Page 34 of Moonlit Guardians

VARIANT

Mercenary Stronghold

Sunlight breaks through the curtains of my chambers. I roll over to find she’s still beside me, loving me even as she sleeps. I know her face. I know her scent and her taste, the rhythm of her heartbeat and the way her lashes flutter when she grows tired.

I am tired. So... so tired. My mind is weary and broken, torn asunder only to be put back together by hands that seek to craft me in their image. I fight her... not Eilish, no. Never her. Morrigan.

Morrigan holds no power over me and that is how I know this must be a dream, for reality would never allow Eilish to sleep so peacefully in my presence. I’ve betrayed her in ways she never deserved. I’ve betrayed them all... blood soaks my hands as I kick the Mercenary King’s head over the roof of his home. His son screams in horror, followed by a sharp cry of “No!!”

I turn to face her, to beg her to release me from the Midnight Queen’s spell, but she doesn’t hear the screaming in my mind. I attack her. The swoosh of my blade as it glides through the air is far too loud. Eilish protects herself. Large, leathery wings block my advance. I feel a rush of pain, but freedom quickly follows. Clarity... sweet, sweet clarity awaits on the other side of consciousness….

Here the sun isn’t a soft glow, but a fierce ball of fire. I gasp, sucking in a breath of hot air flavored with the rancid odor of cooking flesh. Dead bodies surround me as I lay in a pool of sticky, drying blood. It’s my own. I press a trembling hand to the large gash in my abdomen.

Eilish may have killed me, but she’s also freed me and my freedom will be worth my death. Just to know I’m no longer subject to the whims of the Midnight Queen... It’s enough.

I push myself up and sit back on my heels, kneeling in a pile of severed heads. Heads I had intended to take as trophies.

Tears spill from my eyes. It’s a beautiful thing to hear a voice in my head that’s my own. Finally my own. Morrigan’s words have poisoned my mind for far too long.

I lift my hand and whisper a spell beneath my breath. Through the waves of heat that float from the ground, I see the great stag. My mount bows to me and I grip the reins, using them to climb to my feet. More blood pours from my middle. I don’t have much time. I slide my hand over the saddle horn and toss myself into the saddle. Pain threatens to consume me once more, but I fight through it. Black spots dance in my vision as I cluck my tongue.

The gateway to Earlann isn’t far, but I still find myself wheezing by the time I reach the palace. Guards rush over to assist me, pulling me from the saddle in order to carry me to the throne room. Instead of easing me into a seat, the guards thrust me to the ground. I kneel before the throne as Morrigan stares down at me with just a hint of worry in her eyes.

“Were you successful?” she hisses.

“The... stronghold has fallen.”

“And Eilish? Has she been captured?”

A guard answers for me. “He arrived alone, Your Highness. The army has retreated.”

Nails slash across my face, adding more blood to the endless stream of red that spreads over the floor. “You disgust me! An inbred dog would follow my orders better than you have. I give you the last thrones in the realms, I give you legions to command, and I give you power beyond anything you could have imagined.... and still you’re useless! I should have turnedCambion! At least he’s good for more than a decent fuck from time to time.”

I look up into Morrigan’s sneering face and smile. “Decent? Even when you berate me, I can scent your arousal, Morrigan. Your mouth says one thing, but…” I trail my gaze down her figure. “Your body says another.” Just as I suspect, the heat flares in her eyes.

Morrigan reaches towards me, placing her hand on my chest and pulls magic from her talisman to heal me. There’s no light in the tainted magic theThrestgave her. I can practically hear the screams of the souls she’s taken.

As I heal, I drag myself to my feet. My hands slide up the curves of her hips and yank her against me. Her arousal isn’t hindered by the blood that smears across her abdomen. If anything, I can scent her even stronger than before. I move one of my hands to the front of her robes and follow the trail of intricate embroidery until my palm rests against her throat. The healing is complete. Morrigan grips my hair in a fierce hold and tugs me down into a kiss.

The breathy moans that escape our lips cause the guards to retreat from the throne room.

That was a mistake. But one I’m grateful for.

Morrigan’s lust for me makes her blind. I reach back with my free hand as I deepen the kiss and flip a small blade from a hidden sheath in my belt. Morrigan begins to climb her way up my chest, rubbing herself against me like a feline in heat. Her fingers curl around my shoulders for purchase.

Not much longer, now.

I force the blade into her with an anger that surprises me. Yes, I hate her, but this… this goes beyond hatred. I feel her gasp against my lips as the blade plunges into her heart. Morrigan’s muscles constrict and she knocks me back. She pulls the knifeout of herself and drops it. The blade clatters to the ground. She stares at me in horror.

“You... how dare… you?!”

“You no longer hold sway over me, Morrigan,” I growl low in my chest. Real fear reaches her gaze as it finally dawns on her that she doesn’t have the power to heal herself. And she doesn’t have the magic left to renew the link between us.

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MORRIGAN

The Castle In The Sky

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