peered back at her before turning to me and softening. “Not all nightmares
are the same. We grieve, just like you do. We fear death.”
Why did his gaze burn a hole inside of my chest? It reminded me of a
candle being lit up and infiltrating all of the shadows that crowded my heart
and soul. There was something so calming and serene about his piercing
gaze, something that made warmth explode inside of me.
Natalia opened her mouth as if to protest, but Toby quickly clamped his
hand down on her shoulder to stop her. She pursed her lips but chose not to
comment again.
“We need to get to the capital,” I interjected, glancing at all of my mates.
“Now that I’m healed, I need to return to the kings.”
“Why would you go back to them?” Natalia demanded, seemingly unable
to hold her tongue. A perplexed expression knitted her brows together over
eyes that dripped with disdain.
I cast her a level gaze. “Because I don’t have a choice.”
Either I traveled back to the capital to receive my next task…or I died.
Those were the only choices I had with that damn spell placed on me.
“What do we do about…all of that?” Killian gesticulated towards the
front door of the shed, where we all knew there were hundreds of humans
gathered in tents just outside.
“Paco says they can stay.” Paco rested the broom against his erect cock
and leaned against the far wall, crossing his arms over his chest. “Paco won’t
help, but Paco won’t send away.”
“What…?” Toby’s eyebrows arched as Bash sighed, pinching the bridge
of his nose.
“What Paco means is that he won’t involve himself in this war…on either
side. You guys can stay, but he won’t aid our cause. But at the same time, he
won’t help the kings either,” Bash translated, still giving his grandfather
narrow-eyed looks.
“And you trust him?” I inquired, arching my neck ever so slightly so Jax
could continue peppering kisses on the skin there. Toby glanced in our
direction, blushed beet-red, and quickly looked away, seemingly
uncomfortable with our public display of affection. Honestly, I would’ve
been the exact same way less than a month ago.
It was amazing how death could change a girl.
“We can,” Bash said, finally peeling his attention away from the crazy
old man. His gaze landed on me, and heat flared to life in his eyes. I couldn’t
help but remember our…activities from only a few minutes ago, the way he
brought us both to completion with both his body and magic. My stomach
muscles tightened, lust percolating in my stomach, and if there weren’t a
bunch of virtual strangers in the shed with us, I would demand that all five of
my mates participate in a toe-curling orgy right then and there. But alas, I had
to be a mature adult. And mature adults didn’t initiate spontaneous orgies on
the dirty floors of their mate’s grandfather’s house.
Shame.
“We’ll look after the humans here,” Toby told me, gesturing between him
and Natalia. “Train them.”
“I never asked for an army, guys,” I whispered. I felt oddly…flustered,
and not in a good way. There was too much responsibility and pressure
weighing on my shoulders, pushing me into the ground. I was suffocating
under the weight of it all.
“You didn’t need to ask for one,” Natalia said with a huff, sticking her
nose in the air. “They follow you because they believe in you. They’re yours,
whether you want them or not.”
And maybe that was the problem. They saw me as a savior, a liberator,
but I was nothing but a scared human girl who fell in love with the monsters
under her bed. I didn’t even know if I could save myself, let alone an entire
species.
“I’ll head back with you guys,” Axel told us, a frown pulling at his lips.
Turning towards Toby and Natalia, he asked, “And will you—”
“We’ll protect Mary-Lynette with our lives,” Toby vowed, and something
flashed in his eyes, something I couldn’t quite put into words. “I know how
special that kid is.”
I felt my eyebrows climb up my forehead at those cryptic words, and
from Natalia’s flabbergasted expression, I realized she was just as in the dark
as I was.
“What—?” I turned towards Axel, but he immediately shook his head.
“Not now.”
“We need to leave, Z,” Bash murmured, coming to stand on the other side
of me, opposite Jax. He placed his hand on the small of my back and began to
lead me towards the door. “We won’t make it back to the capital in time if we
don’t.”
I nodded in agreement. “You’re right.”
“Don’t worry about a thing here, Z.” Toby flashed me a smile, though it
did very little to chase away the chill that had crept up my spine. “Everything
will be okay.” He began to move towards the door as well, pausing with his
hand on the knob to give me one last glance over his shoulder. “By the way,
B sends his regards.” He winked at me, even as the chill transformed into
pure ice. My entire body went numb at the name of my adopted uncle and the
leader of the Alphabet Resistance.
“Wait—” Before I could demand answers, demand to know how Toby
knew B and where the old man currently was, Toby slipped out of the door,
Natalia right on his heels.
Silence descended as we all gaped after the pair, varying expressions of
distrust and disbelief in my mates’ eyes. Only Paco and Axel appeared
unconcerned. The old man now had both hands wrapped around the base of
his cock with the handle of the broom tied to the tip. He moved his cock back
and forth, forcing the broom to move with it. I was gonna need to bleach my
eyes after that sight.
He saved your life, Z. Remember that.
“Welp.” Axel rocked back on his heels and blew out a raspberry. When
he noticed me looking, he flashed a large smile and wink. “I love plot twists.”
“That’s not a fucking plot twist,” I murmured, facepalming myself.
“No,” Axel agreed easily, still flashing that disarming, slightly manic
grin. “But I have a feeling that it might end up being one.” He easily reached
behind him for one of his machetes and twirled it expertly between his hands,
whistling. “Let’s go, boys and girls. We have a capital to visit, kings to see,
and blood to spill. Basically, it’s a normal Tuesday evening for me.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
Z
W e arrived with less than one hour to spare.
When we burst through the doors of the capital, I was
panting for breath, my stomach a tumultuous mixture of dread
and anxiety and my heart seconds from breaking free of the confines of my
chest. I gripped Jax’s hand tightly as I moved in the direction of the throne
room.
I had to show the kings I’d completed the task, that I saved Jax, before the
hour was up. If I didn’t…
I’d already faced death once today. I refused to give the Grim Reaper
another premature visit.
As my short legs ate up the distance between the throne room and me, a
thought occurred to me, and I whipped my head in Dair’s direction.
My mermaid prince was once more in his wheelchair, a fact that
exacerbated his rage and annoyance. His eyes were tight with strain, and the
gentle smile I’d come to love was nowhere to be seen. The spell had worn off
while we were in the car on the way here, and Dair hadn’t found it necessary
to drink more of that strange liquid. As he’d told us, his voice laced with
bitterness, his father would just find a way to get him alone and remove his
legs once more.
That filthy fucker. When I got him alone—
That thought cut off abruptly, the spell on me prohibiting me from even
thinking about inflicting harm on the kings. Dammit. Though…
Though before, I couldn’t even think the words ‘filthy fucker’ without the
thought cutting off. I had no idea what that meant, but I didn’t dare look at it
too closely.
“Dair,” I said, addressing my mermaid prince. “Can you find Devlin and
Lupe?”
A vague image bombarded me—Lupe in what appeared to be a prison
cell…
The thought dissipated before I could grab on to it.
I needed to see my genie and shifter mates more than anything else. I
wanted to feel their strong arms around me and bask in their love. The
separation…it had been unbearable. Painful, even. I couldn’t imagine how it
felt from their end, not knowing what had happened with the poison.
At the same time, I wanted Dair as far away from the throne room—and
his father—as possible.
“Of course.” I leaned down to give Dair a tender kiss before he rolled in
the opposite direction, towards the bedrooms. I hoped that he found my
lovers and brought them to me. Then I’d show them just how much I missed
them.
My body heated thinking of my last sexy times with both men.
Dominating Devlin in bed. Shower fun with Lupe.
Liquid heat pulsed in my core, but I pushed the lustful thoughts away,
focusing on the matter at hand.
And to be quite honest, facing the kings was a surefire way to kill any
lady boner I might’ve had.
We passed a guard, who instructed us to wait just outside the throne room
while he gathered the kings. I could tell my mates were tense, though no one
said a word as we waited impatiently. Killian repeatedly scratched at the nape
of his neck before running his fingers through his dark red hair. Jax gripped
my hand like it was his life preserver and he was adrift at sea, desperate to
stay afloat amidst the roiling waves. Bash just stared stonily ahead, his green
eyes flashing with his power and his hands curling into fists. And Ryland…
he just paced, the shadows tightening around his body in agitation with every
passing moment. One second, I could see his beautifully scarred face, and the
next, it was completely hidden from view. Of the three of them, I knew he
was the most protective of me, so it must’ve been killing him not to know
what the kings had planned.
After only a few minutes, the same guard from before returned, gesturing
us through the heavy oak doors.
The moment my foot stepped over the threshold, something sparked to
life and then fizzled away inside of my chest. I recognized it as the mage
king’s spell that tied my life force to the time limit imposed on me by the
vampire king. I gasped, rubbing at my heart, and relief washed over Bash’s
face.
“The spell’s gone?” he whispered as we approached the thrones.
“Yes,” I replied, though I didn’t peel my gaze away from the seven
thrones near the far back wall of the room.
I couldn’t help but note that the shadow king’s throne was empty, and if
the tightening in Ryland’s face was any indication, he noticed that as well.
Neither of us commented, though, as we approached the raised dais and my
body automatically lowered into a curtsy.
“Your Majesties,” I said with a respect and reverence I didn’t feel. Damn
the spell.
“You returned!” the shifter king exclaimed, raising his hands in the air
like he meant to embrace me before lowering them and guffawing loudly. A
shudder rolled through my body at the noise, though I kept my face
indifferent.
“And I brought Jax.” I turned towards the vampire king, who reclined
lazily in his throne, his mouth bright red with blood. He barely spared his son
a glance, his eyes intent on me.
“So you did.”
Silence descended as I struggled to find the words to say. I knew that the
next king would be assigning me a task I needed to complete in order to
“prove my loyalty,” but I had no idea what that task would be. Would they
make me kill an innocent human? Track down the Alphabet Resistance?
Something else?
My stomach muscles twisted and tightened, slithering together like a ball
of yarn I could never hope to unravel. I tried not to let my unease show on
my face as I met each of their eyes, stopping on the shifter king. No one ever
said it out loud, but it was obvious to me who wore the pants in this
relationship. What the shifter king said, went. No ifs, ands, or buts. If he
wanted to set the world on fire, the other kings would eagerly do his bidding
with smiles on their faces.
“You’ve been such a good little assassin, Z. You deserve a reward.” The
shifter king’s smile broadened, revealing two rows of perfectly white teeth.
When he smiled like that, I truly could see the resemblance between this man
and his son. The only difference was their eyes—Lupe’s blue orbs radiated
passion and love, warmth and kindness. The shadow king’s? His were empty
exterior.
“Reward,” Bash repeated in a dry tone, glaring at his father, the mage
king. Of course, the mage king was asleep, his head lolling against his
shoulder and a steady stream of snores leaving his mouth. Lazy asshole.
“Of course! We’re not complete monsters,” the mermaid king interjected
with a wicked grin, and I was suddenly grateful I’d sent Dair away. That
smile…it thirsted for blood. Blood, death, and pain.
“Z, I’m sorry,” Axel whispered from beside me, his voice low enough
that I doubted anyone but me heard it.
Before I could question him about his cryptic comment, the shifter king
gestured the ex-assassin forward with a simple quirk of his finger. Axel
obediently moved to stand directly beside the shifter king’s throne, his hands
clasped behind his back and his face a picture of respect. He looked like a
soldier—though not a soldier for my army.
He looked like…the enemy.
Like one of them.
“But this is also a reward for our old friend, Axel,” the shifter king
commented, grinning up at the stoic assassin. “We promised him a reward for
helping us with you.”
“Helping you with…me?” I repeated dumbly, and Ryland hissed out a
breath from beside me.
Axel kept his gaze fixed on something over my shoulder, not meeting any
of our gazes as the kings laughed,
the sound sharp and taunting. It resembled
swords clashing together, sparking with electricity.
I knew that any second, a bomb would drop and detonate, killing us all.
Any.
Damn.
Second.
“If he agreed to help us keep an eye on you, we offered him your hand in
marriage,” the incubus king explained with a salacious grin, giving me a
suggestive once-over. His eyes burned with lust, white-hot and searing.
“What the fuck?” Bash roared, but he was silenced by a wave of the
shifter king’s hand.
“Z will be married to Axel by the end of this week,” he exclaimed with a
wide grin. But that grin wasn’t aimed at me…it was aimed at the princes.
I realized then that this had never been about me. Not really. Maybe at
first it had been, but when news of my mating with the princes reached the
kings’ ears, they knew they’d finally found leverage over their rebellious
sons. Me. This was just another twisted game they were playing, but this
time, the prize was my life.
“No fucking way!” Ryland seethed. “Where’s my father? He would never
allow this.”
The kings laughed again, the sound cold and deadly, but didn’t respond to
the shadow prince.
“D-d-dad,” Killian stuttered out, turning towards his father. “Please.”
The incubus king’s lips peeled away from his teeth in what might’ve been
a sexy smile if it had actually reached his eyes. They remained as cold as ice,
not a speck of warmth to be seen.
“By the end of this week, Z will be married to Axel.” He propped his chin
on his palm and smirked. Rage and disgust burned in my chest, even as a
dagger of fear cut me open. How the fuck could Axel do this to me? To us?
“And like any wedding, we’ll end it with the two of them consummating their
marriage.”
The kings laughed once more as my rage boiled over, scalding me.
Fuck. Fuck.
Fuck.
The kings just declared checkmate, and our only options were to finish
the game…
Or flip the entire table over to start a new one.
I cast a glare at Axel so full of betrayal and rage that he physically
flinched, immediately peeling his gaze away from me. I was distantly aware
of Bash, Ryland, Killian, and even Jax arguing with the kings, much to the
assholes’ amusement. But I kept my face perfectly placid, not a flicker of