Viper’s shoulders relaxed as if he was afraid I would choose to join Erebus in the hunt for a female instead of helping his people.
No. I just abandoned you temporarily over a different woman instead,I thought guiltily.Camillia De la Croix is a problem.
One I really needed to stop thinking about.
“I’ve tried to dig through the debris, but it won’t be fast enough.” Viper bowed his head, the gesture one of respect. “If it pleases you, my liege, I request your aid.”
Unleashing some of my Hellfire energy sounded like a brilliant idea.
“Of course, Viper,” I said, returning his formal gesture with a slight nod. “Show me where they are.”
CHAPTER3
TYPHOS
It wasa simple matter to unearth the trapped Nagas. Simple did not mean easy, per se, not in my current mood. It took more effort than I cared to admit to limit my blast radius so that Viper and the other Nagas could begin digging.
The goal was to save the survivors, not obliterate them.
Which gave me some satisfaction for my task now to rebuild a wing of the Unseelie castle. With the rescues out of the way, it was time for rehabilitation. Something I would normally task the subjects of the affected territory with doing, but this was my fault.
I’d failed to protect them.
Now, I would fix the damage.
Starting with destroying this portion of the castle so I could work from a clean slate. Maybe it was overkill, but it suited my task.
My fist met cracked stone, blasting through it with ease as Hellfire turned a portion of it into molten rock. The rest evaporated completely under my unrestrained rage.
The shock wave rippled through my senses and hit my chest just as the familiar scent of burned stone overtook my senses.
It wasn’t like the molten rock of my palace, but something a bit muskier and heavy with moisture native to the Marsh Lands. It added steam to my building stone fire, blotting out the murky sky as I released another blast.
This one was accompanied by a roar of rage that held a shock wave of its own. The sound came straight from my soul, holding all of my frustration that everything I’d built was slowly crumbling down all around me and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.
Unlike stone and structure, I couldn’t rebuild Melek’s heart if Camillia’s death broke it.
I couldn’t even protect my own damn people, hence my current predicament.
Out of instinct, I checked in with my source once again, finding it content. The sensation baffled me. I couldfeelCamillia’s intrusion.
It was wrong. Unacceptable.
And something I would deal with after I finished in the Marsh Lands.
While I muddled through a perpetual sea of frustration, the source practically purred. It hadenjoyedher ministrations, approving of her interference.
Which was incredible, really. My source never liked anyone except me. Because it wasmine.
Is it because she was able to close the portal?I wondered at the source.Is that why you’re brimming with pride?
Sighing, I leaned into the burning pile of stone I’d created, my forehead falling to the broken, heated rocks.
Who did this?I whispered to the kingdom.How have my walls been breached?
Both figuratively and literally.
The only ones powerful enough were the Virtuous Fae, but what could they possibly want with me? With my people?
