Page 124 of Claimed By Prince Daddy

He stopped before a balcony railing that stretched around one side of the castle. My jaw went slack. From our vantage point, I could see beyond the desert, to a valley that was flanked by mountains. The valley below, filled with tall buildings made of precious gemstones, surpassed human architecture. A kaleidoscope of colors—every hue of the rainbow—beamed from the city, silhouetted by the dawn’s light peeking over the horizon.

The Dark Lord gazed upon the city alongside me, his lips pinched at the corners. “The werebear that I sent to kill Sasha failed. Destroyed by a spontaneous use of Light Fae power. I cannot send another to slay her, not when an entire clan of werebears is shielding her.” His head turned to me. “But… having a bear on the inside will be a valuable asset.” His voice sounded like a purr. “Join me, and I will reward you beyond your wildest dreams.” He glanced at me, a speculative gleam in his eye. “Tell me. What is it you desire?”

I thought hard. Did I want to kill Damon? Did I aspire to be the Alpha of Stoneclaw? I shook my head. No matter what idea breezed into mind, the images of my mate and two cubs flashed into view. Of their warmth, their radiant faces, then twisted in the final throes of agony, as their corpses littered the ground at my feet.

I inhaled a shaky breath to steady myself. “What I wish for is impossible to fulfill.”

“Oh…” The Dark Lord lifted his brows. “You doubt my power.”

I shook my head. “It is not you, my lord, who I doubt. It is the laws of nature. They cannot be bent, altered.”

“Reveal to me this desire of yours and we shall see.”

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. It didn’t budge.

“I lost my mate and cubs about three years ago. Our clan was at war with a werewolf pack. The Ravenwing Pack. While the warriors, Sentinels, and I went to battle, another group of werewolves came to attack our camp.”

I gritted my teeth against the burning behind my eyes. The Dark Lord waited, eyeing me with emotionless orbs.

“I-I came back to a cabin filled with the corpses of my family,” I said. “They slaughtered the few Sentinels we had left behind to guard the camp, leaving the mothers and cubs defenseless.”

A heartbeat passed, then two. The silence from the Dark Lord sounded deafening. Too much time for me to become lost in the vortex that was my ghoulish memories. Just when I felt myself going under the raw haze, the Dark Fae Lord spoke, startling me.

“I can resurrect the dead.”

My breath halted in my lungs. “W-What did you say?”

It was unfathomable. Impossible….

Yet, The Dark Fae’s gaze was unwavering. “I can bring back the dead.”

My brows dropped over my eyes. “I don’t believe you. You can’t alter the laws of the universe.”

A flare of anger radiated from the Dark Lord. “Youdareto doubt me? Mock me?” The ground beneath our feet quaked. My inner bear’s fur prickled at the surge of energy—of power.

I dropped my head. “No, never.”

He growled, then whirled around, stepping over to an exotic plant with ivory petals and a blue stem. Black flames erupted from his palm, lapping at the delicate petals as he waved his hand across the plant. In an instant, the ivory petals bled black, ash particles plummeting into the soil of the pot—and the plant winked out of existence. I flinched at his power. His ability to manipulate fire was so intense.

As the flames dissipated, the Dark Lord eyed the plant and took a deep breath. He hovered his palm over the pot. The ashes shimmered with a dark purple aura, then floated into the air. My jaw slackened, watching the fragments fitting together like puzzle pieces—millions of tiny pieces. The ashes kept congealing, towering upward, then fanned out into edged extremities. As they turned to ivory, the long stem blossomed into a vibrant blue. Then, before my eyes, I saw the dead plant whole and unharmed.

“That is only a fraction of what my power is capable of,” The Dark Lord murmured. “Just a minor example of what I can accomplish with the dead.”

“B-But,” I stammered. “I no longer have their bodies to?—”

“I have no need for bodies. The only reason I used the plant’s body was to show that I can kill and revive. That I can take away and give.”

I swallowed, hearing the air pop in my ears. To understand it could be possible to see my family again felt painful, but also beautiful—bitter sweet. To hope again and risk the possibility of it not succeeding. But what if it did…?

“All that’s left is to plan…” He grinned. “With me.”

My eyes widened as full realization hit me—the part I would play in killing Sasha. My family was coming back to life! I gave him a resolute nod, grinning.

“So…” I shrugged. “When do we begin?”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: THE AMBUSH

SASHA

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