Chapter 2

Béke Day One

Ifelt as if I'd been run through the middle with one of the decorative swords that hung along the walls of the main hall. A tug I hadn't felt in months screamed at me to break free of Endre's bruising grip and race back to the courtyard, snatch up my mate, and carry her off with me.

Izidora looked happy. She'd stared up at Ruslan like he was the air she needed to breathe until her attention fell over me, and then, just as fast as she'd looked at me, she turned away to embrace Liliana.

I was nothing to her.

After I'd spent most of my life searching for her, after I'd saved her, after I'd gathered a fucking army for her, she couldn't care less about me.

Izidora. Was. Mine.

And I would simply have to remind her of that fact. The binding magic that had begun eating away at the light parts of my soul reared its beastly head, thrumming with the promise of blood and vengeance. But if I wanted to win her back, the monster winding its way around my magic had to remain locked away. Swallowing the surge of rage at her rejection, I refocused on the halls before me, memorizing the way to our apartment in the citadel and any other interesting-looking doors we might need to explore later.

The Iron Realm had been breeding races from across the continents to create a more powerful race of Fae, and we needed to know everything we could about the program if we had any chance against them in battle. Our army was tucked safely in the Day Realm, and we had two weeks to gain as much information as we could before they marched on the Iron Realm.

The deeply tanned male had already directed the Crystal and Day Fae to their rooms, and he seemed unbothered as we traipsed the halls of his home, like his enemy wasn't lying in wait to tear him and his people apart at a moment's notice. "Here's your suite. The opening ball starts in four hours."

If Kaztar or Viktor acknowledged him, I did not hear, because all my focus was on reining in the black beast in my chest that screamed at me to return to Izidora. We stumbled into the ornate living area complete with a blazing wall-sized fireplace and six doors leading into lavish bedrooms. The wealth and power of the Iron Realm were on full display, egg-sized gemstones embedded in sconces along the wall, fur rugs lining the floor, and massive bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms with deep soaking tubs asking to chase away the bone-deep chill that clung to each of us.

Vadim whistled as he wandered around, running a hand over his beard as he surveyed the space. "This is nice as fuck."

None of us could argue with him.

"And there are more than enough rooms for everyone," he added, giving Liliana a sidelong glare as she snatched Endre from me and dragged him to a room at the back of the suite.

"Exactly, so there's no need for us to share a wall, brother," she cooed, batting her lashes at him before shutting the door in his face.

"Fucking Fates, she's going to be the death of me," Vadim groaned, earning a snigger from Viktor and myself. The laughter eased some of the tension in my chest, though it wasn't enough to completely dull the edge of the knife stabbing into me.

"Domi and I will take this room here," Kaztar teased, indicating a half-open door closest to the exit. "Don't want to share a wall with Liliana and Endre, either." The male snatched his wife's hand, tugging her to him and whispering in her ear, causing red to cascade across her cheeks. "We'll see you guys in a few hours."

I ground my teeth as they disappeared into their room, wishing that Izidora had paid me enough attention, had given me something to know that dragging myself around the continent again was worth it.

What if she wasn't my mate?

That niggling worry that had plagued me since our ride between the Crystal and Day Realms voiced its opinion, sending another surge of rage up my spine.

What we shared was real.

As if he sensed the direction of my thoughts, Vadim bumped my shoulder, tearing me from the spiral that was dragging me down. "I'm going to take a bath because my balls have retreated inside my body. And since I got a good look at the females roaming the halls, I'm going to need them later."

Mine and Viktor's eye rolls were simultaneous. "You can't stick your dick in an Iron Fae female on our first night, Vadim," Vitkor griped.

"Why not? Who said we can't enjoy the spoils of war, prior to the war? Plus, we've been working so hard lately. I need to relax before things get bloody. It wouldn't hurt to use that time to gather information, seeing as we've gotten a lot of valuable information over the years using that tactic." Vadim's evergreen eyes sparkled as he recalled other Békes where we'd used our charm to search for leads on Izidora's location.

"Shh, not so loud," Viktor snapped, glancing around us. "They could have spies in the walls for all we know."

"All the more reason for me to soak in the bath." Vadim waggled his eyebrows, then disappeared into a room across from Liliana and Endre's. "See you assholes later."

And then it was only Viktor and me standing amid opulence and luxury.

"Kazimir, are you okay?" My friend's sage green eyes were pinched at the corners, and I knew he worried about the unstable binding magic slithering in my chest.

"Fine," I lied through my gritted teeth.

I was not fine – not when I'd saved Izidora, only for her to reject me when I came to her rescue again.

"I don't believe you," he said, smoothing a hand over his already perfectly styled black hair and rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not Endre, and I don't know the right words to reassure you, but you are not fine. Judging by the way Izidora looked at Ruslan, she does not appear to be here against her will any longer, and that has to sting."

More like a punch to the gut that knocked all of the air from my lungs.

I ran a palm over my face and blew out a breath. "I need to get her back."

A slow smile spread across Viktor's lips. "Now that I can help you with. Why don't we wash up and start strategizing on how to make it happen?"

I nodded. "Thanks, Viktor. Meet in an hour?"

"Done."

Steam rolledoff the surface of the water in a soaking tub large enough for two people, and the earthy scent of lavender filled the air. My toes stung as I stepped into the waiting water, life returning to them after our long ride through the snow. The tingle that spread through my body as I sank was a welcome reprieve from the chill that felt bone deep. Dunking my head underwater, I washed away the grime gathered from long days and dusty roads, surfacing when my lungs screamed for air. After the fifth time, I settled back against a rolled towel on the lip of the tub and pulled my father's journal from the dark wood table adjacent to me.

I prayed there was something between these pages that would help me, because I felt like I was drowning in despair as everything I'd worked for, everything I was so certain of, came into question. Nothing of note was on the first few pages, so I continued flipping through them, the scent of ink and parchment joining the earthy scents of my bath salts.

My father did not keep an accurate account of each day, but rather random thoughts and ideas as they came to him. I was about halfway through when I stumbled across the words ‘Izidora is an empath' written and underlined. My heart skipped a beat, body trembling as I searched the surrounding pages for any context or date to indicate when it was written, but nothing stood out. Empaths were extremely rare, and I only knew of one in history – a Crystal Fae who was killed for her gifts after she used them to influence the outcome of a war.

Fucking Fates, that was it, that was why Ruslan wanted her.

She was an empath, and a powerful one at that if she had imbued me with strength while Viktor and I had sparred. She not only possessed the ability to influence emotions – she could manipulate others' actions. Her empathy was why her emotions were so tied to her magic and how she gained strength from embracing them.

Could her Angel blood enhance these abilities too?

I spent so many years searching for Izidora that I had only heard stories about the races who lived across the continents, and the only one I had met was a Wolf Shifter female whom we rescued all those years ago.

I flipped through the journal again, hoping to uncover other insights that might aid our efforts. My heart stopped at the last entry, and I read and re-read those words – the last ones my father ever wrote.

Kazimir, if you are reading this, then I am most likely dead. After your mother passed, my grief led me on a dark road, one that resulted in consulting a medium at the Crystal Realm, if only to hear Klariza's voice one last time. Instead, I received a reading that foretold the date of my death. I never told you because I wanted you to live your life without constantly thinking about how many grains of sand remained in the hourglass. My heart is full knowing that you found your mate, even if neither of you has realized it yet. I am so proud of you, my son, for the strong, principled male you have become. The Goddess truly blessed me with you, and I want you to know how much I love you. I am eternally thankful for the years we spent together on the road, for not many fathers get the opportunity to spend so much time with their sons.

Remember who you are in your darkest moments, and you will always triumph.

My throat thickened and I swallowed hard as I wrangled for control with the sorrow that speared its way into my heart. The memory of our last night together surfaced, reminding me how sad he had looked and how guilty I had felt for leaving him alone. He had been grieving the last moments of his life while I had assumed he had been missing my mother. I wished he had told me, but I understood why he kept it from me. He thought to give me this one last gift, knowing I would need to hear his words from beyond this life. A shudder wracked my body, and I closed the journal, placing it on the stool, only a breath away from succumbing to the anguish that wreaked havoc on my soul.

The heat surrounding me did nothing to warm the chill that settled deep in my bones.

Water splashed over the sides of the tub as I reached for my leather bags, digging through them until I found those scraps of lace I'd stolen from Izidora's room at Este Castle before we departed. Bringing them to my nose, I inhaled deeply, her rosy scent so faint after all the times I'd buried myself in her.

No, no, no. I couldn't lose this too.

I threw the scraps to the side, gripping the edges of the tub so hard the marble cracked beneath my fingers. Darkness surged in my chest, knocking the air from my lungs as my vision flashed between red and black and white. I plunged beneath the water in an attempt to regain control, waiting well beyond the point of my lungs burning before freeing myself from my watery prison and sucking down steamy air.

The shift in my body's priorities cleared my mind, allowing me to calm down and think logically about what actions came next. I needed to remember myself, the male who wanted nothing more than to save his lost princess, who led his friends on countless raids, who battled and fought for those he loved.

My reflection caught my attention, water dripping off the ends of my long, unkempt hair and the beard that had started to mimic Vadim's. I looked haggard and a touch crazed, and nothing about the male staring back at me was familiar.

It was time to stop pitying myself and return to the strong male I was.

Pushing out of the warm bath, I pounded a path to the mirror, dripping along the tiled floor, and found a razor sitting alongside the basin. Scraping it across my face, I trimmed the hairs until they barely dusted my skin, showing off the cut of my jaw. The motions were soothing, methodical, and allowed me to put my mind to a singular task.

My attention turned to my hair once I finished my beard. The mess that had grown out over the past few months needed a serious cut. Strip after strip of black hair fell away, some landing over my broad shoulders, others tickling my feet as they piled on the cool tile. The sides were shaved down until they mirrored the length of my beard, though I left it longer on the top, tousling it with my fingers until I was satisfied with how it settled across my head.

I healed the bruises beneath my eyes, the dark purple bags lightening and smoothing, until the emerald of my eyes shone beneath the dark brows set firmly over them. By the time I finished, I recognized the male in the mirror. Bracing my hands on the countertop, I turned my head this way and that, giving myself a final once over. Izidora would remember this male as the one who saved her, who brought her into the world and showed her all that she could be.

All doubt fell away like a shedded skin, and I straightened to my full height, ready to take on Ruslan and the rest of the Iron Realm.

It was time to win back Izidora, and with Viktor's aid, I was certain I could do it.