Page 107 of Taming the Kraken

CHAPTER SIXTY

Erebus scowled as he looked out his window. He watched the waves rolling angrily, reflecting his own foul mood. He’d failed to kill the right fairy king, and that was his chance to send Ken back to the ocean. It would be impossible for him to enter Elysia now. His plan had failed miserably. His mind was being scrambled as he drove himself mad, his thoughts jumbling together, and he wasn’t thinking properly. He began to mutter to himself.

“It’s all the Kraken’s fault. It’s all the Kraken’s fault,” he kept repeating as he nodded, convincing himself of that.

In order to take Alexa, he would have to face Ken head-on in battle, something he wasn’t particularly interested in doing. Ken was dangerous … one of the few gods that had killed another god before. He didn’t want to fight against him. He would need to find someone who could enter Elysia and assassinate the right fairy king.

Erebus knew his only shot at this would be to either find a fairy mixed with a demon or to find a dark fairy. Some dark fairies were against the fairy kingdom.

“I need to find one strong enough, but …”

“Yes—that could work …”

“That would be my best chance.” He nodded his head as he began to weave a messy web in his head.

Erebus had extravagant plans in his mind. He would take the fairy princess and make her his. And with her by his side, he would have the perfect queen for his transition. He planned to become an original demon, and once his transition was complete, he would kill the Demon King and take the crown as his own.

“Yes, that’s what I’ll do.”

The Demon King was also an original demon. He was more powerful and craftier than all the other demons. He’d gained the support of the masses, rallying them behind him. With the full demonic support, he was able to take control and become the Demon King … Marcus. All this time, Marcus had gone unchallenged by others. He’d held the crown with no opposition. Until now.

Erebus had his eyes on King Marcus’ position. If he could devour the Demon King’s soul, he would have the power to take over as the new Demon King. But he needed Ken out of the way. If there was one deity that could trip up his plans, it was the damn Kraken. He didn’t fear the other deities like he feared Ken, because he’d seen the darkness in Ken before. He’d seen a power he didn’t want to challenge.

He pondered quietly, gazing out into the sea and contemplating his next move. He needed someone opposed to the fairy kingdom. His best bet was definitely a dark fairy. He needed to find one who wouldn’t be too difficult to persuade and whose loyalty would be to him alone.

He knew the dark fairies had their own agenda. While some followed the fairy kingdom, others wouldn’t be caught dead following a light fairy. Those same ones would never side with a demon either. He needed to find something that would be appealing to them, something that would be of great importance to them. And then it came to him. Of course … the answer was simple. The dark fairies wanted the fairy crown. So why not promise to give it to them?

He would give them Alexa … not permanently, of course. Just long enough for her to produce the heir they would need. Why not? He could allow Alexa to be used just long enough to get pregnant. Then he would claim her after that.

“Yes … that’s a good idea.”

And he would take care of the other fairy princess in the vampire kingdom once he became the Demon King. Erebus was pleased with his plan. He would use Alexa to bribe a dark fairy to work with him. However, first, he had to find this dark fairy.

“This time it will work.”

He thought about which of the dark fairies had the most power and ability. One that would easily denounce their own kind. The dark elves were a possibility … or an Unblessed Court hound shifter.

“The Unblessed Court!”

That was his answer. This was the organization that dark and evil fairies belonged to. Any creature that had even a trace of fairy ancestry was accepted into the Unblessed Court.

The Unblessed Court has been known to have a vendetta against the light fairies and their Blessed Court. And because they were still fairy kin, they were openly accepted in Elysia, the kingdom that protected all fairies.

Erebus snickered to himself as a sinister smile spread across his face. His smile soon faded as he furrowed his brows.

“What if Ken has already marked her?”

He forgot about one very important detail in his maniacal scheming. “That damn bastard … even more reason to kill the fairy king. But if Alexa is already marked, I won’t stop with the killing. It won’t be just the fairy king. Why not? Let’s kill them all. Indeed …” He nodded his head as a new plan was formulated in his mind. “Yes … that’s what I’ll do.” He turned from the window and walked down the cold walkway. “I need to find that witch. We have plans.”

“There is a castle inside the castle.” Mikah gaped and looked around at the large underground dome they’d just entered. “It’s like another world down here.” The floor beneath him was packed dirt, and the walls looked like thick rocks and boulders.

“It’s a training dome.” Ken shrugged as he watched Alexa looking up.

“How high is it to the ceiling? Looks like about ten stories …” Alexa looked over at Ken, who nodded his head.

“My beast is about six stories high, so it leaves a little extra room for shifting.” Ken watched Mikah turn to look at him.

“Six stories high? Duuude! You know how big you can crap in that form?” Mikah looked excited as he tried to imagine it. Jasper let out a stifled laugh as Ken looked down, shaking his head.