by J. L. Weil
I nearly snorted. Perhaps on the surface that was true, but underneath the glamour and illusions, the Court of Envy was still a court of Hell. The difference was, instead of darkness and storms, Verena’s court was greed, sex, lust, and envy. It was foolish not to entertain the idea that Verena might very well be after the same thing Kali was.
Supreme—a single position ruling all of Hell. Were we trading one queenly opportunist for another?
Was it worth the risk? Did Ashor realize Verena had her own ambitions?
Trust me.
Ashor’s request came back to me.
He’d asked me to trust him, and I did, but it wasn’t the Prince of Darkness I feared. It was the repercussions if either one of the queens killed the other. I had no doubt that this war would eventually trickle into the mortal world.
But right now, I needed to hold on to my trust in Ashor and pray that whatever insane scheme he had brewing, it would all work out.
The slow-burning reality of what was unfolding began to sink in; the first battle between the courts was about to begin.
24
The Queen of Envy clucked her tongue. “It’s your time to shine, huntress. What will it be? Your human boyfriend? Or your mate?” She laid out my choices as two of her guards fell into rank behind her throne.
“Your court is a joke,” I seethed, glaring at her. I wanted her to see, to feel my boiling rage and stomach-churning disgust. “And so is your test,” I spat.
“If you fail the test, I have every intention of handing you over to the queen. Think about that while you’re fighting for your life,” she crooned. “She is very eager to have you back in her possession. Perhaps I should offer her a bargain instead. I wonder just how much you are worth to her.”
“You’re insane,” I hissed.
“That might be the nicest thing you’ve said to me. Now, in light of your secret ability, it seems you no longer need a weapon to kill.”
Bitch. I just wanted to get this over with. I was done with Hell and the games. It was time to go home, and I was taking the goddamn Prince of Darkness with me, so help me god.
Calling upon the seedling of power gifted to me by Ashor, I turned from the window where Kali’s armada waited and approached Colin’s cage. Icy cold spread from my center, moving into my limbs as if filling up my veins.
I stood in front of Colin with dark flames flickering over my fingers, and despite the power coursing within me, I’d never felt so powerless in my life. Okay, not true. That same helplessness had crippled me when I had watched Colin die.
Taking a deep breath, I filled my lungs with warm air, which turned crisp in my chest. This was it. My pivotal moment.
You can do this.
Don’t think about it. Close your eyes and let the darkness do the rest. Just close your eyes and release. You’ve killed demons a hundred different times.
The little pep talk in my head wasn’t working. Verena wanted me to fail. This was a test designed to show my weakness—my humanity.
“Lexi?”
The softness and bewilderment of Colin’s voice had my gaze whirling to his. Those were his eyes—Colin’s, not the demon he had become. My heart sped.
“Lexi?” Colin pleaded from underneath his mop of hair. His brown eyes were wide and haunted, like someone who’s been to Hell and seen too much. “What’s going on? Why am I here?”
Motherfucker.
The fire on my fingers flickered, losing some of its power. “Colin? Is it really you?” I asked, my voice just above a whisper. I was done with the tricks.
His eyes grew bigger, brimming with one emotion after the other. He inched forward from his crouched position in the corner. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”
My chest tightened.
Click.
The lock on Colin’s prison opened. I swung my head to the queen, who only smirked. Would the torment never end? I was getting tired of her illusions.
Colin’s tilted his head just a fraction toward me, a speck of crimson glimmering in the center of his soft brown eyes. It was my only warning before he lunged, going straight for my throat. He took me by surprise, and as his fingers wrapped around the column of my neck, we went tumbling to the stone floor.
Holy crap.
Didn’t see that coming… but I damn well should have.
I had no time to catch my breath. Not that it would have mattered with Colin cutting off my air supply with those demon-strengthened hands.
Verena’s giggle prickled over my skin like I’d run into a thorn bush.
The lying little bitch. My senses returned two seconds after I landed on my back, and I rammed my elbow up, clipping Colin in the jaw. His head snapped to the side, loosening his grip just enough for me to roll over onto my stomach.
A snarl exploded through the room as I summoned my darkness and attempted to squirm out from under Colin’s body, to no avail. The weight of him pinned me down, his fingers quickly snaking into my hair. I sent a current of my power into his body. Colin swore at the first stirrings of cold darkness working its way into his system, but he maintained his hold on me, ripping my head back. Despite the pain, I searched for Ashor, stunned to see the sight before me.
While I’d been having it out with Colin, Ashor had his own problems to deal with it. How cunning for the queen to drop her glamour at this particular moment. Or maybe it was that I was seeing for the first time. It didn’t matter how, only that Ashor and I were in a sticky situation.
From every corner of the room, Verena’s sentinels materialized, her glamour fading, allowing me to see what everyone else did—which explained why Ashor had been so cautious when we stepped into the throne chamber. But he wasn’t wary or watchful anymore. He was livid.
Ashor’s lip curled off his gleaming teeth as he tore into the demons that stood between him and me. Darkness swarmed in an impact that shook the world, splitting the ground underneath us like a spiderweb.
The Queen of Envy was lucky she was sitting on her throne, for the aftermath of the blast would have knocked Verena on her ass.
Sitting up, Colin pulled me with him, shoving me back against the cage. “What did you do to me?” he demanded.
I grinned, my head leaning on the cell bars. “Wouldn’t you like to know. Guess you’ll just have to wait and find out.” Truth was, I didn’t know how long my power would stay in his system or how much damage it caused. Since he was still breathing, my assumption was the darkness wouldn’t be enough.
Chaos ensued, all while the queen laughed and enjoyed herself as if she were taking in a show. A half a dozen of her sentinels were on the ground, bleeding all over her pretty white floors.
“Ashor!” A voice I recognized bellowed through the mayhem of demons, fists, snarls, and magic. It was Cayden.
Picking a weapon off the floor, Cayden tossed the hatchet, hitting a guard two feet in front of Ashor. Colin’s gaze flickered to the dead demon, and I kicked my left foot out, connecting with Colin’s thigh. His grip loosened in my hair, and it was all I needed to break free. I unleashed my power on Colin again and surged to my feet. Pain barked at the first bit of pressure I applied to my foot, and I cursed. Running on pure instinct, I limped and climbed my way toward my mate, but he reached me first.
His thumb brushed over my bottom lip, wiping at a speck of blood dripping from my lip. “You’re hurt.”
I hadn’t even realized I had bitten my lip. It must have happened during my struggle with Colin. “I’ll live.”
Ashor’s fist rammed into the face of a guard, sending him sprawling backward, following up with a stream of darkness that whizzed past. I didn’t bother to glance over my shoulder to see who was entangled by Ashor’s power.
Colin growled. “I’ll kill her.” Untapped rage underscored his voice.
Ashor stepped to the side, a hand on my lower back. I’d been right about the prince’s magic. It wrapped around Colin from his hips to his shoulders, tying him up. “You can try, but I promise you, I will
end you before you can touch her again.” Ashor curled and uncurled his hands, flexing his fingers. “I’m actually considering why I shouldn’t just kill you now.”
Verena called off her demons. “If you kill him, she fails the test,” the queen reminded him. Her loyal demons waited to see what the prince would do next, but they were poised to attack.
Cayden was still separated from us at the other side of the room, not too far from the doorway where he had appeared. It would take one signal from Ashor and he would defend his friend to the death.
Anger rippled in his violet eyes, but there was also regret. “It’s too late. You had your chance.”
The center of Verena’s eyes started to glow white, and somehow she appeared more beautiful, if that was even possible. “Are you withdrawing your offer of an alliance?”
“My mate isn’t someone you can use as leverage. She was never supposed to be part of this, and it ends now,” he said.
A wall of demons closed in around us. “Interesting. Have you been stringing me along this whole time?”
“No more than you have.” Ashor’s fingers pressed into my back as he whispered into my ear. “Things are about to get hectic, luv.”
“More than this?” I hissed back.
“Indeed,” the queen murmured. “You are very much your mother’s son, Prince of Darkness. I knew you would never betray her.”
Ashor shrugged.
A dull throb pulsed through the air, waking that dark part of me. My demon recognized the cold blackness that demanded attention. A bolt of lightning flashed, blinding my eyes for a heartbeat, and from the spark of light, the Queen of Darkness materialized. “Of course he wouldn’t. Though, I see you started without me.” A voice brimming with frustration erupted over the chaos of battle.
Kali was exactly as I remembered. Her dark satin gown swirled with the raging winds, showing a beautiful face surrounded by onyx hair. A crown crafted of sharp obsidian on her head shone in the moonlight for all to see.
She was both fantasies and nightmares made flesh.
“Verena, darling, it’s been too long. You redecorated. It’s…” Kali’s black eyes swept in a dismissive manner over the throne room. “Bright. Not as impressive as my Fortress,” she mused condescendingly. The queen had brought a dozen of her guards with her, the rest of her army waiting in the ships for her command to attack. The Court of Darkness sentinels were dressed in leathers of all black, decked out with weapons.
Malice curled over the Queen of Envy’s lips.
Ashor went as still as death at the sight of her. “Mother,” he greeted with a curt nod.
A forced half smile curled on her mouth. “What do we have here?” She ran a nail along the cell bars as she circled the open cage, eyeing Colin twined in Ashor’s darkness, who wisely stayed silent. “Looks like I interrupted something.”
Verena angled her head to the side, tendrils of strawberry-colored hair sliding over a shoulder. “Your timing is impeccable as always. I would have had a room readied for you if I had known you were coming.”
A small, breathy laugh escaped. “I won’t be staying long. I’ve come to collect my prize. As well as my son and my punisher,” she added, her wholly black eyes settling on Cayden for a brief moment before returning to Verena. “Funny how they both ended up in your court.”
Her “prize” was the Crown of Envy, but Verena didn’t so much as flinch at the insinuation.
Ashor pulled me closer to his side, his arm brushing against mine and sending a wave of steady coolness through me.
The Queen of Darkness’s intense gaze slid from Ashor to me. Her eyes raked over me with repulsion and narrowed when they landed on the shadowy flames still dancing over my fingers. I had forgotten about them until that moment. Slim brows lifted to her son. “Interesting. Seems someone came back to Hell with a speck of darkness. This night just keeps getting better.” She flicked her hand like she was swatting away a fly, and my power extinguished, devoured by her own. Satisfied that I wasn’t a threat, Kali spun, positioning herself between Verena and Ashor. “Now, shall we get down to business?”
Verena stirred on her throne, pressing two fingers to her temple. “What was the ruse this time, Kali? Did you think to just stroll through my home and kill me?” Verena bluntly asked.
“I left the details up to my son,” Kali replied, steel in her voice. Flames of midnight danced in her eyes.
Violence simmered in Ashor’s blood, a cold rage, and a shiver went through me from our bond.
Energy hung thick in the air between the two queens, a clash of light and dark, ice and warmth. Eventually, those electric energies were going to implode, and we were all going to suffer the blowback. I had better brace myself. Being caught in the middle of two opposing kingdoms royally sucked, pun intended.
“Funny. The prince, his mate, and I have unfinished business,” Verena said flatly.
Ashor pointed his chin toward Verena and said to his mother, “She is yours.”
I tensed. Holy fuck. He was really handing over the Queen of Envy, not that Verena would willingly let Kali take her crown. It would be a fight to the death, but a fight nonetheless, and with the prince keeping Verena’s guards at bay and the army outside battling, it looked like it was going to be queen against queen. May the best bitch win.
Or not.
Was it too much to hope that they would kill each off?
The Queen of Envy leveled Kali with a cool stare, her eyes still glowing white with power. “You sent your son to double-cross me, and yet he offered me an alliance—a blood oath.”
Ashor’s mother snickered as she glided past Verena’s guards, disregarding them. “I don’t care what my son offered you. His mate has a way of clouding his better judgment. Can’t blame him. He is a male, and it’s in his nature to protect what is his.”
Ashor snarled a warning. “We can do this the hard way if you prefer, or you can just hand over your crown before I paint your pretty white halls with your blood.” Wings of midnight tore from his back as Ashor released that part of him born of Hell. Whether he did it on purpose or not, those feathery wings became a shield at my back. Knowing Ashor, he never did anything that wasn’t strategically thought out.
“If you touch my queen, I’ll kill—”
Before Colin could finish, Ashor slapped a patch of darkness over his mouth, cutting him off. “I’ve had enough of your insignificant baby demon.”
“Clearly,” Verena replied. “It’s a shame your mate couldn't complete the test, but I can’t say I’m surprised. I’ve seen her soul, and even with the stain of your darkness, she isn’t one of us. She never will be.”
Well, thank fucking god. The last thing I wanted to be was a demon queen. All I wanted to do was retrieve my mate and get the hell out of here.
“Surrender your kingdom and your crown before things get messy. I wouldn’t want you to lose your head,” Kali warned, a twisted sinister grin on her bold red lips.
Verena threw her head back and laughed. “You think you can storm my castle and demand I hand over my throne? Don’t disappoint me, sister. At least have the respect to fight me for it.”
“You can’t possibly win. Don’t disgrace yourself,” Kali spat. Lightning lanced across the dark sky outside the castle windows, and when it struck the ground, flames born from night erupted, devouring everything in its path. Demons. Trees. The land itself, leaving behind a gaping hole of nothing.
Verena finally stood from her throne, her eyes shining pure white, brighter than I’d ever seen. “And why should you be Supreme? Why shouldn’t it be me who takes your throne? I am a better queen, after all.”
“You are weak. Your court is weak. And it will crumble under my rule,” Kali replied. A phantom wind blasted through the room, sending her black hair and gown flying behind her. Her voice echoed, carrying an authority that shook the walls.
Ashor reached for my hand, squeezing it tight. A signal for me to stay close. He backed up a step, taking me with him, w
hich put the two queens at center stage.
Verena did not like Kali’s response. “You don’t deserve to be queen of any kingdom.” Her bold statement was followed up by a lash of power that whizzed through the chamber, a strand of sparkling light that fizzed like a firecracker.
The two strands of power collided and exploded, shooting fragments of Hell magic through the air. Ashor’s wings engulfed me, shielding me from the assault.
That was the signal. War on, bitches.
From outside the window, the first clash of battle rang out. Metal against metal. Demon against demon. And the winds howled in a death-kiss shriek.
Ashor sprang into action, hurtling toward the Queen of Envy. I couldn’t decipher if he meant to defend her or kill her; his emotions were locked down. Even from me, not that I had a whole lot of time to weed through and analyze what was going on inside me.
But he failed to see one fatal flaw in his decision. Leaving me.
The Queen of Darkness whirled her attention away from Verena and turned those utterly black eyes on me. There was something spiderlike in her movements that made my skin crawl.
I dared to take a step away while watching her with narrowed eyes.
Ashor halted at the base of the dais, sensing something was happening with me. He whirled just as his mother cast her web of evil in my direction. Instinct had me lifting my hand to ward off the attack, summoning my magic in defense, but I wasn’t fast enough. Not this time.
“No,” Ashor muttered. The word had been said in a low voice, yet carried across the room to me as if he had screamed it, blasting down our bond.
Mist and shadow slammed into me, and I braced myself for the pain. When the torture never came, I blinked, tearing my eyes from Ashor to glare at his mother.
Kali smiled.
What had she done to me? Why wasn’t I writhing on the floor in agony? She hadn’t even stifled my magic. I could still feel it reeling in my veins, poised and ready to be set free.
Your mate, a voice purred in my ear, and I flipped my head toward Ashor at the bottom of the gleaming white dais.