Salvation: Saving Setora Book Seven

by Dark, Raven

  Light, babies. The Four’s babies.

  Quick as lightning, I stopped the thoughts, remembering for the millionth time that I had to be vigilant.

  Once Tahmi left, Julian turned his focus on me.

  “This just keeps getting better, my Cama Di.” He took my hands. I swallowed fresh bile and avoided ripping them free. “My guards have reported excellent news. I have the perfect gift for our wedding tonight.” He squeezed my hands.

  Oh no, what now?

  “It seems some of the dissidents who carry your banner have just been captured and brought into the castle grounds.”

  My stomach sank. It took all my effort to keep my face neutral. “Oh?”

  “A Critian barbarian, a Ganth, and two blond twins, to name a few. You know those men?”

  True confusion must have crossed my face because Julian looked almost disappointed. But then it came to me. Quickly, I lowered my head before he could see my reaction. Sinister, Savage, Reaper, and probably Ivek.

  The Brothers of Brimstone?

  Oh Maker, I didn’t know whether to be more worried or relieved.

  To hide anything Julian might see in my expression, I stood, went to the railing and leaned on it, my back to him. Hoping he’d think I was processing this new information and not that I was terrified for my men and my friends.

  My mind raced. Think, Setora, think!

  “Such men cannot be allowed to live, Cama Don,” I said gently.

  I heard Julian’s intake of breath behind me.

  “Have I said something wrong, my Lord?” I closed my eyes.

  “On the contrary, Setora.” He let out a laugh as he stood up and crossed to the railing. “There is no room for them in my world.” He paused. “And what if I said my guards were to bring in the Four of the Dark Legion, my Cama Di?” He touched my neck, and it took everything in me not to scream in revulsion.

  This just kept getting worse. It was bad enough I had to expend so much of my energy on keeping him from harming my unborn babies, but now I’d have to convince him of, what? Letting him think I’d stand by while he killed the men I loved?

  There was only one way out of this—to buy more time.

  “The Dark Legion are pirates who kidnapped me,” I said, channeling my rage with Julian and turning to face him. “To them, I am nothing but a slave. They are just the kind of men you were talking about. The blight on the world. They are no better than Damien was.”

  The joy in his eyes made me sick to my stomach

  I swallowed, giving him a shy smile. “These…savages your guards brought in. May I see them, Cama Don?”

  “Of course.”

  * * *

  We left the greenhouse, and a few minutes later, we entered Julian’s icy dungeon. He and one of his guards led the way down a hall lined with cells. In the cell on the end, Sinister, Savage, Reaper, and Ivek sat on a bench at the back. My heart broke for them, but I held my head up, casting them the darkest look I could. A look of hatred for the Dark Legion and the barbarian whose people had also stolen me away once.

  Julian’s guard unlocked the cell and Julian stepped in. I followed.

  Confusion flashed in the eyes of all of them. Ivek sat up a little straighter. So did another man on the end.

  My heart froze in my chest as soon as the blond man raised his head. Shocked blue eyes met mine.

  Pretty Boy!

  Maker, I had to get them out of this. Had to give them the upper hand somehow.

  Yet again, a horrible idea formed in my head. What other choice did I have? I had to get them out of this cell.

  I marched over to Pretty Boy…and slapped him hard across the face.

  His eyes flashed with shock and confusion…and hurt.

  I rounded on Julian, shoving down my disgust at his delight. “That’s the one who started this,” I snarled. “They are responsible for taking me from Damien.” I watched with satisfaction as Julian’s jaw tensed at the mention of my former master’s name. “If they hadn’t, I never would have ended up with the Legion. And this…barbarian.” I pointed at Ivek. “Damien was to sell me to his people.”

  I glanced back at Pretty Boy to avoid looking at Ivek.

  My love looked utterly gutted.

  I hated myself. But I had to keep playing the role.

  Leaning into Pretty Boy, hoping I looked like I was taunting him, I grabbed his hair. Reaper made a loud noise, apparently somehow knowing that I needed a distraction.

  “Where are they?” I rasped in his Pretty boy’s ear.

  “In the castle,” he hissed. “Posing as guards.”

  I shoved him hard. “Don’t touch me!” I stepped back, looking outraged. Once more, I turned at Julian who couldn’t seem to tear his eyes from me.

  “Cama Don,” I said, hearing the intake of breath from Pretty Boy at the title. “May I make a request?”

  “Anything, my delightful Cama Di.”

  I walked over to him and he took my hands. I left them in his grip, gazing up at him with all the sincerity I could muster. “You are giving me freedom. No one could ask for anything more. But I want to make my announcement now. And I want them there, presented to me so that they hear me what I have to say.”

  Julian’s smile was huge. “They will be there. They will be kneeling at your feet when I cut off their heads.”

  The words jolted through me like a bolt of lightning.

  When he cuts off… Oh, Maker, what have I done?

  Chapter 42

  A Brave New World

  “She what?” Sheriff growled. Now that the guards in the cell block had left us alone, he lowered the fur mask that covered the lower half of his face. He’d somehow managed to get himself posted on us for the next shift’s watch.

  “She hit me,” I said, rubbing my throbbing jaw. “It was a good one, too.”

  “Setora hit you?” Hawk’s artificially black eyes looked disbelieving. Understandably so, because Setora had probably never hit anyone in her life.

  When I told them the rest of what happened, Sheriff stared, and Hawk scrunched his brows.

  “Kitten, what are you up to?” he rasped.

  “She’s fucking everything up, is what she’s doing,” Sheriff snapped. “Fucking women heroes.”

  “No, Sheriff, she has a plan. I’m sure of it,” I said. “I hope.”

  Julian was going to cut off our fucking heads. What a shitshow this was turning out to be.

  “What’s this announcement she wants to give, though?” Ivek rumbled. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “I don’t know, but whatever she’s doing, it’s getting us out of the cell and putting us close to her, and Julian. It’s part of the plan, guys.” I shrugged lamely.

  “Well—” Sheriff cut off and waved for us all to sit down again as a door at the end of the hall opened. He put his mask back up and stood at attention.

  Tahmi came to the cell and unlocked the door. “Up. Time for the Worldmaker’s announcement.”

  Son of a bitch, I wanted to gut that guy. I followed the guard, groping for any hint I might have missed as to what Setora’s plan might be.

  “You, too.” Tahmi fired a look back at Sheriff. “Everyone must be present for her address.”

  Looking like he would have been happy to have his hand around Setora’s throat, Sheriff waited for everyone else to file out of the cell and then followed us.

  Along with four other guards who met us down the hall, Tahmi led us down a series of corridors and into a massive throne room. Thick gold, white, and purple banners hung from the icy white walls, adding a splash of color, but offering no warmth. Hundreds of other guards already stood there in neat, orderly rows. At the front of the room, an ivory throne with precious stones in royal purple sat atop a marble dais. Violets stood before the front of the silent assemblage, dozens of them, many of them with bellies bloated with child.

  I clenched my fists. Julian was a sick fucking bastard.

  Our escorts marched us up to the d
ais, and four more guards shoved us to our knees in front of its bottom step. Sinister and Savage went down, flashing Sheriff and then me a look. Silently asking us if we had a plan. I wished we did.

  Reaper assessed the room with careful eyes, likely taking stock of all the exits—the one at the back, which we’d just come through, and sets of doors to the left and right. No luck there; all were heavily guarded. Kneeling beside Reaper, Beast bared his teeth with a quiet growl at the crowd until Reaper leaned over and whispered something calming in his ear.

  Sheriff and Hawk took up position behind us. Perfect. Especially since both had swords. When the fighting started, they’d be able to tip the odds toward us, if only slightly.

  Steel stood at the end of the line and grabbed Ivek’s shoulder, pushing him to his knees, playing up the role of the heartless guard. He flashed me a “I hope our woman knows what she’s doing,” look.

  Fuck, I hoped so, too.

  I glanced back at the guards and Violets. T-Man, Doc, Bear, Blade, and Grim had been brought in, all cuffed and held by a guard detail. Most of the men who had joined our cause on the way here remained outside, along with Ali’san, Tyrant, and most of Ivek’s troops. Since they hadn’t heard from us within the three-hour time we’d allotted, they’d be following our backup plan. They would have joined the crowd gathered at the front of the castle for the pronouncement, blending in with the kingdom’s populace. All were waiting for the signal, a single horn blast that Julian’s guards would let loose the moment the fighting started.

  Murmurs rippled through the crowd, drawing my attention to the front of the room.

  Double doors to the left of the dais opened. My stomach did a nosedive.

  Setora floated gracefully through the side doors and across the room, Julian a pace behind. The sight of her took my breath away. She was beyond gorgeous. A white gown with a flowing skirt of silk flared from her waist, the top pushing up her perfect tits. Her hair had been worked into soft curls and a silvery tiara sat atop her violet tresses, gleaming in the room’s torchlight.

  Fuck, she was stunning, but if I remembered my Old World history right, that dress was a fucking wedding gown. A wedding gown made for a wedding to…

  Oh hell no. Julian was so dead.

  Setora went up the steps to the top of the dais and faced the crowd. It didn’t go unnoticed that she’d entered ahead of Julian. Dressed in the elaborate white cloaks fit for a king but with the distinctly alien look that Shana Rayan chick had worn, Julian walked forward and stopped a pace behind her. The dickwad’s eyes glittered with smug satisfaction. An entourage of guards had followed them out and now stood to either side of the throne.

  None of us were getting near Julian now.

  Shit.

  Setora met our eyes. I glanced back at Hawk, who pulled his mask down just a little, his eyes fixated on her.

  When I looked at Setora, her gaze momentarily locked on him. I watched for the slightest flicker in her expression, anything that indicated this was an act, but there was nothing. Her face was a cold, practiced mask that would have made Ali’san proud.

  “Come on, Kitten, what are you doing?” he whispered.

  Good question.

  Hoping the hell she’d put us in the same room so that we could get access to the guards’ weapons and slaughter them, I kept my eyes on her.

  She glanced back at Julian, then to us. When she spoke, she raised her voice so that we heard every word.

  “Welcome, all of you. Today, history is about to be made.” She gestured to the Violet-haired fuck at her side. “This man is about to change the world. He will bring to you a freedom unlike the world has ever known. Peace. Prosperity. An end to needless violence and death.”

  A slight smile touched her lips.

  “Today, the world will know a future it never could have imagined. He has asked me to stand at his side and reshape it into what it should have been.”

  Ok, what the actual fuck? She sounded insane. This had to be part of the act. It had to be.

  “Tonight, I stand at his side and promise you a new world. A perfect world.”

  A perfect world? Dread slid through me like a knife through fucking butter.

  “Tomorrow, I will be his wife. We will be your rulers, and I will be his Cama Di. I will be your queen.”

  My stomach hit the floor. I felt like someone had run me right through the gut with a burning hot blade.

  “I’m gonna kill her,” Sheriff hissed.

  If I had been a woman, I probably would have fucking fainted.

  Either Julian was controlling her again, brainwashing her into saying all that shit, or Setora had gone butt-fuck insane.

  It had to be one of those two, because the alternative was unthinkable.

  Because otherwise it meant our woman had just betrayed us all. It would mean my beautiful Princess was lost to us forever.

  “In keeping with that promise,” Setora continued, “Justice will be exacted on the five men kneeling before me—the infamous pirates of the Dark Legion, and the Critian barbarian they call their friend. Your esteemed Cama Don and I will bring to you the justice these dissidents deserve.”

  On cue, Julian unsheathed his sword, but before he could take a step toward us, Setora glanced at him again.

  “If it pleases my Lord, I have a formal request.”

  Julian quirked a brow at her, waiting.

  She scanned the crowd. “To commemorate my union to you and show my loyalty to you and this court, as your future queen in your brave new world...” She paused and then locked her eyes on him. “…I ask that I be allowed to take their heads.”

  Horror slid through me. Mind-numbing disbelief pumped through my veins. What. The. Fuck.

  Sheriff made a sound like he’d swallowed his tongue.

  Looking at Setora, it was hard to believe this was the same sweet, gentle woman who’d changed our lives and our club for the better. Whose love had transformed the Dark Legion itself.

  Brimming with delight, Julian crossed the small space between them. Laying his sword across his palms as if it were a gift, he presented the weapon to her.

  It had suddenly become hard to breathe. I wanted to think she hadn’t called Sheriff, Hawk, and Steel out because this was an act and she meant for them to be part of the plan, but it was starting to look more and more likely that she simply hadn’t recognized them.

  Setora’s hand closed around the hilt of the sword slowly. I thought I saw her eyes close for an instant, a look of concentration—or perhaps resolve—crossing her features.

  Julian looked thrilled. I wanted to launch myself across the room at him. He was controlling her. He had to be.

  “Today, your tyranny ends,” she whispered the words like a promise.

  Then she took the weapon from Julian’s hands and stepped toward us.

  Chapter 43

  Deathblow

  With the prisoners kneeling on the floor before me, I took a single step across the dais toward them. Already having wrapped my mind in the calm of my garden, all other emotions flickered beyond its outer boundaries. The hurt, the shock, the flicker of fear in the eyes of my men, Ivek, and the former Brothers of Brimstone didn’t touch me, instead, sliding over my impenetrable walls, ineffective.

  This was the only way. If I let their emotions affect me, I would hesitate, and if I did that, it was all over.

  With the unfamiliar weight of the sword in my grip, I instead drew a mental breath and reached out my thoughts. Reached them out toward my small Hive, toward my Sisters who were waiting in cave, safe and hidden as Ali’san had promised. My mind went then to Ali’san, to my mother. To those Violets here who had begged for my help, and whom I knew were on my side.

  Dozens of minds answered back, feeding me strength, speed, granting me what I needed now. Ali’san’s thoughts latched onto the Collective thoughts pulsing in my head. Her skills—the finely honed skills of a warrior, flooded me, and, I hoped, guided my blade.

  Sisters togethe
r as one.

  I gripped the weapon with both hands and locked my gaze on the men before me.

  Then, with a strength and speed that could only be obtained over years of training among Hawk’s people, I spun around, swinging the sword in a wide, swift arc.

  For a single instant, I saw the disbelief register on Julian’s face before the sword sliced.

  His head rolled.

  Blood sprayed, and his body dropped like a felled tree.

  Set free of his influence, the minds of the Violets throughout the castle seemed to instantly come out of a haze, like the victims of some evil sorcerer breaking free of his spell.

  In front of me, all hell broke loose. Guards shouted, and weapons were unsheathed. The men of the Dark Legion’s shouts rose up, along with Ivek’s barbarous roar. The guards, who’d been standing beside Julian, must have made a move for me, because I heard Steel push them back, followed by the meaty thwack of fists hitting bone.

  All of this, however, seemed to be coming down a long tunnel, voices muted to a distant buzz under the numbing shellshock of what I’d just done.

  Weakness flooded me in a wave. I dropped to my knees, dimly aware of one of my men helping me to my feet and reassuring me, before several of Ivek’s warriors moved in and blocked the dais, protecting me.

  Tabir lowered me onto the throne and checked me over until I told him I was fine.

  “The Violets. Keep them safe,” I told him thickly. My teeth were chattering. Shock, or the immense amount of mental energy I’d expended to strike that blow was shutting me down. I raised my voice. “Don’t hurt the Violets!”

  “They’ll be fine, Liberator.” Tabir wrapped his fur cloak around me, closing it tight, his gentle. “Your Dark Legion has things well in hand.”

  The battle waging through the room died down, After a few more shouts and clashes of steel, just like that, it was over. The next I knew, the Legion, Ivek’s men, and the Brothers of Brimstone were rounding up the few soldiers left. Bodies littered the floor, most of them soldiers, the white marble tiles slick with blood where the dead lay.