“Do you always talk so much?”
“No one has ever complained about my dirty talk.” I’d chuckled. “I don’t even talk, but I haven’t been rough for a very long time. Now, little scorpion, I need to be rough with you and fuck you however I want. You’re made for me, but I wonder if a man like me can still hope, as you’re the only one who can free me from a forced bond. I’ve longed for you to sit on my cock day and night.”
I’d thrust into her depths, and she’d cried out, her pussy gloving me tightly and perfectly. I hadn’t felt that good for so fucking long…
My girl was everything to me, and they had torn her away.
I made one final attempt, pouring not just power but raw, devastating need into the assault. The dream realm shuddered around me. My lightning flared white-hot. I screamed her name into the emptiness, praying she might somehow hear me across the impossible divide.
Only silence answered.
Blood ran freely from my nose and ears now. My hands trembled with exhaustion, but the physical pain was nothingcompared to the hollow ache in my chest where our bond should have been singing.
One small comfort remained—I knew in my blood that Barbie was alive.
My power could rend reality and topple kingdoms, yet I couldn’t reach the one woman I loved above all else.
I opened my eyes, wrath and frustration pounding in my bloodstream.
If the dream realm was closed to me, then I would tear open the very gate of the Underworld itself as soon as I had confirmation that was where my mate had been taken.
The path to the chaos court stretched before me, storm clouds gathering above my bloodline’s seat of power. Today would bring the confrontation I’d known was inevitable from the moment I’d publicly claimed Barbie as mine.
The throne room doors swung open as I approached. Violet marble floors led to twin thrones of black diamond, the symbol of our house—seven arrows—etched in gold behind them. Guards stood posted at every crucial point, while courtiers lined the aisle in their finest silks, whispering among themselves as they waited for the long-overdue clash between my father and me.
King Vasiliy sat rigid on his throne, his bulk making the ornate throne look almost small. His hazel eyes tracked my every move with the cold calculation of a vulture. Beside him, Queen Odette perched like an adult doll, her breasts threatening to spill from her crimson gown, those nine-inch heels making her look even more ridiculous. Snakes writhed in her hair, tasting the air with forked tongues.
This was the room where my mate had been threatened, where my father had tried to serve her head to his queen. Where the other heirs had defended Barbie before I finally intervened.
“Killian!” King Vasiliy’s cold voice rumbled through the hall. “You dare show your face after your betrayal?”
I stopped at the traditional distance from the dais. “What betrayal, Your Majesty?”
“You don’t know?” Queen Odette shrieked. “You broke your engagement to Queen Lilith! You’ve destroyed our alliance with the Underworld!”
“An alliance built on selling me like livestock,” I said icily as I held my father’s glare. “I was never merchandise for you to trade for your ambitions.”
My father rose slowly, trying to loom even larger. “You are my heir. That comes with obligations.”
“Obligations?” I laughed sharply, and the courtiers flinched. Everyone knew my temper. “You went behind my back and gave the demon queen an opening to bind me with blood magic, all for an alliance that benefits only you.”
“For the kingdom—” he began.
“For your own fucking power,” I cut in mercilessly.
The court gasped as one.
“Our son shows us no respect, my king!” my stepmother cried, pressing a hand to her chest, likely to draw attention to her oversized breasts.
I’d allowed my father to dominate me for too long. That ended today. I needed every resource at my disposal to protect my mate, and I couldn’t afford him, or anyone, stabbing me in the back while I went to war for her.
“Careful, Killian,” the king snarled.
I took a step forward. “Where was your concern for the kingdom when the Shrieker army tried to breach Shades Academy, where thousands of defenseless students live? When I led our warriors against Ruin’s forces, you sat here playing politics. We lost good soldiers because we were outnumbered—and your reinforcements never came!”
Whispers rippled through the court. Discontent stirred in the crowd.
“Silence!” The king’s magic lashed out, pressing against the room. It was much weaker than mine but enough to quiet the onlookers. “You’ve failed in your duties as heir. You broke sacred marriage vows. You chose a nobody—a whore—over the Queen of the Underworld. You can no longer be trusted.”
