Page 23 of Hero of Havoc

“Then Viola and Carbon left, leaving Hugo,” Teddy states, and my heart clenches at the mention of my brother’s name. Teddy scrubs at the back of his neck as he looks at me from beneath his lashes. “He asked if we'd heard of the Angel of Heaven's Ridge, and we nodded. He asked if we'd seen you, and we shook our heads.” A soft smile ghosts the corner of his lips. “He explained that she was the most beautiful person to ever exist, both inside and out. My dick got hard just listening to someone talk about you,” he mutters, and I roll my eyes. The humor breaks through the emotions lodged in my throat, but Baron doesn't seem as entertained as he slaps Teddy on the back of the head, taking over the conversation.

“Then he explained that the Angel of Heaven’s Ridge was his sister and our fated mate.” Baron’s tone is dark and edgy in comparison to the others, and it sends a shiver down my spine. “He looked us dead in the eyes.” His throat bobs before his lips part again, only this time he doesn't sound like Baron, but like Hugo. “My sister's magic will only come to fruition if she dies. I need to know if you can live with that, live with knowing that saving this kingdom will cause so much pain to one person in a way there's no coming back from.” My heart ricochets in my chest as I fight to gulp. “Agreeing to this tonight seals her fate, and I need to know that you can handle it, come what may.”

I think I’m going to be sick.

“I don't know what you want me to say,” Baron states in Archer's voice, before he exhales. "You don't need to. It's not me who needs it, it's her. Always her,” he clarifies in Hugo's tone as Sax clears his throat from his spot beside me.

“We rejected you because we didn't want any of that for you.”

There it is.

The truth.

Thick and overwhelming as it sits in the air, and I struggle to comprehend any of it. But I see the truth in all their eyes, even without Hugo's voice on Baron's tongue.

They rejected me selflessly.

Had anyone, other than Hugo, ever acted that way… for me?

Teddy takes an instinctive step toward me. “I couldn't stand to watch someone else die at the hands of the kingdom, not after my father, but watching the pain in your eyes as we all rejected you will tarnish my soul for eternity,” he admits.

My heart aches in a completely different way than before.

“I watched my mother balance two men all of my life. The idea of four at the time seemed impossible,” Baron states, and Sax rears back in surprise.

“But our mother loves them.”

Baron shakes his head, dragging a hand down his face. “I’m starting to see that, but regardless, the pain we caused in that moment is unforgivable. Yet, even knowing that, I would do it again. I will always choose to protect you.” His words threaten to floor me while his twin looks at me with sadness deep in his eyes, somehow standing taller.

“I will always choose to follow you, even if it leads me into the darkness. Being blessed as your fated mate is a gift. One I'll cherish forever.”

I feel light-headed from their words as Archer scrubs a hand over the back of his neck, his lips tight as his eyebrows furrow. Finally, his eyes land on mine, and he exhales. “I shouldn't regret it, but I do,” he admits. “You deserve more than we've ever been able to offer, but I want to find a way to give it to you anyway.”

With my arm still banded tightly around my middle, my fingernails digging to my flesh, I find the strength to speak. “What changed? What made you show up?” I ask, my voice raspier than ever.

“That’s…” Sax starts, but he can't finish his sentence because Archer exhales.

“It negates everything we just said,” he admits, and I shake my head.

“I don't understand.”

“We realized there was no avoiding the inevitable. You were going to have to face it all regardless,” Archer starts, anger flaring his nostrils, but Baron speaks before he can find the words.

“The man waiting for you at the altar was from the Second Kingdom. A face for Leonardo,” Baron explains. “We reacted irrationally,” he adds, and Archer nods in agreement.

“Without thinking,” Sax chimes in.

“Well, we were thinking, but I don't know if it was for the best,” Archer admits. “Because now you’re stuck here with us, and you're still in danger.”

“And would you change that?” I ask, and all four of them part their lips at once.

“Never.”

They say it in sync, leaving me dizzy.

It's like hearing reject all over again, only this time, it’s for an entirely different purpose, offsetting completely different consequences.

The twisting in my stomach flourishes, hope threatening to blossom.