Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms Book 2)

by Amelia Hutchins

  “You don’t trust me, which means you’re smart enough to live. That’s the King of Norvalla chasing your dainty-ass down, Silver. So, either stay and donate your skull to his throne, or come with me, and live. It’s a rather simple choice to make unless you get off on pain.”

  I rushed forward, deciding to take my chances with the woman. Even weak, I was stronger than most witches in this realm. Knox’s scent hit me, and my body went tight like a bowstring as the woman reached forward, grabbing and pulling me through the portal.

  Stepping through to the other side, she slapped her hand against the portal, and we both sank to our knees in the dirty refuge alley in a place I didn’t recognize.

  “Welcome to the end of the world, where everyone is an asshole. What’s your name?” she asked, her brows wrinkling her forehead.

  “Aria. Yours?”

  “Esmerelda. My friends call me Esme, though.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Esme.”

  “We’re not friends, Aria. You can call me, Esmerelda.”

  “Noted,” I snorted, my lips curving into a smile. “You’re an asshole. I can respect that,” I snickered while a smile tugged at Esme’s lips.

  Neither one of us moved to rise from where we kneeled on the cobblestone alleyway. I didn’t even try because I couldn’t yet. My core clenched and released several times with the need to go back through the portal and clobber Knox over the head and ride him. Esme didn’t move, probably because Knox’s rattle was enough to make a sane person go insane with fear.

  “What did you do to catch his attention?” she asked, pushing herself up using the dirty building side to gain her footing.

  “I pissed on his party, ruining his plans for the week,” I muttered, forcing my legs to work to follow her.

  We moved from the alley into a bustling city that looked like the underbelly of a much larger city. People walked in rags through the street, pushing carts toward a large mine opening at the mouth of the town. A black, oily substance covered hands, clothes, and the rags that covered the faces of those traveling toward the mine.

  The scent of rotting meat offended my nose, forcing my arm to move against it to stop the stench. My eyes burned from the fumes and smell of rotten food and something else. Women stood beside buildings in dirty dresses, calling to men who pushed larger carts toward the mine’s mouth. My gaze slid over their outfits, or what remained of them. Some women hadn’t bothered to cover their chests, allowing their tits to be bare, catching the attention of many men.

  “This way, Aria,” Esme said, as we walked on a road lined with huts.

  I skipped toward her, rushing past some of the women who called out, offering to ease the needs of males and females alike. My eyes lifted to a single dwelling that looked out over the town like an oversight building.

  “This is us.” Esme nodded to a hut that was barely standing. I followed her inside, pausing as chubby faces came into view from the shadows of the room, peeking up over makeshift boxes shaped like a couch.

  “It’s nice,” I lied, causing her to snort it reply.

  “The urchins were here when I moved in, and I didn’t have the stomach to kick them out into the street. They don’t bite, but they eat a ton. It’s not much, but it’s our home. There’s no bed, but we have room for one more witch in hiding.”

  “Hiding?” I asked cautiously.

  “That’s how you don’t end up with your head on the King of Norvalla’s wall or throne. It’s been like that for the past two hundred years. Where are you from?” she asked, eyeing me skeptically.

  “Far, far away,” I exhaled, shaking my head. “Thank you for saving me.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. We’re all just trying to survive. Something made me save you. I didn’t want to do it, but when the world tells you to do something, you listen. If it were up to me, I’d have left your ass on that street and not even batted an eyelash in your direction.” Still eyeing me, Esme walked to the makeshift couch and rubbed the head of a child peeking out from a dirty hole-infested blanket. “I have enough mouths to feed, so you’ll either pull your weight, or you must leave. Rumor has it that the Hecate witches have returned to the Nine Realms. So, now we’re all just waiting to see where they fall into the scheme of things, or on which side they end up.”

  “You think they won’t choose the witches?” I countered.

  “I think they’ll do whatever the hell they need to do to save their self-serving asses. They abandoned us to our fates once already. I’m not holding my breath for them anymore. Not after they put that evil bitch on the throne and left us at her mercy.”

  “They might just surprise you, Esme,” I smirked, watching her eyes narrowing to slits.

  “I hope you’re right, Aria. I just don’t think they’re aware of the monster leading the rebellion, and once they meet him, they’ll bow as everyone else does before the King of Norvalla.”

  I smiled tightly, turning my gaze to the urchins who looked underfed and dirty. Settling in the corner, I dropped my bag and slid down the wall, ignoring the aching in my bones and twisting in my stomach as my body protested.

  Lifting my hand to my chest, I noted that although Aurora had taken the shard skull, I still held some lightning and magic I’d taken from the Nine Realms. It wasn’t as much magic and power as I had hoped to gain, but it’s enough to do what I needed.

  The vision of me as the evil queen replayed in my mind while Taren’s words echoed through my head. Maybe he was right. Perhaps not all monsters were evil. Maybe the world needed one strong enough to stand against the monster currently waging war against us. Perhaps I could change Knox’s mind, or maybe I’d end up as another skull on his wall.

  Noises sounded outside, and Esme moved to the window, peering out through the torn, russet-colored curtains, groaning. Her finger lifted to her lips, telling me to stay silent. She dug through her pockets, withdrawing a few chains before slipping to the door, opening it just enough to hold out her arm, dropping the chains into a clawed hand.

  “You’re short again. One more time, you and those brats are gone, witch.”

  “I’ll make it up to him. I always do, don’t I?” Esme replied, swallowing back the repulsive glare that danced in her eyes.

  “On your back? Tristan is done waiting, girl. One more time and you pay him in pussy, or you will vacate the house. Those bloody little bastards you’re protecting will end up in the mines, finding more crystals to sell.”

  “Understood. Guess I best not be late with the payment then, right?”

  “Please, do. I’ve been waiting to see you on your back pleasuring the lord. I want to watch that haughty look in your eyes fade as he ruins that cunt. I bet you squeal like a pig when you’re getting fucked. I’ll be back tomorrow to collect the rest, witch.”

  Esme closed the door, sliding a weak wooden bolt that looked homemade into place. Her eyes met mine, and she shrugged. “Pick-pocketing isn’t one of my strong suits. I used to sell potions, but now it’s too dangerous to peddle them. The witches either catch wind you’re selling in their territory, or the army shows up to take your head.”

  “We do what we have to do to survive.” I swallowed and watched her shoulders slumping in defeat.

  “Pray to the goddess that the Hecate witches choose us, right?” Esme frowned, her brows pushing together as she gazed at the children.

  I could have said who I was, but I didn’t trust her yet. Also, my suicidal action from the day had weakened me. I hadn’t had enough time to rest and heal. I needed sleep, food, and enough time to regain my strength before I did anything, or told anyone about myself.

  Things went downhill in the Nine Realms within a blink of an eye, and I didn’t want to end up captured or on my back unless it was with Knox above me. I touched my bare shoulder, and it burned as if my entire soul felt the loss of his claim. Hot tears pricked the back of my eyes, but I shoved them away.

  Smiling, I recalled the look of intrigue burning in Knox’s eyes when he’d
figured out I had other women dressed in my clothes to send him searching for me in all the wrong places. A child moved to me, kneeling, as her grubby hand touched mine, and I smiled at her.

  “To bed with you both,” Esme snapped, glaring at the child who slid past without touching her, rushing into the other room. “I don’t know if you’re here to save us, or to curse us, Aria. I hope it’s not the latter, or you’ll regret it immensely. I may not look like much, but I am distantly related to the Hecate royal bloodline.”

  “Indeed, you are.” I could feel her, which meant she had more magic than she thought, running through her veins.

  I smiled as my eyes slid shut, and her resounding snort echoed in the tiny room. The single light in the home extinguished, bathing the room in shadows and darkness. Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes, drifting between sleep and consciousness.

  My body grew weightless, and before I could stop the spell, I closed my eyes, succumbing to sleep. I felt like I was falling and unable to stop myself. Opening my eyes, I peered down at the warrior on a fur-covered, makeshift bed, frowning at the sight of him without his armor or clothes.

  I’d forgotten about the spell I’d used before laying siege to the castle. It was an experiment I hadn’t figured would even work. I’d just projected my image in a semi-corporal form inside Knox’s tent, bypassing the barriers and protection spell.

  Interesting…

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  I touched my face, slowly acknowledging how real my body felt in this state. My eyes never left Knox’s slumbering form, noting that in sleep, and unguarded, he looked younger, but still just as intense.

  Dark lashes dusted against the tops of his cheeks, his brows furrowing as his lips formed silent words. My gaze slid to his tattoo-covered chest, marveling at its chiseled perfection as it rose and fell with each breath he took.

  The man was sex incarnate, and my fingers itched to trace every inch of his body. Relaxing a bit, I smiled, continuing to admire the sexiness of his muscular form, which he’d left on display for my inspection.

  Easing closer, I noticed a white piece of parchment resting loosely in his right hand, bending closer still, trying to see what it held.

  This spell I’d used was new. I’d been experimenting with it to find a way to visit my family without placing them in danger. I’d wanted to test it on Knox and had swallowed the potion needed to enhance the spell. Then I realized he was marching to the same keep I’d been battling to accomplish my first task; to take the lightning. As far as I knew, I couldn’t be hurt while using the spell.

  I’d been testing my magic ever since arriving in the Nine Realms because time was something I had in abundance here. Idle magic was like hands. It needed something to do, or it would become a problem. I had failures and wins that made me bolder with the spells I used, or cast, like now, for instance.

  Leaning over Knox to pilfer the scrap of paper from his grasp, I placed my knee on the bed, hovering over him. My fingers nearly pinched the paper important enough that he’d held it in his sleep, only for him to grab me, rolling me beneath him with his elbow against my throat. The rattle in his chest sounded low, deadly, and I mirrored the noise without thought or effort.

  “Aria?” he asked sleepily, his hair wild from sleep. He blinked down at me in surprise and unease. “What the hell? How did you get in here past the guards?” His voice was thick and raspy from sleep, causing my body to respond to the sound as it scraped over my nipples.

  Knox’s eyes searched mine, and I smiled, lifting my lips to touch against his. He pulled back as I rested my head against the pillow where he’d placed me. Raising my legs, I ran my feet against his thighs, purring loudly as he blinked in confusion. Arching slightly, I rubbed my body against his, feeling him rising against me to answer my needs. I loved that the slightest contact between us created a response of carnal, visceral, red-hot need that demanded precedence over our emotions.

  “Hello, Knox.”

  “What the fuck, Aria?” he rasped huskily.

  “Shut up, and fucking kiss me, asshole,” I laughed huskily, lifting my mouth to his again. He removed his elbow, crushing his lips against mine, kissing me until wickedly dark desire lit within me.

  His kiss was toe-curling, causing a moan to build in my lungs, only to be captured by his hungry mouth. He rocked his hard arousal against my needy core, growling against my mouth as he devoured my moans, lifting his hand to hold my jaw in place when I moved to get air into my burning lungs.

  I whimpered as his erection slid against my clit, sending a red-hot rush of need echoing through me violently. He chuckled at my response, biting my bottom lip as he rocked his body, knowing my need was absolute, and he was the cure that would end the ache I was enduring.

  “Gods damn, woman. You’re so fucking hot when you’re beneath me,” he snarled, pulling back, forcing me to chase his lips to claim them. He held me against his form before lifting me with him as he sat on his haunches.

  My legs wrapped around his waist, and my fingers slid through his hair to hold him where I wanted him. I devoured his lips like a starving creature that only desired the taste of him, and would die without it. He laughed darkly against my mouth, breaking the kiss as he yanked the dress over my head, shucking it aside. Fingers bit into my flesh, rocking my hips against the bulge in his sweatpants as heat swelled within me.

  It was good to know he wore his sweatpants when I wasn’t around too. I was convinced they were purely there to make my life a living hell from refusing him. Knox’s hands slowly slid up my sides, threading his fingers through my hair before he dragged it back, exposing my throat to his ravenous mouth. His nose rubbed against the thundering pulse at the base of my neck, slowly rocking his hips against where my body rubbed wantonly.

  The simple action of his touch sent a gathering of heat through me, causing butterflies to erupt into flight within my belly. I moaned the moment his mouth kissed my pulse, sucking the flesh between his teeth and lips as he growled hungrily. He pushed me down onto the bed without warning, crushing me against it with the weight of his lengthy frame.

  A storm played in the ocean-blue depths of his gaze. He easily secured my hands above my head, dropping his mouth to the valley between my breasts, peppering me with frenzied kisses. His knees pushed my legs apart, uncaring that the simple lace panties still prevented his entrance. His fiery mouth trailed over my sides, slowly tracing my tattoos with his tongue. I’d imagined doing the same to his ravens a thousand times before.

  “I knew you’d come to me.” He lifted his smoldering eyes to lock with mine, smiling wickedly hot, before clamping his teeth over one nipple, sucking it between his teeth, and I hissed as they scraped against my delicate flesh. “Fucking hell, you melt for me so perfectly, woman. You’re so responsive to my touch.”

  “You’re cocky, Knox,” I whispered, arching into his mouth, parting my legs to feel his steel against my softness.

  His teeth nipped, and I gasped, trembling against the raw desire he created in my system. Knox was a storm that grew and unleashed devastation in its wake. The man could make you feel like the most treasured thing in his world one moment, and nothing in the next.

  He chuckled low, lifting while tightening his hold on my wrists to rake his hungry eyes down my body, leaving a fiery trail in their wake.

  “You’ve been a naughty girl, Aria. I should turn you over and spank your pretty ass. I don’t know what I want to do more right now. Fuck you, or mark you. I guess it’s a good thing that I can multitask,” he said huskily, lowering his mouth to pull at my bottom lip with his teeth.

  I claimed his mouth, smiling against it as he groaned with need deep in his chest, mirroring my own. He rose, and before I knew his intention, he flipped me over on the bed, onto my stomach with my hands held against the small of my back, leaving my core exposed.

  Teeth brushed against my shoulder, pausing, and a tentative smile played on my lips as my eyes slid to the portrait he’d held in his hand
s, just moments ago. A blonde woman nuzzled a babe in her arms, a smile curving her generous mouth while eyes sparkled with love at whoever was taking the photo. Teeth slid through my shoulder, and Knox paused, pulling back as he shoved me down, turning my body over to stare into my eyes.

  “Witchcraft,” he snapped, watching my mouth curve into a soft smirk as I lifted my hips, wiggling them with invitation.

  “Did you honestly think I’d come to you willingly?” I asked, lifting one brow higher than the other.

  “Can you feel what I am doing to you right now?” The dark look smoldering in his eyes seemed to burn out, and anger took precedence, sending a shiver rushing through me.

  “Everything,” I admitted. Grinning, Knox leaned closer, kissing my throat before his mouth brushed against my shoulder. “I need you, Knox,” I whispered huskily, pushing my fingers through his hair. If I were lucky, the dream walk would be enough to quell the ache in my loins.

  “Good,” he growled against my shoulder before teeth sank into my flesh, scraping bone. A scream bubbled up, escaping through my lips as tears filled my eyes.

  White-hot pain shuddered through me as he laughed wickedly. The scream ripped through me, escaping past my lips as I bucked against him. It was debilitating agony, forcing my body to tremble as the scream continued.

  The hand holding my throat moved to my mouth, smothering my cries as he kept biting me without mercy. He didn’t stop biting, moving over the shoulder blade to sink elongated teeth into my collarbone.

  He savaged my shoulder, biting me repeatedly until my screams subsided and turned to whimpering sobs. I absently moved against him, mindlessly unable to do anything else. I pushed against his mouth with my hand, moaning through the pain he was inflicting. Knox pulled back, his mouth dripped with blood as he watched me trying to turn over and crawl away from him.

  Standing, he pushed his fingers through his hair, noting my blood soaking into his bed. Not that it would stay; it would vanish with me, as would the pain he had inflicted. Finally, managing to slide onto my stomach, I dropped my face to the bed, staring into his family’s image, now splattered with my blood.