Ael reached out to push her thigh away when, in the middle of the ballroom, a cloud of pink fog erupted into a tornado, with flames dancing around the swirling storm.
His hand clenched on Neoma’s thigh.
The wind blew fiercely in the ballroom, causing Neoma’s loose top to blow open and her breasts to spill out.
Guests gasped at the sight of the tornado and quickly backed toward the walls, trying to get as far away from the fog and flames as possible. The stringed instruments fell silent, their notes snapping suddenly, and the grand chandelier swayed like a pendulum.
Ael froze and watched as the ballroom tables caught fire and the glassware shattered onto the ground.
As the fog lifted, a deafening roar erupted from the center.
Elco appeared, cradling Seda to his chest, his massive bat-like wings spread wide, like an eclipse shielding her glow for those behind him.
Seda shimmered like moon dust around the room.
Ael’s heart skipped a beat, and he felt a surge of excitement as he caught sight of her. She was stunning, like a goddess descended from the stars.
Seda opened her eyes, and her glowing amethyst irises narrowed on Ael.
His hand was still firmly wrapped around Neoma’s thigh, and he quickly pulled it away when he noticed her watching.
Praxis and a few guards stormed in, powering up their magic and drawing their weapons as Ael shouted, “STOP!”
Everyone in the room froze, watching in eerie silence. Elco roared again and shot flames upward, making the stone ceiling turn red from the heat.
The people in the ballroom screamed in fear.
“Elco,STOP! We will not harm you or Seda!” Ael held his hands out to the guards, stopping them from advancing. Murmurs began to spread through the room as everyone looked between their king, this mystery woman, and the monster inside the castle.
Seda dropped to the floor and stood up gracefully, her shimmering, moonlight hair spreading around her, and her glowing eyesflickering between Ael and Neoma. Neoma’s breasts, still exposed from her gown, caught Seda’s eyes, and they flashed brighter as she looked at them.
Her eyes snapped back to Ael in anger, her nostrils flaring, and her purple arms began sparking with electricity.
“You lied to me!” she snapped at him as everyone murmured around her display of power. “YouLIEDto me!”
She was here. Aelfinallyhad her in Umbrea after all this time, and he wasnever going to let her go.
He stood from his throne, and Luelle approached him. “She’s magnificent. You’ve got your hands full, Ael,” she whispered into his ear with a chuckle.
Yes… and I’m going to love every fucking moment of it.
Dark clouds gathered and churned violently against the ceiling. A flash of lightning and a deafening crash of thunder shook the chandelier, causing the candles to fall and clink against the marble floor.
Seda raised her hands as she aimed them at Ael, and lightning erupted from her fingertips.
Chapter 49
The Monster King
“Gag him,” the Monster King seethed to the Dragors as they forced down Mordred, who was screaming profanities at him, onto the floor. He was sitting at his desk and peered over the tabletop to see him.
Mordred’s once pristine black robe was now shredded, and he had a bruise on his cheek. The Dragors wrapped a soiled cloth around his face and into his mouth, muffling his stupid whines. He was fighting back, but his attempts were weak in comparison to the force of the monsters.
The Monster King smiled.
“You tried to interfere,” he said to Mordred, who responded with a muffled slew of curses. “You assisted in the escape of the Lionne and Seda.I NEEDED THEM!”
He picked up a bloodstone knife from his desk and allowedit to glint off the sunlight filtering in from the window. Mordred flailed and kicked the scaly skin of a Dragor, causing him to fall backward. The other Dragors pushed him down tightly against the floor, pressing his face into the rug.
