Page 41 of Queen of the Wicked
Haunting.
Glancing down, Alessia was inside a man’s body with a white toga wrapped around his muscular frame. The wrists and feet of the man were shackled to a wall, suspended in the air. His body sagged against the chains, the slickness of the metal digging into his skin.
Alessia could feel every ounce of pain and second of exhaustion weighing his soul, and yet the man still didn’t cry. He remained silent as the vile figure in front of him paced back and forth, his one hand clenched tightly around that wooden pole.
“Show me what your magic cando,” the man insisted. Heseemed to be in desperate need of a shower, with dirt splattered across his skin and sweat dripping down his face. They were in a room Alessia didn’t recognize, but it was beautiful. Dome ceilings towered above them with murals painted of angels with clouds and golden arches.
Although the man pacing back and forth looked dirty and disheveled, the guards behind him were dressed in the finest uniforms: white, pure, and crisp. Gold buttons shimmered down their torsos, and swords made of the finest silver were sheathed down their backs.
“You willneverbe able to use me,” the man in chains seethed, but at the sound of his voice, a bone-chilling dawn of realization fell over Alessia.
Erebos.
This wasErebosspeaking.
“You’re a monster,” he continued, “and one day, the Makers will see to it that your tyranny comes to an end.”
The man clicked his tongue. “It is a shame my brother has such an influence over others. Who is to say all souls should be denied the right to enjoy a place such as this? You are here, are you not? Do you mean to tell me your tainted soul does not belong here?”
Erebos writhed in the chains. “My soul isnottainted. I can use this magic for good. It’s people likeyouwho have nefarious plans and wish to use me to?—”
The man lunged forward and struck the wooden pole against his ribs, and Alessia couldn’t bear to witness the pain. To see Erebos hurt, to watch him suffer like this…
“What a pity it is that you do not wish to comply with my demands,” the man said. “This could have all gone so differently. You could have beengreat,Erebos. You could have beenmy greatest weapon when I finally take my rightful place on the throne.”
“You could never,” Erebos shot back. Alessia was proud that he never backed down, even when the man lifted the pole again. Erebos didn’t flinch. “The realm of Heaven would rather burn to ash than bow to you.”
The man chuckled and gave another crushing blow to his chest. When Alessia forced his head to glance down, she almost threw up on the marble floor. His chest was quite literally obliterated. Cuts lined his torso, some requiring stitches, and the bruises… There was more purple covering his chest than the velvet silky tawny she was used to.
“One thing you will learn about me, Erebos, is that I always succeed. With a little power and torment, I will never fail to get what I want. It is just a matter of breaking you down before you cave, whenever that point is reached.”
“I willnevercave,” Erebos gasped. It seemed like he had an injury to his rib, making it difficult for him to breathe.
With another cocky grin, the man snapped to the guards. “I would reconsider your decision, Erebos, and soon. If you choose to help me, together we can control the realms, and if not…” He shrugged. “I will find another soul with dark magic, and you will remain my slave for as long as I see fit.”
“I do not answer to you,” Erebos replied. “I serve your brother.”
The man looked around sarcastically before arching a brow. “And do you see him? Has he come to rescue you valiantly? I do not think your absence is disheartening to him, and I shall use that to my fullest advantage.” He started to stride for the large set of mahogany doors, but not beforecalling over his shoulder, “Break him before my brother comes looking.”
Alessia awoke with a jolt,gasping for breath. She felt around her to find a tether to this world, clutching the now soaking wet sheets from the sweat dripping down her back. Nothing about the room felt familiar, even though she had been sleeping there for almost two weeks now. The red glow from the sky outside just made the nightmare even more realistic.
She shivered and expelled a small whimper, and that was when she saw him.
Erebos sat on the edge of the bed, far away from her, his position tense. Knowing he was there, as strange as it sounded, made her breathe a sigh of relief. Anyone would feel that way after having a nightmare about said person, right? It was a normal reaction for her to feel noticeably better in his presence.
“Erebos,” she said quietly. “I…I didn’t see you.”
“I know. I’m sorry for disturbing you, but you were screaming. I wanted to ensure you were alright.”
Damn if her chest didn’t expand to twice the size. “You could have woken me up.”
His lips twitched, threatening a smile. “I was always told not to.”
“I think that’s for sleepwalking or a sleeping baby, not nightmares,” she said. His gaze dipped to her chest, to where her nipples were hardening beneath his stare. No matter what she did, she couldn’t get their timetogether earlier out of her head. The way his fingers felt inside her, the way helookedat her…
But she had failed.
She had failed him, Isla, and everyone in the realm by letting her guard down and letting that shield fall between them. Although she didn’t understand why that scent of cherries mattered so much, she saw the look of devastation on Erebos’s face as soon as she came. Just from that memory alone, she covered the chest of her nightgown with the blanket, snapping Erebos out of whatever thoughts he was having.
