My nostrils flared as hurt twisted my insides into knots.
“I’m not sorry I didn’t tell you.” His eyes never left mine. “It wasn’t mine to tell. This was between you and your soul mate.”
I ran my tongue over my top teeth, wishing like hell I could rip his throat out. “Because a soul mate is sacred?”
A grating but simple word. “Yes.”
“I also received reports quite regularly. Mysterious reports that just happened to land on my desk about Queen Gwynnore’s lovers…and who had wronged her.” King Belshazzar raised both eyebrows at my father. “Where do you think those came from, Lord Cato?”
My father rocked back on his heels and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Magic?”
I couldn’t stop glancing back and forth between them. My jaw started to gape open. “Sweet baby Jesus. That is why I’m known as the Black Widow? My father gave my soul mate a kill list of anyone who jilted me?”
Both men’s lips twitched. Not damning themselves to a verbal affirmation in front of so many listening ears—and they were all listening.
I blinked. “All right. I’ll bite because I’m honestly curious. If that’s true, why the hell did you wait so long to kill some of them? A few were real douchebags.”
King Belshazzar lifted a pointed finger into the air. “I’m not saying any of that is true, but if it were, it would be feasible that no one was killed until debts owed were paid. After all, an executioner must be a man of his word before taking a pathetic son of a bitch down—and a man of many years has met many people in his lifetime and accrued many debts to reach his final goal.”
The hush in the room was deafening—as was my heartbeat.
And then a thought occurred past the buzzing in my ears…
I gasped. “His nickname.”
Pippy.
“That really was a terrible decision on his part.” Lord Cato sighed heavily. “I did try to warn him.”
Bel snapped an irritated glance in his direction. “And fuck you very much for that one. I thought the prick might actually listen to you.”
“He didn’t. So your point is moot.”
Lord Xenon cocked his head, his eyes no longer appearing so tired. “I was missing a few pieces, but now it all makes sense.”
“Jesus fuck. I hate all of you bastards right now.” I gave them my back and eyed Kimber’s harem. I tilted my head toward one of them. “Aiko, you’re also coming with us.”
He stared. Unflinchingly. “As you wish, Queen Gwynorre.”
Kimber jerked forward, unable to remain mute any longer. “Wait. Why him?”
“Because he’s the strong, silent type. And I’ll need that with the two egotistical brothers with me. There’s only so much bullshit I can take.”
The Breaker gently closed her mouth. She nodded once. “I understand that completely.”
King Belshazzar looked at his twin. “Are you up for pretending to be your son?”
Dorian’s smile was cruel. “I think I can handle that.”
Kimber’s eyes flashed on him. “Do not harm Aiko while you’re gone.”
“Why would I ever do that?” The man batted his eyelashes.
He was going to be a handful.
I snorted. “I’ll watch over Aiko for you, Kimber.”
Her fiery eyes bore down on me. “I’ll hold you to that.”
The willpower it took not to laugh was immense. Instead, I leaned to the side to stare through the door where my guards stood amongst the other guards. “Crow, Phoenix, show Kimber, Rilen, and Roran around, and then to an acceptable room for them to retire in. Perhaps get them some sportswear so they can burn off some steam with our equipment.”
Reluctantly, the three of them left the room when my guards motioned for them to follow. They glanced back at Dorian in warning—all three of them cautioning him to behave.
“Excellent,” King Belshazzar stated, his eyes back on the screen, already lifting the Original vampire amulet from his pocket once more. “Ten minutes is almost up. It’s time to drink my fill again.”
CHAPTER FOUR
~ Gwynnore ~
Kapustin Yar, Astrakhan Oblast
Russia
THE FOUR OF us stepped through the portal. We halted for a moment, allowing our eyes to adjust to the sunlight…and to our army which we had landed directly in front of.
The vampire and druid generals leading the mass of killers stopped solid at the sight of us, their gazes widening enormously on their faces at our magical entrance.
I plastered a proud smile on my face and stepped forward, and covertly pulled Dorian along with a fast grab of his hand since he had a role to play here, too. Luckily, he was quick on the draw and immediately understood what was needed of him, his “transformation” into his son somewhat eerie, but he did it so well. The same swagger, an identical smug smirk, and his eyelids dropping to cover the difference in eye color.
Cheers sprang up from everyone in view, the vibration deafening to the sensitive eardrum. There were so many that it took my breath away at our sheer force of power, a battle drum for the humans to hear and quake down to their mortal bones.
I held my hands up in the air, shouting all of my frustrations out to the masses. “Today, we are as one people! Today we fight to keep our people safe! Today, we will have blood!”
Dorian tipped his head back, and he howled like a goddamn wolf, bellowing, “Kill all the prey! Reap all the rewards! Kill and take and party like you never have before!”
I choked on a laugh, hastily swallowing it down…
Because the druids bought it. Just slap a sticker on their foreheads and call them sold, their fists in the air, and jumping as high as they could for their master. It was kind of sad to think that Niallan hadn’t changed so much in as many years as he had been on Earth for Dorian to pull this off so easily and brilliantly.
Except for one druid. One in the very middle in the first row of the ranks. That druid stood perfectly still, his eyes narrowed.
Fucking Chester.
Of course, it would be that asshole.
I peered over my shoulder at my soul mate, and I growled softly, “If you so much as speak to him, I will gut you before I shove his severed dick down his throat. Got me?”
King Belshazzar’s lips tilted up on one side. “Calm yourself, little one. I’ll avoid him.”
Aiko asked quietly, “Will that druid be a problem?”
Dorian eyed him thoughtfully. Then twitched a lone finger.
Chester suddenly dropped to the ground. Out cold.
And snoring.
Dorian grinned outright. “Nope, no problem.”
I glared at the sleeping druid. “Why didn’t you just kill him?”
“We’re killing our own people now?” Dorian swung his head to me. “Just to be clear. Which side are we on in this war?”
“Oh, fuck off.” I grabbed onto Aiko’s sleeve and started dragging him away from the chuckling brothers. “We’ll meet you two somewhere in the middle. Any paperwork for where the U.S.A.’s base is will be in the offices. Find us there when you’re done having fun.”
Dorian snickered harder. “That sounds like a sound plan.”