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.