I’d never stepped foot in Avalon before. The new world created by the original witches and the last Queen of the Old World was entirely foreign to me. A land so different to the ones I once roamed. I recognised nothing about where we’d landed, or if the shadows brought us to our target or not.
The wolf, on the other hand, appeared to know exactly where we were. He shot me a dark look, holding up a hand. I remained still as he surveyed the forest, while I took in the canopy of trees.
The shadows came to me with whispers of warning, revealing the malformed magical signatures of those in the trees. Ten in total hid in the branches, likely with weapons of their own pointed at us.
Like they’d been waiting.
Would you like the traitors dead?I asked, communicating through our new deal tattoo. The smaller scorpion I’d giftedhim appeared behind his ear, a sign of my protection over him—and all of my wife’s mates.
The wolf glanced at me, then at the trees.We don’t need them.
A smile curved my lips. Death was a sweet, welcome presence as one by one, the traitors dropped from their perches. A mage with power over storms landed in a heap three feet from where we stood, his skin grey with death. A Fae from the Aither Court landed first on their feet, like they thought they might win against the reaper’s claws around their heart, but soon fell like the others.
Another Fae, this one from Summer, dead. Two from Spring. Three more mages of varying ability crumbled at the appearance of my death magic. And two shifters in their mortal bodies joined them just as swiftly.
Ten traitors. Ten more deaths to fill the killing fields House Wrath ruled.
The reapers disappeared with their collected souls, disappearing from my sight—and mine alone.
Power surged through me at their deaths, at what they left behind. Souls were not my domain, but I could summon those who reaped them.
But life…life I could get drunk on.
And I took my fill from those dead now.
“That was helpful,” the wolf muttered, turning in a slow circle. “Maybe we should have set you loose on the army.”
I stiffened, hands curling into fists. “You would not like what I become when so many deaths are on my hands,” I replied, ignoring the way my heart raced with the power that came with the ten lives taken. Though not many, I still felt the boost their deaths provided.
The wolf spared me a questioning look, but he said nothing as he turned and started through the trees. I followed with a shake of my head, calming my racing heart with each step I took away from the bodies. I walked over one shifter, barely glancing down at the female’s glassy, dead eyes.
There were no other living souls in the forest, except for theone we sought. Ahead, the wolf shifter unholstered a gun, holding it up once the cabin came into view.
There was an unpaved road leading up to it, with no sign of any vehicles. Which meant either the traitors were shadow jumped here, or they’d been left by someone else. Either to protect the bear shifter, or wait for us.
It was possible the bear knew we were coming for him. If he were still in contact with the false king and hisHigh Council, then he would know the wolf had learned of his origins within their army—andhisinvolvement.
There was nothing particularly interesting about the cabin; built with logs felled from the forest, it was quaint, almost reminding me of the cabin we’d found Asael’s soul tied to. But unlike that cabin, this one was real.
And it was dangerous.
As if having the same thought, the wolf stopped at the edge of the road, gun still raised.You sense anyone inside?he asked without looking at me.
Only the presence of the bear shifter. There are no lingering signatures out here, either, I replied, eyes darting over the facade of the cabin, to the trees and mountain beyond.He cannot hide magic from me.
The magic within, tied to the bear, also wasn’t distorted like the magic of the ten soldiers we’d left to rot. The magic of the bear shifter was untouched by the dark, twisted hands of the false king.
The wolf bowed his head, took a rune stone from his belt, and tossed it onto the road. For a moment, nothing happened. I stared at it, the carved image supposedly designed by the compromised prince to disable charms, but after a moment, the glow disappeared.
That was all the wolf needed. He crept onto the road, and I followed, pulling blades from the shadows. I would not so easily be able to consume another life, not without the sickness that might follow. It was a weakness I refused to share with the wolf, and it was not something he should see.
To him, I was the infallible Elysian King, ruler of theElysian Fields and protector of the Underworld. The husband to his mate, my Queen.
But even I had weaknesses. One was stored safely in the hands of my wife, even now.
The other could mean I lose control.
I raised my twin blades as we safely crossed the road. Surrounding the cabin were wards, heavily fortified, but as soon as we approached, they dropped. I frowned, fingers tightening around the hilts of my swords. There was only a moment of hesitation from the wolf, who paused on the doorstep, but it passed almost as quickly as it appeared.
