by G. K. DeRosa
“I must go. I’d like to be in Maginaria should anyone catch wind of your rebirth as a warlock. The Coven Council is convening in the morning, and I must make my presence known.”
“Could they really feel my power from all the way up there?”
“I hope not, but as they say, better safe than sorry.”
“Thanks again, GG.”
“Anything for my little princess.” He pinched my cheek and for once I didn’t find it irritating. On the contrary, it reminded me of being young and worry free. “Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any issues with your new powers. I know they’ve been trickling out over the past months, but I’m here if anything should go awry.”
“Will do, gramps.” I smirked.
A grin lifted the corners of his lips as the swirling portal flared around him. “Stay safe, Azara.” His words hung in the air as the winds swallowed my grandfather into the luminescent abyss.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Was that Garrix last night?” Talon’s warm breath tickled the shell of my ear.
“Umhmm,” I mumbled and rolled over to snuggle into his firm chest. His heartbeat thrummed against my cheek, the steady beat soothing the turmoil within. I hadn’t slept much after GG’s departure. My veins buzzed with foreign energy, and despite counting sheep, breathing exercises and Talon’s solid arms anchoring me, I couldn’t get my nerves to settle.
He dipped his chin to rest on my head, and his arms tightened around me. “So are you going to tell me about it or do I have to dig it out of your mind?”
Though we’d talked about releasing my warlock, a tiny part of me felt guilty for not discussing it before I pulled the trigger. Now that we were bonded, everything I did affected him and perhaps I’d purposely avoided telling me so he wouldn’t stop me. I knew there’d be risks, and I was fairly certain Talon would be less willing to take them.
I slid my hand down his torso, slowly drawing my finger over the indentations of his abdomen. When I reached the waistband of his boxers, he released a sharp hiss. I dipped one finger beneath the fabric and met a firm bulge.
“Azara…” he groaned. “Are you avoiding my question?”
Closing my fingers around him, I caressed his silky flesh.
“Azara,” he rasped out.
Tipping my head up, I closed my mouth over his, muffling his final protest. His lips yielded, and soon his tongue matched my every stroke. I laced my free hand around his neck and dug my fingers into the soft hair on his nape.
Talon’s hands roamed over my silky nightie, his heated fingertips sending goosebumps up and down my spine. He splayed his fingers across my lower back pressing me against his lower half. I moaned against his mouth as his arousal brushed the bundle of nerves in my core.
He released my lips and glanced down at me with a wicked grin. “My turn, amó.” He rolled me onto my back and freed himself from my grasp. Dipping his head, he dropped a line of fiery kisses down my stomach. My insides trembled, sizzling heat surging within. Talon paused when he reached my panties and shot me another feral smile.
Mate. Mate. Mate. Dragon-Talon’s voice echoed through my mind, and my demon picked up the chant. A lusty haze swam over me, our entangled emotions battering my insides.
When Talon’s fingers crept beneath my panties, my hips bucked from the jolt of pleasure. Holy dragon babies! I writhed on the supple mattress as his mouth replaced his deft fingers, my hands fisting the silky sheets. Shocks rippled through my core as his tongue lashed my sensitive flesh.
“Talon,” I panted as I dangled over the precipice of pleasure.
He lifted his head, and twin pools of molten silver met mine. “Wait for me.” He crawled up, his heated gaze locked on my eyes, the burning intensity reducing me to a quivering mess. His mouth captured mine once again, and I dug my fingers into his broad back, pressing him against my body. He thrust inside me, and I arched up to meet him as jolts of ecstasy rocked my core.
My entire body thrummed. Each maddening stroke pushed me closer to the edge. Talon’s lips moved over mine, nibbling, ravaging, assaulting me as our bodies rocked in perfect rhythm. The bond intensified the sensations a hundred-fold, his desire swirling with mine. My heart pounded so hard I was sure it would crack my ribs. It slammed against my skeleton trying to meet Talon’s, matching the rapid rise and fall of his chest.
“Oh gods, Azara, I love you so much.” Talon’s raspy words nearly propelled me over the brink. “I didn’t think it was possible, but every day that passes I love you more. Whatever happens, you are mine and I am yours. Forever.”
“I love you. Forever,” I panted out as my movements became more frantic. I’d never have enough of Talon. He was my everything, my perfect match.
With one final thrust, my insides clenched and a heady explosion wracked my core as I unraveled for him, for the man and the dragon who’d captured my heart and soul.
We remained entangled, our limbs entwined until it was impossible to tell where he finished, and I began. I held onto the peaceful silence, the steady pounding of our hearts filling the quiet. Speaking would only shatter the bliss, and I didn’t want the moment to end. In a few hours, the warlords would arrive, and I was terrified of what would come next.
A pit of dread uncoiled in my gut as I glanced up at Talon. His gaze had darkened, and something wrong hung in the air. Now that the epic lovemaking was over, a strange hollowness remained. It had been too perfect, and only a depressing ring of finality remained.
Talon’s finger traced invisible designs on my bare back, and I focused on envisioning the images, chasing my dark musings aside. Why would that have been a goodbye? Talon and I were only just starting out. I didn’t care what Remy and Lucifer said. He was my mate, and I’d never leave him.
“Talon?”
His eyes refused to meet mine.
“Talon…” I repeated.
“Hmm?” He still wouldn’t look at me, his hard gaze focused on some invisible future looming over us.
“I let my warlock loose.”
“I know.” His arms tightened around me.
“Are you mad?”
He slowly shook his head, his chin grazing the top of my forehead.
“Then what’s the matter?” I only now realized half of the dread radiating through me belonged to him.
“I talked to Logan yesterday. I’d asked him to discreetly consult a few other oracles about—”
My head whipped back and forth. “It doesn’t matter, Talon. I don’t care what they said. We will be together.” Hot tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them back. How could I get Talon to believe me if I wasn’t certain myself?
He pulled back and his eyes finally met mine. “I want you to know that no matter what happens, you’ll always be my mate. I’d never blame you for any decision you were forced to make. I understand.”
“You think I’d really take one of those demon warlords as a consort?”
He released a slow breath, and a streak of pain lanced across my chest. “I’m only saying I understand if it’s what you have to do, and it would never change my feelings for you.”
“It sounds like you’re giving up,” I hissed.
“I’m not, Azara.” He reached for my face but held back at the last moment. “I only want us both to be prepared for what may come.”
“Why didn’t you say something before?”
“You’ve got so much weighing on you right now, amó. I didn’t want to add to your burden.”
“You’re not a burden, Talon.” I pressed my lips to his, and a tear rolled down my cheek. What did I do to win over such a selfless man? I certainly didn’t deserve him. Fixing my eyes on his, I caressed his scruffy jaw. “Now that GG has unbound my powers, everything could change. You know how fickle visions are. It’s exactly why I did it, so please don’t give up on us yet.”
“I’ll never give up on us, Azara.” His mouth captured mine once again, and I savored his delicious taste, his musky scent, everything about him.
This wasn’t over. It couldn’t be.
Remy stewed in the corner of the throne room, that cursed oracle clenched between his palms. He’d been consulting it all morning and no matter how many visions he summoned, my future had become murky.
Score one for GG and my hidden warlock!
I peered through the barred window as the warlords and their entourages marched across the rickety drawbridge. My heart stammered out a jagged beat. Everything’s going to be fine. My demon and warlock halves swirled to life, the dark magic filling my insides. They were ready for a fight and so was I.
Talon moved beside me and curled his arm around my waist, his fingers digging into my hip. “Love the outfit,” he whispered.
I lifted my lip into a snarl. Remy had forced me to wear the ridiculous warlord get up from the restrictive crimson leather corset to the skintight black breeches and boots. He insisted I needed to look the part if I wanted the other dark lords to take me seriously. I couldn’t believe I was fighting so hard to assume a role I never wanted.
“Any news from Logan on the SIA?” I whispered back.
“Apparently, the break in the wards is playing to our advantage. Agents have been deployed from all across the realm to deal with the intruders in the human world. Maxim had to pull the team assigned to track you. I guess human lives take precedence over a demon escapee.”
“Thank the gods for that.”
Beelis and Artis, my head guards, closed rank around me as the door to the throne room swung open. A dozen narkins escorted the four dark lords in, along with their seconds. Their personal guards, along with their weapons, had been forced to remain outside, per Remy’s council. I was fairly certain Talon and I could take on eight upper-level demons without breaking a sweat.
The four warlords ticked their heads in my direction as they entered, their beady eyes trained on me then drifted to my dragon bodyguard.
“My liege.” Remy signaled from across the room, motioning to my monstrous throne.
Ugh. I trudged toward the brimstone chair of doom with my guards in tow, both narkin and dragon.
As soon as I was seated, the old seer climbed up the dais and stood beside me. Raising his hands, he addressed the assembly. “My dark lords, thank you for coming in such short notice. As per our conversation, due to the untimely death of dark lord Balthier, we’ve had yet another change in leadership within the sixth realm. It would be to all of our advantages to rush the process along and confirm our new liege.”
A grunt rang out over the wave of angry murmurs. Drayax stood, his onyx irises drilling into mine. “I will never confirm Azara’s appointment.”
Another round of heated mutterings filled the long table.
I opened my mouth to offer my throne up instead, but Remy cut me off. “That is a mistake, dark lord Drayax. Lucifer himself will anoint this ascension, and you do not wish to insult our king, do you?”
He huffed. “Lucifer doesn’t give a shit about the Underworld. He hasn’t actively controlled his territory for decades. We make the rules here, and Azara will never reign so long as I draw breath.”
“That can be handled,” Talon growled.
Drayax’s nostrils flared as they ran over my mate. “Are we to succumb to a dragon now too?” He barked out a laugh. “This is preposterous.”
A murmur of assent rose from the other warlords. “I stand with Drayax.” One of the dark lords stood and placed his hand on the leader of the third realm’s shoulder. Before long, the remaining two were on their feet spouting off the same vow.
My eyes darted to Remy and back to Talon. My mate gave me a reassuring smile. Eff it. “Truth is, I don’t want the throne, but what I do want is peace in the human world as well as that of the Underworld. If one of you can promise me that, I’ll give up my claim.”
A sinister smile curled Drayax’s lips, and I couldn’t believe my demon had actually found him attractive for a hot second. “You’re offering us your head then?”
“What?” I shrieked.
“Only death can transfer the power necessary to become the new dark lord.”
Damn Lucifer and Remy for failing to mention that part. I shot the seer a scathing glare to which he returned with a nonchalant shrug. Ass.
“There must be another way,” I countered.
“There isn’t.” One of the other dark lords grinned, two sharp fangs descending. “Unless you’d like to rule beside one of us. Should you make one your consort, we’d rule both realms equally together.”
Nope, not happening.
“It would provide the stability you’re seeking,” Drayax interjected.
Talon’s shoulders strained beside me, anger radiating off his motionless form.
“I don’t even want to rule one realm, why would I agree to two?”
“It could be in name only.” The brute from the third realm stepped closer to the throne. “Let’s say you tie yourself to me in ceremony, that would suffice to transfer your power, seal the wards and free you to tend to your own desires.” His dark gaze raked over Talon, eliciting a growl from the dragon tense at my side.
Another warlord approached the dais. “Or me.” His forked tongue snaked out as he spoke, and a chill slithered up my spine.
Before I knew it, I had four warlords proposing marriage—or whatever the hell it was called here in the Underworld. The males huddled together at the table, muttering, hissing and arguing. I drummed my fingers on the armrest as they continued to discuss my future as if I weren’t even here. Minutes passed and I retreated inside my mind to memories of Talon and me in the bliss of the Spring Court bathhouse.
We never should’ve left.
Drayax stood, the squeal of his chair against the stone jerking me from the idyllic thoughts. “Together we can claim the second realm as well,” he announced, his head cocked in my direction. “With Briden’s unexpected passing, the territory remains unclaimed which only adds to the precarious situation for the humans. None of these men hold the power I do. I am the only one who can guarantee you stability.”
Nausea clawed its way up my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut as images of Drayax’s hands pawing at my dress, the rip of fabric, my pounding heart, and his putrid odor sped across my mind. My vision darkened. No. Never. “I’d rather lose my head than tie myself to you, Drayax,” I spat.
The dark lord’s expression hardened, and his barrel chest expanded. “Then simply wait here until an unexpected death befalls you too.”
Talon’s growl ripped from his clenched teeth and before I could stop him, he lunged at the demon. “No!” I cried as he collided with Drayax’s beastly form. “Guards!” The two males tussled on the floor, the smack of flesh and crunch of bones icing my veins. “Talon!” I shrieked. For an unbearably long moment the males battled before my narkin soldiers pried them apart.
“Don’t you ever threaten her like that,” Talon snarled. Even with three guards holding him back, he managed to get into Drayax’s face.
A trickle of dark crimson dribbled from the dark lord’s nostril into his mouth. He spat out the blood, nearly hitting one of the narkins. “Your precious Azara won’t survive a week without me. Think about that, dragon.”
“Enough, all of you.” Remy strode down the steps of the dais and stood at the head of the table. We appreciate all of you coming today. As it seems we are at an impasse and we would prefer to avoid further bloodshed, we shall consider your proposals and get back to you, correct, my liege?” He tipped his head at me, and I muttered an okay. “Wonderful.”
The screech of wooden chair legs against the stone floor turned my attention to the retreating warlords and their entourage. I wasn’t sure what I expected from this meeting, but this wasn’t it. Everything had happened so fast. Three of the males dipped their heads toward me as they passed, but only Drayax halted.
Talon growled, every muscle in his body going rigid as the dark lord lingered regarding me.
“What?” I finally hissed.
“You have
no idea how the Underworld operates. If you truly wish to secure peace for your humans and keep that pretty little head on your shoulders, you’ll do well to truly consider my proposal. You may find me distasteful, but I can promise you what the others cannot.”
“And what’s that?”
“Absolute power.”
I grunted. “Shows how little you know me. I care nothing about power.”
“Maybe your weak human side doesn’t, but I can guarantee the demon I met disagrees.” His onyx irises twinkled, the light catching the profound darkness.
Scales rippled down Talon’s bare arms, and his wings snapped out. “Leave,” he roared, his dragon bursting to the surface.
Remy appeared beside the dark lord and shuffled him out before my mate ripped his throat out. As tempting as that sounded, the last thing I needed was to further destabilize the wards.
The moment the doors slammed shut, I sank into my damned throne. “I won’t do it, Remy. I refuse to marry one of those demon thugs even if it is only on paper.”
He clucked his tongue and waggled a finger at me. “I’m afraid it’s the only way, my lady liege.” He glanced between Talon and me, his wrinkled fingers stroking gray whiskers. “It’s the best option to secure your position and keep the dragon at your side.”
Talon grunted, and I could hear the thoughts racing through my proud mate’s mind. He wouldn’t share me with one of those monsters, and I couldn’t blame him.
“Whatever you decide, make it quick,” Remy warned as he marched out of the chamber, the tap tap of his cane reverberating in the ominous silence.
“Remy,” I called out. “Check the oracle again. Maybe news of my warlockness hadn’t reached the powers that be yet.”
“Fine, my liege.”