He bound over to me, a curious look in his burgundy eyes as he noticed the human couple beside me.
“These are your Queen’s parents,” I told him, the gravity in my voice unmistakable. He straightened, face long and grave. “I need you to protect them and ensure Cyrus doesn’t get his hands on them again.”
“Of course, my King.” He bowed his head with a nod. “By Nox, I will protect our Queen’s family with my life.” He pounded his fist over his heart as he made the vow, then bowed to Asteria’s parents as well.
“Asteria is a queen?” the woman asked slowly, her voice thready with confusion, clearly hesitant to speak up. She clung to her husband, her curly hair hiding part of her bruise-covered face.
I cursed myself for not getting them protection. I didn’t think Cyrus knew who they were, much less cared about them. That was a failure on my part. I shouldn’t have underestimated Cyrus, but it seemed we had on too many levels.
“She is.” I nodded in confirmation. “She’s queen of Day by right of blood and the gods, and she will be queen of Night as my mate.”
“Mate?” Her father nearly growled, impressive for a human. His eyes narrowed at me in suspicion, his jaw set in a way that told me he was considering punching me. I had to fight to keep my lips from tilting up into a smile.
“I promise, we will explain everything to you both, but I must get back to Asteria,” I told them, my eyes seeking her form in the sky, where she was chasing after the fleeing coward.
A loud boom sounded, and I looked sharply to the left. Iron rained down once more, but this time, over the entire city. Apparently, Cyrus no longer cared if he hit our men or his own. I growled, wanting to ring the fucker’s neck with my bare hands, to feed the pain of Tartarus into him as my shadows infected his bloodstream, to tear my claws through his chest to rip out his blackened and rotten heart.
Screams came from inside the city; surely the Fae suffering burns from the iron. Lightning bolts flew through the sky, Cyrus’s blood magic reaching down and scorching people where they stood, even as he continued to flee from Asteria. He switched back and forth from his Pegasus form to his Fae form.
A weakness.
He couldn’t wield lightning in his Pegasus form, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the lack of a defensive trait was a direct result of the loss of magic. Dusk being more corrupt meant they were the first to feel the effects of chaos. And the Pegasus in the Otherworld had horns on their heads. One had pointed theirs directly at us, readying to defend itself.
My wings tore out and lifted me into the air. I shifted into my dragon form, letting my fire breathe out and fan the flames of battle. I scorched one of the catapults, landing beside it as I shifted back. My sword immediately found its way through the chest of the warrior manning it.
Cyrus left nearly fifty men to protect it, but I smirked as a giant loomed up behind them, blocking them in between us.
Titan met my eyes with a nod, and together we attacked. They didn’t notice Titan until his blades took down two of their number. They split their focus between us, and we worked our way through with smiles on our faces.
Even weakened, I gloried in battle. The feel of my sword in my hand, dancing through slash after slash, blocking and parrying. It brought joy to my dark heart that nothing else matched. Not in this particular way.
Asteria was a different,greater, kind of joy. Even if she, too, fed the bloodlust that ran through my veins.
Six Fae men circled me, striking at me from all angles. I moved swiftly, avoiding hits and summoning shadows to block and attack in tandem with my sword. I panted slightly from the exertion, the effects of the iron dragging me down. My body was working hard to fight against it and heal me, but it was slow work.
By the time I’d taken them down, Titan was watching me in concern. I waved him off, eager to continue. When I nearly failed to block an attack to my back, Titan growled angrily, decapitating the man before I could even turn.
One of the soldiers met my eyes, looking me over critically before running off. I wanted to say we scared him off, but my heart sank. Something wasn’t right.
“We need to follow that one,” I told Titan, pointing my blade toward his path. He nodded, a grave look in his blue eyes. He spared a glance to the sky, following Asteria’s path, before we both ran after the man.
We had to fight our way through as soldiers jumped in our path to prevent us from moving forward. Whether they knew what we were doing or just saw one of their main targets, I couldn’t be sure.
One of the men who stepped in the way I was happy to see. Smug grin, short blonde hair, and bright green eyes that stared me down with a twisted pride he had in no way earned.
“Lord Kem,” I drawled, a smirk lighting my lips as I took in his attempt at intimidation. The hunched shoulders and glare did nothing but amuse me.
“King Calix,” he spat, looking disgusted as the wordkingleft his lips. I couldn’t help the slight laugh in response.
“It truly bothers you, doesn’t it?” I asked him, shaking my head in amusement. His glare only heated, and I could practically feel the anger radiating off him.
“What?” he snapped. “That the gods gave you a kingdom to lead while my king’s heir is a pitiful woman?”
“Is it truly that she’s a woman that bothers you?” I challenged, twirling my sword casually. “I’m sure if Prince Arien had been heir, you would be just as angry—because it’s notyou. You’ve done all you can to be a mini-Aelius, but it’s all for naught, isn’t it?”
He let out a bellow of rage, and just as I expected, he sloppily rushed at me as he let his emotions control him. A rookie mistake, but one the too-proud lords so commonly made.
I parried his brutish swing with ease and stepped to the side, laughing as he fell forward from the momentum. Sadly, Kem caught himself before he face-planted, turning to me with a grimace.
