He wasn’t sure what Tanith had planned for him, but he would have been helpless against her.
Now, he was helpless against Sorcha. She’d not only restored his body temperature, she’d fired something inside him that had stayed dormant since he’d been banished.
And awakened something he didn’t recognize. Something he’d never felt before.
That terrified him.
He felt reborn. Stronger than ever.
More lethal.
“Xynzara? Are you all right?” his mother asked as she joined them.
He nodded. “Thanks for the howl and the help.” He looked past her shoulder for anything fey. In the mood he was in, he wanted to start collecting heads. “Where’s the queen?”
“In the portal room. Would you like the honor of tearing out her throat?”
His mother knew him so well.
“Only after I get a few answers.”
Sorcha stepped in front of him. “You’re not really going to kill her, are you?”
Before he could stop himself, he gave her another quick kiss on the lips.
Yeah, there was no mistaking that sensation. Another wave of fire exploded through his veins, warming him to the core of his blackened heart. And he hoped they could explore this a little more in-depth…
After he dealt with Tanith.
Not wanting to stress Sorcha, he winked at her. “As much as I would love to shred her, I won’t. It’d cause too big a schism between factions, and we don’t need that kind of power vacuum. But I have no intention of letting this go without a strong understanding between us.”
And with that, he left them and headed back to where the queen still cowered on the floor, surrounded by more hellhounds.
Go, Mum.
The moment Tanith saw him, she turned as pale as her hair.
She tried to use her powers, but his mother had her trapped. There was nothing the queen could do. She was as helpless as she’d made him.
For that alone, Luke could kiss his mother.
“Not so much fun, is it?” he asked bitterly.
Tanith pressed herself back against the wall. “What are you going to do with me?”
“I would love to add your wings to my collection.” But that would no doubt upset Sorcha and right now, that was the last thing he wanted to do.
Tanith tucked her wings around her body as if that would stop him from taking them if he really wanted to. “I made a fair offer to you!”
Luke was aghast. “Being your concubine isn’t an offer at all.”
Senka’s eyes flared. “You wanted to turn my son into a pet?”
“No! Just a concubine.”
“Which is a fancy word for pet.” Senka approached the queen, then reached for her throat.
Luke caught his mother’s wrist. “Only I get the privilege.”
