by Dove, Raquel
The palace was nowhere near as lavish as the Devasi palace. Alex was surprised by the simplicity of it. The throne room was small, about the size of an average living room, and sparsely furnished. There was a simple wooden throne, were the king sat, a couple of wooden chairs along the bare brick walls, and one tattered old rug that covered the wooden floor. There were glassless windows placed on either side of the throne that lit the room.
“What an odd assortment of beings,” Lord Krishna finally spoke, after thoroughly inspecting his captives. His voice was the deepest, silkiest thing Alex had ever heard. “A demon and a dragon is strange enough, but is that a human I see with you?”
The small group looked at each other. They hadn’t really expected the king to know what Alex was. They had, after all, not known what she was until she had told them. And even then there was a mild disbelief, as humans were widely thought to be mythological creatures.
“Lord Krishna,” Balthazar spoke up. He figured he had the best shot at reasoning with the demon, being that they were technically of the same position, and somewhat allies.
“I do not recall telling you to speak, boy,” Lord Krishna said, cutting off any further words from Balthazar.
Balthazar bristled at the insult, suppressing a growl of irritation. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to rip the old demons throat out. He was certainly fast enough, and strong enough. The Asuri were massive in form, but the Devasi were far better fighters. The Asuri were only good at running and hiding. But killing the king would do them no good. He hated to admit it, but they needed the skills of his people.
“Why have you come to my kingdom?” Lord Krishna demanded, his voice booming around the room.
“We need your help,” Alex spoke up. “I’m sure you know about the Magi.”
“Yes,” Lord Krishna said, his eyes focusing on Alex. “I am aware of them. My people have chosen not to involve ourselves in the problems of the other kingdoms.”
“It will soon be your problem as well,” Azi said. He was utterly annoyed with the fact that his hands were tied behind his back. It was utterly silly to think that any form of security this demon king had would stop him. He was a Dragon King for crying out loud.
“I highly doubt that,” Lord Krishna scoffed.
“How long do you think you can hide,” Alex said, hoping to sway the demon king to see things their way. Lord Krishna glared curiously down at her.
“You certainly are a brave little thing,” he said. He knew he could not keep up his kingdoms barrier forever, but he would never admit that.
“You have no idea,” Balthazar said, looking over at Alexandra. He had learned first hand that she was so brave it bordered on stupidity, and often crossed that line. He had also learned that she had a strange knack for getting out of sticky situations.
“Look,” Alex said, shooting a sideways glare at Balthazar. “These things came for me in my world. I guarantee they will be able to come for you. Maybe not right now, but eventually. I plan on putting an end to them.”
Lord Krishna belted out a short gruff laugh. He stood from his throne, and walked over to Alex, circling around her while he inspected every inch of her. If their situation hadn’t been as dire as it was, he would have enjoyed a long laugh at the girl’s brazenness. She barely came up to his torso, had no claws or fangs, and looked like she would have trouble fighting against wet paper.
“And how, little human, do you expect to accomplish such a task,” Lord Krishna said, noticing the odd protectiveness over her that Balthazar was radiating.
“That’s easy,” Alex said, raising her chin to look up at him. Alex tried to look strong and confident, but that wasn’t an easy thing to do when a giant blue demon was glaring down at her. “I am the only one that can defeat them. It is what I was meant to do, it is my destiny.”
“She is the protector,” Azi said to Lord Krishna. “We have come to your kingdom seeking asylum so I can train the girl in her powers.”
Lord Krishna contemplated the information. He understood perfectly well the implications of the statement, and he knew there was no way he could turn them away. He couldn’t hide forever, and he was otherwise helpless in the face of the Magi. They had easily decimated three of his outlying counties before he had time to erect a barrier. He needed Alex just as much as she needed him. He sat back down on his throne. What little energy he had managed to muster up was now almost depleted. He would not show his weakness to his new guests, and he couldn’t maintain his façade much longer.
“I will allow you to dwell in my kingdom,” he said finally, motioning for one of the guards to untie them.
“Thank you,” Alex said, bowing awkwardly to the king. She wasn’t sure what the protocol was in this place, and she wanted to fully express her appreciation. Things were starting to look up, she thought happily. She had Balthazar, safe and unharmed, with her. Tavi was happily reunited with Yashmina. Nila was enjoying being with Kaveh. And they now had a safe place for her to train and finally defeat those awful creatures. The idea of learning how to really control her powers was even a little exciting.
“Oh, and Balthazar,” Lord Krishna called after the group as they were being ushered out of the throne room. “Your betrothal to my daughter is still valid.”
Balthazar had held his tongue as long as he could. He may be a guest in this demons kingdom, but he would not be ordered around, and he would not be forced to marry either. He had come too far with Alexandra to allow her to slip from his grasp. He could feel her eyes on him, could sense the turmoil rising in her aura.
“That is not going to happen, Krishna,” Balthazar spat. “It is unfortunate that my father mislead you into thinking it would, before one of your kind assassinated him.”
“What did you say?” Krishna snapped, his eyes narrowing on Balthazar. He had expected Balthazar to protest the wedding, and he was prepared to counter his arguments. But this was the first he had heard of his people being the source of Sami’s assassination. He had a massive amount of respect for the late Lord Sultan and had been deeply saddened to learn of his demise.
“You heard me,” Balthazar spat. “We may need your assistance, but your kind killed my father in his own bed. I will never mate with such cowards.”
“I had a great deal of respect for your father,” Lord Krishna said, clearly disturbed by the news. “I was unaware of such a thing. I assure you, I will apprehend the culprit and put him to justice.”
“You will turn the fiend over to me for justice,” Balthazar said. He didn’t trust Krishna to carryout a proper punishment. The Asuri may look imposing, but at heart they were softies.
“Very well,” Krishna agreed. In all honesty, he wanted to remain allies with the Devas. It was the entire reason behind his push for this mating. He truly did have respect for the Devasi as a people. And he could understand the anger of Balthazar for his father’s murder. If he could smooth things over by handing over the assassin he would in a heartbeat. “But you will still wed my daughter in two days.”
Chapter Forty Three
Alex hadn’t said a word since they left the presence of Lord Krishna, and Balthazar knew exactly why. They had been shown to a guest room in the Asur palace, with two small, wood framed beds. They weren’t as plush or as comfortable as the beds in the Devasi palace, but they were clean. There was only one other piece of furniture in the room, a beat up wooden chest shoved into the corner. The room was windowless, with only a few candles lighting the room and casting a warm glow on Alexandra’s face. She was sitting on one of the beds, refusing to look up at Balthazar.
“I have no intention of wedding the princess,” Balthazar said, sitting next to Alex on the bed. He reached out for her, but she turned away from him.
“He will make you,” Alex said, fighting to hold back tears that were quickly forming.
“Alexandra,” Balthazar said softly, hooking his finger under her chin and pulling her face to his. She pulled away from him again, much to Balthazar’
s disapproval.
“Look at me,” he said, his voice hardened with the sting of her refusal.
She complied with a heavy sigh, and the pain was apparent in her eyes.
“You should know by now that no one forces me to do anything,” Balthazar said. His face betrayed no emotion, but Alex knew him better than that. There was trouble behind his charcoal blue eyes.
“What about your harem?” Alex asked, sniffling away the tears that stung at her eyes. It was something that had been bothering her since Ashdad had mentioned it to her. She had hope that she would be enough for Balthazar, but deep down she had her doubts.
“Alexandra,” Balthazar said, taking her hands in his much larger ones. He ran the pads of his thumbs over the soft skin, enjoying how delicate she felt. She was such a paradox. Seemingly so fragile, but underneath her delicate exterior lay a power that he could scarcely even fathom. He wanted her, and no other. He had realized that long ago. It was difficult for him to discuss the way he felt about her. But he knew he could never be without her. She looked up at him, her beautiful green eyes wide with uncertainty.
“There will never be any other,” he said softly. “You can never be replaced, and there is no substitute for you, Alexandra.”
He leaned forward, his lips pressing urgently against hers. He needed a way to reassure her, and he knew his words could never fully express how he felt about her. His body ached for her, ached to touch her, to hold her, to feel her beneath him.
Alex leaned into the kiss, unable to refuse him. No matter how much her mind told her being with Balthazar was insanity, her body wanted him and she could feel it instantly responding to his touch. A heat smoldered in her stomach, slowly growing as his kiss grew more passionate. His tongue reached into her mouth, searching for hers as his hands wrapped around her, pulling her closer. He lifted her legs, pulling her flush with him, straddling his lap.
Alex felt the hardness of his manhood pressing so sinfully against her and she could feel her body tingling with her desire for him. She bucked her hips against him, reveling in the light friction from the contact with his hardened member.
Balthazar was quickly loosing his mind. Alexandra’s arousal floated around him, and her body rubbed so willingly against him, it made him want to tear her robes off and ravish her. He had only meant to comfort her with a simple kiss, but the taste of her on his lips egged him on and now he was entirely lost in the moment.
“Balthazar,” Alex huffed breathlessly as she broke off the kiss, “we can’t...”
“I know,” he said, resting his forehead against her.
“You should sleep,” Balthazar said, pulling away from her with extreme reluctance.
Chapter Forty Four
“You fool,” the Chief Magi hissed from behind the heavy hood of his cloak. “How could you let the girl slip out of your hands?”
“Do not insult me,” Ashdad barked back at the hideous creature. “I delivered the girl to you on a platter and you could not complete the task.”
“You interfered prematurely,” the Magi snapped back. “You sent her back to her own world.”
“Did you not see the bond?” Ashdad asked condescendingly, narrowing his eyes at the creature that sat across from him. “That little brat Balthazar was going to save her, and we both know you wouldn’t be able to stop her powers if he had.”
“So you save her instead?” The Magi hissed. His bony fingers curled into a fist, trying to suppress the rage that burned in him. They were so close to resurrecting their Master, to achieving ultimate domination, and this demon was destroying their carefully laid plans.
“I had a backup plan,” Ashdad said. He had never trusted the Magi to do their job properly, and so had prepared for the possibility of Alexandra getting the upper hand by instructing his daughter should she return. He had never really liked the half-breed child much, but when Alex was returned to Devas Pani had redeemed herself in his eyes.
“And you have fouled that up as well,” the Magi challenged. “Now we do not know where she is.”
“I have an idea,” Ashdad said, leaning away from his desk. He was biding his time until he got what he wanted, and then he would do away with these pathetic creatures. His search for true power had led him to the human world, and he had mated with one of the filthy creatures. It had given him the ability to shift into human form, which tremendously augmented his power. But his mate was nothing special, her blood was dirtied with years of less than ideal breeding. He had searched for centuries for a pure blood like Alexandra to come along, carefully laying his plans along the way. Her bloodline was a culmination of two ancient royal bloodlines, even more pure than her predecessor, someone the humans called Alexander the Great. It was a simple matter for Ashdad to stage her parent’s death in a car accident, then endear himself to the ignorant aunt that he handed the girl off to. He had put a lot of effort into hiding her from the sisterhood that would have typically trained her to use her powers. He wanted her weak, and useless. Easy to manipulate. His plan had worked well, until Balthazar came along.
“I suggest you find her, and quickly,” the Magi spat. “This world is nearly drained. There is nothing left to keep our Master alive. We need her blood, all of it.”
“I told you, you should have drained her dry from the beginning,” Ashdad said.
“And I have told you,” the Magi said, “He must drink directly from the source. From her still beating heart, or it will do no good.”
“I believe they have retreated to Asur,” Ashdad said bitterly.
“Another thing you were incapable of handling,” the Magi bit out. Ashdad didn’t care about Krishna’s desire to have his daughter wed Balthazar. He was hoping to flush him out with the possibility of completing the marriage. It would have worked if they had not escaped. He kicked himself for not removing Tavi from his position earlier.
“There is still time,” Ashdad said, “I will find them. I will get the girl.”
“You had better,” the Magi said. “Or we will all pay the price when the Master dies for good.”
“Relax,” Ashdad said, a twisted smile on his face. “I have a treat for your Master.”
Ashdad motioned to a servant demon who scurried out of the room, returning a moment later with a gangly demon bloody and chained.
“My Lord Enchanter,” Ashdad said with a self-satisfied smirk. “One thing I learned in my time in the human world, the source of all magic is the blood of humans. This demon is a very distant descendant of a human-demon mating. There is human blood in his veins, though very diluted.”
“This is indeed a useful treat,” the Magi said, leaning forward with interest. “This will give the ancient enough power to affect the girl.”
“And that will lead us directly to her,” Ashdad said with a smile.
Chapter Forty Five
The blue skinned demon paled as he began to choke. His mouth flapped open and closed, trying desperately to get air into his lungs. His eyes looked across the table, shock and sadness swirling in them. Blood began to ooze from his nose and the next cough spewed little red droplets across the worn wooden table. He slumped forward, his head falling against the table. His eyes remained open as the last vestiges of life drained from him.
Alex shot up in the bed, her eyes wide and the sweat dripping down her temples. Her head snapped around her in the darkened room, looking for Balthazar. The candles that once lit the small guest room had now died out, and she couldn’t see past the blackness. She suddenly remembered everything. All the dreams, the special dreams. She knew where the recognition of Lord Krishna had come from. It wasn’t him she had seen, but it was a demon of the same race. It was the very first dream she had.
“Balthazar,” Alex called out frantically into the darkness, still trying in vain to see through the dark. “He’s going to die.”
“I am here,” she heard his baritone voice beside her. A brief moment later, light flooded the room as Balthazar struck a match and lit another candle.
He sat on the bed beside Alex, seeing the distress on her face. “Who is going to die?”
“Lord Krishna,” Alex said softly. “He’s going to die.”
“How?” Balthazar asked, his face unreadable as usual.
“I..I don’t know exactly,” Alex admitted. “I just know that he is going to die.”
“When?” Balthazar asked, his concern only barely discernable in his voice.
“I don’t know that either,” Alex said, shaking her head. “But I saw it. He is going to die.”
“When did you see this?” Balthazar asked.
“Just now,” Alex said, “in my dream.”
“Alexandra,” Balthazar said, and Alex could hear the condescending in his voice, “it was just a dream.”
“No,” Alex said insistently. “This was not just a dream. I know the difference now. I remember it all.”
“What are you talking about?” Balthazar asked.
“The dreams,” Alex said. “I’ve had them before, but I didn’t know it.”
“They are just dreams,” Balthazar said, rising from the bed to light a few more candles.
“I saw your father,” Alex said softly. Balthazar stopped, his back turned to her.
“Do not speak of my father,” Balthazar said harshly. He didn’t really mean for the words to come out as mean as they did. He just couldn’t really bear to talk about his father.
“I know who it was,” Alex said, undeterred by the threat in his voice. “I saw it all. I saw him in his bed. He was asleep…”
“Stop it,” Balthazar barked. Alex knew Balthazar would never hurt her. He may get angry, but this was something he needed to hear.