A Curse of Shadows - Page 104

Gideon must be blocking my ability with one of the dark objects, but that doesn’t matter.

“Let her go,” I demand, my alpha command amplifying more than normal, likely thanks to Aurora.

He tenses, defiance etched across his aging features. “No. It’s too late. I’m not letting her go until you open the portal and let me off this world.”

“Not a fucking chance in hell.” I growl, taking another step forward.

He just shakes his head at me. “Look at you trying to be the worthy wolf now. It’s too late, Son. We both failed and now, you’ll either let me go or lose both the women in your life.”

“Do you still have Isla?” I ask Grayson, needing to know she’s safe.

“Yes, but she’s not staying patient and I won’t hold her back for long.”

At least I know she’s not at risk, regardless of what he says. For now, anyway.

“Don’t listen to him, Son,” my mother says, a tear falling down her cheek. “I failed you for so many years. Don’t worry about me any longer.”

Easier said than done.

My glare falls on my father again. “I’ve grown this kingdom into more than it’s ever been, even under your rule. Why couldn’t you have left things alone?”

“The moment she returned, you were lost,” he spats. “You reverted to the boy who couldn’t even go a week without getting his dick wet and I couldn’t let that stand. I won’t watch our kingdom fall because you’re too weak to put the crown above your heart.”

“Of course I was distracted recently,” I snarl, my lip curling. “My mate was gone for five hundred fucking years. I think that taking some time to be with her is more than acceptable. And before, you never even gave me a chance to grow up, to be the man you expected. Something I could have done with Isla by my side. Instead, you stole that from me, set me decades behind, put our home at risk. For what? To prove a fucking point? Well, you lost, Dad. You’re the one who failed and now, you’re going to lose everything.”

He reaches behind his back. “I’d rather lose everything than live with you as a son.”

“That’s enough!” Isla’s voice booms as she joins us.

“I thought you said you had her?” I snarl at Grayson, not removing my stare from Gideon. I don’t trust him not to pull some bullshit and try to hurt Isla at the last minute.

“I do. Just not where you assumed,” he answers a second after I sense his presence.

Fucking stubborn Blackwoods. I’m sure Estee is somewhere around here as well, but I can’t worry about that now.

Gideon chuckles as he grips my mother’s hair and tosses her into the side of the mountain. “You’re of no use to me any longer.”

Her eyes flutter closed and there’s a cut on her head from landing on one of the protruding rocks, but I can still see her chest moving.

“I should have gotten rid of her years ago,” he says with disgust, glaring down at her prone form.

My rage increases on my mother’s behalf. This has to be the dark objects making him act this way. There’s no other possible explanation as to why he would throw her aside as if she means nothing to him, not with them being bonded mates. Still, this is the path he chose and there’s no going back. He has to pay for the choices he’s made.

“Seems you were too weak to do that yourself, just like you have been with everything else.” My chest heaves even as Isla presses her palm to my back.

“Let me help you,” she whispers with unrestrained love filtering through our bond.

I start to shake my head, but Gideon speaks before I can move into action.

“Just as I predicted.” He holds a shadowy orb within his hands, the dagger now sheathed at his hip. “Your mate is here to finish what you can’t. She always outshone you, making you even more pathetic. I couldn’t stand to watch that happen. No son of mine would be less than his woman.”

Isla steps to stand at my side and takes my hand, the power from Aurora pulsing off her just as I feel it within me, somehow. “That’s where you’re wrong,” Isla says, her voice sure and calm. “You’ve somehow failed to see your son’s worth. Not who he was within your shadow and not as the king, but as the man I know him to be.” She lets out a strangled huff. “Even worse, there’s probably a part of you that’s always known Asher is better than you. You didn’t hurt him because he wasn’t good enough. You saw his ability to love and be a strong leader at the same time and that terrified you. It was never me that outshone your son. It’s your son that outshone you.”

His face turns red, darkening with every word my mate has spoken. “You stupid little bitch. I’m going to shut you up for the last time.”

He throws the orb toward her and as the sphere travels through the air, the glass encasing the black energy starts to shatter.

“It’s a bomb!” Grayson shouts from behind us.