Page 87 of Wicked Thirst
“I love you, Titus . . .” In that moment, I broke my promise to Titus. I promised not to love him out loud. I told myself I would love him enough for both of us. Now I would love him enough for all three of us. My new, perfect family.
Titus looked up at me and met my eye with a tear-filled gaze. “I love you too, Moira.
A sharp gasp escaped Graymont’s lips. “Brother, no.”
Titus’ head snapped to Graymont, and he took one last look at the baby and handed him to his brother. “Take the baby.”
I sat up straighter. “What’s happening?”
Titus backed away from me, from us. He shook his head and dropped his gaze to the ground. “No, no.”
“Hold on, Brother.” Graymont held the baby with one hand while he drew his sword with the other. “Fight this.”
Panic and fear rose in my body. I wanted to get up to run to Titus, but I couldn’t move. My body was still broken from the birth. “My lord, what is the matter?”
Titus’ body shuddered from head to toe, and a growl rumbled deep in his chest. Gone were the dark eyes with mahogany flecks in them. Now his eyes were ruined by red veins that forked out over the whites of his eyes. Dark circles surrounded them, and his skin paled till it was nearly blue. His fangs descended down past his lips. He ran his tongue over the tip of one and smirked at me. I didn’t know what was happening to him, but he grew bigger, his muscles more well-defined. His white shirt tore from his body as he growled once more and bent to lunge . . . for me.
The two midwives jumped into his path, taking the brunt of his strength. He slashed out with his claws, cutting their necks wide open and nearly decapitating them both. Blood sprayed across his body and over the room from their jugulars. I screamed as their bodies hit the ground.
Graymont shoved the baby into my arms and turned to face his brother.“Alright then.”
He leapt across the room and dove for his brother, tackling him to the ground as tears streamed down my face and I held the baby close, praying that the King, his father, my husband, wouldn’t kill us both.
A glowing blue light drew me from my memories. I quickly swiped at the tears on my cheeks and turned toward it. I did as I always had done for two hundred years: I hid my feelings, made my face placid, and carried on no matter how much I wanted to die.
Piper walked through the portal first and hurried toward me. She was radiant with excitement. “We’ve got it this time, Moria. I swear he’s coming home today. I can feel it.”
I forced a smile on my face. “This is excellent, dear. And what of the curse?”
“We’re on it.” She motioned toward the portal as more people walked through. “One step at a time.”
“Indeed . . . one step at a time.” It is what I’d told myself for the last two hundred years.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
PIPER
Dare I let hope spring? What other choice did I have? This had to work. We had no other options. Grayson had the powers of Queens behind him. I had to believe that meant something. When we walked through the portal, Moira was waiting for us just outside the cell. She looked odd in her perfect elegance among the horrid aesthetic of the dungeon. The walls were made from thick, rough rock, and bars ran from the top of the ceiling all the way down to the floor. The sound of dripping water came from somewhere in the back of the dungeon, and it smelled damp. The air was moist and cool. It sent a shiver down my spine.
“How . . . depressing.” It was dark here, nearly black. There were no windows, and it looked like there was only one way in or out.
Kylian moved to my side and wrapped his hand around one of the bars. He tried to jerk it free but only ended up shaking his own body back and forth. “I’ve been in worse.”
“That is not comforting.” Moira met his eye. “And you are?”
“Kylian the elf.” He gave a slight bow of the head, and I found myself surprised at the blatant show of respect.
Moira blinked up at him. “The Dark Prince. How interesting. I’ve heard things about you.”
“All good I hope.” He winked.
“Hardly.”
I stepped closer to Moira. “Allow me to introduce you to the Queens. This is Zinnia, she’s the Siphon Queen, Astrid is the Queen of the Occult, Tabi over there is Queen of Elements, and Serrina is the Queen of Desires.” I turned toward the others. “And these are their Guardians. Tucker is a phoenix, Beckett is a Warlock, and Brax is a tiger shifter. That’s Maze, he’s a psychic, and this is his soulmate, Tilly. And of course, Niche and Adrienne.”
Moira gave them a perfect curtsy. “Thank you all for being here to help my son. It means the world to me. Forgive me, but is that a dog strapped to your chest.”
“Da, he goes where I go.” Brax scratched his fingers over the pug’s head.
