“You would side with them?” Jehel eyes bulged in rage. “Traitor! You’ll never amount to more, a second-born and mere bodyguard, never a High Lord. No high-born female will mate you!”
Drav’s mouth tightened.
Asennka appeared at Drav’s side. “You are wrong—”
“Jehel!” Eregen appeared, chest heaving, face pale. “What have you done?”
Aerén ignored Eregen. “For the intent to kill a probable Chosen, you have forfeited your life.” He let his power free. Jehel’s face contorted, his eyes bulged, and blood seeped from his nose, mouth, and ears. With a groan, he collapsed to the ground.
The urge to yank the man’s head from his neck took hold, visions of Leya falling into the river in the path of the yacht torturing his mind. He doubted the horror he lived through in those seconds would ever leave him. But her words rang in his head. She didn’t want this vermin’s death, didn’t want more negativity in their world.
Shethought of Empyrea’s decline, while this bastard didn’t give a fuck about that!
The urge to finish this garroted him, but Leya didn’t want that.Fuck!
The execution didn’t have to happen today.
“Take him to the prison cells and nail him to the wall. I will carry out his execution later, after he understands exactly what he could have cost Empyrea.”
Drav’s bloodless lips tightened, and the pain etched on his friend’s face had Aerén’s anger blazing. Just as well that Drav grabbed Jehel by the arm and dematerialized with him before Aerén tore the bastard limb from limb.
Then he grabbed Eregen by his shirt, didn’t bother to question him, and dug through his mind…
“She’s a powerful Chosen. I’ll mate her, breed with her, then we will have it all, Jehel—”
“You will breed with her?” Jehel whined.
“Yes. Humans spawn easily. My young will be the first in all Eléndium, and the babe will be revered. Just be patient, my love. She’s a silly earthling and won’t know a thing…”
Breed with her?The bastard thought to use Leya for his own fucking agenda?
Like wildfire, rage burned through the calm he barely held in check. Aerén rammed his fist into Eregen’s face.
Bones cracked. Blood gushed from his broken nose, and he moaned. “Your Highness…”
Aerén pinned him to the ground with his telekinesis to let the bastard’s broken nose heal with the twist—a reminder of what he dared. “Come anywhere near her, and you will share Jehel’s fate before I rip you from limb to limb.” He flung him away.
Teeth clenched, Aerén dematerialized, Thiorr and Lykon with him, reforming on the borders of the dead forest, Eregen’s words ringing in his head.
A breeder.
Leya.
His female.
He didn’t give a damn that they couldn’t be together. No one would get their filthy hands on her for fucking breeding—
He slammed his fist into a hollowed trunk. Shrapnel of black wood broke free and flew everywhere.
Fingers clenched, he met the quiet stares of his enforcers and growled. Yeah, he revealed his feelings to his warriors, and he didn’t fucking care.
Leya was his!
CHAPTER22
The swooshing water consumed her.Something tangled around her legs and held her down. She couldn’t breathe. Darkness hovered, she was going to die—
No!Leya flailed awake, her heart drumming in her ears. It took her several seconds before her panicked mind registered she was in bed, and the sheet had twisted around her.
