Pride filled my chest at his words, both his and mine.
“I wasn’t planning on it. You know I only get on my knees for you.”
A soft rumble of laughter floated down our bond, but I kept my face straight as I watched them.
“Your apologies are unnecessary. You’ve been gone a long time from these realms. Things have changed.”
“How so?” Kaden asked.
Eryx shrugged, as if what he was about to say was no big deal. “Civil war broke out between us all. Everyone grasped for power when Nismera took the realms. What were once seven princes are now three, and Umemri sits on the throne in Icnima’s place. And trust me, he and his creatures have no intention of giving it up.”
A muscle in Kaden’s jaw jolted. I knew Kaden. I had spent a thousand years as his puppet. Even through the stoic mask he wore, I knew his every mannerism, and I could tell what he was thinking. Eryx’s words shocked Kaden, and I felt his fear and apprehension as if the news of fewer of them wasn’t good.
It made sense. Empires tended to grasp for power within their own ranks when an old one fell. Savees had told us that many months ago, when we were locked in prison. Samkiel and I knew how they scrambled to rise and hold on to what power they could before proclaiming themselves the new epicenter of their kingdoms. But from Kaden’s subtle reaction, this fracture in the Otherworld seemed to go far deeper than we imagined.
“I was just thinking the same thing,”Samkiel said back to me.
“If what Savees had said is true, this only proves it,”I added, pretending to still listen to Kaden and Eryx.“But my concern is if he’s working with her. We know she had many under her control, and if the Otherworld hates gods so much, why initiate a truce if even that?”
Samkiel went silent along our bond for a long moment before saying,“Nismera is as hateful as some of the lowest beasts here. Regardless, they may share even a fraction of a kinship. Like Savees said, she offered a way to overthrow an empire they already despised. They loathe me. I am a part of the same gods who subjugated and let them rot behind their own walls. You know I’ve buried warriors and beasts alike. My reputation may be prestigious where Rashearim used to stand, but I am a thing of nightmares to them.”
“Not all monsters,”I said.“To me, you are a dream.”
“And you are mine.”A soft, warm glow slid over me in a physical manifestation of his love. I turned my attention back to the room as Eryx eyed me warily. I pretended to stare at the skeletons that still stood unmoving behind him, and then the decorations on his wall, as if I wasn’t feeding information to his enemies.
“You said three. Who else is left?” Kaden asked, drawing Eryx’s attention back to him.
Eryx shrugged as if he wasn’t about to name beings that made the rest of the realms sweat.
“My brute of a brother, Aeron. I don’t think anything could kill him or his orcs.” My eyes widened as I tried to picture such creatures. “And, of course, Morana. She’s grown more bothersome,” Eryx said.
“Morana?” I asked, cutting in. “I thought you said princes?”
“Male titles hold more power in these realms.”Samkiel’s voice flooded my mind.“And before you say it, I know, I know.”
Eryx repeated what Samkiel had said almost word for word, and I did struggle not to follow up with a completely unhelpful, snarky comment. Eryx watched me with a slight smirk, almost as if he knew exactly who I was talking to and the words I was holding back.
“Enough about me and my realm. I want to hear from you, Miss Ayla.”
“It’s Mrs.” I corrected it.
The slits of his eyes dilated in amusement. “Oh, is it? Explains why you turned down my marriage proposal.”
“What!?”Samkiel all but bellowed down our bond, and I felt the flicker of Oblivion at the walls of my mind, rising to defend me.
Eryx seemed to feel it. His smile grew wider as his eyes flared, and I wondered if he could hear us. Impossible. Except Eryx drew closer, taking a step toward me. To my utter shock, I didn’t have to move to defend myself. Instead, Kaden stepped in front of me, his massive shoulder blocking Eryx from getting closer to me again.
“That’s far enough,” Kaden said, and I knew he wasn’t protecting me from Eryx or some dominating claiming move. It was to keep the maelstrom currently rolling down Samkiel’s and my bond from storming the Otherworld.
“Protective, are we?” Eryx smiled, canines gleaming.
“For your benefit, I assure you.”
The storm growing along our bond seemed to subside at that, but only by a fraction.
“Well, I know you aren’t who she beds,” Eryx added, his eyes raking over Kaden in pity. “All I smell is hate when she looks at you. So, answer me this, Ayla. Who is the lucky suitor you would turn down a prince for?”
I leaned to the side, past the barrier Kaden had made with his body, and raised my hand well above me. “Oh, he’s about six foot seven, has gorgeous eyes, an amazing body, and likes to end worlds.”
