Evesse and Zeniel left early this morning with Eytel. Zen’s entrance to Zethal was finally approved.
The rest of us are gathering in the command chamber of the tower, preparing to head out to Sethrax—or, as we usually call it, South Eren.
Mavrak’s old home.
The one he absolutely refuses to step foot in.
“You can only materialize outside the city limits,” Asgaix reminds us. “Our connection was only able to reopen a single Kystm there.”
Because Cilpera is a terrified, simpering little bitch whose very aware war is about to land on her doorstep.
That’s okay. We’re expecting war, as well.
Dimithinia flashes into the chamber. Instead of a hoodie or her trench coat, now she’s wearing her battle armor.
Upgraded battle armor.
Motherfucking shit. Someone stop Crius before he gets here.
The ancient queen walks up to us, back regal, her body encased in a black and dark gray body suit. Red pulse lines bracket the sides of her chest, down her thighs, and beneath the metallic scales of armor covering her arms.
“Um, Dimithinia? You might want to zip that—”
She throws a huffy glare at me.
Clearly, she left the zipper only halfway closed for a reason.
Oh well. Crius can’t say I didn’t try.
A low hiss reaches me. “What the fuck?”
Ah. Speak of the Devil. Or, to be more exact, the devil’s brother.
Turning, I see Crius and Hades together, as always, both men frozen at the sight of Dimithinia. One, because he’s ready to kill any male that so much as stares at her, and the other because he’s calculating how he’s going to stop his brother.
Dimithinia can’t put extra distance between them fast enough. A fact that isn’t lost on Crius. His eyes flash as he watches her.
I make a mental note to drag him aside later. He and I are going to have words. He’s clearly lost for that female and fucked up past or not, he needs to stop his shit.
Before he ends up like me.
Energy ripples in the air, signaling the arrival of even more beings.
Xreak and at least a dozen Sesengts, armored up and ready to go.
“Agathen!” Dimithinia squeals happily.
The tanned, tattooed guardian smiles brightly at the sight of her, heading straight her way.
“Easy,” Hades mumbles, staring at his brother out of the corner of his eye.
Zexistr comes up on Crius’ other side; another brother ready to barricade Crius and prevent him from killing a guardian.
Their lives are beyond fucking sacred once they’ve taken those oaths. Only the Aviraji would think to spit in the face of something so holy.
In other words: killing them is a huge no-go.
A fact I suddenly have a hard time reminding myself of.
Erasan, the motherfucking viking, is among the guardians here to help us. In his all-black suit and smooth smile in place, he walks straight for my female.
My female that’s just arrived and is smiling at him in a way she hasn’t smiled at me in weeks.
Zexistr eyes me and Crius, as if judging which one of us will need to be tackled soon. Obviously, he’s prepared to intervene on behalf of one of those Sesengts if he must.
“Can we leave?” I snap, my voice booming in the chamber.
Asgaix merely raises an eyebrow. Yeah. Yeah. I know. To a being like him, a being that prides himself on pure intellect, I’m nothing more than a wild animal.
Doesn’t bother me.
Agathen offers Dimi his arm. I grind my teeth, expecting Erasan to touch Soleria.
Zex, vastly intelligent being that he can be, flashes next to her before Erasan can and grabs her shoulder.
Sol glares at him as if she knows damn well what he’s all about.
Being my bro and forestalling a disaster.
“Remember. The Kystm they managed to open is roughly one-hundred miles from the city gates,” Asgaix says.
Not two minutes later, we all reform one-by-one in a place I haven’t been to in millennia.
Last time I visited was a thousand years after Persicutis was murdered and Mavrak lost control. Back then, Cilpera was in power and both sides were playing at honoring our truce.
The lie lasted almost fifteen-thousand-years.
A futuristic yet primitive desert world sprawls as far as the eye can see. Beneath our feet and for miles around, dark red sand whirls in the wind. Ahead of us, the crowning jewel of war Erencei society. Their version of Wakanda, as Cy calls it.
Sethrax. A sprawling metropolis of graphite-colored buildings with their own optic tubes glowing bright red with information and energy.
The kingdom Zen turned his back on.
My female’s future throne.
Closer to our group, an airship hovers, the same colors as the city. In front of it is a single war demon female in the feminine version of the Erencei phoenix armor, also the same color as the ship and the city. “This way please,” she requests, waving us over.
We all look at each other, perplexed.
Regardless, one by one, we flash over and board the ship.
“We go straight to the seat of power,” the blonde female tells us as we finish boarding.
At the front of the ship, three male war demons await. But instead of the constant rigidity and hyper-vigilance their species usually displays, their mood seems almost . . . relaxed.
“What’s going on?” Xreak demands of the female. “I would believe the regent would have an army ready to greet us.”
“I’m sorry, but word of Conquest reached us days ago. Things are not how you expect them to be. In a few minutes, everything will be explained.” Turning, the demon makes her way to the front.
The ship takes off, the transition so smooth it barely rocks us on our feet.
The war demons are almost as technologically advanced as the mind demons. Most would expect them to be nothing more than violent brutes.
Oh, they’re violent, alright.
As well as cunning as fuck. It’s not just about mindless warring with them. It’s about winning from all angles.
Conquering.
“Word of Conquest reached us weeks ago.”
My eyes meet Xreak’s and I have no doubt I look as stunned as he does.
“You don’t think . . .” I begin.
“There’s no fucking way,” he finishes for me.
“What’s going on?” Soleria asks, picking up on the tension.
The ship jerks to a stop that quickly.
We’re here. A hundred miles crossed in the span of seconds.
These war demons have been keeping up with their technological advances.
The landing deck door slides back open.
“Sol, please. Come out last.”
Her small chin juts and that stubborn look I know so well settles over her face.
“He’s right,” Xreak tells her.
“Without a doubt,” Zex agrees, appearing next to me. “You have to come out last. Let us scout just how bad things are out there.”
“Everything is fine. I assure you,” the female war demon announces calmly.
We all ignore her. With Zex, Xreak, and I leading, Crius and Hades behind us, and the Sesengts, Dy and Ismini pulling up the rear, we exit out into the blazing sunlight.
Instead of the entire might of the war Erencei army, only the royal guard is there to welcome us.
At the head? A male I haven’t seen in eons.
Zeniel’s uncle.
Halamar.
“Hunt. Existence,” he greets, red-and-black eyes searching our faces.
Most likely searching for Conquest.
“What is this?” I ask.
“Cilpera abdicated the throne the moment she confirmed Conquest was heading this way.”
The statement goes off like a bomb around us, voices rising, questions flying.
Materializing in front of Halamar, I turn back to the group and
shout, “Silence!” Facing him once more, I find him staring at me curiously.
“You seem much more . . . rabid since the last time I saw you.”
I’ll bet. “Explain exactly what happened.”
One hand on the hilt of the giant sword at his waist, he proceeds to break it down for us. “She controlled us for fifteen millennia with her powers of Deceit. As soon as she left the realm, her influence was finally over. The kingdom demanded I take the throne since my nephew refuses to show his face here. As commander of the entire army, I’d prefer him to be king, but I guess that’s a wish that’ll never come true.”
Stomping steps echo within the ship seconds before Soleria exits.
Her body is finally encased in armor.
White armor with dark-blue and red details.
An armor she obviously willed on herself.
As I take in Soleria’s demon markings and those light-blue-on-black eyes, my chest feels hollow.
At the same time, too tight.
Aura and Vy’shi powers spinning in a maelstrom around her, she shouts down at us, “Let me get this straight! That fucking pussy ass bitch ran from me?”
Everything around us shudders, the ground shaking.
The war demons stare up at her, enthralled at her display of power.
Furious, my female materializes feet from Halamar, fists clenched. “You’re related to my ancestor.”
Zeniel’s uncle, clearly stunned, bows at the waist. His hair, the same exact shade as hers and Zen’s, covers his face with the move.
Below us, the ground continues quaking due to her ire.
“And you are my descendent through my nephew Xias.”
I inhale at the sound of that name. I’ve never heard it before but the magnitude of it isn’t lost on me.
That’s the name of Zen’s brother. The one he knew nothing about, even as Mavrak.
None of us ever did.
Yet Halamar does know.
Zeniel already hates his family. This is only going to make it worse.
“I’m going to be honest with you,” Soleria says, seething with the desire for battle. Her eyes might be a different shade but right now she’s pure war Erencei, primed for carnage with no threat in sight. “I know I’m a hybrid, and an ex-human, and that I’m not a direct heir to the throne. But I was told this shit is going to be mine, and now I’ve made up my mind that I want it. So your choice is very simple. You either kneel now, or I’ll force you to your motherfucking knees. You decide.”
An awed hush falls over the demons.
Eyebrows raised, Ismini smiles and shrugs at everyone. “She’ll do it, too. Trust me on that. She used to be my boss. There’s no denying her.”
Her voice breaks through the wall of shock. Halamar and the demons tense.
Instantly, the rest of us brace for battle as well.
“Think real hard,” Zex growls. “Think really fucking hard before—”
As one, the demons drop to one knee.
Every. Single. One. Of. Them.
And that’s all it takes for Cilpera’s throne, one she held for almost fifteen millenia, to be handed off to my mate.
From somewhere within the crowd, Hades grumbles, “Why the fuck couldn’t my rise to power have been this easy?”
Crius is the one that responds to him, “Because of the very same bitch that abdicated this throne to save her own ass.”
I know he can’t help his impassioned response when it comes to Cilpera, but as I watch Dimithinia walk by, expression shuttered, I make a note to bring that up in my conversation with him.
He’s hurting his female with this shit.
The queen goes right up to Halamar, every inch of her bearing regal.
He blinks down at her, taken aback. “You’re—”
“The Queen of Ritrio.” Sighing, she flicks her hair over her shoulder. “Yes. I know. And that is your new queen who should be escorted to her queenly quarters. Onward, I say.”
Nobody moves.
Soleria shakes her head. “You heard her. Onward. I demand to see my new digs. Stat. And while you’re at it, get me some food. I might not need it anymore, but it feels like I’m fucking starving.”
Chapter 39
Three days later
IANTHEN
“T ell me again how a female like Cilpera managed to control an entire vicious, war-mongering species for fifteen-thousand-years.” Placing my hands on the marble wall, I imagine the code Xreak handed to me.
The one that allows me to build new Kystms.
“We are not as bad off as we once were. Even after fifteen millennia of Cilpera’s influence. I guess you could say that dealing with her taught us we had to control ourselves to win.” Halamar moves around the sleeping area of Soleria’s palatial chambers.
Most likely staring down his nose at me. As he has been the last three days.
“And I already explained to you. Upon Sophron’s death right after Mavrak lost control, I was slated to take the throne. At that time, most of us knew nothing of Xias. No one even knew Persicutis delivered twins.”
I hiss, my concentration fracturing. Fuck, can’t let it drop now. By sheer force of will, I bring the spiraling lines of code back to the forefront of my mind, even as it continues to spin.
Twins?
Fucking twins?
Gods. Can Zeniel handle finding this out?
“Before I could make up my mind to step into the position, Cilpera arrived. We’d known of her, but her power at the time . . . you do not understand.”
“Yeah, I do,” I grit out as the Kystm leading to Enzyria finishes settling into place. Cilpera had just brought down Light, Honor, and Love. For a demoness of her species—an emotionally vampiric subspecies named the Ilran—it must have infused her with megalithic powers beyond comprehension.
Unfortunately for her, that influx of energy wasn’t going to last forever, and she was never able to drain anyone as powerful as them again.
No one let her.
In the immortal world, Crius, Hades, and Lucifer became the poster boys for that female’s treachery. The warning tale to outdo all others.
“She took one step into the dimension and everything collapsed. Society, families . . . everyone was lying to each other, plotting against each other. It was no longer us against all; it was us against each other. No relationship was sacred. Only she could make it stop and she wielded that control over us to force us to obey.”
Pushing off the wall, I head to the spot I selected for the second Kystm. This one’s leading directly into Sol’s room on Earth.
“Is that how she managed to get you to fight the rebels this long?” I ask, hands to the wall, eyes once again closed.
“The Ragtha is the most inhospitable place in the entire desert. The rebels stationed there are honed by eons of brutal conditions. If it hadn’t been for Cilpera’s control over us, we would have allowed them to overrun the city. They refuse to bow to a female regent but at the end of the day, they have our species’ best interest at heart.”
Hence why they now pose a problem to Soleria. She might be Conquest, a dream come true for most war Erenceis, but she’s still female.
For those archaic, ass-backwards rebels, that means she’s not good enough to lead either.
I’ll kill them all. Every single one.
“The entire army will now guard the queen, of course.”
The second portal settles into place. Slightly out of breath, I walk across the cream-colored marble towards the final spot I picked in the octagonal bedroom.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have given you permission to create those new entries.”
“Relax, Hal. The queen will appreciate this when she sees it.” At least, I hope she will. She hasn’t said anything about what she plans to do with the restaurant, but Dimi told me it’s not going anywhere. She informed me of her conversation with Soleria, how my mate refuses to let her old life go completely.
Ergo, I jumped right on it, demanding Xreak give
me the codes for “military advantage purposes.”
“Besides,” I throw over my shoulder. “She’s the only one that’s going to have access to these. Beings can only enter and exit upon her command.”
“I’m sure you’ll have access as well.”
“Well, duh. I’m the one most invested in protecting her.” She is my mate, after all. Not that I tell Halamar that. He’ll probably go running to tell Sol.
Fucker’s so relieved he won’t have to be king that his loyalty to her is starting to build fast.
Too fast.
“We’ve all noticed.”
“Hmm?”
“I said: we’ve all noticed.”
“For the gods’ sake, dude. What have you all noticed?” Aiming the other end of this portal is turning out to be a bitch. I need it to open right into the breakroom. Not an inch before.
“How you feel for our queen. To be more precise: your obsession with her.”
“And?” I snap.
“You must understand. The war Erencei have accepted Soleria, an ex-human, a Vy’shi hybrid of all things, because she’s a descendant of my brother Sophron. And to have the powers of Conquest leading us?”
“Yeah,” I grumble. “A warmonger’s wet dream.” Literally and figuratively. A fact that puts a lot of motherfuckers here in mortal danger.
They’ve noticed my obsession with her?
Funny. Because I’ve noticed their sick interest in her, too. Three days here, and I can already see which stupid fucks are plotting, already imagining the crown of king upon their heads.
Over their dead fucking bodies.
“I’m glad you understand this. This isn’t a very open-minded species when it comes to outsiders. We are beyond loyal and have learned to respect the ones that lead us, yet it’s still hard. If Soleria didn’t present such a powerful package and carry my brother’s blood, no matter how diluted, she would have had to fight us to be queen.”
“Gods damn it, Hal. Where the fuck are you going with this?”
“There’s no way they’ll ever accept a Hyren as their king. The heirs to the throne would be thrice-hybrids, far removed from purebred war Erenceis.”
Thank Illion I just finished the final portal.
Me? Me? King of the war Erenceis?
Blood Drenched Conquest (Ryze Book 3) Page 33