SERENITY

I wore the red.

My legs trembled with nerves as we made our way down a long pathway that at one point broke out so that there were stars overhead. The glass plane over our heads was thick enough that I assumed nobody could see through. The sky was beautiful though.

We walked for what felt like miles.

My feet started to ache.

And then we were in another building. When I turned back and looked through the windows, the castle was in the distance. So, we really had walked a mile or so.

The building appeared old on the outside. But on the inside, there were immaculate riches I could have never comprehended in my long life.

Chandeliers hung down the middle of the room. A roaring fireplace was at the end of the long table for a king.

And Mason’s father stood, wearing a black suit and tie as he eyed Mason with fury that even I could sense.

More warriors stood watching, their eyes straight ahead, their shields in place, their armor shining with pride and the insignia of a wolf on their chests.

I wondered if the wolf was Mason.

Or his father.

Or maybe it was someone else.

A few beautiful women were lined up near more men who had different patches and awards on their jackets.

It was this strange alternate reality that I assumed had its own government. It finally made sense why Mason was so important. Why we needed him.

Why the Watchers wanted him too.

He was desired by every world but his own.

And it made me so sad that I couldn’t even think about it without my chest hurting, because I knew that pain. I knew it well.

Feeling so out of place.

The feeling of never quite belonging to the place where you were born To parents who never truly wanted you for you.

And just like that, the loss of my own parents washed over me again.

They had been my all.

And they hadn’t even told me the truth in their deaths.

I choked back the giant ball in my throat that demanded I burst into tears and kept walking.

Mason held my hand tightly.

There was a large crack like the sky had opened, and Cassius appeared, dressed in a tux with Stephanie by his side.

Followed by Alex and Hope.

And Ethan and Genesis, sans their twins.

I exhaled a sigh of relief when I saw them — my friends — my new family, here at Mason’s side.

His hold on my hand relaxed as Cassius walked up to us and very slowly eyed the room around him. Then with a small smile on his lips, fell to one knee and hung his head.

The room erupted into gasps and wonder as Mason stilled next to me. “Cassius…”

“Bless me,” Cassius said. “It is what the King of the Earth does to the King of the Immortals. Is it not?”

I felt the rage of his father.

The rage of others as well.

This was not how things were done. I knew that and was sure the rest of the Immortal Council did as well as the men all very slowly — Alex included, even though he was smirking the whole time — fell down to one knee and waited.

Mason held out his hand. “It has been a long time. The power has not been transferred…”

“The power has never left,” Cassius whispered under his breath.

Mason’s eyes widened as he held his hand over Cassius’ head, and very slowly, pieces of diamond-like dirt fell from his palm over Cassius like a small rain.

And when Cassius lifted his head, the pieces of dirt melted against his skin and twinkled so brightly I almost had to look away.

He stood.

The council followed.

And I attempted to close my mouth.

“Now,” Cassius turned to everyone and leveled Mason’s father with a glare. “Since that’s done, I’d like to vote.”

“Vote?” I hissed under my breath.

Mason paled. “Cassius—”

Cassius wouldn’t relent. “As King of the Immortals, the archangel to the humans and Heavens, keeper of secrets and rightful king of this world until it burns into the next, I demand a vote.”

“Nae.” Tarik’s eyes glistened with barely restrained hatred as he looked from his father back to Mason. “I demand a fight.”

The room erupted in outcries.

Cassius nodded to Tarik.

“Can he do that?” I looked up to Mason.

He swallowed very slowly and looked down at me, tilting my chin to his face. “He can, and he did. A fight will be the only way to take my father from his rule. He would not have even suffered through a vote. I must battle him.”

Warriors began talking amongst themselves while the wives at the table very slowly stood and moved to stand behind them, for protection, I assumed.

Stephanie reached for my hand. I jerked away and shook my head. “My place is by his side.”

Her eyes widened before she nodded and then grabbed Genesis and Hope and moved behind the warriors, not that she of all people needed protection.

Ethan and Alex eyed Mason. It looked like they were having some sort of conversation because Alex kept laughing, and Ethan kept rolling his eyes before finally, all three of them shook hands.

The men walked off behind the warriors, leaving me and Mason with Cassius.

Cassius turned to us. “Force the truth out of him before you end his life. I have a feeling you know the exact way to make sure his soul is carried where it deserves to be carried, despite his actions here. Time makes us bitter, bitterness leads to a deep-rooted hatred, not put there by The Creator.”

With those cryptic words, he moved to stand in front of the warriors.

They all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Nobody seemed to want to have to protect an archangel.

And fail.

“So…” His father stood. “…is this how it’s going to be? I am forced to kill my son and his mate?” His grin was menacing. “Can’t say it’s the first time I’ve delighted in killing a mate.”

Mason’s body shook with rage.

I pressed a hand to his arm.

He sighed, and his eyes searched mine before he hung his head. “Stand by Cassius.”

“But…”

I nodded and moved to take my place in front of the warriors. I didn’t know what power I had. But I wasn’t going to hide in back, when all I wanted to do was to stand in front and take the hit for him.

I was not meant to be still when it came to my mate.

I was not meant to watch him fight for us.

I knew it in my blood; I was made to fight beside him, fight for him. I clenched my hands.

“Patience,” Cassius whispered. “Your time will come, little one.”

“I’m not little.”

“You choose now to fixate on your lack of height?” His lips twitched. “Such a human thing to do.”

“Weren’t you human for thirty days and—”

He flashed me a “stop talking” look.

I grinned in triumph and then looked back to Mason and nodded.

“And the second time?” Mason finally said after a few seconds, his eyes flashed. “You’ve killed a mate before?”

His father moved around his chair and very slowly pulled his suit jacket from his massive body, folded it and placed it neatly on his chair. Then he removed his cufflinks and rolled up the sleeves of his starched white shirt.

Tarik moved toward Mason, his face indifferent until Mason’s father turned his glare to Tarik and sneered. “Isn’t that right, Tarik?”

Tarik froze, his face crumbling right before my eyes. “Father, not here.”

“Yes, here!” His father roared, and the room seemed to shake with his fury. “Your brother’s only job was to turn away the human mate and give her to you! And he played his part well. Didn’t you, Tarik? Until you couldn’t keep your eyes from her, until you couldn’t deny your feelings for her, for your brother’s wife!”

“STOP!” Tarik roared, throwing his hands against the large table. Quickly, they shifted to claws as his nails dug in. “This will change nuthin!”

“Oh?” His father laughed.

Mason stilled.

“I think it does. You see, Mason, your first mate wasn’t even yours, but you were so desperate for love after your mother’s death. I made a promise never to let you find your true mate. I made an oath in blood as did her parents. This was never meant to be. It was a world we could not control, one where the Watchers held too much power, the goddesses held too much power. It was the only way.” A flicker of sadness seemed to flash across his face before it was gone.

“You killed her,” Mason said softly, without a hint of sadness — just, maybe regret. “You not only stole her from the rightful son and gave her to me, but you lied, and then when you saw both sons fall in love with her, you killed her.”

“He didn’t have to,” Tarik whispered.

All eyes fell to his brother.

Tarik looked away, his expression tense. “Maither killed herself to free you, Mason. Blood must always be spilled, and she knew the only way to free you of never finding your true mate was to spill her own. When Father found out, he went on a rage. He was going to kill you once and for all. Your wine was drugged. You thought she had fallen asleep next to you, but she held a dagger over your head, your own mate. I walked in before the blade cut into your skin, before Father walked in. I called in a favor.” His eyes fell to Cassius.

Mason lowered his head. “Sariel.”

I knew Sariel was Cassius’ father, one of the original Watchers, the most powerful, an archangel of the fallen who’d spilled his own angelic blood and rejoined The Creator, but not without bestowing his wings and gifts upon his one and only son, Cassius.

Just another memory I was sure Cassius now possessed.

The room moaned and groaned with the secrets and hurt from the past.

“ENOUGH!” His father bellowed. “This changes nuthin! I am king!”

“You killed a human!” Mason roared. “That is against our laws! We protect the earth. We protect the humans!”

“Kings make hard decisions, Mason. It’s what we do.” He chuckled. “Hell, the first hard decision you were faced with you ran!” The room was silent. “Think you’re so different now? With your goddess by your side?”

I was ready to rain fury down on him when Mason roared toward the ceiling. In a flash, he was in wolf-form.

Completely black. With red streaks down his back like his hair.

He was massive.

A wolf with muscles that shouldn’t exist.

Every part of him was feral, angry.

I didn’t want to be afraid.

But I was.

His father transformed just as fast.

His wolf was pitch-black with eyes of coal.

But although he was large, he wasn’t near the size of Mason.

Mason was half the size of the dinner table.

His claws were larger than my head.

And he had four.

The two faced off in the middle of the floor.

Tarik didn’t transform.

The room crackled with tension.

And Mason raised his claw in the air and struck first blood.