“That’s why we established the special order of Templars, my King. They had the power to stop the Night Creatures. They could stop King Niyx. The Night Creatures are no more than monsters,” one of the other nobles started to argue.
Onyx had heard enough. As a Lord of Ruel’s house, he had every right to interject anyway. “Monsters, are they? What about you nobles? You are corrupt; you cheat and kill each other. Maybe a few of you were young enough not to know about the dragons, but most of your families knew full well how powerful and important the dragons are to everyone. It’s bad enough you’re destroying our society. Will you let your greed destroy our world too?”
“Well, that takes a lot of nerve coming from you, Lord Onyx. We all know what you do with your time!” a nobleman scoffed from nearby.
“Enough fighting!” Ruel said irritably as he stood up. “You will free the dragons, or I will let Niyx free them for you. You have two days. That is the decree of the King of Aderaan. Any houses found disobeying the decree will be disbanded and their members turned over to the Night Creatures as war criminals. I, for one, do not want to die in a city of snow and ice. That is all. Dismissed. Get out. All of you!”
The nobles stared at Ruel, then slowly started to depart, mumbling amongst themselves. Ruel rubbed his forehead then looked at Onyx once they were alone. “How did I do?”
“You made more enemies than friends. I’ll go and thin them out for you. I’d stay in the manor if I were you, not the castle.” Onyx shrugged and started out the door. “Keep Floof and Rebekah with you, too.”
“Be careful, Onyx. I need you.” Ruel sighed. “I’m going to send word to Father. Maybe we can now arrange an alliance with the pirates as well.”
Onyx paused, then gave Ruel a genuine smile. “Rubei would like that. Good idea. I’ll be back for that meeting. For now, I need to get rid of some dissenters. Stay safe.”
“You as well, brother,” Ruel said as the doors closed behind Onyx.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“I want to see my father,” Callistra demanded, her hands on her hips. She showed no fear of Niyx or Kiril, or of any of the Night Creatures.
Niyx tapped his fingers on the bone arm of his throne, resting his cheek on his other fist. “Why?”
Callistra seemed taken aback by the question. She blinked several times before she answered, her response slow. “Because…he is my father and I love him? I want to make sure he’s okay. Don’t you have a father? Don’t you love anyone?” Callistra narrowed her eyes then pointed at Kiril. “Surely, you love your woman?”
Kiril tilted her head when Niyx looked at her. “Niyx does not understand our emotions. He is a Night Creature.”
“Don’t give me that excuse. Onyx is a Night Creature, and he cares about Ruel. Why else would he so adamantly defend him?” Callistra snorted as she crossed her arms.
“Onyx was raised by the living. They were assassins, yes, but they understood the world of the living and the emotions needed to survive it. Niyx does not,” Kiril insisted with a frown. “And you will address my husband with the respect he deserves. He is a king who is tolerating your insolence quite well for someone you consider a monster.”
Niyx sat in silence, watching the banter between the two women. He rather enjoyed it when Kiril got defensive. She did have a temper though, so he felt he had better intervene before Onyx’s new love interest became a block of ice. “Fine. Riven, take her to see the prisoner. Kill her if she tries to release him.”
Riven looked annoyed to be once again reduced to an errand boy, but he bowed in compliance as he beckoned to Callistra and floated out the door.
“Thank you,” Callistra spat through tight lips as she turned on her heel to follow Riven.
Niyx waited until he was alone with Kiril, then raised a brow at her. “You are very defensive. Unsettled.”
Kiril came over to sit in his lap and traced her fingers along his dark armor, leaving frost in decorative patterns behind. “I would see you get the respect you deserve. You are a good king. Better than the mortal ones. You rule by logic and sense, not by reckless emotions like greed or anger.”
Niyx snorted a little at that. “I am angry about the dragons.”
“That is because of Ice and how you bonded to him. It is justified anger. You feel the dragons’ pain and sorrow. They are abusing the dragons for their own gain. They do not understand, but you do. On a level they never could. It’s a heavy burden for you, my love.” Kiril said as she rested her head on his shoulder.
Niyx ran a hand through her golden hair to soothe her. “I will make the world safe for us, Kiril. For you and Nial. No one will hurt you again. And no one will ever touch our son. I swear it.”
“I know.” Kiril smiled at him and relaxed.
“If you know how things will end then why are you so bothered?” Niyx bared his fangs at her in a rare grin.
Kiril sobered and sat up, her eyes going cold as her ice magic. “Because it will be worse before it will be better.” She took a deep breath then rose from his lap and took his hand. “Come, husband. I want to be alone with you. The war comes for you tomorrow.”
Niyx let her pull him to his feet. It wasn’t often she asked him to bed. The timing was odd for her. “What do you know, Kiril? What have you seen?”
Kiril shook her head, her long blond hair bouncing with the movement and framing her beautiful face. “No. You know I will not tell you. To tell you may change the vision. It will be unpleasant, but it will work out in the end. I would not risk changing it.”
“You need not worry. They cannot kill me. I am immortal,” Niyx reassured her, but he frowned as he followed her to their private chambers.
Kiril stopped by Nial’s crib where the toddler was curled up asleep with Nek. The dire wolf lifted its head a little to look at her before letting out a sigh and cuddling back against the boy. She reached to smooth Nial’s downy black hair. “Not all who are here are immortal, Niyx.”
Niyx stopped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder as he watched their son sleep. Nial was mortal like his mother. As they gazed at their son, Niyx knew that Kiril would not let him fight alone, but ventured to ask, “Will you be in danger if you fight?”
“It is always a danger for a mortal to fight,” Kiril whispered.
Niyx pulled her away from the crib, picked her up in his arms, and carried her to their bedroom. He shut the door behind them and took her to his bed. He had not enjoyed her since Nial was born. Though he was gentle, she quivered under his touch, a reminder of the trauma the elves had put her through before he’d saved her. He would make them pay for that as well.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Onyx bared his fangs in displeasure as he tromped through the halls of the Den, weaving around Night Creatures as they went about their business. The halls were bustling, but his room was empty. Callistra was not there. He had spent all night killing nobles. Not in his usual way, but quick and clean. They would know he had done the killing, but they would also know he did not just seduce and kill women. He was quite capable of killing men as well, without the seduction.
He hadn’t bitten them, and the need for blood pounded through his veins. He’d chugged a few hard liquors at Dahn’s bar as he had dropped in to inform his friend the bartender of the events going on, but they had not quenched his thirst. He wanted blood. And he wanted sex. And he wanted it from the woman he’d left in his bed. Where in the hells had she gone?
Onyx had almost decided to disturb Niyx, even though Riven had warned him not to, when he found her. She was sitting alone in the hallway not too far from where they were keeping Raijin. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “Do you want Niyx to kill both of you?”
Callistra looked up at him, tears in her eyes. She narrowed her eyes, clenched her fists, and got to her feet. “Tell him to let my father go. He’ll listen to you.”
“No, he won’t,” Onyx laughed, then reached out to grab her arm. “Come with
me.”
“What? No. Hands off!” Callistra snarled and wrenched her arm free before smacking him with her light magic.
It hit him like a giant hammer, and he slammed into the wall, his breath stolen by the impact. He stared at her, stunned. Then he growled, baring his fangs. “What did you do that for?”
“I know what you’re after. I’m not interested.” Callistra glared at him, then turned and stormed down the hallway. “I have to get back to Aderaan.”
Onyx leaped off the wall and blocked her path before she could even register he had moved. He shoved her up against the wall, pinning her, as he said urgently, “No, you’re not going back to Aderaan.”
“You didn’t learn from the first time? Fine,” Callistra snarled then struck at him with her light magic again, but this time he grabbed her arms and forced them up over her head, so the magic bounced harmlessly off the stone tunnel. She struggled, but he was stronger, so she finally settled for glaring at him.
Onyx stayed close against her so she couldn’t use a knee to get him anywhere sensitive while he tried to make her understand. “Would you just listen to me? You can’t go back to Aderaan. Where will you go? Your father has been labeled a rogue Templar and a traitor. You’re a traitor to your adoptive family, remember? You tried to help me free the dragon, and we killed Isakael.”
“You killed Isakael,” Callistra muttered, but her tears started again despite the way she shook with anger. “You ruined my life.”
“I didn’t ruin anything,” Onyx growled, then let her go and shoved her down the hall. “Fine. Go find your own way. I don’t care anymore. Stupid girl.” He turned away from her and stalked back toward his room.
Callistra did not move or say anything until he was almost out of the room, then she ran after him. “Wait! I do want to help you free the dragons. If I do that will Niyx let my father go?”
“How should I know?” Onyx waved her away, irritated.
“If I give you what you want, will you help me free my father? He doesn’t deserve to be here. This is a misunderstanding. He thought he was saving the city. To him Night Creatures are monsters. You don’t understand. They killed my mother and my little brother. He’s only trying to avenge what he’s lost.”
Onyx stopped to face her, raising a brow at the desperate revelation. Or more so at the desperate offer.
She crossed her arms, looking away from his questioning glance. “Well? What? You don’t believe me? I’ll give you anything you want if you help me get him out of here.”
Onyx snarled at her. He stormed past her then stopped at the cell door that held Raijin. He ripped it from its hinges and glared at the now pathetic Templar curled inside. Raijin didn’t look so dangerous without his weapon and armor. He just looked like a broken old man. “Get out. Both of you. If I see you again, you’re dead.”
Raijin scrambled to his feet and joined Callistra in the hallway. Then he grabbed Callistra’s arm to tug her with him. “Come, Callistra. We must go.”
Callistra just stared at Onyx, speechless, as her father dragged her away down the tunnel.
Onyx watched them go until he couldn’t see them any longer. Then he rubbed his head at a headache. He should have just taken her and killed her like he did the other women. But he’d never taken one by force. He told himself that’s what it was, as he retreated to his room. He knew deep down he was lying to himself. Part of him desperately wanted her to want to be with him. She was getting to him. Not just lust and hunger this time he actually cared what happened to her. When she was upset it upset him.
“The Master will be greatly displeased that you allowed his most hated enemy to escape,” Riven chided as he drifted out of a nearby doorway. “Why would you do such a foolish thing?”
“I don’t need a lecture from a ghost,” Onyx snapped. “Where is Niyx?”
Riven just smirked, the tight skin on his face looking even more ghoulish. “Oh, Lord Niyx has left the Den.”
“Where did he go?” Onyx asked, surprised.
“To expedite negotiations with House Lisaen,” Riven waved dismissively as he started to float down the hall. “My Lord does not take well to being trifled with. You would do well to remember that. Oh, it might be too late for that advice.”
“He went to free the dragon? Alone?” Onyx shook his head. Surely Niyx wasn’t that reckless. House Lisaen was the most powerful in Aderaan. When Riven just continued without a word Onyx stormed the opposite way down the hall. Now he knew why Niyx did not like Riven. Onyx decided to find Kiril.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
House Lisean was less than agreeable to Niyx’s terms. The allotted week had passed and the powerful noble House was still in negotiations with Ruel. As long as they held, out the other Houses would not release their dragons. Niyx was tired of waiting and being reasonable. If he released this dragon the other Houses would concede. So while the leaders of the House visited Ruel’s manor to plead their case, Niyx entered their manor. He clutched the grip of his blade tightly in his right hand as his eyes adjusted to the darkness around him. House Lisean’s basement was unremarkable in appearance but a chill hung in the deathly still air that was not of Niyx’s doing.
Niyx strained his long ears for any sound, but all he heard were his heavy plate boots against the stone floor as he wound his way through the tunnels. Magical wards tingled against his skin, but they could not stop him from passing through. He tore them down as he went, each one angering him just a little more. This experience felt far more dangerous than it had to free the tiny green dragon. This was a prison built to house something that the elves clearly feared. He wished he could have brought Ice with him, but he did not dare summon his dragon in case the magic in here would bind Ice as well. He could not bear it if something happened to his friend. Bringing Kiril might have been a good idea, though.
He shook himself and frowned at those thoughts. He had never been afraid to be alone before. He feared nothing. Nothing on this world was more powerful than he.
As he stepped into the large chamber, he expected to find a dragon. However, what he found was a pale male elf suspended from magical chains holding him spread-eagled in the middle of the room. Niyx titled his head, confused. He could feel the powerful magic thrumming through the chains and being drained to fuel the House’s magic. It felt like dragon magic. But this was clearly an elf.
As he got closer, he could see that the elf’s skin was covered in fine white iridescent scales. When the prisoner’s eyes opened, they were brilliant blue and painful to look at, but they were definitely reptilian.
Niyx tilted his head as the creature looked at him. “You don’t look like a dragon.” The prisoner frowned at Niyx then looked down at himself and sighed, his voice deeper and more powerful than a normal elf. “They have trapped me in this form to bind my powers.” Then the man’s head snapped back up and his sharp gaze focused on Niyx again. “Why are you here, Night Creature?”
Niyx considered the situation before he answered. The being before him was clearly immensely powerful. Power like Niyx had never felt before. And the elves were clearly afraid of him. That alone bolstered Niyx’s resolve. This being was the enemy of his enemy. That was enough. Niyx bared his fangs in an amused smirk, as he walked over to the chains and summoned his magic to flow through his sword as he struck them.
The first chain screeched as the hoarfrost touched it and snapped, whipping around like an angry snake.
The prisoner jolted at the action, then he stared at Niyx in disbelief. “You are going to free me?”
“Yes.” Niyx gave him an aggravated look. Was that not obvious? He swung at another chain and dodged as it tried to lash at him. These chains were not ordinary. They were spelled to attack. He growled as he dodged them and struck at the others until there were no more.
The prisoner fell to the ground with a groan and crouched there on hands and knees, trembling. Niyx walked over to help him to his feet then pulled him over to a wall to lean him against it as Niyx use
d his hoarfrost to deteriorate the shackles around the man’s hands, feet, and neck.
In a lightning-fast strike, the creature Niyx pinned against the wall, his body pressed hard against Niyx’s as he leaned close to whisper in Niyx’s ear. “You are powerful, Night Creature. You are a vessel of vengeance against these elves, yes? They treat your kind as they do mine.”
Niyx shivered. The man’s breath was cold as the winter wind as it caressed his ear. He was overcome with lust that he did not understand at the nearness of the other man, and all he could think of was the power he could feel thrumming through the man’s blood. His neck was so close, the veins thundering in response to the powerful beat of the man’s heart.
“You want to drink?” The man pressed closer and exposed his neck. “The fools have trapped me in this form, and it has bound my magic. Drink and take it. Use my magic to fuel your own power.”
Niyx growled and set his blade against the wall so he could grab a handful of the man’s long white hair. He pulled the man’s head to the side in a vicious movement to expose his neck. Unable to contain his bloodlust, he sank his fangs deep into the veins and drank deeply of the magical blood.
The man arched into him, moaning erotically, clearly enjoying it. Then his clawed hands were searching for the clasps on Niyx’s armor. Niyx was so lost in devouring the man’s blood he barely registered what they were doing, before they were both naked and entwined on the floor lost in lust and power.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Onyx made his way through the halls of the Den looking for Kiril. She sat on the floor playing with Nial, looking like any young elven mother with her elven child. Onyx had not asked, but it was clear that Nial only possessed the very minimal magic for an elf. When she looked up at him, he paused to ask her about it.
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