by Reid, Stacy
Ajali had no idea how to help her, and he despised the helplessness. Stay with me, Tehdra, speak with me.
Why?
He opted for honesty. Because I do not want you to lose. I hardly know you, but the thought of never seeing you again as you were…unbearable.
I liked you Ajali…. Her voice wafted through his mind, almost teasing, and some of the knotted tension in his stomach eased.
Liked? As in no more?
Her pained chuckle slid across his senses in a dark caress.
Am I not your most hated enemy?
Darkans are.
Am I not a Darkan?
You are also something more…
This time the voice that laughed contained an overlay of menace, and the thing in the pit twisted its head and peered directly at him.
Come closer…
He remained rooted.
Pitiless eyes met his with the cold watchfulness of a reptile. Are you afraid, Phoenyx? Power poured through their link, a darkness that wound around his soul to touch the light of his Phoenyx. Instead of shying from each other, power acknowledged power. Icy flames stirred in his gut and filled his veins.
Do you not dream of what our combined power could be like…tyrant? I will make you the king of Amagarie…all who challenge your rule will only know pain and death.
The insidious beauty of her words wrapped around his desire never to see his kingdom fall, but he resisted her dark pull.
Is that what you want, Tehdra?
I only want your happiness.
Her words had him rocking back on his heels. Then, after only a brief hesitation, he launched himself over the balcony to land less than five feet from her.
“Ajali!” Xian screamed.
“My king!” Gavyn’s shout was punctuated by the sharp hiss of his blade as he withdrew it and launched over the railing to land beside Ajali. Acheron and Quinn followed while Ajali’s other blades flanked the balcony, assessing from above.
“Do we kill her?”
Ajali slowly turned and looked at Gavyn.
Gavyn frowned. “Your eyes are pure flames... Does she truly mean so much to you?”
The idea of Tehdra’s death seemed untenable. “She fights, Gavyn.”
“She does, but whatever is trying to come from her is—”
“Silence,” Ajali commanded.
A promise of menace rode the air. He held up his fist, and the atmosphere changed in the pit to keen awareness.
“Acheron,” Ajali said, uncoiling his chains.
“I sense it, my liege. There is death in the room.”
“Show yourself!” Ajali commanded. He swiveled his head to where shadows seemed to writhe and blend from the wall. He ignored Ruxia’s startled scream as shadows pooled at her feet and a Darkan appeared with the Princess of Boreas at his side. Not just any Darkan, the one who had mated Princess Saieke and stole Ajali’s chance at an allegiance.
Swords hissed, and the intent of his blades focused into deadly concentration. The heat in the pit rose, and Ajali’s lips curved at the enemy’s audacity.
“What is the meaning of this?” Bastien’s voice rang with the power of authority and something far deadlier, yet the Darkan did no more than look at Tehdra’s bound and broken form. Ajali did not know what alerted him, the newcomer’s expression betrayed no emotion, but Tehdra chained in the dungeon affected him. Fury surged inside of the Darkan, and Ajali detected it only because his Phoenyx was pure rage. Rage called to rage.
“Acheron,” Ajali said softly, and in a blink, Acheron was on Tehdra with his twin swords circling her neck.
Ajali’s gut tightened. The howl of madness that came from her shook him, yet he buried all doubt. The enemy cared for her. Thus she was a pawn until he revealed his motives. Ajali could not let his feelings for her create uncertainty. The blood thirst that bloomed from the Darkan was stunning in its intensity. Ajali was impressed. Nothing showed that he cared. Only the princess’ sharp jerk betrayed her to those who could not sense the Darkan’s anger.
"King Ajali of the House of Haddin, pressing circumstances have us entering your kingdom without declaring our reason and status. If not for extenuating reasons that you seem to be privy to, such a breach of protocol would never have happened within Nuria." The princess' voice was strong and sure. "We have come to claim Tehdra El Kyn of the clan Dragos, of the Darkage that is held bound. We offer recompense for any lives lost and destruction of your kingdom.”
Ajali listened to her words, but his gaze never left the Darkan who seemed to catalog the location of all his blades. The Darkan did not shift his gaze or his stance, but Ajali’s honed instinct sensed every thought as the Darkan assessed each person’s position, noting their location, their weapons. Ajali buried all feelings as the Darkan paused in his assessment of Xian. Even though she was positioned behind him upon the balcony, she snagged the Darkan’s attention. He lingered, possibly noting the resemblance to the throne, noting the weak link in the dungeon, perhaps sensing her fear. The Darkan made no move from the Princess Saieke. His weak link. But was she his only weak link?
He met Acheron’s eyes and silently communicated that whatever he was about to say was a bluff. His blade nodded infinitesimally.
“If Princess Xian disappears, behead Tehdra,” Ajali said calmly, and Princess Saieke flinched.
He showed his hand with the order, but would the Darkan call his bluff? Tehdra’s death was not something he desired. Tehdra's roar slammed into his head before it resounded into the pit. Pain slashed at him with a rage that burned his insides.
Why, Ajali?
Tehdra, be calm…
The scream shook the columns, and he distantly heard the snapping of chains as if they were not made from the purest of valnetium iron.
Be calm! He slammed into their link. I have not betrayed you.
Another snarl had his knees buckling with its power. He did not see the Darkan move, yet Acheron flew across the pit to slam into the wall with force. Ajali flashed, trying to bear the screaming that still echoed in his mind. He pushed along their pathway, trying to find her, but he only encountered a mire of pure darkness.
Tehdra, I bluffed. Never would I bring you harm.
He pushed it along their link to be met with a fury that knew no reason. His Phoenyx surged, heating his insides, power tunneling through his veins.
A snarl hissed through the pit, the malevolence in it raising his hackles. The crack of chains snapping reverberated in the hole as Tehdra broke through her shackles with an ease that warned of the force they were about to reckon with. Dozens of broken valnetium chains littered the ground. Swords were drawn, and his blades braced themselves. Even Xian launched herself into the pit with her weapon drawn.
Without Ajali seeing, the Darkan appeared on Tehdra’s back, struggling to hold her down. Even though some chains still held her, they seemed feeble against the power she represented.
With a snarl that shook the earth, she broke free of all manacles.
“Acheron clear the pit. Gavyn, I task you to protect Xian!”
Within seconds the pit emptied leaving him alone with Tehdra, the Darkan, and the princess.
“It may be wise for you to leave the pit, Princess Saieke,” Ajali cautioned before directing his undivided attention on Tehdra and the Darkan. Power surged inside of him, and the two Darkans lifted their heads and peered at him, without a doubt the heat of his rage bloating their powers.
Ajali tried to find her along the pathway and could only feel evil.
“Tehdra, heed my aid, sister. I have the elixir. It can heal the crack, help you to retain control. Allow me close,” the Darkan said as he fought with her in a brutal dance.
Tehdra was his kin.
Her obsidian eyes with its serpentine cast considered her brother and then dismissed him. With a blur of speed, she moved, launching out of the pit. The Darkan slammed her to the ground in a spectacular show of strength.
Heat washed from Ajali as he drew his sword
s, releasing the chains and wrapping them around his elbow as he flashed in closer. Flames seemed to engulf Tehdra and the Darkan as the ring of fire pulsed and cackled. Cold washed into the pit as the icy water tried to extinguish the circle of flames. Princess Saieke.
Ajali analyzed the fight between the Darkans, keenly biding his time. Could the Darkan subdue her? The thought of Tehdra dying clawed at his gut, leaving gouges that he doubted could ever be healed. If her brother could not call her back, would he kill her?
No...
No such blow would fall on Tehdra. If the Darkan moved to kill her, Ajali would incinerate him, bind Tehdra, and search the seven kingdoms for a way to return her sanity.
“He will not kill her.”
Ajali did not look at the princess.
“Tehdra is Drac’s twin. If they continue to fight, he will be forced to do her harm. He must restrain her before the hunters arrive.”
Ajali strove to show an unaffected mien. It was never wise to show any weakness. His lips curved, acknowledging that Tehdra was his weakness. “Hunters?”
“There are hunters of the Darkage who pursue Darkans who have lost the battle of wills to their beast. Tehdra will die if one of them arrives.”
Ajali considered the princess’ words. Would he allow a hunter to take her? He thought not. “She fights; the battle is not yet lost.”
The princess glided closer. “Is it your intention to demand Tehdra’s death?”
Silence.
“You had her bound, her head for the taking. Why did you hesitate?”
Ajali did not allow the princess’ bald curiosity to distract him from the fight.
“Are you her mate?”
He stilled. Would he ever acknowledge such a claim?
The earth trembled, and brother and sister rolled towards them in a blur, interchanging positions every few seconds.
A vicious snarl echoed from Tehdra accompanied by a blow into Drac’s sternum with clawed hands. The crack of the Darkan’s shoulders against the wall sounded harsh in the dungeon.
She attempted to leap from the pit once more, and Ajali swung chains of fire into an arch. He impaled Tehdra’s wing with his sword and his chain wrapped around her throat. He drew on the rage of his Phoenyx and flashed to her, holding his other sword to her throat.
“Acheron bound her.” He barely got the words out when, on a surge, massive wings spanning more than seven feet in width, flapped and carried them into the air. Tehdra flew backward slamming him into the wall, as the sharp edges of her wings cut and sliced at his skin.
Pain traveled down his spine, and the wash of blood ran down his legs.
Tehdra!
His power surged, and the chakra of his flames seemed to dance with the darkness.
The columns shook, and a cry of piercing agony echoed. The flesh between the scales rippling over her skin bubbled and melted.
The Darkan flinched from the heat of Ajali’s flames as his shirt was incinerated. He disappeared into the shadows, taking his princess away from the fire that seared the dungeon. Power glided on the air as black flames spewed from Tehdra in a wide arch.
The agony that vibrated through Ajali as they wetted his skin was any unlike he’d ever suffered. With a bellow, he threw her from him, and they tumbled to the ground. She spun in a graceful slide, facing him.
He crouched, allowing the rage to cloud his mind, distantly admiring the cruelty that bled from her, the sheer malevolence in her form.
“Everyone in your kingdom is alive because she cares for you,” the Darkan said, stepping from the shadows beside Ajali. Black flames similar to Tehdra’s surrounded the Darkan, protecting their skin from his Phoenyx.
“The shackles will not hold her.”
Ajali nodded. “What plan you do you have to rid her of this madness?”
“The elixir of Boreas has proven to heal the psychic crack, aiding our kind in retaining some control over the beast.”
“Administer it.”
“I have attempted twice. The elixir was wasted.”
“Try once more,” Ajali said and surged forward, chains whistling from his hands, encasing her. He flashed on her back, gritting his teeth as the brutal edges of her wings cut deep into his flesh. The Darkan appeared, forcing her mouth open to pour in the elixir. Ajali released his flames, trying to subdue her as black fire spat from her mouth towards her brother. Chains melted as her fire landed, and the earth shook as the Darkan slammed his fist into her throat, trying to stop the spew of flames. Dozens of chains whined through the air as they tried to bind her once more, and Ajali understood it was only possible because of his presence. She did not want his death. Even during such violent rage and bloodthirstiness, the beast wanted to protect its mate.
“My king!” The Serangite Ruxia yelled. Her face was pale as she stared at Tehdra with wide eyes. “The prophecy unfolds,” Ruxia said in a strangled voice.
He ignored Xian’s harsh gasp of denial and Bastien’s order that Ajali released Tehdra at once.
She was constrained, his swords impaling her wings, her back twisted and broken, clavicle cracked from the blow dealt by her brother, yet she raged. The darkness staining his veins grew colder. To say he was surprised that Tehdra was the prophesied killer would be a lie. Nothing about Tehdra would ever surprise him again. She would rip out his throat and drink his blood in rage. Drink his blood. He gathered power, not sure of what he planned, and punched through the pathway that she’d formed with him. The agony of encountering such evil lashed at his skin, burned at his soul.
Ajali.
He barely heard the smooth huskiness of her voice whispered so softly against his mind. She still fought, buried in the viciousness of her essence. He tried to find her along their link, to see her as clearly as before but only encountered a veil he could not pierce.
Tehdra.
“Is there no weakness of her beast?” He tried to hold onto their wavering connection.
The Darkan’s cold gaze touched his face. “Your blood will hold her enthralled for a few seconds at most.”
“Give me the elixir.”
“My king, no!” the Serangite yelled as the Darkan threw Ajali the elixir.
He drank the elixir in one gulp. With a slash of his swords, he loosened the chains around Tehdra and released her wings. Ajali slammed into Tehdra’s mind with the force of his Phoenyx, hoping to go deeper into the darkness as she threw him into the wall cracking the structure of the dungeon. He did not fight as she knocked him to the ground and impaled his shoulders with her wings. He slashed up his sword not to cut her or defend, but to lay open a vein at his neck. He flared out the chakra of his Phoenyx, surrounding them with a barrier of crimson flames. His blades would not sit lightly while she ripped into his throat. They would be able to see them through the fire but would be unable to interrupt. For to penetrate his barrier, they risked incineration.
Tehdra didn’t hesitate. The scent, the lure of his blood the only thing she understood. She roared as fangs lengthened, scales rippled, and she plunged her fangs deep into his neck, tearing and drinking.
* * *
Sweeter than the most violent of negative chakra.
Hot.
Potent.
Spicy.
Powerful.
A snarl echoed as her throat pulled. The most exquisite of darkness, one that rivaled pain, death, despair, and agony.
His blood was sublime...decadent.
An electrifying heat shot through Tehdra’s as she drank Ajali’s life force. The beast lifted its head and purred. Ajali lay beneath her, his hands splayed at his side, head titled, allowing her to freely feast. Her thighs clenched as need spasmed through her.
He is mine! Tehdra snarled.
Ours, the malevolence hiss of her demon sang through her blood.
Ours...she accorded.
Mate.
Tehdra?
I am here, Ajali…your blood holds me captive. Does it heal me? I can feel my barriers getting stronger. I h
ave more control.
Drink more.
Yesssssss.
The frenzy slowly receded from Tehdra’s mind as Ajali’s presence and closeness quickened her body to life. A powerful lunge of darkness surged inside of her, fighting the control she’d gained.
Bond with me. I whisper no lies. You cannot exist outside my body. Accept my body as yours, and I will accept your chakra as mine. We have our mate. We will live together, fight together, and love together.
First, it was a purr in her blood. Then a symphony of death filled her veins, bloodthirst, and savagery lighting her from within as she bonded with her beast. She sucked at Ajali’s neck harder. Lust rose in her throat, brutal, demanding, and she wanted to devour him.
She lifted her head and snarled.
Raw feared swelled, and she inhaled, but it did not come from her mate; it emanated from those who stood on a high balcony watching them.
She looked down at her Ajali, and he met her stare, his emerald gaze filled with flames as power crackled through the air.
She dipped and licked the blood that trickled from his neck to chest. His scent was rich, compelling and between her legs, her flesh dampened with shocking speed. With a soft growl, she struck, sinking her fangs into his neck.
He made an inarticulate sound of mingled pain and pleasure, and her beast sang in triumph.
21
Ajali gripped Tehdra’s hips, and with a vicious twist, aligned her back, healing its broken form. Blood ran down his neck from the savage gouges in his throat. He ruthlessly restrained himself from preventing her consumption. He needed her to feed as much as possible, to swallow the elixir in his blood and heal her injuries as well as the psychic crack, if possible.
He pushed along the pathway that he was becoming so familiar with and tensed at the essence he encountered. Something about it was different. The same viciousness resided within her, but it seemed something more merged into her being. He shifted, trying to feel Tehdra alone, but he could not separate them.