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CHAPTER24
Riley surveyed the cavern. Halak and the other demons in the room, glanced around as if waiting for something to happen. She took a step toward the smooth rock wall, intending to start the ritual when Colton cried out. She turned as he dropped to the floor clutching his head.
She held the demon caller against her chest in a death grip. “Colton what is going on?”
Halak glanced between Deruthel and Colton. “Ashkara is taking over his mind. He should not fight a battle on two fronts while he is weakened.”
“No!” she yelled.
Colton stood slowly. When his eyes met hers, they were amber fires of hell. His voice rang out with the undertone of something beyond imagining. An echo of darkness and power. “The end of your world is at hand. I have come to offer you a choice. Accept me. Be my bride.”
She backed away as he approached. “Leave Colton alone.”
Ashkara ran his hands over Colton’s chest. “This body is strong, but it is not an acceptable vessel. My son has long since sought to rule the demon horde, but his power is a fraction of mine. I have come to remind him who holds the true power of our race.” His eyes roamed over Riley’s body. “Perhaps it is time to seek a replacement.”
Riley’s lip quivered as she asked the question she didn’t want to. “What does that mean?”
Ashkara moved Colton’s fingers in the air in front of his face. “I have enjoyed my time in this body and it is one you can accept. It would make our joining much easier.” He turned back to Riley as every demon in the cavern bowed down, kneeling before Colton. It was obvious they were used to their king utilizing other bodies. “If you agree to bear my next son, I will end Deruthel now.”
She glanced at the demon general. He was still clutching his head, rolling on the cavern floor. The gouges in his flesh were deeper and his black blood stained the dirt beneath his body. She assumed the king was trying to overtake his mind, but now she wondered if he was torturing his son. A slow, painful death as his blood drained from his body. Could demons die by bleeding out? Normally she would say no, but with Ashkara’s power, who knew? She was still watching Deruthel squirm when she spoke.
“I admit I am less than fond of your son. I appreciate your offer, but I foresee a few issues.” She attempted to keep her voice calm, as if she were considering his offer. If her conversations with Deruthel had taught her anything, it was that demons didn’t consider them a threat. A female had no worth and would jump at the chance for power within their hierarchy. They understood military strategy, and they were understandably confident in their skills.
Colton’s fiery eyes held hers. It was difficult to look at the man she loved and see another, feeling the malevolence and depravity of the king. “What issues do you foresee?”
She swallowed hard. “I understand your point of view, but it takes years to have a baby and raise it. Who would strategize and maintain the demons in the meantime? Your power is too great to maneuver in this world, easily.”
Ashkara nodded. “It is true the ascended have limitations. I can possess many of my followers, but I can no longer be contained within a single organism. I must have multiple vessels to contain my power.”
She arched an eyebrow. “You must be very disappointed in your son.”
Ashkara glanced at Deruthel’s bloody form. He continued to squirm, but his screams had weakened with his body. “I have had many children and they always seek to overthrow me, eventually. It is inevitable, but this time I am left with the choice I had hoped would never come.”
“Can you release Colton and take Deruthel instead?” she asked.
Ashkara nodded. “His mind is stronger than I anticipated. I am weakening his body in order to take control. If you cannot open a large enough portal, I must release my ascended powers and restart with my son’s. It’s not a process I wish to repeat.”
“Then you would need him alive. If your current body is able to traverse the portal, then you can easily control him. If that isn’t possible, then you need his body to stay alive.” Her stomach turned as she genuinely sounded like she was helping the demon king.
While he didn’t smile or nod his head, she felt his pleasure. He believed she was on his side. “If you agree to be my bride, then you may have Deruthel’s life as a mating present. He will answer to you and be your personal slave. A demon who does a female’s bidding is the lowest of us. Usually bestowed on the sicklings with no status. It is a fitting end for my highborn son.”
Riley swallowed the bile in her throat. “That’s fine, but I think you will enjoy his punishment more than I will. I want something more concrete. Personal.”
Colton’s eyes flickered with amber fire. “It has been many years since I negotiated with a female. You should consider it an honor I am allowing such a boon. It takes hundreds of years to consume a world as rich in resources as yours... provided I control my appetite. I will allow your father and human friends to live a natural life. I will not disrupt the current ecosystem while they live. This is an offer I have never made in the past. I suggest you take it.”
Riley shivered, and it wasn’t from the cold. Ashkara’s power transcended evil or good. He was something unimaginable. A power that was pre-programmed to succeed in its hunger. Its consumption of everything around him. There was no feeling. No regret. And no fear. Deruthel had been honest with her. The king couldn’t be stopped. He was a world killer, and nothing would stop him from accomplishing that goal.
With no idea what to do, or how to manipulate the king, she prayed for a miracle and decided to stall for time. Hopefully, someone from the other clans was watching the demons or noticed she and Colton had been abducted. While she believed Ashkara meant what he said. He had the intention to honor the deal he offered. She didn’t think it was possible if he was successful in bringing over his ascended body.
She had the blood. The demon caller sat ready in her hands for a ritual. Whether she opened the portal or severed it, was as simple as one word. But the portal wasn’t like the internet. It wasn’t instantaneous in its compliance. As soon as she spoke the closing ritual, Ashkara would know. The question was how he would react and if she could get him to trust her in the first place.
She wet her lips, preparing for the lies to come. “You will make Deruthel my slave and agree to let my father live out his days.”
Ashkara walked up to her. His arm slipped around her waist. “Yes. Accept me and I will use this body only when we are together. You are accustomed to him, and it will make it easier for you to breed this way.”
She put her hand on Colton’s cheek. “I accept you.” She hoped Colton knew that was meant for him and not the king, but she heard the growl of excitement, and it wasn’t from her mate.
The demons began growling as Ashkara turned.
Ferguson strode from the tunnel with his alpha growling. “Let her go.”
Riley glanced down at the demon caller in her hands. Signaling with her eyes and hoping Ferguson understood. “I need to perform the ritual before any more shadows arrive.”
The king pointed to the smooth wall. “Let my bride through.”
Riley walked toward the stone as growls echoed around her. “Come with me. I need you beside the portal.”
The king followed her as the wolf clan and reapers arrived. It was time for the ritual, surrounded by chaos.
