Page 62 of Claimed By the Depths

“I thought you wished to leverage the soul tie once he and the girl got closer?” Maulix asked, not in a challenge but out of curiosity. “Was it not stated that, with their fate ignited, you wished to kill two birds with one stone? Harm one and have it translate to the other?”

Flicking my gaze to him, I craned my head to the side. “Is that what you feel is the best route to take, Maulix?”

“I’m indifferent.” Resting in his seat, he shrugged. “I just wish to see them dead.”

“Kyrn?” I prodded.

“Likewise.” Her glowing yellow irises found me, the ancient relics etched in her skin pulsing with the potent recharge our realm offered. “I do not feel the method is important, so long as they fall. Our ruling depends on their demise, and I am here to offer aid in ensuring it happens.”

Without having to state his name, Evrexiths uttered, “If he is that close to falling from grace, allow it. Your infestation has proven effective in rendering him senseless. Let him do the dirty work if he is seconds away from apostatizing his lineage.”

A soft giggle rolled from Kyrn. “What? Fearful of getting your hands dirty?”

My Son snarled, “Need I remind you that your position beside my mother is unnecessary when I am here? I do not give a fuck if you are deemed her third in command; you bow to me. Do not test my patience.”

Maulix was about to speak, but I raised my hand to stop the conversation. With a hum, I swept over each of them, relishing their discomfort in my analysis. Only once I was satisfied did I continue with my already elected decision.

“Caspian remains my pet, and at this point, there is one of two ways this could go.” Returning my hand to the table, I drummed my talons against it. “The first is that his strength falters, and the tendrils of my corruption drag him into the depths of the Soul Pits. If such a possibility blesses us, as a freshly birthed Other, he will butcher whoever opposes me. Eradicating the Divari will become an afterthought, because he will spill their blood. Once they are gone, I will devour the remnants of his ties to Elaros and mold him into one of us.

“But, while appealing, it does not seem probable. He is his father’s child, and stubbornness flows through his veins. So, our second opportunity lies in their empathy.” Running my tongue along my bottom lip, my smile shifted into malice. “With the world falling apart around them, and chaos trailing their every move, it is likely they will return to the Capital. A flawed assumption that, if they do, the implications of our fusion with their lands will narrow to Serevalen. If that is the route they take, the bond between Rohen and Caspian will strengthen with their proximity, but his health will worsen. With him no longer at his full strength, the unraveling of my bind will grant us the ability to diminish them in one blow.”

“And say neither of those things proves sufficient,” Evrexiths challenged. “Then what?”

Mania coated my laughter. “If they entertain us with a fight, we will offer them the same. Perhaps there will come a point I draw the veil and devour those I please.” Turning toward him, the corner of my mouth curled. “No matter what happens, we prevent the other two Divari from discovering their divinity. When the opportunity presents itself, I will sip on the vestiges of Caspian’s humanity, or we will wipe him and his lover from this plane. Whether that is done through breaking the bind or rendering them prisoners of our realm, I do not⁠—”

Palms slapped against the table, shoulders heaving beneath a shredded cloak. Blonde hair disheveled, Vrax lifted her head, but it wasn’t her scarlet glare that served as a cause for alarm. It was the layers of missing flesh, lacerations carved deep enough into her arms, chest, and face that bone was visible. The sigils indicative of her commitment to my rule had been severed, marred beyond recognition by one of the worthless cunts I held control over.

Ellira.

“What the fuck happened to you?” Maulix asked, protectiveness glinting in his eyes at the sight of such an atrocity.

“That little bitch,” Vrax spat as her parted flesh worked to mend itself. “She summoned⁠—”

“Yxalune,” I finished for her as I stood. “Caspian’s torment did not prove effective in stopping his other half?”

Huffing, her nostrils flared. “The Terror of the Deep continued to scream for a handful of minutes before the former assassin called her off.”

“So it took a seizure robbing Caspian of his functionality to redirect Rohen…” My nails clicked against the monolithic stone. “Interesting.”

“The rest of them showed up to aid in Caspian’s unresponsiveness. With them gathered, we⁠—”

“No,” I crooned, nipping at my bottom lip as pleasure built between my thighs. “We continue playing their game, allow them to nurse him back to health, and just when they believe they stand a chance, we will tear it all apart.”

Kyrn’s sweetened tone drifted from her position beside Maulix. “What would you like us to do in the meantime, Beloved?”

“Return to Serevalen.” My fingers brushed over my skin as I freed myself from my tailcoat before gliding along the clasp of my brassiere. Unclipping it, I allowed the material to fall, heated air caressing my breasts. “But first,” I breathed, tracing a talon over my pebbled nipple, “feast.”

CHAPTER 35

Heir of the Sea

ROHEN

Fear.

The emotion wasn’t one I was unfamiliar with. It clung to the fragmented pieces of my childhood, tainting the wall of the Guild where Malrik’s harsh handling and unwanted touches loomed. But where screams of anguish once echoed, a hollow shell had replaced that innocence, and I’d been adamant about never allowing myself to slip into the waters of vulnerability again.

It was a decision I remained faithful to until…