Gluttony

by Katie May

“I’ll be okay, Z,” he assured me with a wobbly smile. Blood coated his

  lips and teeth. “He gave me a potion. I won’t die.”

  “He cut off your legs,” I hissed in horror. What type of parent did that?

  Obviously, one that deserved to die.

  I had killed men for less.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” he whispered, stroking my hand. “He’s

  the king, Z. You can’t go after him. Not without an army.”

  “Then I’ll get an army.” I ground my teeth together, worked my jaw, and

  flexed my hands. “He’ll pay for what he did to you.”

  Dair continued to stare up at me with a dopey smile, and it was that

  expression alone that made me have my next revelation.

  “How often?” I whispered hoarsely. At his quirked brow, I added, “How

  often does he cut off your legs and then grow them back?”

  I knew that the Mermaid King and Dair’s brothers had done it before, but

  I had wrongly assumed it was a one-and-done type of deal. I hadn’t expected

  this.

  The pain he must’ve endured…

  The torture…

  I wanted to scream and cry. Punch something. I wanted the world to

  bleed.

  Dair’s smile diminished as quickly as it appeared, a bloated storm cloud

  moving in front of the sun, and my heart shattered into thousands of pieces.

  “A lot,” Dair admitted, lashes fluttering against his high cheekbones. “A

  lot.”

  It took every ounce of willpower within me not to rush out of this prison,

  find the Mermaid King, and eat his fucking fishtail. The man didn’t deserve

  to live, not after what he did to Dair.

  “How can we fix this?” I asked desperately. I knew the Capital had

  healers on hand. I could ask one of them to help…

  “He uses a potion to grow my legs back,” Dair explained with a sad

  smile. “A potion he made with the Mage King by combining their powers.”

  “Then I’ll grab you that fucking potion,” I hissed, but Dair was already

  shaking his head.

  “Z, it’s fine.”

  “It’s not—”

  “I’ve dealt with this for years now. Years. I’ll deal with it now.” He

  captured my hand with his own, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “You have to

  trust me, Z. Please. I know what I’m doing, and I know what we’re up

  against.” He nodded towards the corner of the room where his wheelchair

  was folded against the wall. “Grab me my chair, please.”

  Tears of indignation and anger trickled down my face, but I knew arguing

  would be futile. Dair could be as stubborn as me when he wanted to be.

  Didn’t he understand that I needed to defend him? Protect him?

  I was beginning to believe that my purpose in life—my purpose in

  coming here—was to protect these seven men who had drilled holes in my

  heart, filling the cavernous space with gold and jewels. For so long, I’d been

  letting the tides carry me away, but these men were giving me the motivation

  to swim and resist the current. To adhere to a purpose that went beyond

  simply killing.

  Hands trembling, I opened the chair and helped settle Dair comfortably

  on it. Sweat continued to bead down his face, but he still offered me a

  tenuous smile.

  In a rare moment of vulnerability, I pressed my lips to his in a

  tantalizingly soft kiss. Errant fireworks exploded from that menial

  connection.

  “I’ll fix this,” I vowed, straightening. Sadness descended in his expressive

  azure eyes, the sight strangling me.

  “You can’t fix everything, Z,” he whispered. “You’re amazing, and I love

  you, but you’re only human. You’re only one person. But, fuck, if anyone

  can bring this world to its knees, it’ll be you.” He flashed me another tiny

  smile, and though it was strained, it wasn’t polluted with anger or fear, just

  grim acceptance and a love that stole my breath.

  “Will the sick bastard hurt you again if you leave?” I questioned, already

  pushing him out the door. I rolled him down the hallway, my stomach

  tightening now with each glance I directed at the various rooms. Knowing

  what they were used for clawed at something raw and bleeding in my chest.

  “He’s done with me,” Dair assured. I didn’t need to see him to know that

  he would have pasted on a feeble smile. Fucking hell. He shouldn’t have to

  fake a smile with me.

  “He’ll pay for this.” We stepped out of the building and into the glaring

  sunlight. The grounds were miraculously deserted. I spotted Slippy’s gray

  head bobbing in and out of the water, his one eye blinking at me. “I’ll make

  him fucking pay.”

  I would drive my knife into the Mermaid King’s throat, even if it was the

  last thing I did.

  FIVE

  RYLAND

  I moved with the shadows.

  I was so in tune with them that there were times I couldn’t

  demarcate where they ended and I began. They pressed in on me

  from all sides like a disgusting sludge. In the shadows, I could see everything

  and be anything. There were no limitations, no pain.

  Shadows were renowned spies for the Nightmare Council. According to

  my father’s numbers, over three hundred were currently on the Kings’ payroll

  and stationed throughout the kingdoms.

  We embodied a stealth and grace that exceeded that of the other

  supernaturals. As a descendant of Pride, we were notorious for our secrecy.

  Very few Shadows showed their faces out in public. I would be the first to

  admit that I was one of them—preferring the darkness over the light. I liked

  to remain unseen. I saw the rest of the world, but the world itself remained

  oblivious to me.

  Pulling the shadows tight around me like an onyx cloak, I glided down

  the hall and to a servants-only door. Men and women—the majority of them

  human—were bustling in and out, their hands overflowing with plates and

  goblets. The Kings were feasting today. One final meal before the majority

  left the Capital and returned to their respective kingdoms.

  One final attempt for me to learn what they knew about Z.

  I knew some of them, if not all, suspected that she was our mate, and that

  thought alone caused icy fear to skate down my neck. In this world,

  information was power that could be dangled over people. There were no

  winners in this fucked up game. There were only losers and even bigger

  losers.

  None of the servants spotted me intermingling within their ranks. How

  could they? I was nothing more than a silhouette on the wall.

  A door at the very end of the musty hall led to the dining room. I knew

  better than to go directly there. No doubt, my father would be able to sense

  me the second I entered, and I still wasn’t positive of his allegiance. I trusted

  my father more than I trusted the other men, but even that trust was tenebrous

  at best. Trust was a fragile thing. One wrong move, one misspoken word, and

  it could burst into tiny shards, never to be mended together again.

  I turned into a different room, opposite the dining hall, and stopped

  directly behind a knight in shining armor. Only then did I drop the shadows.

  There was already a small hole in the wall,
and I did not waste any time

  leaning forward and pressing my eye to it.

  The Kings and some of their wives were spread out at a large table. I

  spotted the Mermaid King sitting beside his twin sons, Idol and Manchester.

  His fated mate, Elise, sat on the other side of him, her lips puckered into a

  snarl. Elise wasn’t Dair’s biological mother, and thank fuck for that. Elise

  was just as cold as the grinning King beside her.

  The Mage King was already asleep, head lolling against his shoulder and

  soft snores filling the room. The Incubus King sat beside him, two women

  kneeling between his legs and giving him a blowjob. How they were both

  able to do it at the same time was beyond my comprehension.

  Across from them, my father sat in a cloak of his own shadows, providing

  much needed anonymity. The Vampire King was sipping from a golden

  chalice, his lips coming away red with blood. He seemed entirely

  unconcerned that his only son was missing. The Genie King sat next to him,

  dressed in his usual suit with his hair slicked back.

  Finally, my eyes rested on the Shifter King.

  He was the largest in the room by far, exuding an aura that made me want

  to run in the opposite direction. With his shoulder-length hair, broad

  shoulders, and numerous scars, he was a terrifying sight to behold.

  He was also the epitome of evil.

  Already, he had created over two dozen human work camps throughout

  his territory. Humans there were considered nothing more than cattle to be

  sold and traded. Some of the other Kings were well on their way to

  implementing his horrific, bigoted policies. Actually, I was nearly certain all

  of them were, sans my father.

  But even he could be bought.

  I watched them for more than an hour, but all they did was make idle

  small talk.

  But what the hell did I expect? The Mermaid King to get to his feet and

  announce his evil aspirations to the world? For the Shifter King to rub his

  hands together, cackle malevolently, and explain his plans for world

  domination?

  Instead, I discovered that Cheryl from accounting got a new boob job and

  Richard was cheating on his mate.

  The horror.

  I was just about to leave when the door to the dining hall opened and

  closed, and a familiar man stepped through. I recognized him instantly,

  though I couldn’t recall where I had seen him before.

  He stopped directly beside the Shifter King’s chair and bowed once.

  “Your highnesses,” he said respectfully. A smile blossomed on the

  Mermaid King’s face. That, more than anything, scared the shit out of me.

  That man did not smile. Unless he was killing someone.

  Well, fuck. This did not bode well for us.

  The newcomer had cropped black hair, piercing eyes, and a form that

  rivaled Lupe’s in the muscle department. Despite his subservient tone, there

  was something testy in his dark gaze, something I couldn’t name.

  While he was large, I didn’t get the sense he was a Shifter. No, the way

  he moved—with a grace and agility that belied his lumbering frame—made

  me believe he was a Shadow.

  “Have you thought about what we talked about, Axel?” the Shifter King

  demanded. He barely spared the man a glance.

  Axel…

  A lightbulb went off in my head when I realized where I’d heard that

  name before.

  He had been the old assassin...before Z had won The Damning. He was

  known throughout the world for his ruthlessness and butcher-style killings.

  Why the hell were the Kings meeting with him?

  After The Damning ended and a new assassin took over, the old was

  given a life of privilege tucked far away from the Capital. A life of wealth

  and prestige and fucking mansions. By all standards, the Kings should be

  talking to Z, not Axel.

  Trepidation clawed at my heart, destroying something I couldn’t name.

  Axel pounded his fist against his chest, lowering his head once. “I would

  be honored.”

  Honored? What the fucking hell were they talking about?

  The Shifter King grinned, his white teeth gleaming, before clasping the

  assassin’s arm.

  “We’ll start making arrangements immediately,” he said, releasing a

  jovial laugh. Axel nodded once more, but there was a tightness to his face

  that hadn’t been there before. His jaw was clenched so tightly I was afraid it

  would break.

  With that, Axel turned on his heel and stalked out of the dining room. He

  didn’t seem at all concerned that he was giving his back to a bunch of

  deranged, sociopathic Nightmares.

  When it became apparent that nothing else interesting would happen, I

  pulled the shadows to me once more and exited from my hiding spot.

  I felt like I had witnessed something monumental, but what that thing

  was, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. I had the distinct feeling that Z’s life was

  in danger yet again.

  But this time, I’d be damned if I didn’t do everything in my power to save

  her.

  SIX

  Z

  I brushed at a strand of Dair’s golden hair, highlighted from the

  sun. He looked peaceful in his sleep. Serene. The tightness once

  wrinkling his face and clenching his jaw was nowhere to be seen. I

  wanted him to stay like this for the rest of time.

  I had brought him to my bedroom and helped him onto my bed. The

  second his head had touched the pillow, he was out.

  Fuck, what type of parent did this to their kid?

  It didn’t take long for Devlin to find me. I swore he had a sixth sense that

  focused solely on me. Whenever I was distressed or frightened, he would

  come running.

  His eyes honed in on me first, assessing me for injuries, before lowering

  to a sleeping Dair.

  “Fuck,” he cursed, scrubbing a hand through his loose brown curls. He

  moved to stand behind me, hands resting on my shoulders. “What

  happened?”

  “What do you think?” I didn’t mean to snap, but my emotions were

  running rampant within me. All I wanted was to make the Mermaid King

  bleed for what he did to my mate. My love.

  The brutality of Nightmares never ceased to amaze me. They lived their

  lives with an abandonment most humans didn’t possess. They didn’t think

  about consequences before they acted; instead, they only saw the rewards.

  “I always knew he was a twisted fuck,” Devlin murmured, referring to the

  Mermaid King. His hands tightened imperceptibly on my shoulders before he

  abruptly released me. “When they first cut off Dair’s legs, many years ago, I

  wanted to kill them. Tavvy. The twins. His father.” He paced in front of the

  bed, repeatedly running his fingers through his disheveled hair. The dark

  strands stood in all directions like he’d stuck his finger in an electrical socket.

  “I didn’t even think... I couldn’t imagine...”

  “That they would do it again?” I queried, focusing once more on my

  unconscious mate. “Over and over and over again? Fuck, how many times

  have they grown his legs back just to cut them off? How many times?” Tears

  distorted my vision, but I refused to let them fall
. It wasn’t my story to cry

  over.

  Yet, I couldn’t help but think about all the times he had “meetings” with

  his father. Was he enduring unbelievable torture while I was only a hair’s

  breadth away?

  My stomach twisted and tightened, slithering like dozens of snakes.

  “I came to retrieve you,” Devlin finally said. “Bash completed the spell.

  We know where Jax is.”

  “Jax?” I whispered, spinning towards my Genie. His violet eyes were

  anguished as he stared at Dair before focusing on me.

  “We’ll meet with the others,” he said, grabbing my hand. Before he could

  pull me out of the room, I pressed my lips to Dair’s sweaty forehead.

  Already, I could see color returning to his ashen cheeks. He was right earlier.

  The Mermaid King must’ve given him a special potion to amplify his healing

  capabilities.

  “I’ll be back,” I promised my golden-haired prince. Giving him one last

  kiss, I followed Devlin out of my room and down the hall. His hand was tight

  in mine—a reminder that no matter what it seemed like, I wasn’t alone.

  “He’ll be okay,” Devlin vowed as we turned right at the fork in the hall.

  “Dair’s strong. Resilient. I swear the asshole’s made of steel.” There was a

  smile in his voice. I could sense how much he loved his brother, how much

  he respected him.

  The princes weren’t related by blood; however, they’d forged

  unbreakable bonds at a very young age. They were brothers in every sense of

  the word. Besides, look at Tavvy, dead by Dair’s own hand. Despite

  believing they were blood-related, they were nothing but enemies. Blood

  didn’t equal family.

  We stopped at an unfamiliar room at the end of the hall. Devlin didn’t

  bother knocking before he stepped inside.

  “Bash-hole! We’re here!” he called, kicking the door shut behind us, and

  I couldn’t help but smirk at the nickname. I hadn’t planned for it to stick, but

  I wasn’t complaining. Anything that annoyed Bash was a win in my book.

  Huh. This must be Bash’s room.

  It was larger than mine and bedecked in masculine, monochromatic

  colors. The black bed was a startling contrast to the white carpeting and beige

  painted walls. Two nightstands flanked the bed, one holding a lamp and the

  other a television remote. There were no dressers, but the closet was