Page 4 of Imbalance
We had already been wrong once about the extent of their plans. We couldn’t afford to be wrong again.
CHAPTER TWO
Colt
They were dead. My parents were gone, and I was all alone.
They might have been strict, and we definitely hadn't seen eye to eye on everything—especially when it came to hybrids—but they had loved me fiercely. They had been incredible rulers, always looking for ways to better all of the Fallen Angels’ lives, but never in a shady way like the House of Sin and House of Runes. They’d always done what was right and fair, upholding their integrity and the ways of the Angels.
The same applied to how they’d handled me growing up. It had taken me a long time to realize that every stern moment of parenting, every grounding, and even the times they’d yelled at me, were because they’d known I was capable of so much. They’d believed in me and had wanted the best for me. Many times growing up, I had been a stubborn bastard and thought they were just trying to suck all the fun out of my life. I had lashed out and told them I hated them, like an immature child, countless times.
How I wished I could go back in time now and erase those words from my vocabulary. I wished with every fiber of my fucking being that I could tell them I finally understood why they did what they did. That I knew they’d done it out of love for me. I should have told them. Should have admitted I had been a prick growing up, and that I’d never hated them. I could never.
Now, I'd never be able to take the words back or tell them I was proud to be their son. All I could do was hope that, as I had grown into an adult and my attitude had shifted—as I’d begun taking my role as heir seriously and stopped snapping back at them—they had known I wasn't that bratty kid anymore. That I would be a good king one day, and that they wouldn't have to worry about our house or our people when they were gone. That they had believed in me and my abilities as a leader.
But now, it didn’t matter either way because they were gone, and I wasn't ready to be a king. They should have had many years left before they stepped down, wanting to retire and hand the reins over to me so they could enjoy the rest of their lives without the pressure that came with being King and Queen.
They had been robbed of that opportunity, and I fucking wanted vengeance. We weren't held to the same standards as the Angels in Heaven. I was already in Hell, and being born to Fallen Angels meant that I had been born with dark ebony wings, signaling my soul had been damned from entering the gates of Heaven from the start.
There was nothing stopping me from getting my revenge.
I took in the dirt that was currently clenched in each of my fists, wondering where the hell we were. I needed to get back so I could slit King Roarke’s and Queen Ava’s throats. I'd chain their ankles and hang them from the ceiling, letting their bodies slowly drain of every last drop of blood within them, reveling in watching the light leave their eyes.
"Colt! Are you listening to us?"
Ama. I had once said that she’d either be my house's salvation in her demise, or she’d be the ruin of us if I let myself get close to her.
Had I let myself get too close to her? I'd been utterly transfixed by how drawn I was to her, despite all attempts to keep myself distanced. Maybe, if I hadn't of been so focused on her safety and the attempted assassination, I would have seen some of the signs that something was wrong. That Runes and Sin had been playing at something the entirety of this Summit.
But, she had been the center of my world the past few days. Truly, ever since she smacked me with her wings at the restaurant in Mortem.
As I lifted my head from my intense stare-off with the dirt on the ground, I replied, hearing how venom laced my tone, but unable to hold back from my current mental space, "What, Ama? What more could you possibly want from me?"
Her brows pinched together, and her mouth parted slightly as I continued, "I knew that getting myself bewitched by you would be the downfall of my house, and fuck me for not listening to that voice." A small, manic laugh escaped me. "I don't know why the fuck I can't seem to get you out of my thoughts when I'm awake, and even when I’m asleep, you haunt my dreams."
Pushing myself off the ground, I stood to my full height and let my wings expand, ready to fly as far away from her as possible. I knew I couldn't make the right decisions when I was around her. I was far too influenced by her enchanting beauty and witty mouth.
"Colt..." She trailed off, holding her hand out like she was going to stop me, but I shook my head and crouched down, ready to shoot into the sky.
Adrien's voice halted me as he called out, "She's our fated mate."
No one moved, spoke, or even breathed in the seconds that followed his statement.
Unfortunately, Damien was the first to move, and I got an eyeful of his cock, causing me to roll my eyes and mutter, "Can you at least attempt to cover yourself with your hands?"
His eyes flashed with orange, and I swore it was his Hellhound that responded when he said, "What's the point? My hand isn't big enough to cover it, anyways."
Nico was clearly off his rocker because he cackled like a maniac at that statement, until tears were pouring down his face. I didn't think he truly found Damien’s commentthatfunny. My bet was that the dude was desperately trying to latch onto anything other than the idea that his parents had been traitorous bastards who were now dead.
Talk about a double whammy. At least I could hold onto the fact that my parents had been honest and loyal, despite their disdain for hybrids.
I hesitated, thinking that maybe I should stay, because clearly none of them were currently in the right mindset to keep their shit together. My eyes moved to Ama, who was staring at Adrien with massive, wide eyes.
"Fuck off, Damien," I seethed, not appreciating his complete lack of modesty or appreciation for the seriousness that we were faced with.
"Don't talk to me like that," he bit back, his lips pulled back in a snarl.
Meanwhile, Drayven was pulling Ama into his arms as he said, "I knew that you were mine."
