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“Because we need to keep your merciless reputation intact. You’re an enforcer and all species need to realize fucking with you isn’t in their best interest. Maybe that will put an end to some of the threats. Come to think of it. We’re like a Vektorian crime syndicate.
“Mafias, zoltars, dranons. Whatever their name on whatever planet, they ruled the underworld with brutality. Certainly, the God of Fire has heard of them,” he added in way of explanation.
For the hell of it, I tipped my head back, allowing a bolt of fire to expel from my chest.
“Very funny,” he said. “I realize that was a rhetorical question. You know it all.”
As he strode away, I returned my gaze to the terrain I’d littered with bodies. Maybe I enjoyed killing a little bit too much.
CHAPTER6
Zatan
There was nothing that could ruin my mood faster than being summoned by my father. The brutal bastard didn’t have father-son discussions. He had battles of wit and will, tests that would determine if any of his four sons was worthy of his love or more important, his throne. While my brothers and I had grown used to his tirades over the years, that didn’t mean any of us ever enjoyed family time.
I strode down the cavernous corridor toward his office, cognizant of the creatures he kept as pets lurking in the caged shadows. They always peered at me as if I was nothing but a reincarnation of the man who’d enslaved them, even if my father and I were nothing alike. Except maybe by reputation.
Barbarians.
Predators.
Guardians.
Enforcers.
Vektorian Mafia.
I liked that moniker the best.
I’d heard a few of the terms were distinctly opposite, but they suited who and what we were, including how powerful we were considered in the various galaxies. We were Vektorians, touted by most historians to be the oldest beings across the infinity of space, my father the creator of all things and every species. If that was the truth, then the powerful beast certainly had a sense of humor, something he’d never allowed his family to see.
We ruled with an iron fist because we needed to, dozens of the species brought to life deserving death instead. My father had enlisted his sons to carry out the necessary duties along with keeping the peace in our four corners of Vektor.
Some might call us guardians of the galaxy, but they knew nothing about our hunger or our distinct needs. If they did, they’d shift their beliefs to the truth.
We were monsters who enjoyed indulging in blood and other liquids of life, our carnivorous appetites extending to dozens of species.
As a small creature many moons ago, I’d gotten used to silence, the kind found in barren chambers where the soulless went to die. I’d endured years of cataclysmic anguish, forced to accept that I’d been forged by hatred and rage. Or so that’s what I’d told myself during the darkest phases of my life. I’d learned later the punishment inflicted had been to build strength and endurance, a requirement for every child produced by the most enigmatic, dangerous being in all of creation.
My father.
When I was only a few feet away from his sprawling office, I noticed one of my three brothers had also been called to the meeting. I stopped short, glaring at him. Ravat was my polar opposite, his ice blue skin in direct contrast to the burnished red of mine. He was the God of Ice where I was the God of Fire. The fact our younger brothers hadn’t been asked to join meant I’d been right in my assumptions as to the reason for the required meeting.
We glared at each other, puffing our massive chests in a ridiculous show of prowess and force. We certainly had different attributes, but one wasn’t stronger than the other. Still, we snarled at each other as if we were already being tested.
I rose to my full height, a solid three inches taller than my brother, eyeing him as I would any other enemy. What a shame given we’d once been close, just as the two of us had been to our younger siblings. But there was only one seat on the throne and all four of us were determined to be selected, our methods cutthroat.
We could speak every language, could adapt to almost any culture. We even had an affinity for most foods, although I considered much of what others ate repulsive. However, there was no need for language of any kind between our kind, some refusing to speak at all. I rarely said more than a few words, other than to the single creature I shared my life and home with, a pet I considered a member of my family.
My brother was different, talkative. Popular. Even someone I’d call savvy with regard to females. Yet on this late afternoon, he was solemn. We both knew what today meant. It was the beginning of the quest.
He was the one who lowered his eyes first. Technically, I was the oldest, but hierarchy of age didn’t secure my ascension to our father’s throne. However, it was clear our father had narrowed down his choice. We’d passed the first test. There was no doubt there would be more.
“I heard about your conquest,” he said in a rare moment of recognition and respect.
“Which one?”
He laughed, although there was a bitter sound to his tone. “You always had a big head on your shoulders.”
