Page 36 of Devastation
Relaxing into the couch, I keep Kyle in my peripheral and elaborate on my previous statement.
"I know it's a lot to take in, and I truly cannot stay long as I need to make my rounds through all of the realms as quickly as possible. But Erebus has an army that he's been forming for over forty years and he's a sneaky son of a bitch."
"What does he want?"
Blowing air out of my nose fast, I scoff, "What does every villain in every story want? To rule the world."
Kyle begins pushing the now empty cart back towards the door, and all of Mar's mates clap him on the back and say goodbye like they're old friends.
Just as I'm thinking that I'm batshit crazy for being suspicious of the angel, his wings burst outwards and a gleam of silver in the air heads directly for Mar's head. Without hesitating, I throw my hands out and create a strong stream of wind just in the nick of time to divert its trajectory to land in the wall next to her.
An uproar happens within seconds and her mates have Kyle pinned to the floor while mine stand off to the side, tense and ready to jump in if needed.
Looking at the dagger in the wall, I see that it's now dripping a black substance that I can only assume is a poison laced with something to trap Mar's powers away like they did to us in the dark fae castle.
Mar comes out of her state of shock and the venom that I see in her face is deadlier than any man made poison. Storming over to Kyle, her mates part like the red sea for her and a wisp of her lavender energy wraps itself around his neck, strangling him.
"You dare to attack me? Your queen?" She screams while standing over him and stepping on his silver wings with each foot.
Her once soft and pliable feathers begin to harden into the most impenetrable material in all the realms. It's rumored that her wings are indestructible after years of torture from the previous king that reigned. Mar's powers she received from Gaia during her time in captivity altered her differently than it had Serenity or I.
While our powers were amplified by Gaia's gifts, Mar's body turned into a defense mechanism that no one could get through. Her skin and wings can repel any attack she's ever faced.
Her wing tips elongate into razor sharp blades and they lower to the ground behind her, pressing into Kyle's legs. He cries out as I see blood start to leak out of them onto the stone floor, "He made me! He has Adelaide!"
Her wings stop pressing down onto his legs as she inquires, "You better explain yourself right fucking now before I amputate every limb from your body. Who took your daughter?"
Sobs begin to wrack his body as he blurts, "I don't know his name. He appeared in the shadows of our home and took Adelaide from her bed. He threatened to kill her if I didn't kill you."
Moving from my perch on the couch I join Mar and look down at the man inquisitively. "Did he have piercing red eyes and shadows that leaked from him like spilled ink?
Nodding his head yes vigorously, he answers, "Yes! See! I'm not lying. She knows him."
Mar glances over to me and I answer her unsaid question, "Erebus. The one who killed Gaia."
Grimacing, she sighs heavily while moving back from Kyle and off of his wings. He looks bewildered and stays on the ground, afraid to move a muscle. His chest heaves with ragged breaths.
Turning away from him, Mar orders, "Tenu, Drake, take him to the cells. I'll handle his punishment after I learn more about Erebus."
Two of her mates haul Kyle to his feet and remove him from the room.
"Lana, join me out on the balcony and tell me everything. It seems we're preparing for war."
Trailing after her, I counter with ice in my voice, “The war has already begun.”
Chapter Fourteen
Lana
Cool air blows against my face as we glance out over her domain from the balcony. The clouds no longer pulsate with the magical colors of Mar's jubilant mood. They're black now with bolts of electricity flashing within them. A storm brews in much the same way I picture her mind does right now.
I allow Mar the time she needs to settle her emotions enough to talk—she is clearly still shaken over what just happened. I'm not sure of her ties to the man who just attempted to kill her, but from the easy companionship I saw between him and her mates, I imagine this was probably a devastating blow.
We stand in companionable silence for a few minutes before she lets out a shaky breath and begins, "Kyle was in the cells with me when the old bastard of a king tortured me,. because I rejected his proposal."
Letting her continue her story at her own pace, I patiently wait for her to continue while watching emotions flash over her face. I knew she had been imprisoned from my previous life's memories, but the specifics are something she had never shared with me, and I had never pushed for them.
"The king was a cruel and powerful man who didn't understand why anyone would reject him. Because who wouldn't want to stand next to the most powerful man in the realm?" she muses, sarcasm dripping from her words.
