Cole

"Thank you for explaining," I said to Kris. He looked so angry, but I knew that was only on the surface. Oh, the anger was real, but it was only a shell around the despair I could see in his eyes.

Leila's eyes watered and fixed on her son's. "Dorian, this is not worth your life."

"Leila," Kris barked, his tone forbidding.

But Leila ignored him. "You must live," she implored.

Dorian looked between his parents, then at me. He looked helpless. What was he expecting me to do? I couldn't make this choice for him. I was confident Ares would never take advantage of the people he ruled over, but I understood saying so would be meaningless to the people in this room. They barely knew me and anyway, he was my mate. They may expect me to be blind to his faults.

Dorian shut his eyes. "I'm so tired," he said. He did look unwell, much worse off than he had been just yesterday. How quickly was his sickness progressing? How long would he last without reestablishing a connection to the Hinterlands?

The connection...

How did it work? Ares served as an anchor, right? He was directly connected to the Hinterlands, and he was also connected to his people. They maintained the connection they needed through him, while Ares served as the guardian of their sacred realm.

What made Ares able to sustain those connections? Was it something in his blood? Something about him being a demon?

Or...

I barely resisted the impulse to grab the passkey that hung under my shirt.

What if...?

"Ares," I called urgently through our bond. His eyes snapped to mine. "How does the connection between you and the Hinterlands work? Were you born with it?"

I watched him process the question, brows furrowing for a moment before jumping up in surprise. "No." Excitement overtook his formerly-glum features. "It came when I inherited my position and was given my passkey." Even if it wasn't the possession of a passkey, it was possible my mate bond with Ares was enough of a connection.

"There might be another way," I said aloud. I tried not to show that I was excited, since there was a chance this might not work even if Dorian agreed to try. "Your objection to submitting to Ares' rule is that he can control you. What if... what if it was me instead? It might work, and I'm just a werewolf. I can't force you to do anything, but I am connected to the Hinterlands now. And you could retain your freedom."

Dorian's chair squealed as he sat up straighter. I watched him look between me and Ares. My mate nodded his agreement, and Dorian smiled eagerly. "How do we do it?"

Relief crashed through me that he was willing to try, quickly followed by the fear that I was mistaken and this wouldn't work at all. I had no idea how to make the right kind of connection between myself and Dorian, so I held my breath as I waited for Ares to answer.

"It would require you to swear fealty to Cole. Done properly, it creates a bond only breakable through death or should Cole choose to release you. This should not be done lightly," Ares said.

Nerves coiled in my gut. I had known, of course, that this was serious... but it was serious.

"I understand," Dorian said. "It's my best option. I want to try it."

I noticed that he was avoiding looking in his parents' direction. Leila spoke up next, saying, "I'll do it, too."

Dorian's eyes squeezed shut. I dared what he didn't and looked toward his father. Kris was watching me already with an inscrutable expression. I held his gaze. I was a stranger to him; hopefully, he could see in my eyes that I was only trying to help.

"Me as well," Kris finally said. He nodded at me, just a small dip of the head. I returned the gesture.

Ares nodded, all business now. "Kris, have you conducted this ceremony with each member of your faction already?"

Kris nodded grimly.

Ares turned to me and explained, "Oaths follow the transitive property. If someone swore fealty to Kris and he swears fealty to you, then they would fall under your domain as well."

I already knew where this was leading, of course, but I couldn't get my head around the idea that soon, I would be the leader of the entire Darong faction, just like that. As far as I was concerned, this was a formality only. They were welcome to go back to living their lives as usual, but it was still a mindfuck.

Ares held my hand under the table. I clung to it like the lifeline it was. The room fell silent.

"What will you expect of us?" Leila asked.

She was speaking to me, of course. Until she asked, I had thought the answer would be "nothing." That wasn't exactly right, though. "I will require peace with Ares' people. There is to be no aggression against them. No more attempts to enter the Hinterlands. And I know it won't be simple, but I would like us to work toward reuniting all demons. You can all stay technically separate from Ares through me, but there's no need for this rift anymore."

"You must realize there will be some who do not accept us. We are seen as traitors, and we have been in conflict with Ares' people for decades. They won't forget that," Kris said. He seemed to be putting some effort into keeping his phrasing respectful and his tone civil, if I was correctly judging his expression.

"Yes." There was no denying that. "I don't expect it to be simple, and I know I'm asking a lot. We'll start small, and I never want to put anyone in a situation where they feel unsafe. But we will try to heal this divide."

"I agree with Cole. Reconciliation between our people is possible, and it will be worth the effort," Dorian said, sending a friendly smile my way.

"Very well," Kris conceded. I tried not to let my surprise show.

Ares nodded. "Shall we proceed?"

We all stood, and Leila stopped Dorian before he could move toward me. "I will go first, darling," she said.

Dorian's jaw clenched, but he nodded. Kris rested a hand on Leila's cheek, and her eyes shut for a moment before she walked to me looking determined.

"This won't work if you're still bound to Kris," Ares pointed out.

Leila nodded. "He released me."

"Hold out your hands," Ares instructed. I did, and Leila clasped them in her own.

Her eyes shut like she was concentrating and she intoned, "I bind myself to you, steadfast and true, for all my days."

Nothing happened. I dropped my hands and looked to Ares, who grimaced.

"I feared this would happen. As your connection with the Hinterlands has grown weaker, your creation magic fades. You may not have enough left to seal an oath."

"Then we'll have to do it in the Hinterlands," I said without thinking. I looked to Ares, whose expression had gone rigid.

It felt like the whole room held its breath as he and I stared at each other. I understood why it was risky. I understood he would likely refuse, and that he likely should refuse. But still, I hoped he wouldn't.

Ares' jaw was clenched so hard I worried he might break a tooth. "One moment," he said, eyeing Evie over my shoulder just before he vanished.

Evie swiftly positioned herself between myself and the Darong family. Thankfully, I didn't have much time to worry about what Ares was doing. He reappeared in seconds, holding a squirming black ball of fur that leaped to me.

I caught Blaze and couldn't help smiling even with all this tension in the room as his whole body wiggled from the force of his tail wagging. Once he calmed down a little, he looked around the room.

Dorian gasped. "Is that a hell hound? I've never seen one in person."

"Yeah. This is Blaze," I introduced.

Ares crossed his arms across his chest, and I shivered at how intimidating he looked. I knew he'd never hurt me, of course... but I found this side of him unexpectedly appealing. "I will allow Leila admittance to the Hinterlands only as long as it takes to swear fealty to Cole. Should she move against us, I will respond with full force."

Leila's eyes went wide. "Understood."

"Don't let Blaze out of arm's reach of you," Ares told me through our bond. I nodded.

"Evie, with me," he instructed. Then all three of us held onto him. I felt the familiar sensation of being in the Hinterlands as we landed in the middle of the woods. Everything felt fresh and clear, and there was an underlying peacefulness that simply didn't exist in the normal world.

Leila's eyes filled as she looked around with wonder. "It's beautiful," she whispered.

Ares had his arms crossed again, staring her down sternly. I noticed Evie was also looking wide-eyed and wondered how often she had been here, if ever. "Let's finish this," he pressed.

Leila still looked around as she reached for me. I clasped her hands again and she recited the same words as before: "I bind myself to you, steadfast and true, for all my days."

This time, I felt an immediate burst of heat spreading through me, and the anchoring of a new tie. I couldn't feel her in the same way I felt Blaze and Ares, but there was definitely a connection.

"Can you command me?" she asked. "If it's ever possible, it will be here in the Hinterlands."

I tried to grasp onto that thread that tied us and said, "Turn around."

Leila stood still for a good ten seconds before her mouth curved in a beaming smile. "Nothing," she said. I let out a shaky breath of relief. That was good... Right?

"Let's return to the office," Ares said. I latched onto him, and he reached for Evie and Leila. Seconds later, we were back with Kris and Dorian.

"Did it work?" Kris asked.

Ares ignored him and drew a line on his own forearm. Blood pooled and started dripping. Had he just cut himself with his magic?

"Heal this," Ares instructed, holding his arm out to Leila.

Her brow wrinkled. "We lost our healing long ago," she said.

"It should work now. Try."

I watched eagerly as she held a hand over Ares' arm. A gentle light glowed under her palm, and when Ares wiped his arm with the sleeve of his robe, it showed unbroken skin.

"That means this worked, right?" I asked.

"It worked. My magic is restored, but you cannot compel me," Leila said. Now that she put it that way, I felt a pang of doubt. How could I be responsible for a people I didn't know, who were already loyal to each other, and who I couldn't control?

I shut that down. If this was what it took to save them, it was worth trying. Besides, the passkeys were secret. They wouldn't know what to look for or where the gateway was. And they had no reason to try and take the Hinterlands anymore. I already knew they couldn't overpower Ares' people or they already would have done so.

"Kris, are you ready?" Ares asked. Kris nodded and stepped forward.

Ares took us to the Hinterlands, Evie in tow again. She had to be acting as a body guard. But Kris didn't try anything. He was just as fascinated by the Hinterlands as Leila had been, but he cooperated. After he recited the oath, my knees gave out with the force of so many bonds tethering themselves at once. Some felt familiar, and I thought I knew which one belonged to the pottery shop owner. I'd have to make an effort to meet the rest. It felt very odd to be bound to a bunch of strangers.

Ares wasted no time in bringing us back to the meeting room. I looked to Dorian and wanted to cry when I found him looking much healthier already. He beamed at me and came running over. I stumbled back, Blaze squirming in my arms, as Dorian hugged me.

"Thank you, Cole."

I patted his back with the arm that wasn't holding Blaze. "You're welcome."

After Dorian released me, we all settled into our seats again. Blaze sat on my lap, looking curiously around the room. "Kris, can you help me arrange a gathering? I want to meet everyone and give them a chance to ask any questions they may have," I said.

"Certainly. Dorian, can you help with the arrangements?"

"Not a problem," Dorian said cheerfully.

"I'll handle the initial communications, if you don't object," Kris said. "They know me, and I think it best that I explain what just happened and why."

I was about to agree when Ares put a hand on my thigh. Right. The first explanation everyone heard would color their opinion of me and the situation. "I'd like to help with the messaging," I said. Ares patted my thigh in approval.

Kris nodded.

Evie brought in some lunch while we talked. We discussed a few details about what the initial meeting would be like and what kind of messaging would be best. It felt very soon afterward that my watch buzzed. I had an alarm set for the end of Shane's shift. He'd be expecting to be picked up and brought to our dad.

What even was this day? How was it only early afternoon when so much had happened?

"We should go," I said quietly to Ares. He nodded and stood.

"Let's reconvene next week," he suggested. "We still have much to discuss."

Kris and Leila agreed. Before they departed, each member of the Darong family bowed deeply to me and respectfully said, "Kah." Then, they bowed to Ares and said, "Kahlen."

Holy shit.

Ares was their Kahlen. I didn't know why, but something about that struck me as funny. I barely held back a laugh and caught Dorian's eyes glinting with amusement.

After they left and Evie went back to her office, Ares wrapped me in a hug so tight that Blaze jumped to the floor. "I am very proud of you, little wolf," he said.

"I didn't do much," I said. "Just came up with an idea."

"An idea none of us saw. You saved many people today."

"And you're a Kalen now," I pointed out, a laugh escaping. I was feeling a little giddy. I really had saved them. However I was received by them, whatever the future of my demonic faction was, that was something I could be proud of.

"I am proud to be your Kahlen. And I look forward to working together to heal the rift between demonkind. It's something I've wished to do for a long time now."

"Do you think we can do it? Do you think your people can accept them?" I knew it was a big ask.

"I'm certain we can, eventually"

I held his words close. It was kind of unbelievable, the way Ares had transformed my life. How had my life gone from being so ordinary to... this? My family was healing, I had an adorable protection puppy, my home was stunning and magical, I was somehow the leader of a faction of demons, and I had the very best mate.

I loved it all.

I loved him.