Unexpected: Forever His (Book 1)

Chapter 52: Our Warriors; His People

"You know, if there was any other choice, I know you would have made it, Kayla. I have tried to be that one for you before and failed miserably." Alex's eyes travelled back up to Dante. At my request, he had allowed me to talk to Alexander privately, but I knew he was growing impatient. He rolled his eyes and stepped closer to me. "Alex, don't test his patience." I pointed to my neck, but Alex shook his head and looked past me. "I would never call you my enemy, but you have lost favor with so many in Syros. Xavon vows to never trust you again because you broke the sacred trust he once had in you. You ridiculed Noveah without mercy when he spoke his concern of finding Kayla. Even your sister, son and daughter do not wish to be around you for longer than they must." I lifted my hand to his arm and begged him to stop with my eyes, but movement behind me made me stop abruptly. "Let him speak."

Dante lifted his hands to my waist and pulled me to the side. His gaze fell on me briefly before he looked back at Alexander. His golden eyes glowed with his obvious anger, and the gold in Dante's swirled.

The air hummed and I gasped as I felt an intense pressure enter the atmosphere. I looked around to see if anyone else felt it, but it was obvious that only the ones in the immediate circle were attuned to it. Dante looked toward Alexander with a warning in his eyes. "Eleric conceded. He has allowed her access to our realm again. I wouldn't like to see you destroyed because you would not yield to me. If Eleric had wanted you for her Chosen, he would have made you her Chosen. He did not. He made me her Chosen!" His words were spoken with careful emphasis and I felt gravity pulling me to my knees.

Alexander glanced at me and lunged forward. He grabbed my arm tightly and pulled me up in a swift motion. "Eleric should make sure that his Chosen is worthy enough before he forces the Queen of Queens to bow at his feet! Those who once stood behind him now stand behind me, Kayla! Look!"

I shook my head, but he pushed me forward and I saw for the first time that Xavon, Noveah, Nathanial, Kathiana, Nina, and a clear majority of the people of Syros that were of any status stood a small distance behind him. "They don't just stand behind me for me, Queen of Queens. They are yours to command. Yours to lead. Your authority is what lingers in their minds and hearts. Not his."

I blinked back a small tear as I stepped closer to Alexander and rested my hand against his cheek. "As much as they are mine to command, I am his. He is Eleric's Chosen. All who have fought it have not met a good end. Please, Alexander..." I turned back around and looked at Dante. "Do not make me choose because you will not like the result." I spun back around and faced the people behind him. I pushed my voice out with as much authority as I could find and I felt the air hum even louder. "If you choose me, you choose Lord Alpha Dante. I do not exist without him. If you seek to challenge, for authority, position, or..." I swallowed and took a deep breath. "Me, I will warn you now that I will always choose Dante Knight of Syros as my champion and you need only to look at past challengers' fates to see what yours, also, will be!" I turned and looked at Dante. His eyes held assertion, but there was a part of him that was hurt by seeing so many of his people behind another. "From the time I was born my life was destined to include pain and sacrifice. Eleric warned that I would want to give up at times, that I would feel as though I could not take another pain, another ridicule, another torturous day. Watching you disregard me as if I meant nothing more to you than just another female." I remembered the pain of my heart when he had rejected me. I stepped closer to him and when I was right in front of him I turned back around. "I stand before you now as the Queen of Queens of Syros with the Chosen King, Lord Alpha Dante, behind me. Forgiving and forgetting are two different words with very different meanings. I would never ask you to forget, but forgiveness will help us start to mend what is broken here and create a fortress that can stand against Donovan and his army! He waits in the shadows for weaknesses that he can take advantage of!" I looked back at Alexander and spoke directly to him. "Some of us have already experienced the extent to which he will go to have me on his side. He manipulates and maneuvers as a snake does on the ground." I stepped back in front of Alex again and lifted my hands to his and pulled them against my lips. "My friend, my Protector, we must lead them in the right direction, not keep them hidden in darkness and expect they will remain untouched. Your purpose is to protect me, but that purpose can never interfere with mine." I turned and looked at Xavon and Noveah. "Each of us has a part in the prophecy..." I allowed my gaze to look back on Xavon. "Whether we wish to accept it or not. Five warriors will be lead the army against Donovan. Five warriors with each a unique strength." I looked back at Alexander and smiled. "Swift and cunning." Xavon. "Brave and loyal." Noveah. "Tactful and sound." Dante. "Powerful and resilient." I stepped back and looked at the three in front of me and placed my hand in Dante's. "Eleric gave us a promise of Ancient aid during the battle. It will be through Dharius and Amari."

A hushed whisper fell over the small crowd and I saw Nina place her hand over her mouth at the mention of her father's name. I smiled slightly at her, but looked back at Alexander, Xavon, and Noveah. "What choice will you make here today that will set precedence for the rest? Will you once again avow your loyalty to me, and in doing so submit to Dante's command over you? Or will you choose to follow your own selfish plans and continue to hold him accountable for his past actions?"

I looked up at Dante and waited for their response. When he realized that I was looking at him, he turned his gaze to me and I saw a spark of pride in his eyes that I had never seen before. He was proud of me before, but this was different. This was the type of pride that would never disappear. I had proven to him exactly who he was to me, and in that moment, he did the one thing that I never expected him to do. He covered my hand with both of his and bent down onto his knees. "You, and you alone, are the only one who I will ever bow to, because here today, you have proven your place as ruler of Syros and ruler of the world." His strength never wavered, he only stayed on his knees as he kissed my hand, but his actions spoke a thousand words to the people who watched. As I looked up from Dante towards them, I saw them staring down at Dante in front of me and their broken and hurt spirits started to pull together one by one and as they started to bow in a show of acceptance, I reached out and caressed Dante's cheek and smiled down at him. "My Lord Alpha, your people have accepted you again. Look..." He lifted his head and looked out at the people as he rose. Once he was on his feet, I looked up with him and tears came to my eyes as I saw Xavon, Noveah, and Alexander relent and they bowed lower than the rest on their knees.

Dante looked down at me again and smiled. His eyes held appreciation and power and I was mesmerized by it. He looked back at Xavon, Noveah and Alexander and stepped forward, but he kept my hand in his and pulled me forward with him. "Stand, my brothers. I see you as my equals, even though I haven't treated you as such recently. I lost my way. I lost my light." He glanced down at me as I saw the three warriors in front of us slowly look up and stand. "Now that I have found her again, we can start to put everything behind us and learn to trust again."

I saw Xavon stiffen and I closed my eyes. My feet seemed to push me forward and I slid my arms around Xavon's waist. He hesitated at first, but slowly, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me tighter against him. I felt the tears escape my eyes as I tilted my head up to look at him. "Things were not right here without you, my friend. He might never admit it, but he needs you by his side as his First Enforcer more than you will ever know."

I let him go and his smile showed the final remnants of his challenge had dissipated.

The three warriors in front of us stood tall, and I looked back at Dante. "From now on, the only enemy that we will have is the one that seeks to destroy us and turn the world into his kingdom." He looked back past the three warriors in front of him to the people below and spoke clearly and powerfully. "From this day, we will train, and fight, and learn so that when the time comes, we will not have to wonder if we are strong enough. We will know!"

AndI did. As I looked at him as he held my hand in his, I did know. Donovan wascoming. The war was coming. I knew all of this. And I also knew that with theallies of Syros, and the warriors to lead that army ready, we would be ready