Page 44 of Inheritance
Ama
Ihad never been so eager for a fight, and that was saying something because I quite enjoyed hitting people in the face with my wing. Maybe I would even pull that little move out today.
Honestly, after Nico and I this morning, and every other touch and kiss with my men, I was feeling far more energized, despite the lack of sleep. I could feel both sides of my power beneath my skin, boiling with anger and the need for vengeance as we watched the dawn light slowly start to appear in the east.
Never in my life had I felt so complete and at peace with myself in regards to my power. It was licking under my skin in a heat that had me practically purring at how great it felt. This was what it was like to fully accept my hybrid nature and let both sides out to play without constraints.
I felt dangerous, and I liked it.
I had never expected to find myself in this position, riding on a horse next to Commander Pandora as my mates and her lieutenants talked quietly behind us, readying to lead our military into battle.
I hadn't known exactly how she would treat me, considering everything that had gone on while I was kidnapped and how my men had reacted. I had been nervous she would resent me because I had disappeared right when everything got serious and we arrived outside of Pura. I'd been concerned that she would have retracted her support, which would have screwed us because I knew that, despite the king and queen's orders, they trusted Pandora and her judgment. What she decided went. So of course, I’d been pleasantly surprised when she had come to our tent and brought me a uniform to wear.
I'd been even more surprised when it was a legitimate copy almost of hers, without the military medals.
It fit perfectly and as I rode next to her, I felt a surge of confidence that poured out of me, encouraging my Reaper magic to produce my scythe. The metal was cold and familiar in my hand, a solid weight that had me feeling prepared and confident in conjunction with my wings extending out through the slits in the back of my uniform.
"Have you ever fought in a battle like this before?" Pandora asked curiously, tilting her head towards me.
"No," I admitted, keeping my head forward but watching her out of my peripheral vision.
"Just keep pushing forward, and try to avoid large groups," she suggested. "It's easy to get overwhelmed and forget where the enemy is coming from."
I nodded, but before I could respond, a horn sounding in the distance had everyone looking towards the capital entrance, where troops were filing and marching out. I frowned, not understanding why their commanders thought it was a good idea to attack offensively right now when they could have reacted defensively to save lives.
"Their king doesn't care about lives lost," she explained with a pissed expression crossing her face. "He is picking a method that he hopes will work in exchange for a proven, more slow-moving method. He's impatient, and it's going to cost him his entire militia."
I swallowed, realizing that I would have to kill...could I do that? Could I kill someone?
"You’d better decide, Ama, because indecision can cost you your life and the lives of others," Pandora stated quietly, clearly reading the confusion and fear in my eyes at the thought of having to take a life for the first time.
I nodded, knowing that, if it meant saving my father and keeping my mates safe, I could kill. I could kill for all the hybrids who had been slain purely for what they were, and for all the hybrid children to come who deserved to live their lives full of zealous passion. Not stowed away in a castle being ridiculed at every moment like I had been. It was a startling realization that I found myself oddly comfortable with having to kill for this future I dreamed of as I narrowed my eyes on the horizon.
When the call went out to move forward, I felt my body tense. I had already kissed all of my men and told them that I loved them, but there was an uneasiness in my gut. More than that, images of Luce kept flashing behind my eyes. I found myself missing him and wondering how he was handling our fallout...these types of emotions were far from helpful right now.
Being part of a war of this magnitude was an odd experience--especially the fact that it was truly my first battle.
One moment, we were making our way forward, the other militia charging towards us, and the next I was thrown into the middle of the action with no way out. My senses were so overwhelmed, it was almost like I wasn't hearing at all because of all the noises, and I began to just act on instinct. I charged forward on my horse, using my scythe to hit those who charged towards me, and the impact sent a vibration through me that shook me to my core. Finally, my brain and body seemed to start to work together.
The blood.
The faces.
The screams.
Nothing else mattered but the way my magic began to start dominating the space. My wings snapped out as I launched myself from atop my horse and landed amongst other foot soldiers, my scythe lighting up brighter than ever in conjunction with my Succubus magic working with my Reaper abilities.
Heads turned my way, and their desire for my bloodlust surged around me as I began to reap their souls with a precision I hadn't realized I was capable of in the midst of battle. Body after body dropped, and their souls’ energy only provided me with more power as I filled the space with a level of dominance I'd only seen before from my father.
There was a smile on my face, even as I turned to meet someone trying to approach me from behind. I turned and hit them right in the sternum with my weapon, and they cried out, dropping to their knees in front of me.
My head snapped up to meet Drayven's gaze, his body appearing right behind the man, clearly intent on killing him if I hadn't gotten to him first.
"I got him," I assured as a low rumble came from his throat.
Before he could say anything, he tugged me forward by my waist, turning us as he literally severed someone's head with his own scythe, the victim’s scream drowned out by the other roars of battle around us. Drayven looked down at me, seeing my face covered in blood from his recent skill, and huffed.
"I don't even have time to analyze why watching you kill is so fucking hot," he grumbled. I ducked with him as someone shot an arrow over our heads. I slipped back and out of his arms.
