Chapter 17
Chapter
Seventeen
Barbie
“We have two armies under direct control,” Killian said, his lips brushing the crown of my head. “Mages are allied. Fae hostile. Vampires?”
“Split,” Louis said, swirling his blood wine. “My esteemed sire remains convinced this is merely another game of thrones. However, I can rally half our forces when it matters. Maybe more, if I challenge him directly and survive the attempt.”
“When you challenge the old vamp, I’ll be there,” I offered.
“I go where Barbie goes,” Sy added. “Your vamp daddy needs a power demonstration?”
Louis frowned. “You two say ‘vamp’ like it’s a dirty word.”
“It isn’t?” Sy grinned and grabbed my hand.
Power erupted between us, her white light colliding with my dark destruction.
A portal whirled to life in the middle of the room, its gravitational pull sucking in two chairs and an expensive sofa set before I yanked my hand away. It sealed with a loud snap.
“Those sofas were expensive,” I scowled at Sy.
“Can you two open portals to anywhere?” Louis asked, his pale blue eyes glinting with dangerous greed.
“We’re not sure yet,” Sy admitted with a shrug. “My creation power is still new. There’s a learning curve.”
“If you can open a portal and send Ruin somewhere he can never crawl back from—” Cade started.
“Like into the sun! Or a black hole,” Silas chimed in.
“Or New Jersey,” Sy said.
The heirs erupted into excited chatter, proposing increasingly ridiculous places to portal-dump my father.
“We should talk to the other two ancient gods first,” I said, rubbing my temples. “They battled Ruin eons ago and survived.”
The room was shocked into silence. Five pairs of predatory eyes locked onto me.
“Two other gods?” Silas narrowed his amber eyes. “And you’re just mentioning this now?”
“My mate doesn’t owe you any explanation,” Killian snapped.
“Isis and Nephthys dragged me through time to show me their battle with Ruin,” I said, cutting off the brewing argument.
“What?” The word exploded from multiple throats at once.
“I was shocked too.” I nodded. “It wasn’t pretty. Imagine Earth when it was mostly sand and bad weather. Three gods duking it out: my father, who went by Ra back then before his ‘Ruin’ rebrand, against the other two in a death duel.”
“You should not risk yourself,” Killian growled. “You should have come to me.”
“It’s a little late for that now,” I said defensively. “Didn’t I say they dragged me across time? I didn’t have much choice.”
“Barbie came to check if Killian was with another woman,” Sy chimed in. “Then the gods from behind the red door called her. They’ve been harassing her for a while.”
“We can use them,” Rowan said.
“Not in the way we’d want,” I said. “They’re trapped, broken, and half-dead. Shadows of their former selves. That’s no way to live, and I wouldn’t wish it on any enemy, except for Ruin.”
Killian narrowed his eyes. “They’ve been inside the Red Room this whole time?”
I gave him a non-committal look. “Mm-hmm.”
“When my men reported that only you could access the Red Room,” Killian drawled, “I assumed it was because the Queen’s Suite chose you.”
“The ancient ones witnessed Ruin’s first rising. Their knowledge could be the key that unlocks our victory.” Rowan circled back.
“Then why were they defeated?” Silas countered.
“They were tricked,” I said. “They underestimated him and thought Earth magic would work on an evil space god. Look, do you want to meet them or not? They’re cranky, half-mad, and speak in riddles, but they want Ruin dead just as much as we do.”
“Take us to them now,” Silas demanded.
“Not now,” I said.
“Why not?” the other heirs asked, their eyes narrowing with suspicion.
“I’ll have to talk to them first and ask them to allow me to bring friends,” I said. “They don’t like surprises. Last surprise they got was my father eating half their essence.”
“We should prepare properly," Cade said. "Research their history, formulate relevant questions, perhaps bring traditional offerings. I would rather not offend primordial deities through ignorance.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Bea chimed in, her face flushing. She worshipped her mage prince.
“No more secrets,” Rowan stated. “If there are other ancient powers in play, we need to know.”
The door burst open before I could argue.
Cami led a flood of scouts into the penthouse, the smell of fear and blood clinging to them.
Vampires, shifters still half-transformed, mages with trembling hands, fae scouts who’d lost their otherworldly grace to pure terror—they crowded into the space, their panic thick enough to choke on.
The fae scouts gravitated toward Rowan despite his exile, as if the fae prince’s presence could anchor them.
“Report,” Killian commanded.
The heirs abandoned the table, forming a semi-circle. Power radiated from them—princes and kings braced for war, yet dreading the news they were about to receive.
Jax stepped forward, the senior scout from the House of Chaos. Blood streaked his armor, and his usual stoic expression had cracked into something raw.
“Your Graces!” His voice came out rough. “Ruin’s army is moving through mortal lands. California is gone. Kansas. Texas." He paused, his jaw working. “Entire states leveled. Nothing left but ash and…” His hands curled into fists. “And the echoes of screaming.”
The room went silent.
My sandwich turned to dust in my mouth. Millions of lives, just…gone.
“No,” Bea whispered beside me, the sound a mere breath of denial.
My father didn’t need to destroy mortal cities. This was a message. He was showing us what he would do to Mist of Cinder, to our world, unless he got what he wanted.
Sy and me.
And I feared that by now, he knew. Lilith knew about the last drop of old magic, which meant my father knew, too.
“How big is the abomination army?” Cade asked, his voice calm, though his face had gone paper-white.
“Two hundred thousand Shriekers in the first wave,” Jax answered, forcing the words out. “Mortal weapons are useless. Bullets bounce off their armor like rain.”
“The God of Ruin is among them,” a witch scout added, her teeth chattering.
“He marches with his army openly now. It was like staring into…” She trailed off, lost for words for a second.
“We only looked at him from a distance and barely escaped with our lives. Jax dragged us back when we couldn’t stop ourselves from walking toward him. ”
My father’s presence was a black hole that pulled you in, made you want to surrender, to let him consume you just to end the terrible weight of existing near him.
“Human armies march with him too,” Jax added. “The Legion of the Brotherhood. Military forces from a dozen nations who’ve learned of our realm.”
Cade's knuckles went white around his wand. The mage prince had marked the druid for death long ago.
“Let them come,” Rowan said, cold as winter frost. “Humans tried to eliminate us once before. Now we return the favor.”
Fae and humans warred for ages before the fae retreated behind the Veil to Mist of Cinder. The last magical realm would have long since fallen without that protection.
“And demons,” Jax finished. “We spotted demons fighting alongside the Shriekers.”
The heirs exchanged looks. We were catastrophically outmatched.
“How long do we have?” Silas demanded, his voice barely controlled.
“Five days, Alpha King. Maybe six if they stop to…”
“To feed,” I finished for him, my voice hollow. “They feed on the magical essence of anyone they kill. California and Texas weren’t just demonstrations. They were appetizers.”
A wave of mortal terror filled the room.
Sy’s hand gripped mine from across the table, and we didn’t need our old bond to know what the other was thinking.
I turned to stare out the window, needing to see something beautiful while violence threatened to end our world.
The gardens bloomed in the morning light, full of pink blossoms and golden sunshine.
The school buildings stood proud, every brick and glass pane infused with magic.
The dark forest of Underhill swayed, calling to me.
In less than a week, all of this would burn unless we stopped it.
Unless I stopped it.
It would come down to me and my evil father.
“You have done well,” Killian said to the scouts. “Go eat and rest in the common room. Tell my men to give you whatever you need. We’ll find you in a couple of hours with more questions.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” They nodded their thanks.
Rock led them out, murmuring about hot food and strong drinks.
The door clicked shut.
“We’re not ready,” Cade said into the silence.
“Then we’ll get ready,” Rowan said, his silver eyes blazing with determination. “Whatever it takes.”
All the heirs straightened, a new steel in their eyes.
“Rowan.” Killian’s gaze locked on the fae prince. “It’s time you step up and take the throne. Bastard or not, we don’t give a fuck. We can storm the fae court together. We can’t have a fucking hostile force at our backs while we go to war.”
Rowan’s jaw clenched so hard I saw Sy glance at him, worried for his teeth. “This root I must tear out myself. The fae court bends to oak, not iron. They'll never bow if I arrive with foreign steel at my back.”
Sy moved to stand by him, her hand finding his in a show of support.
“I’ll try to negotiate with King Emyr for peace first,” Rowan continued.
“My mate should not live as a refugee. But to overthrow him now, we’d risk a civil war.
It takes time to win over the oldest court in the realm.
Right now, two-thirds of the kingdom still support my father.
Royal bloodline is everything to fae, and I…
I am not from that line. The last thing I want is to have more fae blood on my hands. ”
“Rowan is right,” Cade said. “It isn’t practical for him to take the throne now, not like the lightning strikes Killian and Silas pulled off. We must focus on the war against the God of Ruin while preventing King Emyr from coming after Rowan.”
The other heirs moved as one, clasping hands with Rowan. “Anything you need, brother, the Covenant stands with you.”
Sy and I joined them, our power humming through the connection.
“What’s next?” Louis asked.
“You prepare for war,” Killian said. “My mate and I need time alone. War can wait.”
“War won’t wait,” Cade protested. “We should go to the Red Room and speak with the other gods now. It is better to handle this while we’re all here.”
“One hour,” Killian insisted. The gold bled into his eyes. “My dragon demands it.” He slashed a hand through the air, tearing open a portal to his realm. “My mate being taken to the Underworld pushed him to the edge.”
Killian lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, holding on tight. Through our bond, I felt Tyson rumbling with eagerness. He wanted to go home and take me flying. The dragon had his own priorities, which did not include the heirs and their war councils.
“Wait for us!” Sy called, rushing forward with Rowan.
But Killian was already sliding us through the fiery seam. He let it snap shut, leaving only a crack.
“What the hell, Killian?” Rowan barked from the other side.
“Codependence ain’t healthy, Sy!” I shouted through the narrowing gap.
“That asshole is so irresponsible,” Silas hissed. “It’s always what Killian wants, Killian gets.”
The portal sealed, cutting off Sy’s indignant cry.
“They can find their own fucking romantic getaway,” Killian chuckled against my neck. “For the next hour, it’s just us. No gods, no war, no other heirs bitching about everything.”
“Just us,” I agreed.
In less than a week, I’d have to face my father. But for now, I’d ride my mate and his dragon all the way to the apocalypse.