watching, and there was pride in his eyes, which shouldn’t be there for an enemy. Knox could learn to love again, but only if someone was willing to fight for him.”

“You seem to have forgotten he wants my family dead and hates what I am. That isn’t something I can change. You can’t paint stripes on a horse and call it a zebra. Nor place a horn on a horse and call it a unicorn.”

“Neither of you are those things, Aria. You are the glue to his broken pieces. You’re the missing flame, and he can’t see it because his grief has had five hundred years to fester within him. He started a war with it, and he won’t break his vow. You must bend to him and show him what he will lose if he cannot meet you halfway. There are four creatures within this relationship, and two are fighting to be together. The other two can’t seem to see past what others have expected of them. You’re the key to the locks that will turn the tide in this war. Together, you become everything this world needs.”

“That makes about as much sense as the flag they created to represent me,” I grumbled, jumping when Lore patted my backside, pointing at the flag.

“Are you two talking about that hideous flag?” Lore snorted before crossing his arms. “Hey, gorgeous. My tent later?” he called to a woman walking by who made a mock purring sound.

I purred low in my throat as his gaze swung toward me. A smile curved my mouth as Lore’s eyes grew hooded, and he dropped his head back, swearing into the night.

“You need to give me mercy, woman. Those noises make me ache, and my blood boil. It’s such a waste that you’re ending up with someone who won’t even take advantage of those things. If you purred for me, I’d never let you out of my bed.”

I swallowed past the lump his words caused, turning back to the bodies that hung on the wall. One moved, and I gasped. I walked closer, only for both Lore and Greer to intercept me.

“They’re alive?” I whispered in a horrified tone.

“They’re immortals,” Lore answered cautiously. “They won’t fully die unless we remove their heads. They