Their Hidden Princess (Zora and Maximus) novel Chapter 246

Chapter 246

Zora’s POV

“Are you sure about this?” Max asked me from my right.

“A bit too late to be reconsidering now,” Kairos said from my left.

“We could make him leave,” Max said. “He doesn’t have to stay.”

Kairos appeared thoughtful and cracked his knuckles, like he was prepping for a potential fight. “I suppose not all of your ideas are bad ones, Maximus.’

“We aren’t fighting him,” I said. “He seemed apologetic, and he said the right things.”

“He could be lying,” Max said.

“He really does need punishment for what he did to you,” Kairos said.

“As the offended party, I’m the one who should dole it out,” I said. “Just… stay next to me.”

“Forever,” Max said.

“I don’t have anywhere else to be,” Kairos added.

I found comfort in their closeness, drawing off the mating bond to help build up my own strength and courage. This wasn’t going to be an easy encounter. Thorne had hurt me deeply. He’d turned his back on our mating bone, and then made vicious accusations against me.

He had so much to answer for. Maybe this was a mistake.

But…

I couldn’t deny there was a growing hole in my heart that was specifically Thorne-shaped. All of us were off-balanced, though the others wouldn’t want to admit it. I could though. We needed our fourth flame.

I needed him.

“He’s coming,” Max said, and I listened hard, hearing the sounds of tires over rocks and dirt as the car Valentin had taken returned up the long drive to the base.

“Here we go,” Kairos said, when the car came into view.

“It will have to be earned, through action,” I said.

He closed his eyes, turned his head toward me, and then opened his eyes again. They locked with mine, and in the depths of his, beyond the misery and the self-loathing, I could see a flicker of determination. It was that determination that gave me hope, and that sparked a tiny flame inside of my chest.

Our bond was damaged, but through his rejection and through his actions. It could only be repaired with equal effort from us both.

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” he said.

I believed him.

My other mates weren’t so easily convinced.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Max said. “And until then, I’ve got my eye on you. One inch out of line, and I will rip your throat out.”

“You got an uphill battle mate,” Kairos said with a growl in his voice, his arms still crossed. “I’m on Maximus’s side here. I’m itching to kick your ass.”

“Words won’t be enough,” Valentin said to Thorne, approaching. “If you want to prove your worth, then you should swear your service to Zora and become a knight.”