“No. It …” Something crawled up my spine like a warning. “It feels wrong.”
His aura darkened, and I could sense it storming around me, the sound of thunder crashing had me nearly jumping out of my skin. And I was reminded of how his energy would fill the Hall of Records.
“Was it right,” he asked, “that I spent centuries diligently doing my duty, protecting the Light, only to be banished for another’s mistakes? Another’s weaknesses?” His grip on me tightened. “Was it right that Auriel not only couldn’t keep his hands to himself in Heaven, but had to steal the very Light we had sworn to protect? To bring it down here and ruin it? Was it right that I denied myself the feel and touch and taste of you for an eternity because I kept my oath? Was it right that the Council denied us the dignity of love and pleasure without cause, and then denied us our justice in the end?”
My throat went dry. “No.”
“No.” His voice hardened. “We are still Guardians of the Valalumir. Watchers of the Light. And though fallen, and forced to dwell down here, we are still Gods. We are still going to uphold our oath, our words. Auriel and Asherah may have forgotten themselves. The Council may have forgotten its point in existing. But I haven’t. I intend to make amends for the wrongs they have done to us. By any means necessary.”
“Any means necessary means akadim?” My voice shook. “Means allying with monsters? With mindless beasts?”
“Not allying,” he said. “Controlling.”
I turned back in his arms, staring into his darkening eyes. It was like staring into an endless night.
“Control?” I asked. “The akadim are leaderless. They answer to no one, not even amongst themselves. They have no ranks. No ruler.”
“They do now. I am their mind. I am their Arkturion. They bow before me, and they call meMaraak.”
King.
There was another flash in my mind, a memory of the magic he’d used to join their will to his. I didn’t understand how he’d done it. But I could feel it down to the bones of this body that he had done so. I was as sure of this as I was that this form would one day wither and die.
“I will control them,” he said. “I will keep them tempered, and useful. Keep them from destruction. They will have a purpose now. They will serve us, serve our mission. Whatever evil is inside of them will become obsolete. The good they do, their assistance in the restoration of the Light will justify the means used to do so. Of this, Ereshya, I swear.”
My body trembled. Even though the akadim weren’t in front of me, the vision of them had been terrifying. The monsters had been banished to Lumeria on Earth so long ago, I never thought them to be much more than scary children’s stories when I’d come intoexistence. Even after their attack in the celestial realm, I didn’t understand their threat. And now, they were far too real, and sharp, and violent. Like all things in this world. Even if Moriel had control over them, I didn’t trust them. Control could be broken. Control could be lost. Beasts were fickle.
“Do not be afraid, my lioness,” he said. “You are a warrior, and a goddess. You are so much stronger than them, and you will be their queen. They will worship you.” He pulled my hair back, his mouth suddenly hot against my neck, as his hands roamed lower, cupping my rear. “MeMaraaka.”
My queen.
“Rule by my side,” he begged. “Rule with me, Ereshya. And I swear, I will kneel before you.”
I sucked in a breath, Moriel’s hands moved even lower, digging into my flesh, pushing himself harder against me, against this body that seemed to respond to his every touch, and every movement. My mind still didn’t understand it, but my body craved more.
“Are you ready?” he asked. “Ready to fight?”
I drew in a breath, weighing his words. “If we fight and we win, we restore the Valalumir to glory.”
He nodded.
“Then we can return home?” I asked, my hips moving against his. “We can plead to the Council. Restore our forms, our status.” My heart leapt at the idea of being a Goddess again in full. Of leaving behind this flesh. Of shedding my mortality, of escaping death. The thoughts only heightened my arousal. Hope was blooming inside my chest. “We can resume our duties.”
“No, my queen.” He lifted my leg, wrapping it around his hip, and I gasped at the newly deepened sensations. His fingers dug into my thigh, and he thrust creating friction between us. “We will not beg.” Thrust. “We will not prostrate ourselves before their unworthiness.” Thrust. “They banished us. And I will not forgive them, nor will I forget. Not until the end of time.” He was workingme into a frenzy now. “The Council is no longer valid.” His voice deepened. “They have proven that time and time again with their decisions. We will stay here. We will make this our new realm. Our new Heaven.”
I bit my lip, starting to moan.
“Yes, my queen. Yes. We will rule over everyone, over everything. And then one day soon, we will rule over them.” He pushed the straps of my dress aside, his tongue smoldering hot on my neck. The material fell, pooling at my waist.
I startled awake, my chest pounding, my body covered in sweat.
Morgana. Morgana. Morgana! My name was Morgana. Lady Morgana Batavia. Previously Heir to the Arkasva, High Lord of Bamaria. Daughter to a father who was murdered. Killed by my aunt.
Morgana Batavia. That was who I was. That was my name. Not … Not …
I pushed my hands through my hair, black strands stuck to my forehead. There was a dripping sound, echoing in the caves of the Allurian Pass, soft sheets and blankets beneath me, and a chill in the damp winter air that blew through the stone corridors. A spitting fire crackled nearby.
But above it all, I still heard the cresting waves of the Lumerian Ocean. I still felt the heat of an ancient sun on skin I no longer possessed just as surely as I felt the lips of an ancient God kissing and sucking my neck, whispering an ancient name as an indigo-colored crystal sparkled beside me.
