Andras cackled, but Kade’s shadows gagged him before he could produce another sound. I continued, despite the adrenaline threatening to take over. My hands shook from the overwhelming amount of emotions running alongside it, so I hid them behind my back and moved toward Andras. I wanted him to know our threats were real.
“I will win this war against Thames. I will officially take my place on the throne, and my first proclamation as queen will be to erase every single bit of your existence. Your name, your title, your picture—all are unworthy of remembering. Not one person will ever utter your name again. Your legacy will die.” My confidence returning, I flipped Apollo in my hand, still coated in Andras’s dried blood from earlier. I hadn’t even bothered cleaning it.
I turned to face my friends. “Who’s first?”
Stepping to the side of the cell, I left the area open for the others to come forward. Lucien appeared from the darkness and weaved his way through my legs before settling at my feet.
I sighed, grateful to see him safe and knelt, stroking a hand over his scales. “Good to see you too, Luci.”
Ian strode forward slowly, deliberately toward Andras. Lucien growled, chuffing a billow of smoke as if signaling Ian to begin.
My best friend stared at Andras and narrowed his eyes. Kade pulled his shadows back, giving Ian his moment.
This time he didn’t hold back. He punched Andras’s jaw so hard, a tooth flew from his mouth and Andras screamed. “This is for every moment of our lives you tried to destroy. You thought you could break us, that you could break her. But you were wrong. We only came back stronger.”
He punched him again right on his cheek, and Andras’s neck cracked as his head flew to the side. “Your ability to make us think, or see, or feel anything that isn’t real is gone. We may never have been able to convince anyone of your wrongdoings before, but the truth will be revealed.” Ian spat on Andras’s feet. “I hope the Fates have a special kind of hell to put you through.”
Andras glared at Ian and tried to wipe the blood off his mouth with his shoulder but only managed to smear it more across his face.
Ian walked backward and joined me against the wall. Reaching out, I squeezed his hand in solidarity. He squeezed mine back and whispered in my direction, “That felt really fucking good.”
Kalliah started to step forward, but Raya moved in front of her, placing a hand on her arm before taking the lead, approaching the injured advisor. Ian tensed beside me.
Raya eyed Andras up and down and grunted in disgust. “I’ve heard many stories about you and what you did to Illiana. Whatyou did to Ian. The problem with powerful men is they don’t ever understand when their power has come to an end. Even now, you’re still fighting it. Pathetic.” She moved closer and struck Andras on the opposite side of his face, leaving an imprint of her ring in his skin. She shook out the pain in her hand. “That was for touching what does not belong to you. For daring to harmmy mate.”
My head whipped in Ian’s direction, shocked to hear her speak the words aloud. Ian groaned and pushed himself off the wall, grabbing Raya by the arm and spinning her around. He threaded his fingers between her braids at the nape of her neck and pulled her close. “Powerful women are my weakness.”
Raya smiled playfully. “Women?”
Ian crashed his lips to hers, and when he finally came up for air, he reassured her. “Woman. Only one. Only you, darling.”
I grinned, turning my attention to Kade. “Did you know?” I mouthed. He shrugged, then winked at me. Even here in this cold dungeon, my heart swelled with joy knowing they would be together.
Jax made a gagging noise. “Gross. I’d rather the blood than all that.” He flourished his hands in the air at Ian and Raya, who remained clasped together in each other’s arms.
“Jax, you do know you’re a terrible liar, right?” Kalliah entered completely into the cell from the doorway. She unsheathed the dagger clipped to her belt and twirled it in her palm.
Kalliah may be quieter, more reserved, but she had a mean streak, and if anyone crossed her or harmed those she cared about…well, I was scared for them. Andras had no idea what was coming his way. So, in part, I was not surprised that she grabbed her blade instead of using her fist.
She moved toward Andras with conviction and stabbed him in the side, exactly where he had stabbed me.
He screamed, bellowing out an angry cry that he clearly hadn’t wanted to give up. Hatred consumed his eyes, but mine ran deeper.
“This is for my friends. For the ones you thought you could break, but I will savor knowing you did absolutely nothing to change who they are today. Your darkness did nothing to change them.” She wiped the blood from the blade on his shirt before turning to Ian and me, giving us a knowing glance.
Quietly, she returned to the outside of the cell, where Leif welcomed her back into his arms. He looked toward me and shook his head, indicating he didn’t want time with Andras.
Jax stepped forward and partially shifted, his hand turning into the deadly claws he used so well. He swiped Andras’s robe to pieces, displaying his bare chest to me. Then, with a wicked gleam in his eyes he slashed his claws across Andras’s chest. The once proud advisor cried out again. Jax bowed his head before returning to the edge of the cell to stand beside Kalliah and Leif. “I don’t want to waste words on a corpse.”
Andras spat from the chains, “Is that the best you’ve got? A couple of feeble punches and a stabbing? It’ll take more than that to kill me. You’re all weak.”
Kade snapped his shadows forward, wrapping them around Andras’s neck and squeezing. He stalked forward slowly, materializing his shadow blade in his hand while assessing Andras from head to toe, utter disdain filling his features. “I won’t bother wasting too much time on you either,” he said, holding up his blade. “Kalliah so kindly stabbed you where I would have, so instead, I’ll just leave you with this.” Kade drew his sword down Andras’ right arm, then his left, while the advisor screamed. “Know that you will die for nothing. Thames will be destroyed.”
Andras coughed up blood as unhinged laughter sputtered out of him. “Who will destroy Thames?” He choked. “You?”
“No.” Kade’s lips turned up in a smile. “My queen.”
As Kade made room for me, I took my place, Apollo at the ready. “They saved the best for last. For out of everyone here, you caused me the most trauma, the most pain. Now you are mine.”
