“Hmm, Queen Barbie of the Underworld,” Louis mused. “It has a ring to it.”
“It’s not a bad thing, little scorpion,” Killian murmured against my hair, his breath warm on my scalp. “With all six houses united, the realm will enjoy peace for another century.”
“Get up, General Baal,” I said in a hurry. The last thing I needed was more demons following him and kneeling. “We’re dumping the void god first. We got him.”
“You got him, Your Majesty!” Baal said, his tone bordering on hero worship. “No one else could have except our true queen!”
He was quick to kiss my ass.
“That’s not true. It was a group effort.” I gestured at the battlefield around us, demons and other supernaturals working together as one. “You and your demonic army contributed as well. Keep the Underworld in order and come see me at Shades Academy after we dispose of the God of Ruin.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” He bowed.
“It’s time to head back to the Red Room,” Killian reminded us, sensing my exhaustion through our bond. The adrenaline rush was crashing fast.
“What about the army?” Rowan asked. “We portaled them here, but we’ve exhausted our energy. We can’t bring them back.”
“My sister and I will handle it,” Sy said confidently. “We’ve got this.”
“I’ll join my mate and her sister in opening a portal within a portal,” Killian added.
“Can it really be done? No one has ever achieved that before,” Cade asked, intellectual curiosity sparking in his cerulean eyes.
“Have no doubt, brother.” Killian grinned. “You have a goddess, the oldest magic in the flesh, and a dragon demigod right here.”
“And together, they walk into the Red Room,” Louis quipped.
Sy and I clasped hands, preparing to open the portal.
“Wait!” Cade shouted suddenly.
The mage prince surged forward and hugged me. Louis and Silas traded a look and followed immediately, even shoving Killian aside despite his warning growl. Cade was crying openly—he hadn’t even shed that many tears when Sy and I had uprooted the Fury curse from him.
“We almost lost you, little Barbie,” Louis said, his own eyes glistening.
“But you didn’t,” I insisted, hugging them back just as fiercely.
“Don’t ever do that again!” Silas’s voice cracked. “If anything happens, you come to us. We talk it through. If I go bald from stress, that’s on you. You know my good looks are important to me.”
Sy and Rowan also joined the group hug, leaving Killian on the very edge. I could feel Tyson’s possessive grumbling through our bond. The dragon was notoriously territorial, but I’d cut him some slack after the scare I’d given them. Losing me would unmake them. The weight of that knowledge settled deep into my bones.
“That’s enough,” Killian growled.
“Shifters need pack affection,” Silas protested.
“Fuck off!” Killian elbowed the heirs away, managing to pull me back into his arms. His lips brushed the crown of my head, a simple gesture that undid me more completely than any of Ruin’s tortures.
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
Barbie
Sy and I claspedhands, power building between us. Killian joined us, and then all the heirs laid their hands on our shoulders, their combined strength flowing into the working. A shimmer flared like a small sun, and everyone shielded their eyes.
A splash of golden light swept through the entire army, and then we all touched down in the Trailblaze Courtyard. We’d brought the demon army with us too, but they would return to the Underworld.
A new door materialized ahead, meant for us alone. Wild magic from Underhill danced around its frame. Then, the magic of each House joined the dance—shifter water, vampire wind, fae earth, chaos lightning, mage fire—all weaving together in impossible harmony. At last, the magic of the Underworld emerged, circling me as its new queen.
