The way they argued made me wonder if Knox and I would ever reach that point in a relationship. Hell, if we even had one by the time I left here. Would he wait for me? Or would he change his mind as he’d done before? There were entirely too many questions where he was concerned. I could lie to myself all I wanted, but Knox and I wouldn’t work with everything between us. Not without us working on it without the world intervening. Despite my sole desire for him, the weight of his experiences made it unlikely for him to forget. I refused to live with his ghosts, which were many. Even without Lilianna, he’d lost so many people because of those who had the same blood as I did running through my veins. I was also the enemy on more than one front. Now, the secondary line that flowed through my veins was unmistakable. Prometheus and Hecate, both enemies to Karnavious.
“Creature!”
Fennix’s cry of alarm forced me from my internal musing, and when I spun to see what was happening, I saw the snake-like creature trying to wring the life out of Fennia. I rushed back to them and instantly began digging my taloned nails into the snake until it released her and slithered off.
“Oh my God! I touched a snake!” I cried as the slimy skin remained on my nails. “Gross!” I made a beeline to the grassy knoll beside us and began wiping my hands off on it.
“See, she is perfect for us! That meanie Slithering Snock won’t hurt us with her as our pet.”
“Listen,” I said as I turned toward the duo, “I have enough on my plate right now. It’s heaping with other people who I am helping. I can’t be your pet, Fennia. Fennix is right. I’d be a horrible pet. I’m moody and have one hell of an alternate personality who enjoys short walks after bathing in blood. She’s also known to, on rare occasions, eat a penis as she skips along here or there.”
“She’s a little strange, darling.”
“I love her.” Fennia purred thunderously while rubbing against my foot. “She’s perfect!”
“Great,” both I and Fennix muttered.
I determinedly stepped back onto the glowing pathway and began again. The longer we walked, the quieter they got, and not once did they offer an opinion on which way we should go when the pathway forked. Despite that, figuring out the right direction to go was easy. I felt it as surely as I felt my nose on my face.
I allowed my soul to lead me down each pathway that brightened as we got farther down each one. It wasn’t until the fifth or sixth split in the trail that we began walking over multi-colored flowers. At the end of the flower-covered path, we passed through what appeared to be a doorway. On the other side, I glanced back in time to see the portal vanish, leaving us in a field carpeted in crimson flowers. The meadow ended with an atrium ablaze with light from within.
“How do we get back home?” Fennix asked with tangible fear in his tone.
“Fenny, I’m not going back without her. I owe her a life debt.”
I should’ve asked Fennia what she meant, but I couldn’t. My sole focus was on the atrium, which was pulling me to it with invisible strings. As if something beckoned me forth with an invitation I couldn’t ignore. The moment I reached the rounded glass atrium, the door opened, revealing a woman who could’ve been my mirror image. My lips parted in a perfect O as she smiled, scrutinizing my face.
“Hello, granddaughter. I’ve been waiting for you,” she welcomed in a pleasant, comforting tone.
“Scylla?” I whispered in shock. How? Scylla Prometheus was dead and buried before my parents had ever thought of me.
“I am your grandmother, Aria Primrose. The dead don’t die, they merely go on to the next, or stick around to watch over those they’ve created. Death’s a journey everyone makes alone, even royalty. You’re absolutely stunning, and even more beautiful than I thought you’d be. You have my mother’s eyes. I understand why you’d be overwhelmed, but I promise, you’re right where you’re supposed to be.”
“Holy shit,” I muttered as chills shot down my spine.
“I’ve waited a very long time to meet you. You’ve surpassed every expectation I have held for you. Your choice in men could be better, but that’s not what you’re here for today. Today, you’ll bathe in the spring to allow the land to bond with you. In order to accept the full intensity of the land’s powers, you must be reborn.” I opened my mouth to dispute her claim about rebirth, but her eyes narrowed with warning. “Calm down, my darling. Rebirth is only the transformation you choose to allow to alter both soul and mind. Tonight’s merely for us to discuss what is about to unravel now that you’re home. There are many questions I wish to ask you, and I can see many more burning in your Vanir-colored stare. Come, my ladies have heated the stones for the spring water. There’s much we must do before Esmeralda throws too much of a fit.”
Chapter Four
Aria
My heart thundered in my ears as Scylla, my freaking dead grandmother, who was currently leading me through her house. Or what I assumed was her house. From the outside, it had looked like any other atrium, but the deeper we moved through it, the more it altered, changing to mirror a lighted oasis. The further we moved, the more it evolved into being another dimension, one created to mirror the fjords of Norway.
Scylla remained silent, but turned every once in a while, to smile back at me. I fretted over my lip while taking in a large, vibrant swath of glowing, iridescent colors. The moon bathed a massive mountain range in the aurora borealis.
The darkened sky shifted coloring as meteors sailed through the skies above. A lofty mountain sat in the distance, vibrant against the velvet backdrop as the light bathed it in shimmering prisms. As I stood in silent amazement, Scylla chuckled.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she asked tenderly.
“I’ve seen nothing as beautiful as this before. I can feel it beckoning me,” I admitted as amazement slid over my face. “This isn’t real, is it?”
“It is very real, Aria. This is the Kingdom of Fire that I created through my bond with the land. It reflects the beauty of your soul, or that’s what my mother told me. It will change now that it has chosen you to rule in place of me.” Her words snapped the spell the realm held over me. “Do try not to look so disappointed.”
“It’s not that,” I returned. “I didn’t intend to claim anything.” The statement was truthful. I hadn’t chosen to rule a kingdom. Technically, I’d denied wanting to be a queen, but I also didn’t want Hecate to win this war, either. If I had to claim my birthright in order to drive the bitch out, I’d do whatever it took. “It’s just a lot. You know?”
“I can imagine, especially since I ensured that you would not grow up with the mentality of a queen. Any woman can be a queen. A true queen is able to look beyond her own desires or mind, and do what is needed for the kingdom.” Scylla exhaled a shaky breath before starting down the staircase, as if she’d walked them a thousand times before.
“And what did it need?”
“I knew the perfect savior couldn’t be raised with luxury or affection. She needed to go through much pain to be able to comprehend the Nine Realms. She’d need to endure much pain to understand what those within the Nine Realms have endured. Of course, she’d need a king beside her. Offspring doesn’t appear by itself now, does it? But I didn’t choose that for you. Instead, I thought you should be the one to pick your ideal mate. I just never imagined Draghana Karnavious’ grandson would find you or be the ideal mate you chose. But he’s persistent, if nothing else. I knew you’d survive everything the Hecate sisters did to you. Aria, you are my granddaughter and no one can break you. The blood of kings and queens throughout the ages runs through your veins.”