“Shall I get rid of him for you?” I asked calmly, letting the shadows fall away. If the king and queen of Dubnos knew what was happening to Cassia, there would be an all-out war between the two realms. A war that I would prefer to avoid.
Cassia’s face pinched, staring at the spot where the insufferable male once stood. “No,” she whispered. “It’s not you who must stop him.”
“Oh?” I said, arching a brow. “And whose job is it?”
With this question, Cassia finally looked at me, the blue in her eyes shining. Flashing a brilliant smile at me, she chuckled. “Someone who is going to give you a run for your money, I believe. I’d follow him if I were you. Only if you want to know more, of course.”
“I’m not a patient male, Cassia. What secrets are you keeping?” I asked, my tone darkening.
“Secrets that you must figure out for yourself. Oh, and while you’re at it, find Samian before you leave.”
“The soul-meander child you refused to kill?”
“Yes, he will lead you to something that will make that dark heart of yours finally come to life,” she smiled sweetly. A smile that set my teeth on edge.
“Don’t think that your friendship with my queen will protect you from my wrath. I don’t enjoy being jerked around, and I have killed others forfarless,” I reminded Cassia. Though the years have calmed my violent tendencies, it was still easy enough to become that male again.
“Like I told that child before you, there are some things I must keep to myself. But your questions will be answered if you do as I tell you.”
My lips dipped into a frown as I studied Cassia. Her long blonde hair still shone with the light of her magic, unaffected by the damp cell she had been stuck inside. “Fine, I’ll play alongwith your little game, but if you waste my time, I will kill you before he does, Cassia.”
Cassia laughed, the sound light and soft. She stepped up to me, rising on her tiptoes, pressing a chaste kiss against my cheek. I growled, stepping away from her, resisting the urge to wipe away her mark. Pulling a ring from my pocket, I tossed it in her direction. She caught it and opened her hand to stare at the golden metal.
“If you run into any more trouble, or would like us to free you, use that to call for me.”
“The God of Chaos giving me a piece of his gold?” Cassia asked sarcastically with wide eyes. “I never thought I would live to see the day.”
“Don’t push me, Cassia. I’m not giving this to you for your sake. I owe your brother a debt, and this will pay it. Nothing more.”
Calling the shadows around me, I used my magic to bend the iron bars behind me to step out. Without another word, I disappeared to follow the male who threatened Cassia, fighting the urge to kill him with every step I took. Using his scent, I found him in an office with a female. Her legs were wrapped around him, her lips tilted up in a joyous smile.
“Are you really going to put me in charge of Thanlyl?” Her voice sounded breathless, her face flushed with excitement.
“I am,” Ambrose mused, grinding his hips against her. “With you in charge of a territory, it will make it easier for you to become my queen officially, especially after we hold the public execution. The council and people will see it as a way to unify the territories to fight against those pests.”
The female brought her lips to his, the smell of their arousal filling the air. Holding in my growl, I swallowed back my disgust and fell into the shadows to find the young soul-mender. Morg told Cassia he was trouble from the moment she found himin those woods, but Cassia brushed off the warning, muttering something about him being needed in the coming times. Morg only sighed, deciding to leave it alone, yet I couldn’t help but wonder if she should have ended the male’s life instead.
Stalking through the halls, I stopped short, noticing a shadow that did not belong to me. The morbid hunger wafting from it roused my curiosity, and I traced the obscurity until I reached a shield of air.
Lifting my finger to the shield, I followed along the edges until I found a crack and slipped in. I entered a room filled with fae and?—
My gaze landed on a female; her reddened eyes made the green of her irises stand out. She was huddled on the floor, in the arms of the soul-meander. Her sobs filled the room, causing my blood to come alive, burning along my veins. My heart raced, and I took a step forward, toward the siren call of that female. Forcing myself to stop, I held back my curse and let the shadows take me back to Dubnos.
As I landed inside the royal courtroom, my snarl echoed across the open space, sending the courtgoers scattering. Their shrieks cooled the fire burning in my soul, but it wasn’t enough. I needed more; Idesiredmore.
“I take it your trip did not go well?” Morg’s smirk amplified my anger, and my shadows grew along the floors and walls in response. The air turned thick with my bloodlust.
“Soren,” a deep male voice warned.
My gaze slid to the male sitting beside Morg, his hand gripping hers tightly. Pulling back my power, I rolled my shoulders, letting the sound of the trinkets decorating my horns and ears calm me. “Your sister has been placed inside a cell for the past 100 years, but she is fine. She would not allow me to remove her from her gilded cage.”
Dryden let out a long sigh, his shoulders relaxing from the release of tension. “She has seen something?”
“Yes, though she wouldn’t deign to explain in that vexing way of hers. However, I discovered that her court advisor is planning to take over as king in her place.”
Dryden looked to Morg, his eyes filled with an emotion that I didn’t care to discern. After a moment, Morg cleared her throat. “Was there anything else?”
“No,” I snapped, my shadows exploding around me, transporting me to the room still holding the demon that dared to steal my gold. Tilting my head, my chains chimed from the movement, alerting the demon to my presence. Their eyes widened, fear loosening their bladder. Their pleading soon came, causing my lips to rise in a vicious smile.
