Rune lounged back in his throne as his gaze swept over them. Not one dared to hold his stare for long.
Deimos and Hadeon stepped back, bowing their heads enough to show respect as Ira and Sal’vathar approached.
“All seven factions of the Court of Sin and Ruin have rallied beneath your banner, sire,” Sal’vathar announced before the dais. “Yet we see little of you.”
“So, you have chosen to approach unbidden,” Rune stated dryly.
Sal’vathar responded with a slight smile. “Forgive us, sire. Our concern has prompted us to overlook decorum. The Dominions have a petition.”
“The Dominions?” Rune’s mouth thinned. “Oryou?”
The Lord of Envy smiled. “Sire, you cannot deny that this war is already lost. Even with our Legion, who are we to stand against the greatVorak?”
The sound of that name eerily echoed in the vast throne room. Deimos hissed under his breath. The shadows faintly whispered from the dark. The indecipherable Hellspeech coiled down Rune’s spine like claws.
“He comes to reclaim his throne,” Sal’vathar continued. “Let us submit to our rightful king, lest it be the end of us all.”
Rune worked his jaw and his shadows swarmed the room with his brewing rage. Karag Dûr shook beneath their feet.
He cast an idle glance to Ira. “And what say you, Commander of my Armies?”
“The Wrath Court is primed for war, sire,” Ira said, smirking as he struck his chest with a fist. “We revel in blood and battle. Cowardice is the creed of those too weak to claim their victories on the field.”
Sal’vathar shot him a sidelong cold stare.
“That said, I am inclined to agree, victory is improbable,” Ira continued. “Yet we would march to our deaths by your side, sire, even in the face of hopeless odds... were it not for the truth you withheld from your court.”
Everything stopped.
Rune went still.Even the wargs froze, ears pricked, growling hushed.
Sal’vathar canted his head. “I suspected it the moment the Vareth defended her in the Gate chamber. Then it was confirmed the night of Samhain when the Blood Blooms emerged beneath her feet. Alora is Vorak’s daughter.”
The armrests crumbled beneath the iron grip of Rune’s claws.How did they learn that?
Deimos shifted beside him, tail flicking.
“Segrith sees all,” Sal’vathar mused. “Even without her eyes.”
Something malicious and blistering rose in Rune’s chest, his pulse pounding loudly in his ears.
Ira nodded. “Our question, sire, is why not take advantage of this prize and use her power?”
Rune was across the room in a blur of darkness and smoke.
Ira’s back slammed into the wall, Rune’s hand on his thick throat, shadows writhing at his sides like serpents ready to strike. Rune’s eyes were burning, lips peeled back in a snarl as he lifted the massive demon in the air.
“Sire!” Hadeon was there, inches away to defend the lord of his court, though he didn’t dare touch him.
He knew better.
This wasn’t about a threat. This was pureinstinctto protect his mate.
Ira was absolutely still, meeting his gaze calmly. “Forgive my offense, sire,” he strained through his teeth. “I merely meant that with the blood of a Primordial in her veins, your queen now strengthens your claim to the Netherworld. She should be here by your side to rally your army, not hide from them.”
Rune’s shadows coiled tighter, rage roaring hot and instinctive, the dragon in him demanding blood for the audacity of another male speaking her name. Mine. The word thundered through him, ancient and absolute. He could feel it in his bones, the pull to crush, to destroy, to remind the world that Alora was not a banner to be raised or a weapon to be wielded.
She was his heart made flesh.
