The Black Prince (Shadow Unit Book 5)

by Tigris Eden

  He was Chaos for fuck’s sake.

  He may not know entirely what that meant, but he knew he had some clout somewhere in this place. He was the one to create them, not the other way around. They owed him their lives—literally.

  “Despina, show yourself,” Enri bellowed.

  The owl circling above spiraled down in a graceful dive, landing quickly on its feet at the last possible second. The bird shimmered in and out of view until a woman was in its place. A woman Enri recognized and knew well.

  “Enri.”

  “Oena.”

  Oena was short for Despoena, daughter of Poseidon and Demeter. A nymph. She was a crafty little bitch, and from what he remembered, she was always trying to get him to kiss her. Something he never did, at least not on the mouth.

  “What’s the meaning of all this?” Enri growled.

  “No meaning, just a glorious day for your favored wives, wouldn’t you agree?”

  Fuck no, he wouldn’t. He should have put two and two together. They were on Neptune’s moons. And Despina was home to Despoena, or Oena as the hag liked to be called.

  “What do I need to do to get off this ice rock?”

  Oena laughed. “Not much—all I ask for is a kiss.”

  This had Vaine shrieking and Draga spewing bright liquid fire.

  Again with his mouth. What was her fixation? He’d only licked between her thighs once that he could recall and that should have been enough. The woman had nearly tried to sever his head. He’d had a splitting headache for hours after fucking around with her.

  “There will be none of that.” Vaine seethed. Draga returned to her mortal form. Her claws stretched toward Oena.

  “You’ve tricked us.”

  The Nymph shrugged her shoulders as if she could care less.

  “You promised us our freedom. You said because he was our mate, he was the only one to release us.”

  “Yes, well, I lied. You can never leave here. You don’t understand the universe as I do. It’s why you were brought here in the first place. Enri showed you nothing but kindness in the beginning, and you repaid him by destroying one of his worlds.”

  That was news.

  “Which world was this?” Information was always something he craved. It allowed him to keep his wits about him.

  “Why, the first Earth, of course. Where the Gods could roam free as they pleased. But these two went on a feeding frenzy—and because of them, we—the gods—are no longer able to roam free. A stipulation imparted by the Primordial to restore order. He doesn’t bestow much, but you are his favorite.”

  There was an original Earth? Just how much had he created, and what else had he done? He really needed to get his memory back.

  “Why did I not kill them?”

  It’s what he would have normally done in this type of situation.

  “Enri.” Yewa’s soft, pleading voice disturbed his thoughts. He’d almost forgotten she was in his embrace. He opened his wings and she stepped forward. Her skin warm, her eyes clear, but her voice strained from the climate.

  “We’ll be out of here in a moment.”

  “But I know how we can leave.”

  This was news to him.

  “Care to share with the class?”

  “Just figured it out—it was something Sound said to me.”

  Great, now she was hearing voices like him.

  “She doesn’t know how to leave here. No one does. Only I do,” Oena protested.

  “Shut the fuck up woman,” Enri yelled, causing Oena to back into Vaine. Taking a step closer, he asked. “What is it? Spit it out, Yewa.”

  “To see the light, you must first embrace your darkness.”

  His head was starting to hurt because as sure as day, someone was going to die. He was going to start with Vaine, then work his way over to Oena. He let go of Yewa, then pushed Oena out of the way before dispatching the Ice Horde with his wings. The cavern shook from the amount of carnage he incited. He took out more than half of the creatures, leaving the three females cowering against the wall. They’d unleashed his beast. Made him insane with anger.

  Yewa had borne witness to a lot of death in her life. Loss of friends, family, and the death of strangers. Each one marked her soul. Each person left remnants behind of what the person could have been—should have been. What Enri did to the Ice Horde was beyond mortifying. With his wings alone, he’d decimated more than half the horde. Severing their heads with a lash of the tips. When more charged, he grew in height and size, his body contorting into a thing she’d not seen before. Half man, half beast with ram-like horns protruding from the top of his head. What garments he’d worn were now rags that hung loosely from his body. Enri was covered in thick-scale like skin on more than half of his body. There were glimpses of his mortal form. But barely. This version of Enri exuded a carnality that took no prisoners as he slashed through body after body. The horde didn’t have red or even blue blood, but a black congealed mass that seemed to solidify as it was introduced into the planet’s atmosphere.

  When Enri approached the last member of the horde, he grabbed it by its neck. Enri’s breath crystalized into shimmering clouds with each panting exhale as he alternately dragged in harsh gulps of air. He looked toward the three women crouched in a corner, and as if to show them he meant what he said, he shoved a clawed hand down the throat of the thing and removed its spine. Ripped it clean through its mouth.

  Yewa stepped back. She didn’t know if this version of Enri could even be reasoned with, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to find out. But if what Sound said was true. The only way for her to see the light was to embrace the darkness. His father may be Darkness, but Enri was a likeness in his image. He was Chaos. A man. A God. An omnipotent presence. The slightest change, no matter how big or small, would give way to consequences that no one would be prepared to handle. She barely contained her reaction to the form he now possessed.

  “Oena, you don’t want to fuck with me.” Enri’s voice was altered by the fangs filling his mouth. “I want off this ice rock, and I want off now.”

  Oena struggled to stay unmoving

  “Lord Chaos, you only have to——”

  “Silence!” he roared.

  The walls of the cavern shook and ice fell in spiky chunks, embedding in the ground.

  “Enri,” Yewa called. She didn’t know if he’d acknowledge her. He’d all but forgotten she was there, but at the sound of her voice, his back straightened, and he turned eerie eyes on her. She’d seen the colors shift before and rearrange. A billion stars, a cluster of planets, and bright supernovas were the backlight for his pupils. Fathomless worlds peered back at her. His chest sunk in with each inhale. Enri’s large form stalked toward her, each step robbed her of her breath and made her heart beat wildly inside her chest.

  He stopped inches from her. They might have been stuck on an ice planet, but the heat he threw off warmed her chilled bones.

  “How do we leave?”

  “Sound said in order to reach the light, I must first embrace the darkness. You—you are darkness, Enri.”

  “No, Lord Chaos. She knows not what she speaks.”

  Enri’s head twisted sharply toward Vaine, who walked cautiously toward them.

  “How do you know if she speaks lie or truth?” He spat.

  “I would ask a favor of you first, my Lord.”

  “Ask your favor.”

  “I would ask that you allow me to accompany you, as your first mate to the new Earth and I will tell you how to leave this place. Oena requires a kiss, but it need not be given to her. It was your stipulation when you trapped us here. Your kiss is your song to Oena. It is the key to leave here, and be sent back to whence you came.”

  Enri turned his head back to Yewa. “Is what she says true?”

  It had to be, but Sound hadn’t said anything about Vaine or the others—only herself. She was the one who was supposed to reach the light. Not them.

  “All I know is that I am the one that
is to kiss you. I wasn’t told of any others.”

  Enri’s large hand snagged Yewa around the waist before he roughly pulled her to his chest. There was no time to think, no time to prepare. He was a man of action. His lips descended fast and without apology. She had never truly been kissed before. There were many that tried, but in the end—when they saw there was no light in her eyes—they would take to burying their head into her shoulder as they rutted atop her without consent. This was a first for her. Not anything like the when they shared the talking-kiss. The sensation of his lips was soft and hot.

  She felt their connection in every cell of her body. And what she felt was indescribable.

  There was a moment of silence before the cavern walls shook. Enri enclosed them inside his massive wings. Enri grabbed Yewa’s hands in one of his in a fierce grip behind her back as he deepened the kiss. He was harsh in his movements as his tongue tasted hers. Yewa stood frozen for a moment, not sure what to do or how to properly reciprocate his actions. But as time went on, she found her body had a mind of its own. A will of its own.

  The stiffness left her and in its place she grew soft, pliable. Her limbs loosened, and as the cave shook and crumbled around her, all was forgotten. Time. Space. Any and everything, gone. Enri’s lips were hard, his tongue, searching. The cruel ravishment of his kiss caused her to squeak. He ate the sound. He was taking the very life from her. Her mouth felt ablaze while at the same time, pleasant. But it also made her anxious. The grip on her waist loosened, and when they did, Enri lifted his head.

  Yewa couldn’t see. It was because her eyes were screwed shut. She was afraid of what she would be faced with when she opened them. Enri’s breathing was harsh, rushed—she felt his chest rapidly expanding and contracting against her own. And if his reaction was anything to go by he, too, was affected. The problem? She didn’t know if that were an unpleasant or pleasant thing. When he stepped back, they were in a completely different place. His eyes still held the stars and the planets and his mouth was stained with blood. Had he bitten her?

  Yewa’s fingers went to her lips and sure enough, when she looked down at the wetness on her skin, it was red.

  “Let’s not do that again. Ever,” Enri said in a harsh voice before backing farther away to look at their surroundings.

  What Yewa felt next was an emotion she could relate to all too well. One she’d become intimate with on a first-name basis.

  Pain.

  Chapter 11

  “You’re quite the resourceful one, Brother. I’ll give you that.”

  Enri looked over at Aurora and tried to think of a way to kill her. But he couldn’t. He needed her. He hated to admit he needed anyone at all. She had information he needed. She’d know where to find Mnemosyne, that lying, traitorous, bitch.

  “You didn’t give us much choice.”

  When Yewa said to kiss him, he’d thought she too, like the others, just wanted to use him. It wasn’t until he weighed his options and looked at things for what they were, he truly understood. She wasn’t a game. But she was a puzzle. A small part of him was confused. The rest of him was conflicted. Confused and conflicted is something I don’t agree with. Fuck. He was all about taking matters into his own hands. And he did. He also bit her. Kissing females repulsed him and with good reason. If his life depended on kissing a female, he’d rather…well, die. Kissing was intimate and had the power to bring a person to heel. Enri was no fool. When he’d tasted the purity of her blood, his body threatened to shut down from the amount of blatant, amplified lust. There were not many adult females that could lay claim to the type of innocence Yewa had burning in her veins. It was an intoxicating concoction. He wanted more. Lots more.

  “You had a choice. You could have simply kissed her. Instead, you Blood-Kissed Yewa.”

  Blood-Kissed?

  “I did not Blood-Kiss her, I simply sampled her blood.”

  “Yeah, then why is your lip bleeding, brother?”

  Fuck.

  He knew exactly what that meant. How could he have been so foolish? A Blood-kiss could only be removed in death and by ripping one’s soul. That wasn’t a death one could return from. It was finite. He was tied to Yewa in all things. Enri looked to Yewa, who stood stone still. When their eyes clashed, she wiped at her mouth furiously. She must have known what it meant to be Blood-Kissed. Now you can never leave me. The thought traveled all too quickly in his mind before he had a chance to shut it down. He would not think about the repercussions of his actions or the warmth spreading through his chest. No reason to panic. .

  He’d been annoyed at first. His emotions had gone from angry to something else entirely. Her lips were warm like the mid-morning sun and her taste reminded him of the sweetest nectar. He’d never sampled something so satisfying and consuming all at once. It was the reason he was quick to inform her it would not happen again. Couldn’t happen again. He had shit to do and she’d just be a distraction. Fuck no it won’t happen again.

  “You could have prevented this, Aurora.”

  “And miss out on all the fun? Never that, Brother. You owe me.”

  “No, you owe me.”

  Aurora, stood her ground and huffed. Like she couldn’t be bothered with their bickering. Enri agreed. He always collected on his debts and favors. She wanted a form she could take permanently and because he was the one who created life with the spark, he’d give her a permanent body, but only after she’d given him the information he desired.

  “Yewa, come here.”

  She didn’t move.

  She always came to him.

  “Yewa, I said come here.”

  When she still didn’t move. Enri went to her. Another first. People obeyed his commands. Always. And if they didn’t, he’d be rid of them quickly. He took her hands from her sides and pulled her forward so they stood chest to chest, “What is the matter with you?”

  Yewa lowered her gaze as if she didn’t dare look at him.

  He was going to destroy her world. Enri knew deep down to his core, he would be the one to truly end her. Because now, she was stuck with him— no matter what.

  He tried another tactic.

  “I am your mate. You will obey me.”

  That got her attention. Her head snapped up, almost hitting his chin.

  “Yes, Enri?” Her voice was monotone, devoid of emotion.

  He needed to figure out how Sound began speaking to her. As far as he knew, he was the only one the annoying entity chatted with.

  “You said Sound told you to embrace the darkness. How do you know Sound did not mean my father?”

  “Because you are my darkness, Enri. Sound said to see the light, I had to first embrace my darkness.”

  He had a feeling why she would think that, but he wasn’t going to assume. He needed to hear her say it. He needed the words to come from her and not his own mind.

  “How am I your darkness?”

  “You were the one who handed me over to those men. You sealed my fate. Made it so I lived every day in fear until I no longer feared death.”

  Her words were whispered. There wasn’t an ounce of hate in her tone, only facts. He couldn’t tell the future, — that’s what the Fates were for. There had been a time when he’d consulted them on everything. Yewa and Dietrich—her brother—were pawns placed in one of the many games he played for reasons that were now becoming clear. He was on the outside looking in, always. The Fates didn’t have any threads of his existence and now he knew why. He wasn’t chained to destiny like so many of his creations. Much like his father and mother, as well as Sound, existed as the macrocosm. They were everything that existed everywhere. They couldn’t be affected by fate or destiny. They endured.

  But he’d made Yewa a promise. He said those men would pay. They weren’t alive, but they weren’t dead either. There was an afterlife and he’d be sure to visit them when he had a spare moment. He wasn’t going to apologize for what happened, but he would right the wrongs done to her. She’d been placed on a path t
hat led straight to his beginnings. Enri would reclaim the Throne of Creation and he’d do it without jump-starting the Recommence. But starting over didn’t sound like a bad idea. Maybe this time, he’d get a different outcome.

  “Are you looking for an apology? I don’t do those.”

  Yewa shook her head.

  “I am not asking for anything, Enri. I am yours to do with as you please.” Shit. She’s one of those. This was why he never put his mouth on females. Not because of the Blood-kiss, but because women tended to go from dumb to dumber— males were worse. Enri refused to transform into a poetry-spitting, voice —deepening, all—around hero. He wasn’t that guy. He didn’t want a little woman at home waiting for instructions. Hell, he shouldn’t even think about her in that capacity. As soon as he finished getting the things he needed, he would see to severing the bond.. If a connection could be created, one could be destroyed in a way the outcome wasn’t death by soul-shredding. There was a sharp pain in his chest at the thought of being separated from Yewa. Enri ignored it. Emotions were tricky things, and he wasn’t one to indulge. Then why would it bother you if she leaves? Fuck if he knew. Now he was rubbing his chest. Fuucckk!

  “I hate to break up your conversation, but I thought you wanted to get your memories back” Aurora interrupted.

  Right.

  Memories.

  Plan.

  After a rousing evening of causing death by carnage, Enri would sit atop his Throne of Creation surveying all that was his. He was still going to deal with Hades as well— that shitheel, had it coming.

  “Lead the way, Aurora. We’re right behind you.”

  “Easier said than done. I can’t travel without a true form, this one is temporary and only lasts for a few hours at a time. It will not hold while we travel. There is also the issue with me bringing about the day.”

  “I thought you were everywhere and anywhere at any given time?”