Chapter 44

NATHANIEL

“Logan, stand the fuck up. We have to get out of here!” I heard Theo scream from inside the temple. “It’s going to fucking sink.”

Shit.

I snapped my wings up behind me as it took off into the air, heading straight for the building. I went in through the wall Benjamin and I had broken down during our scuffle.

“Holy shit,” Theo gasped.

Fuck. I had temporarily forgotten that none of them knew the truth. I had a feeling things would go downhill from here, but I had to save them first.

“Holy fuck, Nathaniel, is that you?” Theo asked as he struggled to lean up against the wall.

“Yes. Hold on. I’ll get Logan down and come for you.”

I flew out of the temple with Logan on my shoulder, all the while mindful of the cracks spreading across the walls.

I had to get back to Theo before the building crumbled, but I also had to make sure Logan was far away from the building to avoid getting crushed when the building collapsed.

When I was sure he and Ishmael were far enough from the building, I flew back to go get Theo. Whatever Tiana did to him must have fucked him up, because he was still where I left him, grunting in pain as he tried to stand.

“Don’t bother. I’ll fly us out of here.”

The moment the words were out of my mouth, a pillar collapsed behind me. Fuck. We had little time to get out of here. I slung him over my shoulder, his weight pulling me down.

Unlike Ishmael and Logan, Theo packed a lot of muscle, making him heavier than them. I got us out of the building just in time, because not a second later, the building collapsed, almost like it had been waiting for us to get out before crumbling.

*’Kai,’ I tried again to see if I could get through to him.*

*’Silver,’ he choked out, sounding breathless.*

Relief slammed through me when I got a reply from him. He wasn’t dead yet. That had to count for something, even though I knew that could change any time from now.

He had wounds inflicted on him with silver, and if it was drastic enough, he could lose his life.

*’I’m coming. Hold on.’*

I reached out to someone I never thought I would in a situation like this; Rozol. But it had to be done. Every second spent away from Kai was crucial.

If Kai sounded roughed up, I wondered what the condition of the others was.

“You’re not injured,” Rozol’s grim voice said a second later. I knew I could always count on him to show up at a time like this. His eyes fell to the ground, taking in Ishmael, Logan, and Theo, who was now also unconscious. “Benjamin and Ryker?” He asked, his jaw locking.

“Yeah.”

“He attacked my lair a few weeks ago. Left one of my members injured. Now, I’m wondering if I should have killed him.”

“He’s getting bolder with the Allister brothers by his side. Can you please take them to the island? I have somewhere else to be.”

“Sure. Do you want me to wait for you so we can talk about things?”

“Yeah, sure.”

He nodded, black smoke pooling around the feet. When the air cleared, he was gone, and so were Ishmael, Logan, and Theo.

***

“What happened?” Rozol asked as I sank into my chair in my office.

“Benjamin happened.”

He nodded, lowering himself to another chair across from me. “I think I gathered that earlier. What were you doing at Ozark’s temple? You do know that place can’t be accessed by just anyone, right?”

“Ishmael got us there with a portal.”

“What did you go there for?”

“Benjamin has the bloodstones.”

An emotion I didn’t think Rozol was capable of feeling crossed his face. Fear. He knew what that meant.

“Fuck. You should have called me before you headed to the temple. I would have helped.”

“I didn’t think about that. Tiana betrayed me.”

“No shit? There’s a lot to unpack here, Nathaniel. For a hot minute, I thought she wanted Alan. You’d think she’d help you because of her feelings for him.”

I huffed. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Tiana cared about no one, not even Alan. She might want to fuck him, but since when did sex qualify as having feelings for someone?

“The same thing happened with Dalia. She claims to love Aiden, but she let him get burned alive. These females aren’t sane.”

“Well, what’s our next course of action?”

“Honestly? I have no fucking idea. I’m fucking exhausted. More than half of my Enforcers have stab wounds from silver blades. One of them was close to losing his life.”

Today had been a close one for Kai. He had a silver bullet inside his gut while he bled out uncontrollably. He needed a blood transfusion when we got to the hospital because of how much blood he lost.

“How about you gather your allies?” Rozol suggested, and it would have been a good idea if I had allies to begin with. “Benjamin will be doing the same. He doesn’t have enough demons in his lair to take your pack down.”

“Seems like you’re forgetting the impact of the Allister brothers. One click of their fingers, and they could have everyone on the battlefield asleep. Theo overheard Ryker’s conversation with Ozark. Guess the new enemy I have made without ever meeting this said person in my life?”

Rozol’s face twisted into a frown. “A lair leader?”

I knew why he said that. It wasn’t unheard of that demons started fights amongst themselves for little to no reason.

I chuckled bitterly. If only my problem were that easy. “Even better. Draven. Wanna know the icing on my already fucked up cake? The Brothers of Doom are alive.” I picked up a whiskey bottle from my desk, unscrewing the cap before tipping the bottle back.

I welcomed the burn as the amber liquid slid down my throat, settling in my gut. Anything to help drown the thoughts in my head.

“Not only am I facing Benjamin, but I’m also facing the Allister brothers because one of them thinks I killed their family. Ozark’s tone implied Samuel knows they’re alive, so there’s that. Know what that means?” I took another sip. “The Brothers of Doom could join the war, and to top it all off, I have a powerful demon who has a personal vendetta against me. Isn’t my life fucking great?”

“No, Nathaniel, it’s not.”

My head snapped up to the wide-open door where Ayra stood. I had been so lost in my misery that I didn’t hear her come up.

“I’ll leave you two to have a discussion,” Rozol said before disappearing.

“You look like shit.”

“I feel like shit,” I corrected her. Ayra plucked the bottle out of my hand when I tipped back the bottle for another sip. “I need something to drown myself in. If you will not let me drink, then let me fuck you.”

She rolled her eyes at me, placing the bottle on the table. “You’re not entitled to that, asshole. Let’s go home.”

***

AYRA

“I’m guessing things didn’t go as planned,” I said, taking in the somber air around Nathaniel. He was still wound up after a shower.

I had only caught the end of his conversation with Rozol, but I got the gist. They didn’t get the bloodstones.

He snorted, holding me against his side. “When have things ever gone as planned? The universe has a vendetta against my family.”

“Probably,” I agreed with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

That seemed to have worked, because he smirked. “I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to agree. Being my mate and all.”

I chuckled, reaching for his hand. “Don’t feel bad. From what I heard, this war is inevitable. You tried your best to avoid it, but now we have to face the music.”

“I know. I just feel defeated. I don’t know what to do.”

“Why not let tomorrow figure itself out? Sleep through it. A solution will surely come.”

I wanted to tell him about what happened in the hallway, but he was exhausted right now, and I didn’t want to add to the things going through his mind.

*’Foolish girl,’* a voice hissed inside my head, but I ignored it, hoping Nathaniel didn’t somehow sense my anxiety.

“You’re too optimistic for your own good, but there are much better things to do than sleep.” He turned on his side, cocking my leg over his hip.

“Yeah? Why don’t you show me, Mr. Black?”

“My pleasure.” He pushed his straining cock inside of me, and soon we were riding the waves of pleasure.