Reign to Ravage

by Zoey Ellis

  They stood gathered in a cluster with the boldest rulers at the front. Some of the group were clearly just as angry as Brecc, others seemed wary, while one or two appeared curious. But none of them said anything, almost as though... He exhaled a heavy breath, the realization becoming clear. The rulers had finally united against him. This wasn't unexpected. He had put things in place to help him take over the Lands if this ever happened, but it was the wrong time. The tenebris was damaged and he needed to secure things with Amara before he was able to affect his plan. He was in a cloud of confusion about his feelings for her, but the one thing that was clear was that he needed and wanted her more than anything else.

  "Are you forgetting that you attacked me first?" Malloron said, his voice deep. He glared at Brecc. "You put your family at risk when you chose to attack Eiros. All of you did," he said, looking at each of them again. "Do you think war is pretty? Do you think battles and attempts to overthrow a ruling power won’t incur you any losses? You attacked Erios, you deserve to pay the price."

  "We did not attack the people of Eiros," Duke Thon of Cleyanti said, irritably. "We were attacking the hold that you had on magic in this territory."

  "It is my right to do whatever the fuck I want in my territory," Malloron bellowed. "You have no right to interfere with my spells, anything I do here or how I choose to rule. We have lived by this understanding for centuries. We’re not in some kind of combined leadership where you award approval of my methods. You do whatever the hell you deem fit in your territory, I do what I want in mine. The only purpose of trying to tear down a centuries-old spell that prevents the use of magic that protects me is to attack me and my people."

  "Fine," Duke Airey of Rucevale snapped. "We decided to interfere with your spell. But the crime is not that great compared to what you did to Brecc.”

  “You are holding some kind of powerful Talent-crafter or magical creature that was not disclosed to us,” called Duchess Shyrah of Khaloya. She hadn't been part of the meetings that Emric had been to. “That is against the united treaty we made between our countries and territories.”

  Malloron had to laugh but there was no humor in it. “Are you aware of the magical force that the rest of the rulers have been working on in secret to tear down my protection spell, Shyrah?”

  Shyrah frowned. She glanced at the other rulers. “No…”

  “This force was incredibly powerful—their Talent-crafters would’ve had to have been working on it for at least a year. It is completely illegal. The only reason they are upset is because something more powerful has been identified—something that belongs to me, something that destroyed their force—and they are not happy about it.”

  “But what is she?” Duke Ussen of Glandrech asked. “Why have you kept her existence from us?”

  “Anything that can turn an entire house into mist isn't something that should be under the control of any one person in the Western Lands,” Duke Valinor’s voice boomed through the hall and he hadn't even risen it. He was the largest of the other rulers, a stocky, older Alpha who had a good enough mind for finance to make his territory, DarRojan, wealthy. But though he was stern, he indulged in many pleasures, and he was almost as much of a hothead as Brecc. “I was at Brecc’s manor only an hour before the incident and when I returned, there was nothing there; no building, no bricks, no rubble—nothing,” he continued. “People died. That kind of destruction is too dangerous. It makes no difference if you’re royalty or not. The royal family is not exempt from the treaty.”

  “You need to disclose what she is and enter into discussions with us about her abilities,” insisted Duke Thon.

  Malloron leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he glared at the most vocal rulers. “Are we or are we not currently at war? Because I notice that you are not concerned that an attack was made against my territory without provocation.” His Talent-crafters took a heavy, unified step forward and rose their arms, prepared to weave.

  The entire atmosphere in the room changed. Shock hit the faces of almost all the rulers as they glanced at the warriors surrounding them.

  “If we are indeed at war,” Malloron continued after a long stretch of silence, “then I owe you nothing. I do not even owe you the opportunity of walking out of here with your lives.” It was a bold threat to make but their stupidity and assumption that he wouldn't respond to such a threat irritated the fuck out of him.

  “It was not without provocation,” Brecc said through gritted teeth. “You physically attacked me in your pleasure chamber. Did you expect no retaliation?”

  “I attacked you only three months ago after you disrespected me on my own property in my territory,” Malloron snarled. “You have been working on that magical force for many months. You always intended to use it against me.”

  “Your demands and expectations have become more and more ridiculous the longer you reign in Eiros,” Brecc bit back. “You cannot expect us not to retaliate.”

  “These petty arguments are not of interest to me.” Inca Yessha stepped forward and slightly away from the rest of the rulers. He looked ridiculous—a golden crown on his wide head and the thin flag of his territory wrapped around his large frame. “We in the Della Mont Isles have no concern about mainland squabbles,” he said irritably. He turned to Brecc. “I do not wish to be used for anyone’s personal vengeance against another territory.” A number of the other rulers nodded. Malloron noticed that Thon, Airey, and Valinor did not react. “If you were personally and physically attacked by King Malloron, that is a dispute between you and him. It is not a reason to involve the rest of the Lands.”

  “However,” Yessha said, turning to Malloron, “I do not wish to be at the mercy of a foolish ruler who cannot control their weapon. We all saw her attack you and the injuries on your face suggest she is powerful enough that you couldn't even heal yourself. You cannot control her.”

  Malloron was struck silent with shock. They had seen her attack him? He forced himself not to react. How the fuck had they— Brecc’s smug grin instantly told him what happened. He had his Talent-crafters project a magical broadcast of his interaction with Amara above Norryth sea, and since it had happened within his territory, he had every right to. Everyone would have seen Amara attack him, immobilize him, and escape. No wonder they thought he was weak—they had witnessed themselves that his Talent had not helped him against her. Fuck! Their disrespectful attitude and demands suddenly made sense.

  “If you cannot control her,” said Duchess Roya of Wrale, her low throaty voice ominous, “then she is a concern for us all.”

  “Even your own people are concerned,” Brecc piped up, a gleam in his eyes. “Many have been inquiring about seeking refuge in Norryth if she were to appear again.”

  Malloron kept his expression neutral when he really wanted to release a string of curses. Brecc had projected the interaction into Eiros; he had tried to make Malloron’s own people see him as weak. Malloron’s fingers itched to create magical orbs that would burrow into Brecc’s skin and melt his innards until he died screaming.

  “We want information about her,” Airey warned. “We want to know what she is, what she can do, and how it is possible. Otherwise we will seek her out ourselves.”

  Malloron smiled. They thought she had escaped somewhere into the Lands. “You may do as you wish,” he said. “I see no reason to answer to any of you.”

  Brecc’s face dropped and twisted into a murderous snarl. “Once we find her, she will be destroyed and you will be put on trial for—”

  “Let’s not rush into anything here,” Inca Yessha interrupted. He turned to address the rest of the rulers. “I vote that we give King Malloron three weeks to consider the implications of his actions and enter into discussions about this Talent-crafter. In that time he will hopefully reread the terms of the treaty and decide not to suffer the extensive penalties.”

  “Three weeks is too long,” growled Duke Valinor. “Who knows when this creature will show up again. She is on th
e loose in our Lands. Our people are at risk.”

  “Then in the meantime, we use those three weeks to search for her,” Duke Thon said, his voice clipped. “If found in my territory, she will be obliterated.”

  “She has no scent,” Brecc warned. “She will be difficult for anyone to find. It is better if we combine our efforts.”

  A resounding relief spread through Malloron. If Brecc thought Amara had no scent, then it was only Malloron who could actually smell her—only her Alpha. That had to be another result of the tenebris.

  “No scent?” Roya exclaimed, making a face.

  Yessha pursed his lips. “Either we follow the terms of the treaty or we are wasting our time here,” he said.

  “No,” Shyrah said. “Either we follow the terms of the treaty or we all potentially die here, since we will be at war.” She inclined her head to Malloron. “Isn't that correct.”

  Malloron offered a smirk and a nod.

  There was a moment of silence, and by their expressions, it seemed most of the rulers finally grasped the full context of their situation.

  “The treaty says three weeks for a ruler to consider everything he will lose if he doesn’t recant,” Yessha said. “That is what King Malloron gets. No more, no less, and no action should be taken against him or this being until the three weeks has come to an end.”

  “That is ludicrous,” Thon fumed. “I will not sit back and let my territory be attacked!”

  “You agreed to it,” Yessha shot at him. “We all did.”

  Malloron lowered to his throne, sat back, and watched them, amusement and boredom on his face. In three weeks he would have healed the tenebris and none of this would matter.

  “Are you saying we must put our Lands at risk for a treaty?” Duke Ussen asked.

  Yessha’s eyes flashed. “Some of us had no interest whatsoever in anything you all do in your countries,” he spat, “yet you forced us to join this treaty claiming it protects us all.” He served Brecc, Airey, and Thon with a fierce glare. “You have used this treaty to get us all here to support you today, but you cannot pick and choose which aspects of it you enforce. It is three weeks—otherwise we have bigger problems than the indiscretions of the king.”

  “I agree,” Duke Nefen of Parsha said.

  “As do I,” agreed Duke Gethin of Osoreen

  “And I,” piped up Duchess Alianni of El Yareth.

  “Your Majesty.” Duke Sindar, the ruler of Eridemonte took a tiny step forward. Malloron watched him with interest—it was the first time any one of them had addressed him correctly. “Would you consider giving us reassurance that your… Talent-crafter will not attack any of our territories in the next three weeks?”

  “He cannot control her,” Brecc snapped. “He can make no such assurance.”

  All of the rulers turned to him, seemingly holding their breath for his answer.

  He inclined his head. “You have my assurance, Duke Sindar,” he said. “I look forward to speaking to you all again in three weeks. Now get out.”

  As the rulers filed out of the room, Brecc stood staring at Malloron for a moment, his face darkening in anger. Malloron held his gaze. This man needed to die. It was a pity Amara hadn't managed to wait until he was in the house before she destroyed it.

  Duke Valinor approached Brecc and murmured to him, glancing at Malloron. Brecc suddenly grinned widely at Malloron, but his eyes were hard. He turned and walked away.

  Malloron leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. Brecc wouldn't stop until Malloron was either dead or until he had lost all power and influence in the Lands. But that wouldn't happen. Three weeks was a long time.

  CHAPTER TEN

  AMARA

  When she woke again, the Alpha’s scent was all around her even though he wasn't. She lay for a long moment, trying to firm her mind against the tingling of longing for him drifting in her. If he thought he could try to get her to soften to him because he had such control of her body, she would prove him wrong. Whatever potions or spells he was using to force her to desire him the way she did, she would fight it for however long it took.

  Sending out her focus, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and waited for the room to materialize around her. Just as before, the magic struggled to form and there were blank gaps in her vision but she did not let that impede her from heading to the table in the living area. A meal was there waiting for her, steaming hot as though it had just arrived; a thick vegetable stew with buttered crusty rolls, steamed greens, and a glass of mulled fruit wine. She ate slowly, savoring each mouthful even though she knew it was likely to be poisoned. The fact was, she could not avoid it and if she tried to, she had to be smarter about it. She was his prisoner for an undetermined period of time—she had to try not to be reckless if she hoped to improve her quality of life while she remained here. She was not going to outwardly fight him and risk anything he knew she cared about.

  By the time she finished her meal, the longing for Malloron jittered through her, especially when she looked around the room and saw all of the equipment that he had fucked her on. She turned away from them and headed back to bed, needing to be surrounded by his scent, even if he wasn't there. As she sank among the blankets, she heard the door open and a relieved sigh released from her mouth before she could even stop herself.

  The king entered her bedroom and slipped into bed behind her. His bare skin slid against hers as he encircled his arms around her, suggesting he had taken off his clothes on the way from the door, and he pulled her back against his warm chest.

  She tried not to moan too heavily as he tucked her into him, enveloping her with his hard body. Strangely, he said nothing. His large hand rubbed her stomach slowly and then ran down the top of her thighs and back up. She relaxed back on him, as he continued to stroke his hands on her skin, a peacefulness drifting over her that swallowed the longing for him.

  "Did you eat?" he asked.

  "Yes."

  Silence stretched between them as he continued to caress her. This was different. It was rare for him to be with her and not inside her. Either something was on his mind or… Her thought process shuddered to a stop. She didn't know him well enough to be able to finish that thought and she didn't want to.

  "Tell me how the tenebris feels,” he said after a while.

  "It’s like a block of energy inside me,” she said slowly.

  "It doesn't move?”

  "No.”

  "Have you tried to move it?”

  She paused and turned her head toward him. "No.”

  The king shifted, moving her onto her back as he slid on top of her. "Look at me.”

  After a moment of hesitation, Amara focused her mind and the magic materialized him. His face hovered close above her, his gaze intense.

  "I want you to try and connect to the tenebris.”

  "How do I do that?”

  "Just like how you connect with magic,” Malloron explained. "You just reach for it and connect.”

  "Am I supposed to be able to do that?” Amara asked. "With it inside me?”

  "I’m not sure,” Malloron admitted. "But it is magical energy just like any other so it should work. I’m only asking you to try it because of what I witnessed out in the Lands.”

  "What did you witness?”

  "You are completely blended with it,” Malloron said slowly. "You and the tenebris are one, as though you are the same being. It was very difficult for me to find a separation between you, and that is not something I’ve witnessed before. I’m hoping that your inherent bonding with it will allow you to connect with it easier than I would be able to.”

  Amara nodded. Taking a breath, she focused again and turned her mind inward. The tenebris was still there, stiff and immobile, like a lump just sitting there. She reached in, trying to connect to it like she would with any magic, but nothing happened. She tried a couple more times to coax it into action, but it was completely unresponsive. "It’s not working.”

  Malloron began to purr�
�that gorgeous, heavy, rumbly purr—and the vibrations ran over her whole body and sunk deep into her, bringing with it a soothing that melted throughout every part of her. "Try again.”

  This time, the tenebris seemed to respond to her reaching out to it, but as she focused on it more, it was actually responding to the vibrations of Malloron’s purr. No matter what she did, it did not respond to her directly.

  "How come you can connect with the tenebris better than I can?” she asked.

  "It is coded to my blood.”

  Amara blinked. "What does that mean?”

  Malloron thought for a moment. "The energy of my blood has control over the tenebris. They are attached.”

  "How?”

  Malloron settled on top of her. "It was done as a procedure when I was younger through potions and spells that have been honed by my family over time.”

  "So you can control it when it is in my body?”

  Malloron dipped his head in a sharp nod. "But it’s not responding to me now except when I purr, it seems.”

  "When you did this before, was it with your queen?”

  For some reason, Malloron flinched at the word queen. Amara frowned, drawing on her focus to examine him more closely. His face was clouded with annoyance. "The Beta woman that I had as my queen previously held the tenebris for me, yes.”

  “What was her name?”

  “Illora.”

  "Why do you need someone to hold the tenebris for you?”

  Malloron exhaled harshly. "We have already discussed this."

  "I haven’t asked that before. And you agreed to answer my questions."

  Malloron’s jaw clenched as he glanced away. "As you know, the tenebris allows me to use magic extensively without going insane, like other Talent-crafters, and it also causes damage to natural tissue, but I don't need to hold it in my own body to gain its benefits. Since it is coded to my blood, I can feed from it even if it is external."

  "Feed from it?"

  "Draw its energy into my body."

  Amara thought for a moment. “So you basically need a host to hold it in order for you not to become immobile?"