Chapter 27: No Return - Hunger & Harmony

Sirens wail in the distance. I press my forehead to the cold glass, eyes fixed on the full moon above. Sunveil is beautiful tonight. What a cruel irony.

“Hey,” he calls from behind me. “Don’t stay close to the window for too long.”

I turn to Niko with a wobbling frown. He opens his arms, and I rush to return to the couch and his embrace. We’re holed up in my apartment, and I’ve never wished more to stay hidden forever.

Hours have dragged by since the attack. It leveled not only the foundation of vampires, but Niko’s position as king. I’m a liability. I feel every ounce of that guilt, even as I selfishly burrow into his chest.

Shouting echoes from below, and I cling to him. Various media swarm the company buildings, every mortal with a camera demanding an interview or at least a slice of this profitable chaos. Security can only do so much.

Exhaustion lines Niko’s smile when I peer up at him.

“Do you hate me?”

Do you hate that fate wove me into your stars?

What a stupid question. It doesn’t dim his smile, though.

“No, I don’t hate you. You protected us, Cadence,” he says, hands steady on my sides. “You gave us time.”

I know he understands. Maybe better than I do. His loyalty isn’t the problem, and neither is his restraint. The cost of our love keeps skyrocketing, and I’m not a traitor—I’m worse.

“Everyone else is coming by soon,” he says after a lull of heavy silence.

My shoulders slump. He rubs circles on my back.

“We’ll discuss as a team, but if there’s anything you want to say first, I’m listening.”

Did I make the right choice? Will I ever mend the damage the Hunters caused? What was their real plan? Am I acting as a true queen should? Or have I stepped perfectly into my role as the Dissonant?

“I’m scared,” I whisper, even though those words are too simple to describe how deeply shaken I am.

“I am, too,” he admits, and I meet his gaze again. “But I’m also proud of you.”

I tilt my head slightly. He brushes a stray lock of hair out of my face.

“Don’t look so doubtful. You did that with no time to prepare or think it through. It was you who saved us. Me, the band, those fans, and even my aunt, no matter how much she rejects you.” He looks at me earnestly. “You deserve acknowledgement. I only wish I could give you so much more.”

My lips part in awe. I didn’t think about it like that. I just did what I could manage.

“I . . .”

When I trail off, he cups my face.

“This isn’t the end, okay? We’ll do what it takes. You’ve already proven you can.”

The times he wanted to fix everything by himself are long gone. That’s been replaced with the certainty that I’m not only his equal but someone who can be a part of the solution, too.

My bottom lip trembles again, and he lessens my fears with a soft kiss. He used to taste like surrender. His lips are now ardent against mine.

A knock sounds at the front door. I swallow the lump in my throat, hoping it’ll take my sorrow with it.

“I’ll get the door,” he says.

Waiting on the couch feels like a lifetime. He returns with Arteria behind him.

After my eyes meet Niko’s again, I ‌look at Ezren. He’s a visible wreck, emerald eyes rimmed with red and tear stains. His clothing is disheveled, switched from the stage outfit to a hoodie and sweats. He shuffles somberly behind Selene, whose strides are subdued. Even Ryel seems disturbed, though for once, he doesn’t look at me with venom as they take their spots in my living room.

Ezren collapses to my left. I smile sadly when he opens his mouth to say something, only to cough on a sob when he tries. I clasp his hands and lean against him. Selene remains standing next to Niko. Ryel hangs back by the wall.

“This is fucked up,” Ezren chokes out a second later.

“It is,” Selene says before she looks at me. “But we know what has to happen.”

I’ve been dreading this, but there’s no other choice.

“I have to go.”

Ezren sniffles, shaking his head.

“No, that isn’t fair,” he whispers. “Y-You saved us, Cadie. You shouldn’t be punished.”

“This isn’t a punishment,” Niko says, and I hold Ezren’s hands tighter. “If she stays . . . it would negate everything she did.”

As much as my heart constricts, I know he’s right.

“I denounced Niko openly. It doesn’t make sense to stay, right? That would undermine my words, and . . .”

I stare across the room at Niko. Tears well up, threatening to pour out as I hold myself.

“This is protection,” Niko says, staring back just as tenderly, just as broken. “Survival.”

Selene nods solemnly. Ezren is still sniffling, but he remains silent.

“Mendax is resolute,” Ryel says, adjusting his crossed arms. “The prophecy may or may not be correct, but this is a loophole.”

While far from warm, his dogmatic frost has thawed enough for him to acknowledge that. I’m not sure how he and Niko smoothed things over, but the last thing I want is their brotherhood fractured. Ryel is difficult, but he’s family, right?

I nod silently.

“Yes. It’d be best for Cadence to go,” Selene agrees quietly. “To publicly pull back. I don’t know why the Order thinks they can wield her, but something isn’t right.”

“Someone betrayed us,” Ezren says, and my mind returns to Lorelai.

Do they know? Should I say something?

“I believe that,” Selene hums before she looks at me earnestly. “But I also believe in you, Cadence. Do what you need to do. We will hold steady.”

“Thank you,” I say back, looking at all of them, even Ryel briefly. “We’ll get through this.”

“This isn’t the end,” Niko repeats his words from earlier, and I feel closer to believing it.

Ezren clings to my side, and I hug him back gently. Guilt gnaws at me, even if I know it’s not my fault. So much heartache. It’s not fair that the only answer is falling back.

“I’ll leave at dawn.”

That’s only a couple of hours to figure out where I’m going. Only a short time to say goodbye.

I pack slowly, thankful that Arteria lingers. Even Ryel lights a cigarette and cracks open a window, and in the eye of this storm, I can almost pretend this is a normal Friday night. Ezren on his phone, Selene fixing her hair next to him, and Niko hovering beside me, like his hands' sole purpose is to hold me.

I’m weighing up whether to contact Viola when there’s another knock at my door. Selene opens it, and I watch her posture relax.

“Cass.”

The royal informant in black-rimmed glasses and a hoodie. He shuffles in, looking at me once the door closes.

“May I have a word?”

It’s soon just me and him in my bedroom, the door cracked. He sits at my desk. I remain on my bed.

“What is it?” I ask, and he offers his hand.

Aged cream parchment curls between his fingers. When I take the crumpled paper from him, I realize it’s also been ripped, like this small piece was once a part of something bigger.

“I want you to read it.”

Glancing it over, I find a few sentences scrawled in messy handwriting. No, not sentences. Verses.

“No blood will bind, no voice will reign,” I whisper.

Chills cascade down my spine, every hair on my body standing tall.

“She’ll laugh and dance where once was pain,” Cass continues for me. “Her pulse that calls the last-born heir. The hollow throne and subjects stare . . .”

That’s all there is. It doesn’t feel complete, more like a bridge between parts. Echoes of that lullaby come to mind. Are these the lines that follow?

I glance over at Cass. He takes the paper back.

“It took great lengths to find this, so I’ll keep it safe,” he says. “There are certainly missing parts, but this confirms it.”

“The prophecy, as the Court knows it, is false,” I murmur, and he nods.

“I know little beyond that. I’m still looking, and I’ll do everything within my power.” He hangs his head. “I should’ve told you before, but . . .I didn’t have these few verses of proof until this morning.”

While I want to be angry, he’s not to blame. If I think back to our first night on the road, I remember how strange I found him. It all makes sense now.

“No, I . . . appreciate it. You confirmed there’s another version. That’s a solid start.”

He hums. Behind my blinds, the first rays of daylight seep through.

“You’re making the right choice,” he says when he stands.

“I hope so.”

His smile doesn’t reach his eyes. Neither does mine.

“Until next time,” he says, bowing his head. “Your Majesty.”

When I make my way back to the living room, only Niko remains. His eyes pull away from the brightening sky as I approach him.

“Hey.”

It’s such a small word. Just like this moment. It’s almost too calm as he takes me into his arms, and I settle against him.

His lips meet my hair, and I hold him closer when his posture tightens.

“I don’t think I’ve said this yet,” he whispers. “But I . . .I won’t waste this moment.”

Pulling back to look at him, I watch his gaze soften, and I swear the sun rises a little slower for us.

“Yes?”

“I love you, Cadence.”

He gently takes hold of my hands. His resolve falters slightly, the control of a king making way for the man made of devotion and shadow. I let my tears escape, closing my eyes as he presses his forehead to mine.

“I love you so much. I promise . . .” His whisper ghosts over my lips. “I promise to return to you. To do everything I can. To see the stars with you again.”

Inhaling shakily, I let my eyes flutter open. Burgundy irises sear into mine, like he never wants to forget this image.

“I love you, too,” I whisper, trying not to let my voice crack. “I’ll do the same, and I . . .I . . .” I kiss him briefly. “Th-This isn’t the end.”

Damn my tears. I lift my hand from his to wipe at my face. Only, he cups my cheeks, brushing my tears away for me.

“I’m—”

“No apologies.”

He places a gentle kiss on my forehead. The permission to cry hits me full force. He accepts me as I am. My smile sweetens, and I surge forward to kiss him again.

After all, one can only see starlight in the dark.

I hold that thought with me as we part. Reluctantly, slowly, we pull away, our hands the last to separate. Or maybe our eyes.

“See you later,” I say as he lingers in the doorway.

My doorway. Is it any more?

“I love you,” he says, and I laugh through my tears.

“I love you, too.”

I walk backward through the hallway. I don’t want to, but there’s no other choice. There’s no going back. Even as the threads of fate that tie me to him pull under my ribs, a hum of protest building the further I walk.

The weight of grief slams into my chest when I round the corner. I pull my blue hoodie up, tightening it around my hair and blotchy face.

Even after I’ve climbed into the elevator and clutch my suitcases, I don’t know where I’m going or what to do. My phone burns in my pocket. Should I call Viola?

As the elevator doors open, my swollen eyes widen. I don’t have to agonize over that question anymore.

“Let’s go home, Cadie.”