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My mate…shall I kill her?
No. She will be tried for her crimes and imprisoned. Leave her to my blades. Come with me.
Tehdra released her.
Then Cadmus lunged and drew Tehdra to his side, placing the sharpest of blades against her neck. Then Julius, another of his blade, aided Lady Sascha and armed her with a double edge sword. A piercing cry echoed from Cadmus, and more than two hundred of Ajali’s deadliest warriors filed into the room, weapons drawn, all willing to die for the house of Assia, Ceran leading them. From the sound of stomping feet outside the doors, hundreds more warriors awaited their command.
This was a coup. The burn of betrayal deepened.
Ceran walked to his sister’s side and examined the wound. “Your whore will pay for harming my sister,” he hissed.
Ajali ignored him, seeking the gazes of Julius and Cadmus. He’d trusted them with his life, his kingdom. “Why?”
“The House of Assia is the rightful ruler of Nuria,” Sascha snarled, hobbling. “I am the firstborn, the rightful heir and I will be Nuria’s queen. I was willing to spread my legs and allow you to fuck me, until you made me your kala. But after months of being in your harem I quickly realized your heart was hardened, and I had no hope of seducing it. The emperor of Mevia recognizes my bloodline legacy, and with their aid, I will claim my rightful inheritance. I have many houses in Nuria loyal to me. We command many from your army, and we have high dukes and duchesses by our side. The Assias will no longer stay in your shadow.”
Ajali strolled further into the room, even as his loyal blades moved to flank him in a protective barrier.
“Are you holding a two thousand year grudge, countess? If I remember correctly, you are only two hundred years old. You were not alive when my house slaughtered your line and took the throne.”
A growl of rage slipped from Lady Sascha.
I will not allow them to hurt you, he said to Tehdra as Cadmus angled the blade deeper across her carotid artery.
She chuckled…aloud. Unholy amusement danced in her eyes.
Do you wish for me to spare the lives of your blades?
A sibilant hiss of darkness overlay her voice.
Ajali met her gaze.
I can feel your Phoenyx stirring, and you are suppressing it because you fear hurting your people.
Before he could answer, she acted. Tehdra spun in Cadmus’s arms, her action allowing his blade to slice her neck open.
A roar of denial slipped from Ajali. His blades followed him in a protective circle as he rushed to her. He jerked to a halt as Cadmus crumbled, blood pooling at his feet. Then Tehdra shifted, facing Lady Sascha and her followers. The gaping wound at Tehdra’s throat was already closing, and her fangs dripped with blood. She had ripped out Cadmus’s throat.
“What in the king’s name is she?” Bastien said softly beside him.
The situation called for anything but amusement, but a smile tugged at Ajali’s lips. She turned her head, and the cruelty stamped on her features was terrifying and beautiful.
“Do not leave your king’s side,” she hissed at his blades, and then darkness descended.
Cries of terror and the clashes of swords filled the massive dining hall.
He flared the power of his flames, burning the darkness.
Acheron inhaled from behind Ajali. “She is magnificent.”
Yes, she was. Faster than they could track, she laid waste to the warriors. Amid swirls of black chakra, she broke bones and incapacitated dozens. Instinctively, Ajali knew she had a tight leash on her demon.
The darkness collapsed.
“Impossible,” his high chancellor choked.
All of the warriors lay on the ground, some unconscious and others groaning in agony.
I leave them alive for a trial.
