by L. Rose
Michael wrapped his arm around Leona’s waist. “You’re not thinking of adding a mage to our Equidae, are you?”
Leona blushed and then giggled. They were so darn cute together. Leona shook her head. “You’re enough to handle.”
Michael grinned. “Good.” His gaze shifted to me. “My queen, we’d like to thank you again for gifting us with the stroller for Zoey.”
I waved it off and bent over the stroller, cooing at the cuteness who slept soundly inside. “How can we not spoil such sweetness?”
“That’s true.” Michael beamed. He was a very proud father, and Leona was an amazing, doting mother.
“Please, while we’re gone, make sure to keep in the castle grounds,” I said, lifting my gaze from Zoey and then straightening.
Michael nodded. “We will, my queen.”
“Thank you. I better be going to see if I need to do anything else before we leave.”
They dipped their heads. “Safe travels, my queen. I hope everything works out.” Leona smiled.
“As do I, Leona.” Or else my men and people were doomed to live a life of pain and hate.
“Are we there yet?” I asked for the billionth time and got the same reaction from Nate, a scowl and a growl as he looked back at me in the rearview mirror. It had me smiling at least. But seriously, I’d been sitting for four hours in a… what Asher called Nissan Nv 3500 4x4, that had been converted to a six-seater so I could have all my men in one vehicle. Nate and Thorn sat up front. I was in the middle seat with Alex and Ezra, and Asher was spread out on the back one sleeping since he hadn’t gotten much in the last few days.
I hadn’t been the only one worried about leaving the castle. He worked with me on making sure everything would be settled before we left. Another 4x4 was in front of us that held Xi and some guards, and another was behind us with more guards. I was bored out of my mind.
“Try and sleep,” Nate clipped.
“I’m not tired.”
“I could think of something to do,” Ezra said with a cheeky grin, and then I was up out of my seat and on his lap.
“Set her down and put her seat belt back on,” Nate snapped.
“But, Dad,” Ezra whined. I laughed behind my hand.
“Now, boy.”
“Will you spank me if I don’t?”
“I’ll do more than spank you if you don’t listen,” Nate growled out.
“Um… yay,” I offered, causing Ezra and Alex to chuckle.
“Ezra,” Nate warned.
Ezra sighed. “He’s no fun.” Still, he kissed my shoulder before putting me back on the seat between him and Alex. Alex reached around me and put my seat belt back on.
“Where is this portal we have to take to the land of fae?” Jesus, that sounded like something someone would say in a book or movie. Not in real life. Then again, my life had been a fantasy since I ended up with five different and so very amazing men.
“It’s about another hour away. In Texas.”
I screwed up my nose, and Ezra flicked it, smiling. I grabbed his hand and held it on my lap, then took Alex’s. “The fae picked Texas to have a portal in? I didn’t expect that.”
“They have many around the world,” Thorn explained. “But the Texan one is closest for us to get to.”
“Let me guess, the council has one close to them also, which is how they got someone in and out to kill the former king?”
“It had been activated that same day, yes,” Alex said. “But they had a cover for why it was used, of course.”
“Of course,” I mumbled.
Alex squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry. We’ll stop their corrupting ways.”
“I have faith in you all. I just hate how hard it’s going to be.”
“Shit,” Nate cursed.
I sat straighter and gripped the back of their seats as I searched out the front window. “What? What is it?”
“The car in front of us is braking. There shouldn’t be any slowing or stopping until we reach closer to town. This is a straight path.”
“Meaning?”
“Something’s happening,” Thorn said.
“Asher?” Nate called.
“I’m awake.”
I jumped at his voice behind us but kept looking out the front window. Waiting, watching to see if anything was about to happen. Nate suddenly braked hard as the car in front of us did, and things from the woods moved out on the road surrounding the vehicles. I had to think “things” because I didn’t know what they were since they were all clothed in black from top to bottom. Mesh covered their eyes, making it hard to see if there were normal eyes peeking out.
“Asher?” Nate called.
“Open the top and let me out first.”
“No,” I cried, undoing my seat belt and turning on the seat.
Asher leaned forward and cradled my face, saying, “You are to follow what we ask to keep everyone safe.”
“Then you shouldn’t throw yourself into danger. The men can handle this.”
“We fight with the men. We fight our battles together. It’s the way of a good ruler. We don’t hide, love.”
Shit, I knew he was right, but it still scared me. Reluctantly, I nodded and flopped back to my butt, leaning into Ezra.
“Send the queen out and you can all keep your lives,” someone called from outside the vehicles.
“I’m going out as well,” Alex said.
“No,” Nate, Thorn, and Asher clipped together.
Ezra snickered. They all glowered at him. His hands shot up. “Hey, don’t look at me. I’m sticking by Paige’s side like a good boy. Like I was told. I just think it’s cute you all get domineering with Alex.”
“It’s ridiculous,” Alex complained. “I have the power to end them all in seconds, yet you all want me to hang back and be the last line of defense with Ezra.”
“We’ve spoken about this,” Nate snarled. It was the first I’d heard of it.
“Yes, and I hated it then as well,” Alex snapped. “You all treat me like I’m a little boy. I’m not. I’m damn powerful and you all know it.”
“Can we talk about this later?” Thorn said. “They’re looking ready to attack.”
It was true. Some had drawn their bow and arrows, others had swords, and some even had guns. All of them were pointed toward our vehicle.
Nate pressed his finger to let the bulletproof, custom-made sunroof open. I watched him take in a deep breath. “Demons, they reek of sulfur.”
“Then I need to be the one to—fucking hell,” Ezra finished. I looked to where he was to see Xi standing on the roof of the vehicle in front of us.
“It is you who will live if you leave now. My name is Xi Huang. I am second in command to our lord Lucifer. In the vehicle with the queen you want is Azrael, son to Lucifer—”
“Fuck, should he have announced that?” Thorn asked.
“If you wish to live, then leave.” Xi shrugged. “Or don’t, and suffer the wrath of my blade and hands.”
“We want the queen—”
“So be it,” Xi snarled. He threw out his hands, and I heard screams. Demons fell to the ground, convulsing on the dirt path with blades sticking out of their throats.
Asher flashed out of the sunroof, his body too fast to track for most, yet I could see the outline of his hazy form as he raced around the one hundred men—or demons—surrounding us. They didn’t know what hit them. All they could do was fall to the ground after their heads had been severed.
I twitched in the seat, gripping the seats in front of me, watching and wanting to get out there myself to help.
“There’ll be other chances to fight,” Ezra said in my ear.
“I know what Asher means now. We fight together. It shouldn’t be only them out there.” A few guards had joined the battle. I winced when one fell to the ground with a huge hole in his abdomen.
“We would be as well if I didn’t know they could handle it,” Nate said, his voice calm yet cold.
“How is
that handling it?” I demanded and pointed to the fallen comrade. Only he wasn’t there any longer. He was up again, fighting. “What is he?”
“A ghoul,” Thorn said, pride held in his tone.
The car rocked. Something had been thrown into it. I climbed over Alex, who was already looking out the window.
However, as soon as Nate growled out, “Paige,” I was pulled back against Ezra’s chest, and then I saw a demon stand on the outside. He, it, whatever it was, didn’t face our way. He was looking at the person who threw him.
Asher, in all his glory, stood on an embankment, his glowing green eyes glaring down at the demon. His fangs and claws were on full display, and I wasn’t the only one impressed or turned on by him. I could scent it off all my men. Our response had me smiling.
In the next second, the demon disappeared and Asher stood in its place, holding a head up before he threw it to the ground.
Beside me, Alex’s eyes shone purple. He lifted his flat hand up in front of him, and when he closed it, the demon at Asher’s back squished into a ball of goop.
Asher spun around then looked at Alex through the window. “Keep doing that from where you are,” he said.
“I’m better out there,” Alex said through clenched teeth.
“No,” Asher clipped.
More demons around Asher turned into goop thanks to Alex, while they continued to argue. “Just because you’ve fucked me doesn’t mean you can coddle me.”
“I can and I will,” Asher bit out.
“Oooh, wrong thing to say, man,” Ezra sang.
Alex flew up through the sunroof and stood up there, firing sparks of yellow bolts at demons, who melted on the spot.
“Is it wrong I want to give them both head right now?” I asked as I watched Asher tear through more demons while glaring up at Alex.
Ezra and Thorn laughed while Nate snorted. “Not the time, angel.”
“Damn,” I muttered. “Actually, I’d like to see them both suck each other off—”
A hand covered my mouth as a nose brushed into my hair. “Mi corazón, now isn’t the time to speak of it and get us all hard and wanting.”
“Fine,” I mumbled behind his hand. I pulled it away and sat up. A roar had me twisting back to stare out the front windshield. What I saw I couldn’t comprehend, and fear twisted what felt like an invisible knife in my chest. “What is that?”
“A chimera,” Thorn said.
I didn’t have a clue what that was, but it scared me enough my body shook. “We need to get everyone back in the fucking cars now,” I yelled.
Ezra tried to curl his arms around me. “Relax, Paige. It’s fine.”
“No! Asher, Alex, back in here now!”
“Paige,” Nate barked, suddenly in my face. “Relax. That’s Xi.”
Blinking slowly, I opened my mouth and then closed it.
The beast ate, tore, and bit anything in its path. It looked to have all areas covered around it because it had more than one head. I could see the main head looked like a lion while the one on its back looked like a goat or sheep, but the tail wasn’t to be outdone. It ended in a snake’s head. It wrapped around a demon and sank its fangs into the body, easily piercing the protective gear they all wore.
I was in awe. My hammering heart settled a little knowing it was Xi and he was on our side, because there was no way in hell I would want to go against him.
“Catch Alex,” Nate warned.
Somehow, Ezra gently pushed me out of the way just before Alex fell back through the sunroof, hitting his head on the edge.
“Alex?” I cried when I saw he was unconscious.
“He’ll be okay. Beside the egg on his head, which he’ll fix,” Nate said. “He’s just used a lot of juice in a short amount of time.”
I nodded. I understood that was a lot of power, yet I still looked him over just in case.
Asher flashed inside the car, into the back seat. His angry gaze didn’t sway from Alex while he ground his teeth together. I had a feeling it would be Alex who got a spanking. Nate started the car and slowly drove forward.
Seeing Alex unharmed, I sat back in the seat with his legs on my lap. “We know it’s the council sending these hitmen after me, but how did they know where we would be?”
“It could either be someone has ratted us out, or they guessed our plans and had mercenaries lay in wait just in case,” Thorn said.
“I hope it’s the latter one,” said a tired voice. I swung my gaze to Alex.
I grabbed his hand in mine, so he knew I was there. Ezra squeezed Alex tighter to him and then laid a quick kiss to his head. When his eyes fluttered open and landed on me, I scolded lightly, “You scared me. Again.”
He gave me a smile. “Sorry.”
“Sorry is not good enough,” Asher snarled.
Alex groaned. “Don’t start—”
Asher gripped the back of the seat, leaned over, and got in Alex’s face. His hard expression sent a shiver of fear through me. “You know what dark spells do to you. They drain you faster than any defensive spell. You put yourself in harm’s way. Why?”
Alex’s nostrils flared in agitation. “There were too many. I could help, so I helped.”
Asher growled in his face. “You knew the formation we would stick to. You knew when you had to step in if something like this happened. You changed it. Why?”
“Because I have the power to help. I just proved it to you.”
“You proved you went too far. You passed out. What could have happened if there were some left and you were already on the ground taking a nap? We follow rules for a reason, Alex. You’ve never gone against my orders before. Why now?”
Alex’s eyes flashed purple and back again. “Because you could have died.” He gripped Asher’s shirt in a fist. “They were coming at your back. I had to protect you. I protect the people I love at all costs.”
Asher crushed his mouth to Alex’s, and my pussy spasmed. Nate caught my gaze and gave me a knowing smirk. I shot him the finger.
Asher pulled back and ordered, “You will do as you’re told. You will yield to me in the field. I know what I’m doing. Trust me, even when we’re sleeping together, that I will do anything for our clan to keep everyone safe to live a long fucking life together.”
Alex paled. “I panicked.”
“You did.”
“I’ll listen next time.”
“Good.” Asher studied his face. “I love you also.”
Alex blushed, then nodded. “Okay.”
Asher sat back in the seat and crossed his arms over his chest. “We’ll need to make sure we’re on alert at every stop we make. They may have easily guessed our plan because they know Nate, Alex, and me. Also, if the shoe was on the other foot, they would do the same as we are, gaining trust from people who could stand against them.”
“Should we call for more backup?” Thorn asked.
“No. We handled this fine, and we can’t go into anyone’s territory—that even means the council—with a large number of soldiers or it will look like we’ve come to battle and not talk. However, I think we may have to adjust when we get to the council since Nate, Alex, and I are already wanted by them.”
Alex, from where he still leaned against Ezra, who was giving him a shoulder rub, said, “We know the layout of the council building. I could plant members of our team, or even extras from the castle, within the building dressed as an elite enforcer to try and keep suspicion down and to let us have more people on the inside.”
“It’s a sound idea,” Nate said.
“Yes,” Asher agreed. “Let’s see first if we can’t gain more people to aid our mission from the ones we see.”
Nate grunted. “Agreed.” He pulled the car up alongside the other. “We’re here.”
Shit. My stomach bottomed out. Already on this trip we’d been through one battle. Would walking through this portal bring another?
I didn’t know, but we had to find out, and I hated that we did.
> We stood in front of a formation of rocks that looked like something out of the old television show Stargate. Except the center of it was full of rock, not an empty entryway into nothingness.
“Where’s the control panel to get the thing started?” I asked, and everyone looked at me. I shrugged. “You know, you dial in a certain sequence of shapes….” I glanced up at the edges. There weren’t any shapes or patterns. “Huh, okay, so is there a magic button to press?”
Thorn pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons before putting it to his ear while smiling at me. “Yes, Thorn Jones, bonded mate to Paige Alice, ghoul queen, waiting for acceptance into the fae realm.” He paused before looking up at something, so I also did. All I saw were more rocks. “Yes. Thank you.” He hung up and pocketed it. The men moved, all surrounding me. I had Asher, Xi, and Thorn in front. Alex and Ezra were at my sides and Nate at my back. The other men were scattered from Alex’s sides and behind Nate.
Next, there was a flash of bright white light, and Thorn was the first to step into the bubbling glare. I made a noise in the back of my throat and went to grab him. Xi turned and said, “He is fine, Queen.” Then he stepped through, as did Asher.
“I’m not sure about this,” I told my remaining men.
“Stop being a chicken.” Nate laughed, pushing against my back, but I didn’t move.
“I hate you, asshole,” I snapped. Nate laughed again and applied more pressure.
“Come on, mi corazón. We’ll do it together with Alex.” They both took a hand and forced me forward.
“What happens if we get lost in the swirling portal and end up being spit out somewhere else?”
Some of the men behind me laughed but were kind enough to cover it with a cough.
Alex smiled. “I’m not sure what portal you’ve stepped through in the past, but these types are just one step through, and you’re there. They can’t take you someplace else.”
“Right.” I nodded. “I knew that. I was just testing you.”
“More like delaying while you get yourself together,” Nate said, humor evident in his tone. I dropped the guys’ hands and whirled on him to give him a piece of my mind, but I was picked up. I buried my head in Nate’s chest, wrapped my arms and legs around him, and closed my eyes as I felt him walk forward.