Chapter 165

Violet’s POV

I squeezed Theo’s hand as the sun rose over the horizon. Intent on not thinking about the fact that we were now more than halfway through our time in Henosis, I focused instead on the oranges and reds of the sky, on Theo’s callouses scraping against mine. I memorized every detail of this moment so that I could visit it in my memories when I needed to.

Lillith hadn’t been available yesterday, so we’d spent the afternoon with my cousins instead – including Bennett and baby Dahlia. I hadn’t realized how down-trodden Theo had become until I saw the way he lit up playing with Dahlia. When I found Bennett to thank him for inspiring our day off, he was watching my husband with what looked like relief.

“Did you know?” I asked, suddenly surprised.

Bennett smirked at me. “Hello to you, too, cousin.”

Then he saw the questions on my face and sighed, lowering his voice so only I could hear. “His mate is slowly dying, his brother is responsible for countless, unjust cruelties, and you’re not finding the answers you need to fix any of it. It doesn’t take a genius to know the guy needs something to remind him why the fight is worthwhile.”

I followed his gaze that had returned to my husband, both of us marveling at how light Theo’s smile was, how much louder his laugh was. “Thank you, Bennett. I think we’re going to need you before this is all said and done – both of us.”

“Well, I might not have a fancy mind-to-mind connection like some people,” I glared at him, amazed by how quickly my gratitude for my cousin had turned to annoyance, “but call me any time, and I’ll be there.” Both are gazes softened at his promise, and I even gave him a hug.

It had been a really good afternoon. That night, Theo and I both slept more soundly than we had the whole trip.

Even though Lillith hadn’t been available yesterday, she was available today. She said if we were willing to meet half-way between her home and Marcy’s place, she’d have a surprise for us. So we’d set out before dawn for the three-hour trip to maximize our time with her.

When we arrived on horseback to the modest grouping of four buildings that comprised the town halfway between us, Lillith met us in the road. She greeted us excitedly and helped us tie up our houses.

“Now, Theodore,” she set her hands on my husband’s shoulders, “I’m so sorry, but I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

I immediately tensed, preparing to manifest a baseball bat and grab for the knife in my boot. I watched as Lillith’s eyes glassed, confused by her smile. Theo looked wary but curious.

Let her explain, he sent through our connection.

“Your mother,” Lillith continued, “was one of thirteen children. Millicent went to explore the land your father ruled, and when she met King Pavis, when he fell in love with her, we came for her – all of us. First one by one, then altogether.”

Theo’s chest heaved as he listened.

“They were polite visits to see our sister at first, but as it became clearer that she was a captor and not a guest, the visits became less polite. When we returned fully armed and intending to break Millicent out, King Pavis revealed that she was pregnant. He threatened your life should we ever come back.”

Lillith smiled sadly as a tear rolled down her cheek. Theo kept listening.

“Millicent begged us to protect you, in that moment and for the rest of our lives. We chose to yield to him that day to save you. We have had many arguments over the years about whether it was the best way to protect you or if we were just fooled by a bully.”

Theo bowed his head. Every cell in my body screamed to hold him, but I knew this moment was between him and Lillith.

“I’m sorry if it was the wrong thing to do. We all are. But please understand that we have always loved you and your mother, that even our mistakes were born of love.”

Theo raised his head. “All of you?”

Lillith understood his question. “Yes. They’re all inside waiting to meet you.”

But my internal alarms were still going off. “Why didn’t they come meet him when you did? Why have they never made their existence known to him?”

Theo’s concerns that he’d expressed just yesterday rang in my ears: what if they were spies waiting to report to Owen?

Lillith nodded in understanding, looking between us to address us both. “Many arguments were had about that as well. But we didn’t know how much the king would allow your mother to raise you.”

Disgust flashed through Theo’s eyes. “You didn’t know if I’d grow up to be the sweet son of your beloved sister or the tyrannic prince of a cruel king.”

Lillith nodded apologetically. “When we heard you were coming to Henosis, we voted on whether or not to introduce ourselves. I was part of the losing vote for it.”

When Theo furrowed his brows, she slipped her hands off his shoulders and into her pockets, a mischievous grin on her face that I could have sworn looked exactly like Theo’s. “I came anyway – clearly. It has taken five long days to convince them to change their minds and meet you before you leave.”

I watched Theo carefully. He hadn’t been particularly receptive to meeting Lillith originally, and I wasn’t sure how he would respond to meeting twelve aunts and uncles.

He blinked at Lillith. “I can’t go in there.”

Lillith’s face mirrored mine as my heart sank.

Theo spoke slowly. “They think that I could be as unforgivable as my father, as my brother.”

Lillith shook her head. “No, no. I’ve explained to them—”

“They’re right,” he bit out.

I felt down our magical bond, but he wasn’t letting me in.

“I am the reason,” he went on, “that torment has spread through our lands. I am the reason magic and all the good people here are expelled and kept from people they love across the border. It is my inaction, my selfishness, my ignorance that has cost us heartache and progress and justice and lives—”

His voice broke, and I rushed to wrap myself around him. He immediately squeezed me, letting out a choked sob into my hair.

“I can’t go in there,” he repeated. “I can’t go in there.”

I held him tightly as he squeezed the fabric of my shirt. I could not help him through this, only make him feel loved while he figured it out himself.

“Then we shall come out here.”

I spun toward the sound of the foreign voice, booming and low. I hesitated to draw any weapons though as I watched person after person exit the building in front of us, gathering on the porch, all of them looking vaguely familiar.

The one in front, the one who had spoken, could have been Theo’s twin except he was taller and broader – and older. A woman behind him had Theo’s eyes, and the man next to her had Theo’s nose. I saw a little bit of him clearly in twelve of the people as they clustered behind Lillith.

And then their spouses came out to hold their hands. Children filtered in through the cracks of the growing crowd to stand near their parents. The porch filled up and people spilled into the road until I wasn’t sure how all those people had fit in one small building.

I couldn’t help the first words that tumbled out of my mouth as I relaxed my shoulders, finally convinced these people weren’t a threat. I reached for my mate’s hand, turning to kiss away a tear on his cheek. “And you thought my six aunts was a lot of family.”