Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,213

your mind is unhindered, and your fate sealed with his.”

“He wants to destroy me, in case you didn’t get that memo,” I whispered, standing up to move back to the window, finding Knox missing from the mausoleum. “If I mate with him, then he will own me.”

“You’re meant to be his and his alone. You were both forged in the same fire. Knox is your mate, and you are his. He will not be easy on you because you stand for everything he hates. Only you can change his mind, Aria. You’re everything he wants, yet he hates himself for betraying the memory of those he lost. You already know the truth surrounding the identity of his first wife. You’ve considered it a thousand times but never voiced it out loud for fear it would waft into the air and reach the ears of others who would use it to harm him.”

“If it is true, then he will hate me even more. He will crave my death and every witch who ever lived. If Knox discovers who lies in that grave, we’re all doomed.”

“Replace what he has lost and give him new purpose. You’re his mate, Aria Primrose. You alone can give him what magic made him assume was real. Open yourself to him and then escape. Make him see that you’re everything he needs. The heart often never realizes what it needs until it is gone. He will uphold his end of your agreement. Let him. Welcome what you are, and what you can create together.”

“We’re going to war against one another. You understand that, right?” I challenged with tears burning in my eyes. “He wants to destroy everyone I love, and he won’t ever change his mind.”

“You were built for war, but even in times of turmoil, there is peace. You are chaos in motion, and he is the ruins that you will rebuild. In war, there will be casualties, and when that happens, you will both break apart. But inside that havoc, you will reach for one another, for you are his, and he is yours. Two flames that will become one and burn brighter than this world has ever witnessed.” I looked at the wall, smiling as Knox’s figure reappeared, brushing his hands against my belly, which grew large as he held it protectively. “When the time is right, you will both know it and seek solace in one another. If you want access to the vault for the knowledge within it, then you must claim your king,” the wall shimmered and then returned to what it had been. I was lifted and dropped onto the bed, and blankets were tucked around me as Knox entered the room.

The door creaked opened, and I closed my eyes, curling onto my side, breathing in Knox’s scent, mixed with the earth he’d sat on, talking to his family. The sound of clothes being removed filled the space, and then the bed sank with his weight as he crawled to where I lay. He yanked the blankets off of my head, pulling me against his warmth, holding me. He exhaled, trembling with whatever emotion rushed through him.

“I should have stopped Celia tonight, but everyone was watching us. Like my grief, they’ve not learned how to ignore theirs. You made me proud tonight by choosing not to react to the shit-show they played for your benefit.”

“My entire life is a shit-show, Knox. Celia showed them the truth of us. At the end of the day, that is what we’ve done to get to where we are. It may have been a joke to you and them, but that is exactly how our tale has played out for me. I am Aria Primrose Hecate. The Hecate princess that you have taken as your wife. I am the evil being that has replaced your sweet wife, whom they adored and loved. You, yourself, told me that I am nothing. When you treat me like I am nothing, you cannot expect your people to treat me differently. I am okay with being the villain because sometimes it’s okay to be the bad guy.”

“Bad guys don’t sing pretty songs to babies, wife. They don’t crave a child of their own or save those who are weaker and unable to save themselves. You’d make a horrible villain, Aria Karnavious. You’d be a very sexy one, but you’d suck at making the hard choices real monsters have to make.”

I didn’t reply, choosing to just bask in the