by Amy Sumida
Sin's eyes glittered in the sunlight as he angled his head down and lifted my hand to his lips. He kissed my palm ardently as he kept his stare locked with mine.
“I'm sorry,” his voice went low, rough, and sensual, “but I had to kiss you somehow. If I didn't kiss your hand, I would have ended up at your feet.”
“Well, we can't have that,” my voice had gone low to match his so I cleared my throat before continuing. “Now, General Sin, let's take a look at my castle.”
“As you wish, Dark Star.” Sin held his arm out to me, and we headed to the castle together, moving over the stone path that bisected the lush, tropical gardens and then across an arching bridge that spanned the lake.
As we neared the grand, double doors of the main entrance, a pair of liveried footmen opened the gilded, peaked doors for us and bowed as my general and I strode into my castle.
Chapter Eighteen
“You don't do anything half-ass, do you?” Sin asked as we ambled down a hallway wide enough for an army to pass through.
Polished basalt floors—a nod to my fire and my star—stretched out before us in dark glory. A sea of black spreading over the entire first floor. I knew that it reached down into the island itself; an anchoring foundation like a speared flag into soil. This castle was my flag; my claiming mark and a declaration of war.
Instead of lightening all of that darkness with a pale color, the stone walls in the entry corridor were finished with a coating of indigo enamel and covered with layers of glass. Sparkling, amethyst stars laid between the layers. It gave the walls depth and made it seem as if you could step right into them; into the galaxy.
“Why do anything at all, if you're only going to do it halfway?” I countered.
“True, very true,” Sin murmured as he glanced down a side corridor. “So, give me a tour.”
“What do you think I'm doing?”
“You're a horrible tour guide,” he huffed playfully. “Didn't you learn anything from my example? Tell me about the place, don't just walk me through it. You could start by telling me where the windows are.”
“On the upper floors. This is a stronghold, built for defense, and windows are access points. The sheer walls prevent scaling and the oval windows on the upper floors make it harder to attach climbing hooks.” I paused when we reached an intersection of corridors and glanced back over my shoulder. “We passed the guest rooms and lodgings for the castle staff already. Those were down the side corridors.”
“Usually, the staff lives in the back of the castle,” he noted with a questioning tone.
“Again, everything was chosen with thoughts of defense.”
“Anyone attacking would have to go through visitors and servants first. You're making them cannon fodder?”
“Better them than us, my dear.” I smiled wickedly. “In all likelihood, the staff wouldn't be attacked anyway and there is always the possibility of a guest betraying us. Better to keep them down here where we'll have some warning before they reach us upstairs.”
“You are diabolically brilliant.”
“Thank you. Now, that way is my throne room where I will receive guests.” I waved down the hallway to my left. “To the right, we have the ballroom and the dining hall. The kitchens are at the back of the keep, between the dining hall and throne room but can only be accessed through the dining hall. Before us is the main elevator. Several others are spaced around the castle, including one in each of the outer towers. The towers can be accessed by bridges on the fifth floor, which is also where the windows start. There are stairs in case of an emergency; they go down through the outer layers that wrap the castle.”
“Another line of defense?” He asked.
“Any projectiles will hit the extra layers first and crumble pieces of the structure that are less integral before they reach the main keep,” I said as I nodded. “But they'll have to get past my wards before that, and I doubt anyone will be able to break those.”
“You put up wards as well?”
“Of course. The ex-king is scrambling right now; trying to figure out how he and his family wound up in Saudi Arabia and how he can get them back here.”
“You sent King Hamad to Saudi Arabia?” Sin lifted his black brows at me. “I'm surprised that you didn't kill him.”
“Banished, more like.” I shrugged. “I won't kill unless I have to. I'm doing this to protect humans, not hurt them. If I can manage it peacefully, I will.”
“You won't,” Sin said grimly. “Peace only comes after war.”
“I know,” I matched his tone. “Which is why I made a fortress on an island kingdom.”
“You chose Bahrain because of its location,” he whispered.
“Honestly, Star chose it,” I admitted. “I wouldn't have come here on my own. I enjoy a warm environment, but I also like it to be more tropical. I used to live in Hawaii.”
“Really?” He grinned as his gaze traveled down my body.
“Stop imagining me in a bikini, Sin,” I said dryly.
“Sorry, but you chose me, Dark Star. You knew what you were getting.”
“I chose you because of the man I know you can be.” I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer. “You are more than a Lothario. I don't mind if you want to flirt with me privately but in public, you will be my general and act accordingly. Understood?”
“Got it,” he said with a serious expression. When I let him go, he added, “But no one's watching us now so...”
I laughed and shook my head as I hit the button for the elevator. “Star knew what she was doing when she suggested I ally with you. I'm a woman who enjoys cracking jokes in the middle of a battle, but I'm afraid that my humor has been fading lately.” I stepped into the elevator, and Sin followed. “You'll be good for me; remind me to not take anything too seriously.”
“I can't imagine you cracking jokes in a battle.”
“I was always the one who people rolled their eyes at. Bad jokes, nicknames, puns, movie quotes; I loved it all. I think the humor helped get me past the horror. I've even mocked gods as they've tortured me.”
“That's badass,” Sin said with a smile.
“It definitely throws them off their game.” I smiled back.
“14 floors?” Sin asked as waved at the buttons. “From outside, there looked as if there were more. You must have made some high ceilings.”
I pressed number 14. “I did, but there are also more than 14 floors. That's only as high as this elevator goes. Another elevator will take us up to 16, where your suite is, and one goes up from there to the 17th floor, where my suite begins, and there, a final elevator extends up to 19, the top floor.”
“Three floors for yourself?” He lifted a brow.
“The floors get smaller the higher you go.” I shrugged. “In case you didn't notice; the keep is shaped like a tower.”
The elevator dinged, and we stepped out into a bright hallway with pale stone walls and creamy marble floors. I led Sin down a curving corridor to another elevator on the opposite side of the keep. We went up to the 16th floor and stepped out into a masculine room of onyx floors, dark gray walls, and heavy but sleek furniture.
“What do you think?” I asked Sin as I strode across the immense Persian carpets toward his balcony. “I can change anything you don't like.”
Sin strode around, admiring the dark dais his king-sized bed ruled from, running his hand across an ebony side-table, and peering through a doorway into the dressing room done in dark hardwood. He wandered into the other rooms; his private dining room, a living room with a flat-screen TV, and an extra room I'd left empty for him to furnish as he wished. Then he joined me on the balcony and stared at the waterfall that rushed down to the left of it. The spray added moisture to the air, purifying the dusty scent and refreshing my skin. Sin sighed as he leaned on the stone railing and stared out across the desert.
“I love it. Thank you. I don't think anyone has ever given so much. Especially not within 24 hours of our introduc
tion.”
“This is only the beginning,” I said softly.
Desert stretched to our left but to our right, cities could be seen on the horizon. Bahrain may be an island, but it was a massive one. Technically, it was an archipelago, a collection of islands, eighty-four, to be exact. I had taken control of the main island; Bahrain Island. I'd need to correct that uncreative name soon but at the moment, I had other things to focus on.
“Star has secured the archipelago for me,” I turned to speak to Sin. “The military is under my control, the ruling family, as I mentioned, has been banished to Saudi Arabia, and that enormous bridge that connected Bahrain to Saudi Arabia—”
“The King Fahd Causeway?”
“That's the one. It's gone for now. We'll replace it later when we need to move troops but right now, it's better to be harder to reach. They'll be coming for us soon.”
“Understood.” He nodded crisply, suddenly the soldier.
“The human population of Bahrain has been advised of the change in rulership through public service messages, and Star has calmed any unrest this caused. I'll go out among them soon and check out my kingdom—my queendom—but first, I'm going to take a tip from Tiamat and make some allies.”
“You're going to make your allies? Why do I have a feeling that you mean that literally?”
“Did I not mention that I have the power of creation at my disposal?” I smirked at him.
Sin gaped at me.
Maybe I'd even make myself a husband. The thought made me smile; a man formed to my exact specifications. What could be better than that? No more dealing with traits that annoyed me or overbearing attitudes. No more men pestering me to birth their children or be who they wanted me to be.
First, we should make your council, Star advised. Then we can create your lovers, as many as you'd like.
Just one, I said immediately. I have no desire to deal with multiple lovers again.
I don't blame you, she muttered.
Shouldn't my new husband be my general? Perhaps I was too hasty in offering Sin the position.
You think you should follow Tiamat's example in that as well?
Why not?
Tiamat's husbands died; both of them. Do you really want to put your new lover in that dangerous position?
I frowned as I considered it. I wanted a strong man but did I want a commanding one? A man who might oppose me one day? No. I wanted someone sweet and kind. Someone—
No, you don't, Star interrupted me. You want a badass motherfucker who can stand beside you and rule the world with you. Someone on your side who will support you but not cower before you. A sweet, kind, simpering man would drive you mad.
Azrael is sweet and kind, I protested as an ache filled my heart. He didn't drive me mad.
He also bent you over a couch once and fucked you in his Death Angel guise. There is more to him than sweetness.
True. I smiled at the memory.
He's literally Death.
Yes; he certainly is.
Now, stop thinking about that asshole. Azrael wouldn't support you in this. He chose to leave, remember? He tried to trick you. I swear; Angels are the worst. I think its the feather; it makes them flighty. When we make you a lover, we'll make him strong and loyal. Completely loyal.
You're right. My heart hardened against the traitors who I'd married. I strode back into Sin's suite and then over to the final elevator.
Sin came with me, casting me hesitant looks. We went up to the 17th floor and came out into a half-moon foyer. Two doors led off it; one opened to my private dining room. I took Sin through the other door, the one on the right, and into the room that would become our Council Chambers. My war room.
My heels clicked across the gleaming jet floor as I veered around the only furniture in the room; a solid, ebony table with matching chairs, ten of them. Massive, curved monitors formed the walls; screens to display war plans, connect to the Internet, and access human television networks. To my right, a balcony jutted out in a half-circle that was half the size of the room; large enough for a dragon to land on. The waterfall emerged from just beneath that balcony and the hollow roar of the water served as a calming soundtrack for a place that would be focused on violence.
“Stand against the wall, Sin. It's time to make my council.”
Sin moved aside with wide eyes.
“Star, shall we?”
Your wish is my command.
“What happened to you not being a genie?”
Just roll with it, she grumbled. Then her voice shifted into smugness, “And prepare yourself; this will be a bumpy ride.”
My body went rigid as the power of the Void and the Nine Great Magics surged through me. Specifically; the magics of Creation and Transmutation. I felt Star pull power from them as she also drew forth the dark matter of space and brought it down to Earth. While she did that, I connected with the Void in another way. I left my body and flew into that realm to gather the souls who would claim the bodies Star was forming.
The world trembled as Heaven met Earth and eight nebulous, pitch-black forms appeared around me, hovering over the jet floor. They solidified as I watched, streams of power pouring out of me and into them. Power and souls. The darkness brightened until the shapes were hidden completely and then, suddenly, the flow of magic stopped, the light faded, and they were revealed to me.
Sin made a strangled sound of amazement and took a single step forward, his eyes focused on the men who stood at attention in a circle around me.
“Welcome to life, my Star Gods,” I said warmly. “I have created you to help me bring peace to Earth. But to get that peace, we must first fight. I need you to lead my armies, beneath the command of General Sin.”
I waved a hand at Sin, and he nodded at the men, his stare flicking to each of them warily.
“Sin knows this region and its people, and he is my first ally. He will be a great help to us. You will be more than my commanders, you will also be my council. We shall meet here, in our Council Chambers, to strategize but not today. Today is the day of your birth, and we must celebrate that. You are the chosen champions of the Dark Star. I've plucked your souls from the Void because they called to me. You called to me. You want life but more than that, you want greatness, and you're willing to fight for it. So, I took you from that realm and formed your bodies from dark matter. You are the first gods to be shaped by a goddess; the first stars to be born on Earth. You are so very special, and I rejoice in your arrival.”
The Star Gods stared at me with dawning comprehension. It must not have been easy to come fully-formed back to life. But Star had made sure to give them the knowledge they needed along with skills I required them to have. They were smart, but that wisdom was tempered by loyalty. I couldn't have a brilliant tactician secretly plotting to steal my throne. Their bodies had been made strong, but their magic was far stronger. Warrior gods who owed their lives to a goddess. They stretched their new bodies beneath the loose tunics and trousers Star had clothed them in, shoulders settling and hands clenching with power, then smiled in satisfaction.
“Yes, I've given you many gifts and your loyalty will also be rewarded,” I went on. “But let that go for now. You are freshly returned to the world, and we must do this properly. When you know yourselves better and are settled into life, you are free to choose your own names but, for now, I will give you the names of the first Star Gods, in honor of the Dragon Goddess who has inspired me.”
I stepped forward to the first god and smiled softly as I stroked his angular face. His lime green, slit-pupil eyes, like the scales of a pit viper, focused on me as if I were everything to him. And he was just as important to me; I could feel a shimmering awareness between us. We were bound with an unbreakable knot, formed by the process of his rebirth.
Another pair of green eyes flared in my mind; another god born of magic. Torrent; the name whispered through me, and I wondered what my friend would think of these gods. What he would think of me for creating them
. Well, one thing was certain; I wouldn't treat them as Iktomi had treated Torr. I would give these men the love that my friend had been denied.
“The Viper,” I named the first star god.
“My Goddess.” He bowed his head.
“I am Vervain to you.” I turned to glance at them all. “To all of you. I will be mother, sister, and friend; whoever you need me to be. We will support each other and love each other. Out there, we fight. In the world, I will be the Dark Star and you will be my Star Gods. But in here, when it's only us, I'm Vervain.”
“Vervain,” Viper tested the word and then smiled.
A pair of sharp, slim fangs flicked down behind his top teeth, and I admired them a moment before I stepped over to the next man.