Destined for Vengeance ✔️

Chapter 32

"I'm a Shadow Walker. I can take it." Did he know Shadow Walkers silvered their children from a young age? She had been no exception, and the pesky amount of silver in her necklace couldn't hurt her. It was insulting that he should think otherwise.

"Maybe, but you still should not have to." He sighed again and his shoulders sagged a little. "I did not want to upset you."

"I am not upset, Your Highness." It gave her power, she realised, to use his title. She could pour all her passive-aggressiveness into the words and no one could accuse her of being rude.

"Yes, you are."

She moved her hands up, clasping the chain around her neck again. His eyes followed her movements, his lips straightening. He could save his dissatisfaction for someone else. If he knew what she suffered, he wouldn't blame her for seeking unconventional methods to keep herself sane.

"My parents are waiting," he said, when she didn't speak. "If you are still willing to meet them, that is."

She most certainly was not. "I'm willing."

He nodded and she wished he would smile, but clearly she wasn't the only one who was upset. It had been a reality-check to the both of them, she imagined. Mates are fun until they become real.

"This way," he said. Since he had sent everyone away, he had to open the doors himself, which Jade was sure was another thing he wasn't used to. But he did it regardless and let her pass first. They ended up in a long, broad hallway.

"My parents thought it might be easier for you to meet them in a somewhat more informal setting, so they will be receiving you in the parlour."

Jade only nodded. No room could make meeting them easier, but it seemed pointless to tell him as much.

Aaron's guards slipped back into place, walking in front of him and behind him. Their eyes burned into her back, their thoughts hostile and cold. They had heard the commotion she had made in the hall and had reached the conclusion that she was on the brink of turning feral.

He led her up a flight of stairs and through another hallway. She didn't pay attention to her surroundings. Her attention was aimed at resisting the urge to cling onto her pendant.

"Right in here," he said, halting in front of a door that was already being opened for them. She stopped. Were his parents in there? If she stepped past that threshold, was she going to come face to face with the man who had slaughtered her family?

"Jade." Aaron's voice was quiet, but stern. His eyes pointedly guided her towards the entrance. She swallowed and spurred into motion, stepping into the room. Her eyes latched onto the king, everything else blurring to the outskirts of her vision. She had never seen him before, but there was no doubt in her mind who he was. He emitted more energy and authority than anyone she had ever met.

She halted dead in her tracks. To her surprise and grief, images of her mother shot through her head. Her own memories of her were faded. The only reason she remembered her mother's face clearly, was because Ryleigh had shared her memories of their mother with her. She remembered very vividly how Ryleigh had looked that day – silvered, nearly drowned, an arrow sticking out of her shoulder. Jade didn't remember falling into the river. Ryleigh had locked that memory away, so she wouldn't be burdened by the same trauma, and Jade had never asked her to recover it. She remembered enough painful things to last her a lifetime. One of those things, oddly, was the smell. To that day, she could not smell blood without her heart starting to race. She still couldn't hear screaming without expecting the worst.

King Alder looked normal for a monster.

Fourteen years she had been raised by people who hated him more than anyone else in the world. In her head, he was a despicable, ugly creature. Someone visibly evil. Only he wasn't. He had eyes of crystal blue, a smile like Aaron's – cordial and warm – and laugh lines around his eyes. Was this the man that had ripped apart her childhood?

"It is such a pleasure to meet you."

Jade's gaze snapped sideways, settling on the woman standing beside Alder. She was beautiful and had the same light-grey eyes Aaron did. Tall and graceful, she was everything Jade would never be. A real queen. She approached and Jade figured she should probably curtsy or something. She expected the queen to extend a hand for her to shake, but instead she pulled her into a hug.

Instantly, like when Aaron touched her, her mind went deaf. The queen smelled lovely and radiated such calmness that tears jumped into her eyes. She hadn't been hugged like that in a very long time.

She blinked and Corinne pulled back, holding her at an arm's length. "Aren't you a vision!"

Jade opened her mouth to say something – anything – but no words came. She just blinked again.

Corinne's smile grew wider. "I know this must all be horribly overwhelming. I've been where you are."

Only Corinne hadn't been a Shadow Walker. Corinne hadn't had a long-standing feud with the king. She couldn't possible understand. But it was nice she tried.

Corinne released her and stepped aside. Jade tried not to sway on her feet as the thoughts seeped back into her mind. Alder stepped forward then. He was more cautious, regarding her with a look clearly intended to assess her. But then he only had Ryleigh to give him an idea of what the Shadow Walkers were like. He was probably expecting the worst.

"Jade," he said, her name strange and disconcerting in his mouth. "It is indeed good to meet you." He, then, did extend her his hand.

And she shook it. 

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A/N: This was a pretty difficult chapter to write, as I'm sure you can imagine. Thoughts? 

Thank you for reading!