“He collapsed onto the cold stone floor afterwards, shallow breaths struggling to pass his lips. ‘I love you,’ he whispered before ordering me to leave, and I knew that was the last time I would ever see him… but I couldn’t do anything to save him.”
A sob swallowed her words, and before I knew it, I was by her side, wrapping my arms around her and hugging her tightly. My throat burned with her pain, and it became difficult to speak, so I just held her.
When Princess Keira finally pulled away, her trembling hands cupped my cheeks.
“For so long, I wished I’d never been just a princess. I wished I could have been a fearless warrior, like Khayden, like Kingston, like you, Evanna. Maybe I could have fought back against that monster… but we are all born with different destinies, I’m afraid. I was never meant to be strong. I was only meant to give my son life so he could be strong for all of us.”
Disbelief captured my being while I stared back at her.
“Princess Keira, you watched your father kill everyone you loved, destroy your home, and even try to destroy you too, but you never gave up. The day you took Kayden’s hand and left with him, you dared to dream of a better life. You helped your mate become none other than the Harbinger of Justice, so he could fight to make that life a reality for everyone. You supported him along the way, loved him, and bore his child. And when you found out that child could one day help save Caelisium, you left the only place you had ever called home, to a world you didn’t even know.
You ran through a wall of Dragon fire to save your son’s life, knowing you were leaving the man you loved behind to do so. And despite how much you loved Braxton and still needed him, you ascended so he could let go and find his way back to his world with me. So, he could claim his destiny.”
My lips trembled as I looked at her, fighting to rein back the emotion.
“You were never just a princess, Keira Devenish. You are one of the strongest and bravest women I have ever met, and I hope that one day I can be as brave and strong as you are.”
Fresh tears fell from her eyes with my words, but a brilliant smile of gratitude and appreciation accompanied them. “Oh, Son. This one is a keeper, for sure.”
I was about to point out that Braxton didn’t have any other ones when he pulled us both into his arms and squeezed the life out of us.
“I love you so fucking much,” he whispered in my ear before placing a kiss on my lips. “Don’t worry, Mom. She’s not going anywhere.”
6
BRAXTON
I didn’t think it was possible to love anyone more than I loved Evanna in that moment.
Seeing her with my mom was momentous for me in a way I didn’t have the words to describe. Yet, hearing Evie speak that way of my mother, recognizing everything she selflessly accomplished and sacrificed in her life, helped me see her in a new light. It opened my eyes to who Keira Devenish truly was.
It’d been so easy to become protective of Mom in the Mirror World, knowing what she’d been through there, that I didn’t see past the woman who needed me to protect her in any way I could or knew how. I never saw the other side of her.
Mom had not only done everything Evanna spoke of with such pride, but even when her body began to block the horrors she witnessed, and took her from me, she fought her own mind for as long as she could to remain present for me because she knew I needed her. That kind of strength was something very few possessed.
I was a better man for having her as a mother, and I was forever grateful for her. It was true what they said, behind every great man was a great woman, except my mother was never veiled by my father’s shadow, she stood tall beside him every step of the way.
Dad didn’t become the Harbinger of Justice on his own. He achieved it with her love, her help, and support. I was proud to be her son.
Pressing my lips to her temple, I gave my mother the biggest kiss I could muster, eliciting lighthearted chuckles from the others when the sound of my lip-smack reverberated through the bungalow.
Stepping out of my arms, Mom glanced up at me and caressed my cheek, a world of emotions still present in her glistening eyes. “My beautiful baby boy. You are going to get a hold of your power. It’s your heritage, and no one can take that away from you.”
“I will, Mom. I promise.”
With the vow, I shook off the shock and guilt of almost killing Asher while training and committed to find a different way to approach my power. I was no longer in the Mirror World. I was in a world of dangerous Warlocks, wars, and Dragons, where using brutal force and magic was the only way to survive.
“What are you thinking about?” Evie asked about an hour later while I stared thoughtfully into the endless blue of the ocean-like lake.
A lengthy sigh left me, I’d become silent after discussing my other encounters with Raithian and what he knew so far about me—or sensed, for that matter. I’d also dropped the mini bomb of realizing Azazel had been following us, or more specifically, following me in my latest outings.
“Something doesn’t make sense to me about all this.” I turned to face them all. “If the Warlock King has so much power, why has he waited so long to finish this? He controls Azazel, and that beast could eradicate us all with a couple of combined breaths. So why hasn’t Raithian done that yet?”
Kingston’s brow creased in confusion, his conversation with my mother stopping as their full attention shifted to me.
“Think about it,” I pressed. “He killed half your army after he took Azazel from my father in the Great War. Why didn’t he finish you right there and then? Why didn’t he have Azazel breathe fire one last time and end you all?”
Horror streaked the faces before me, so I placed the glass on the counter and lifted my hands to placate them.
“I’m not saying he should have. Obviously. I’m glad he didn’t. But if there is one thing that I have learned from watching epic battles in movies, it’s that—”
“What’s a movie?” Imogen interrupted.
“It’s a made-up story that plays out on a screen,” I offered.
“What is a screen?” Kingston added.
“It’s a special backdrop people use to watch movies, among many other things. Some are huge for everyone to watch together, others small for single use,” Mom explained.
“Why would people want to watch made-up stories on a screen?” Imogen’s expression distorted with bewilderment.
“Because we don’t have Dragons, or epic warriors, and our lives in the Mirror World pretty much suck ass, so we need to find a way to imagine we are those warriors, heroes, or slayers to get through the day!” I threw my arms in the air. “Can I please go back to my hypothesis now?”
“What’s a hypothesis?” Imogen asked.
Evie’s lips twitched while I growled like Tharion had taken hold of me. “It’s a theory about something. Go on.” She nodded to me, and I sighed.
“Okay, so if I have learned something from watching all those epic battles, it’s that, if you want to defeat the evil villain you have to think like him. If I were Raithian—”
Everyone tensed around me.
“Again, not saying I want to be him; I’m pretending to think like him.”