I could steal life with only a thought. Drain it from the veins of all those around me. Nothing in this world could stop me other than the Goddess herself, and even then, there would be a worthy battle.
But with all power like my own, there were consequences. Draining life from others altered my own. In some instances, their essences filled me. I could taste their deaths on my tongue. It would swell within me, a catalyst of untold power, and become a battery only I could tap into.
And in some cases, it could send me into a state of darkness none would be able to pull me out of.
Except for her, I thought, stopping at the bar in the corner of the sitting room. I could almost scent her presence in here still. Coffee and coconut tinged with the sweet smoke from the lust club. Every day, I walked in here and I saw the ghost of her standing in the centre of the room, brimming with curiosity, anger, and frustration. Every day, I left the suite wonderinghow long it would take to find and return her here so that I might find peace.
Her absence should not have had such a dire effect on me. Sao thought my mood had something to do with my soul being in another realm.
Truth was, I cared nothing for it when she was not present. Not when I couldn’t feel her any longer.
It was an agonising truth I wanted to run from, and yet I poured myself a tumbler of honey wine and brought it to my lips. All I could think of washer. The little tilt to her lips when she tasted it for the first time. The exasperation in her tone when she begged for my aid in taking her to the Old World.
How sweet she’d felt when I gave her my deal mark—both times.
My gaze dropped to the unfinished snake on my hand. It felt like a dark reminder of my failings. Not just as King of Elysian, but as her husband. Ichoseto tie myself to her. Unlike the others, who were bound to her by fate and the Goddess, I choseher.
I gave her my mark. I made her my Queen.
And I allowed some maniacal, greedy, power-driven male with an ego too large for his magic to take her.
He’d trapped me, and I hadn’t been strong enough to sense it.
And now, the one thing I should have been able to do, I could not.
I left the tumbler, taking the bottle and stalked to the leather love seat in the centre of the room. Dropping onto the cushion, I brought the bottle to my lips, inhaling the deadly liquor deeply.
In my mind, I wasn’t alone, wallowing.
In my mind, I could see her clear as day, dressed in the white gown I’d made for her. And I allowed that image to guide me into nothing as I drank.
Something pried my fingers open.Everything, from sound to sight, was a messy haze, the world around me blurring together. My limbs felt heavy, not quite like my own. Like I had no control over them.
I couldn’t remember anything other than wine. The taste of honey on my tongue was no longer sweet, but rather rotten and foul.
“My King,” a familiar voice drawled. No, not drawled. I had a feeling the owner of those words would be rather short with me now, each word punctuated with irritation. “My King, you must awaken.”
My eyes closed as the same voice tried to cut through the sweet, mind-numbing haze.
In the darkness, I saw her. Felt her touch. Heard her voice.
It’d felt unreal. And yet, I’d revelled in it.
I must have said—slurred, really—something in response, because suddenly I was on the ground. Cold seeped into my hands and cheek from where I landed, the iciness of the stone a shock to the system. I felt the shadows pull at me, though they didn’t appear to see whoever it was standing over me as a threat. Useless things. What was the point in commanding an all-seeing creature like shadows if it did not protect me from annoyed threats?
“My King,” the creature deadpanned. “Please. Get up.”
No concern, just irritation.
It was Sao.
I grunted as I lifted myself off the floor, feeling the alcohol—and its comforting haze—wash away as I took in the much shorter demon. He had his arms crossed, features blank, the displeasure in his eyes as they raked over my dishevelled form not unfamiliar.
“What do you think you are doing?” I asked, dropping onto the leather seat once more. “Goddess above, Sao. Don’t wake someone like that.”
The demon rolled his eyes. “The generals have sent word from the tents.”
They barely tolerated coming to the palace, though that was their prerogative. They preferred being with their army and only made rare appearances now that war planning was underway.
