Page 151 of Incoronate
Everything since the moment I arrived in Hollow Hills had been leading up to this one moment.
And I was finally ready.
My attention turned to the door as Trace walked in first, peering around the room before landing on me. A few seconds later Dominic appeared, adjusting his shirt collar as he closed the door behind himself.
“Everyone good to go?” asked Trace, referring to whether we’d all completed our transfers.
“Past-me didn’t suspect a thing,” said Dominic, his eyes moving over my face with that meticulous attention of his that missed nothing and gave back even less. “I must say, I was rather disappointed in myself.”
Trace ignored him, keeping his attention on me instead. “How about you?”
I nodded and looked up at him. “The transfer went off without a hitch.”
“Good,” he said and then pushed his hands through his hair, clearing the view before folding his arms along his chest. “So, what’s our next move?”
I chewed the inside of my cheeks and looked between them again. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Why do I have the distinct feeling I’m not going to like this?” asked Dominic, taking a slow step toward me, crowding my space and thoughts in one single move.
"Because you probably won't," I said. "At least not at first."
Neither of them said anything. They just waited, the way they always did when they knew pushing me would only make me dig in. Outside, the rain climbed harder against the glass.
I drew in a breath and made myself say it.
“I made you a promise once,” I said, my eyes finding Dominic first. “That I’d come to you before I did anything stupid. So this is me, coming to you.” My gaze moved to Trace. “To both of you. Because I’m about to do the most stupid, reckless thing I’ve ever done in my life, and I’m not going to do it without your blessing.”
Trace’s brows drew together as he cursed under his breath. “Jemma…”
“Just hear me out. Please.” I held up a hand. “Then I'll listen to whatever you have to say.”
Dominic gestured for me to continue, his expression giving nothing away.
I rolled my shoulders back and made myself look at them. At the men I loved. The men I was about to ask to follow me straight into the dark.
“I’ve been thinking about it since the moment Arianna whispered those words into my mind. About what it would mean. What it would cost.” I pressed my lips together for a beat. “And I keep arriving at the same place. The Order is never going to stop. They didn’t stop after my father. Theydidn’t stop after they tried to kill me or after they sent us to Sanguinarium. They didn't stop until they killed my sister and Ares while we were trapped in a Realm we were never supposed to come out of.” My throat tightened, but I pushed past it. “And they're going to try to do it all over again now. They won't stop until there’s nothing of us left to hunt.”
“Angel—”
“You know it’s true, Dominic. They’re not going to stop. Ever. The only way to stop them is to make sure they can’t.”
“And how exactly do you intend to do that?”
I held his gaze. “By claiming my birthright.”
Trace’s whole body went still. “You’re going to take the throne? Of Hades?”
“I need an army, Trace. Not just to protect myself but to protect Ares. And this is the only way.”
“There has to be another way.”
Trace turned away and dragged both hands through his hair, his shoulders cording with tension. He paced two steps toward the window, then back, the rain throwing thin shadows down his face. “Do you have any idea what you’re saying? What that would make you?”
“Yes,” I said quietly. “I do.”
“Lucifer’s heir. Queen of Hades. You’d be tied to it forever. You’d be tied tohimforever. Everything he was, everything he stood for, all of it would be yours to carry.”
“I know.”
