They’d spent the next five hundred years in hibernation. Upon awakening, they’d discovered Ian’s demotion, another warrior given the Commander’s helmet. A ruthless barbarian named Solar.
Solar, once the leader responsible for wedding a virgin bride. Time after time, he’d done it without complaint. Then he’d met the siren. He’d made the mistake of taking her to bed and everything changed.
“She is my gravita,” he’d said. The female who spun his world out of orbit. Who both rushed and slowed time for him, her pull too strong to deny. “I produce stardust for her.”
Stardust was a sparkling powder produced in an Astra’s palms, toxic to all but its creator and his gravita.
In the end, Solar had spared his bride, exactly as Ian had.
Both males lost their females, anyway. On the very same day as the sacrifice. Solar had died minutes after his bride, leaving the remaining Astra to fight on without him.
Bitterness coated Roc’s tongue, old fury flaring. What leader had the right to choose a bride over his men?
“Yes, but are you sure you’re sure?” Taliyah asked. “Like, no doubts or anything?”
How much plainer could he make this? “In thirty days, you will die a virgin.”
“Yes, yes. That’s very believable. Except...” She motioned to his groin. “One of us has a raging hard-on, and it isn’t me. I left mine at home.”
He ground his molars. “Today’s takeover proved unchallenging. I released no battle heat. Now my body seeks other methods for expulsion.” Nothing more.
“Suuure. Follow-up question. When do I get to shove two fingers into you? You know, to check for your virginity.”
“You’re welcome to try whatever you’d like.” He had to admit, he admired her spirit. But then, all brides exhibited spirit in the beginning. Once the overconfidence wore off, fury took over. Hope quickly followed. Then desperation. Finally, she would accept her doom and soothe herself with hatred. “Like the others before you, you have nothing I need.”
“Oh, really?” Her eyes lit with calculation, contrasting with the innocence of her haunting beauty. Stepping closer, she pressed a cold palm over his heart. “Women are interchangeable?”
He silenced a hiss, discomforted by her chill. Her boldness. Few brides had ever dared handle him without first seeking permission. “You are.”
“What if I promise to be really nice to you?” A rosy flush spreading up her arm. Because she absorbed his body heat, his warmth conquering new territory? “Would that help my cause?”
Could he melt her entire body? At the thought, his erection...throbbed.
Scowling, Roc pushed her hand away. “Enough, harpy.”
She grinned at him, slowly, wickedly. “I could have you if I wanted you, warrior.”
Despite his odd reaction to her, he laughed again, the very idea of his capitulation ludicrous. “I like sex. I use it to purge excess aggression. But I’ve lived a long time and taken many females, one orgasm as good as the next. Whatever I might want from you, I’ll accept from my concubine. Yes, she’s here, and yes, she will see to my needs.”
“I’ll wed you, Commander,” another harpy called.
Without removing his attention from Taliyah, he held up a hand, a command to his men to keep the audience silent. He would allow no distraction with his chosen female.
“Your concubine is welcome to you with my compliments.” Taliyah furrowed brows surprisingly as dark as her lashes, deep in thought. “Let’s pretend I’m a fool who says yes to your proposal, just because my best friend told me to. Why the thirty-day stay of execution?”
He had no reason to tell her. Still, he said, “My determination and fortitude must be tested.”
“Will I be locked away those thirty days?”
“Obey my rules, and you’ll have unlimited access to the palace.”
“Let me guess the first rule,” she replied, her tone flat. “Never leave said palace.”
“Exactly right. If you attempt to leave, I’ll know, and I’ll come get you. Trust me when I say you don’t want me to come get you, harpy.”
She searched his gaze, as if trying to fit squares into circles. “You don’t fear me at all, do you?”
“Your need for clarification baffles me.” He feared losing the blessing for his brothers-in-arms, nothing else. If he had to commit a cold-blooded murder to save them, if he must live with the consequences of his deed for the rest of eternity, so be it.
The harpy’s death would be a blow to his enemy.
Soon, Erebus Phantom would find him. The god would arrive in Harpina with a single goal: to make the Astra miserable.
Even thinking his name boiled Roc’s blood. Chaos’s eldest son was the most vile, corrupt being in existence. The miscreant knew there was no better period to strike than the months before the bestowing of a new blessing, when victory and defeat were not guaranteed.
The male despised the members of his father’s army and always had, his envy unchecked. The mind-boggling atrocities he’d committed against the Astra over the years...
He’d struck out once too often, and the Astra had finally retaliated. Back then, Roc had worried about losing Chaos’s respect. The god loved his son dearly. But Chaos also loved the Astra. In the end, he’d opted to support both sides equally.
Roc loved Chaos, as well. He admired the male for his unwavering devotion to those under his care. A failure of his own parents.
“Uh-oh. Did someone hit a land mine in their head?” Taliyah’s smooth voice mocked him, and his scowl returned.
He had lost track of his surroundings in the presence of a foe. “Harpy, you should know the male you taunt. I can rip you into more pieces than anyone can count.”
To his consternation, she remained unflapped. “You can try.” She released an airy sigh. “I must admit, I’m intrigued by the notion of ruling your men. Do you think I’ll be the first dictator to slaughter her own army?”
The most beautiful of his brides, and the most stubborn, it seemed. “No matter what you throw at me, I’ll overcome. I must. Your death is the first step to earning a blessing from my god.”
She didn’t miss a beat. “Oh, yeah? What kind of blessing?”
This time, he offered no response. With the Astra, you had to earn the right to question someone of higher authority. Roc had humored this woman enough. “I’ll hear your answer now, Taliyah.”
The gleam of calculation returned to her ocean-water eyes. “Slow your roll, Rocaby-baby. I’m not done getting my answers yet. You implied you’ve experienced wedded bliss before. So, how many times have you gotten hitched and ditched?”