5

"What?" He finally cracked an eye open. "You admitted yourself that I kicked your ass recently. Doesn't leave a man all that warm and fuzzy about sending his best friend off to battle."

"You did not kick my ass."

"You bled out all over the mat," he reminded me.

"We need to work on your definition of blood, G." Except, in this case, he wasn't exactly wrong.

"They had to replace the flooring," he continued. "And you passed out."

"Because you sliced open my abdomen with a dirty blade, you prick." And it had hurt like a motherfucker. Took two days to heal, too, even with my immortality.

"You told me to give you my all."

"And you certainly did."

"And I kicked your ass," he added.

I shook my head. "After I handed you your ass the day before. And the day before that. Oh, and the day—"

"If all you two are going to do is bicker all night, I'll take my advice elsewhere," Lux murmured, her expression one of amusement, not annoyance.

"Are you going to advise him not to go to Winsorer tomorrow?" Grigory wondered aloud, knowing full well his words were useless.

"It's time, Grigory," she returned, her voice hardening just the slightest bit.

"Here we go," he replied, covering his eyes with a muscular forearm. "The prophecy says," he began in a high-pitched tone.

I chuckled. "Don't mind him. He's just trying to figure out how to survive without me."

His responding grunt neither confirmed nor denied my comment, but we both knew the truth. We'd grown up together, had learned to fight alongside each other, and had spent most of our youth causing his mother all sorts of problems. But duty always hung over our heads.

Grigory would be crowned King of Vera in the next few years.

And me, well, I had a crown to win back from a wicked king with a deadly streak.

"You're ready," Lux informed me, her voice soft but sure. She pulled a box from some mysterious pocket in her wispy skirts and set it on the table beside my empty glass. "This is what I came to give you. It belonged to your father, and I think he'd consider you finally ready to wear it."

I sat up, intrigued. "And you've kept it this entire time?"

She lifted one delicate shoulder. "He trusted me with your life and guidance. I've raised you accordingly."

"Much to my chagrin," Grigory grumbled half-heartedly.

"Is this behavior because I wouldn't let you bring those humans down for a drink?" she asked, arching one shapely brow at her son. It didn't matter that she was half his size; lethal energy oozed from her pores, darkening her gaze to black orbs and designating her as the queen of this kingdom.

Until he ascended, she would be his better.

Even if he didn't want to admit it.

"Grigory is just upset that he has to miss out on all the fun," I told her, grinning at my oldest friend.

The big man sat up, humor lacking in his expression. "Send me with him, Mother."

"It's not your fight," she replied before I had a chance.

"The fuck it's not. His family sent him here for a reason."

"And that reason has been fulfilled. He's ready, Grigory." She stared him down, some sort of mental battle of wills happening between them.

I knew better than to interrupt one of their telepathic wars and opened the box instead.

A watch.

Of all the things for my father to leave me, this was not what I expected. I plucked it out of the box and turned it over, searching for anything unique about it.

Nothing.

Looked fresh from one of those posh stores on Earth. Even had English writing on the back denoting it was made in the United States.

How completely boring and unoriginal.

Still, it belonged to the one man I longed to know and never would, thanks to Necros's insanity.

I slid the metal over my wrist, clasping it with a silen

t vow of vengeance. One I repeated every night.

Winsorer will be mine to destroy.

And when I finished with it, Necros would weep at my feet for forgiveness.

As for his pretty little wife, well, she'd cry, too. But for entirely different reasons.

If Lux had taught me anything through the years, it was that winning required sacrifice. Alas, the poor Queen of Winsorer would provide the biggest sacrifice of all.

Her heart.

"That is a symbol of fate," Lux said, gesturing at my wrist. "Your father met your mother because of it."

I arched a brow. "On Earth?"

She nodded. "You know the story about how she was sent to watch over him, but not all the details. Apparently, he sensed her following him and ducked into a store to trap her. He purchased that watch in the process before taking her to hell."

"You mean kidnapping her," I corrected, smirking.

She smiled. "It all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

I shrugged. "All I have to rely on are stories." Since they were both killed during my infancy, thanks to Necros and his father destroying the Shadow Kingdom.

"They loved each other very much," Lux assured me. "After your mother got over a few things."

Such as an angel being forced to survive in the Underworld, I thought to myself.

My father had taken my mother almost immediately, and rather than reprimand her for watching his activities on Earth, he'd stolen her. And once a heavenly being entered hell, the entity could never return.

Alas, my mother may not have fallen by her own choice, but her ancestors didn't care. Which was why her side of the family hadn't bothered to help when the Shadow Kingdom was destroyed. The dealings of the Underworld mattered little to those who didn't reside here.

"And no, Grigory," Lux continued, her sable gaze narrowing at her son. "This is not your fight."

"At least let me escort him," he argued, causing my lips to quirk upward. As if I needed anyone to escort me anywhere.

"You think Necros would accept that both Princes of Vera are interested in playing with his new pet?" She asked, shaking her head. "He'd see right through that nonsense and expect to be challenged for the throne. It'll be hard enough for Adrik to convince him on his own that he carries no political motivation, let alone for the two of you to go."

Grigory muttered to himself, shaking his head. But the giant knew his mother spoke the truth. He finally conceded with a nod before pinning me with a glower. "You better kick his ass."

"That's the plan," I replied, relaxing into my chair while stroking the metal around my wrist. "But I need the queen first."

Lux nodded. "Her power is slowly awakening. If you can access it before Necros, he won't stand a chance."

"And since your sources spread false information on how to do that, I have the advantage." I just had to win the queen's affection. Shouldn't be too hard a task. Especially with Necros as a husband.

"You're ready," Lux said again, a smile brightening her pale features.

"I am," I agreed.

This was my destiny.

My chosen path.

My retribution.

Winsorer would burn. And my family would finally be avenged.