His world seemed to sway when his lips touched hers, as if the ancient rhythms of the world were torn between now and before.
She was everything to him and had been for over a millennium. He missed her so much while she was gone, and now that she was back, she didn’t remember him. Pain cracked like frozen waters through his soul every time he thought about her lack of memory of their life before, ofthem.
He knew that asshole Ael was weaning his way into her heart, trying to take his place, and there was nothing he could do about it. He had been plaguing the man’s dreams, sending him nightmares of Seda and himself locked in passionate embraces, hoping, praying that the dreams would stop him from pushing forward with his claim upon her.
But they hadn’t. They only made it worse.
He could sense Ael’s every thought and whisper. Seda dominated his feelings, and the dreams Kalon sent only deepened his love for her. He was a problem, but he didn’t want to hurt the man physically. No, he couldn’t do that. Seda was attached to him now, despite his own desire for her; despite his love that had only deepened over the years she was gone.
He couldn’t harm Ael. He wouldn’t, because that would also hurt her.
He could only pry into his mind and listen to his obsessive thoughts, only allowing himself to torment his dreams. Ael was providing what he could to protect Seda as her powers grew. And if that meant allowing this man to get close to her, if she wanted it, she could have this fun…for now.
The serpent prattled on nervously before him, and Kalon growled, “I’m aware we’re at max capacity.I don’t care.We collect more. We collect themall.”
He had been collecting humans for hundreds of years, placingthem beneath his castle into the hidden, cavernous, sapphire city of Noctrya, safe from the pits of hell above.
The pitiful Monster King was a lowly man, obsessed with power—a small man with a big complex, obviously making up for other areas of himself that he lacked.
Probably a tiny dick, he thought as he smiled at his own joke.
“As you wish, Sire. We must leave, the collection has already started,” the black, slithering serpent said before him.
Kalon tucked the moonstone necklace into his pocket and stood from his cold throne. He glanced over once more, for the thousandth time, to the empty, spider-silken throne beside him, and snapped his fingers.
A black, magical air whirled around him and the Amaru, spinning around them like a tornado of nightfall that fused to his very being.
Kalon inhaled deeply as the air settled, drawing in the dust and squinting through his mask as he stared at the ever-burning sun of the desert. He could hear people crying and moaning as his vision cleared, and he looked at the Monster King standing before him, with two Jotnar behind, their enormous forms trying to present a clear threat.
The Jotnar never took part in these events, but their presence caught Kalon’s interest. What torment did this man have planned for him today? What measly attempts would he try on him this time?
“You’re late,” the Monster King seethed. “I don’t like being made to wait.”
Kalon smirked from behind his mask at the small man, at his trimmed beard and rounded stomach. “I come when I fucking want to,” was all he said in response.
The Monster King pulled the Dark Stone from his pocket and let the sunlight reflect off the ground.
“You know that doesn’t affect me,” Kalon said through his mask, rolling his eyes in frustration. He was constantlyflashing that stupid stone. Kalon wished he could torment the man with nightmares and steal it from his person. But the stone could not be touched, not by him, at least.
Everything the dark magic touched was poisoned, except for… Seda. She was the only being walking this planet who could withstand the powerful magical pull of the Dark Stone. It could control her when used by another, yes, but only she could touch its cold surface and not be drawn into its lure.
The Monster King smiled brightly, wrinkles creasing across his gnarled expression. “No, but what you fail to see is that this stone controls everyone else.Everyone.”
He squeezed the stone, and oily magic coiled around his palm. The two Jotnar behind lurched forward in pain, narrowing their eyes at Kalon and his Amaru. They flung their hands forward to grab him, and Kalon’s magic descended upon them, causing the two Jotnar to stumble. Their eyes rolled to the back of their heads as their minds turned into muddled nightmares. Large, heavy hands fell to the ground, and their bodies convulsed as drool dripped from their parted lips and blood oozed from their bulbous noses.
He looked at the Monster King and laughed loudly. “Give it up, old man. Your plan didn’t work.”
The Monster King growled and stomped his foot into the sandy earth below. He squeezed the stone harder, the whites of his knuckles catching against the brightness of the ground.
The Draggors within the Camp courtyard began to circle him, the color of their eyes flooding into crimson orbs.
This fucking man, Kalon thought. He could only cause nightmares in him for short periods of time, the Dark Stone protecting him from progressing further and just killing him entirely. He had tried countless times before, but the stone was always there, always protecting what it also soiled.
What was he trying to prove anyway?
Kalon snapped his fingers, and the Dragors crumpled to theground, leaving only the Monster King seething before him. He took a step forward, easily stepping over a fallen Dragor, and walked closer to the small man. “I am here to collect, Tievel.”
His name, not the Monster King. No. He would no longer call him by the fake title he invented over a thousand years ago. A title that shifted the planet and caused a tear through the harmony of his world.
