Chapter 36
Chapter
Thirty-Six
Barbie
We ascended through the hole Tyson’s dragon fire had carved. Each level we passed was another circle of hell left behind, another step away from the nightmare that had haunted me.
The moment we reached the surface, the aftermath of the battle unfolded in front of us like a bloody painting, already complete.
It was over. Just over.
When Ruin froze, his abomination army instantly turned to statues.
Shriekers stood motionless across the battlefield, black oil weeping from their eyes like tears they were never designed to shed.
Our warriors moved through them with mechanical efficiency, cutting down the frozen horrors with the certainty they would never rise again.
The shadow beasts tore savagely through the last clusters.
I exhaled a shaky and certain breath. The war was over. My ordeal had ended. We had the God of Ruin bound by five elements and wrapped in chains reinforced by my dark flame and Killian’s death shadow.
Serenity settled over me like a blanket of snow before Sy slammed into me.
“I’m sorry,” she sobbed against my shoulder, guilt eating at her. “I came late. I can’t imagine how alone you were, how afraid. I should have been there. I’ve always been there—”
“I wasn’t alone.” The words came out rougher than I wanted, my arms wrapping around her just as desperately.
My sister was finally safe. That mattered more than any torture I’d endured.
“I kept thinking of all of you when he—” I paused, my voice cracking, before I recollected myself.
“You weren’t supposed to come! If he’d gotten you, the worlds would have winked out one by one.
This was serious shit, Sy! When will you ever listen? ”
“I would rather watch everything burn than lose you!” She pulled back to glare through her tears, the threads of creation magic tracing her torso.
“And don’t you dare lecture me like you always do.
You need to evolve, like I have, or this new world will leave you behind. Starting with that attitude of yours—”
“Ladies, ladies,” Rowan interrupted, already moving to separate us before we could escalate.
He caught Sy around the waist, pulling her back against his chest. Killian did the same to me, but we still leaned forward, determined to continue our argument over our mates’ restraining embraces.
“You’re a bully, Barbie!” Sy barked.
“Ever heard of the pot calling the kettle black?” I shot back.
“What’s next?” Silas bellowed, drowning out our bickering with sheer volume.
“We haul Ruin’s frozen ass back to the void he crawled out from,” I bellowed back, still glaring at Sy.
“Sounds awesome,” Louis said. “But where exactly is the void? All we learned from the Oracle was that this evil fucker traveled from some distant world to our world just to eat us. My question is, can we open the portal to an alien void? What if more void beings like him come through?”
“You worry too much, good man,” I said.
“Worry too much?” Rowan arched a silver brow.
“I’ve made arrangements. As you all know, I like to stay at least four steps ahead,” I said, grinning smugly. “Underhill and all the House magics are standing by as we speak.”
“What are those four steps, Mage Barbie?” Cade asked.
“First, we bring this sucker to the Red Room.” I gestured with a flourish. “The path to the void lies beyond.”
Just then, a giant figure approached—eight feet of muscle and demonic presence, his broadsword sheathed. He dropped to one knee a few yards away, his horned head bowing before he raised his crimson eyes to meet mine.
“My queen,” he said. “I am General Baal. The Underworld is yours, and we serve you.”
“Shit,” I said, because what else was there to say?
“They fought with us,” Rowan explained, “as your army, Barbie.”
“Hmm, Queen Barbie of the Underworld,” Louis mused. “It has a ring to it.”
“It’s not a bad thing, little scorpion,” Killian murmured against my hair, his breath warm on my scalp. “With all six houses united, the realm will enjoy peace for another century.”
“Get up, General Baal,” I said in a hurry. The last thing I needed was more demons following him and kneeling. “We’re dumping the void god first. We got him.”
“You got him, Your Majesty!” Baal said, his tone bordering on hero worship. “No one else could have except our true queen!”
He was quick to kiss my ass.
“That’s not true. It was a group effort.” I gestured at the battlefield around us, demons and other supernaturals working together as one. “You and your demonic army contributed as well. Keep the Underworld in order and come see me at Shades Academy after we dispose of the God of Ruin.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” He bowed.
“It’s time to head back to the Red Room,” Killian reminded us, sensing my exhaustion through our bond. The adrenaline rush was crashing fast.
“What about the army?” Rowan asked. “We portaled them here, but we’ve exhausted our energy. We can’t bring them back.”
“My sister and I will handle it,” Sy said confidently. “We’ve got this.”
“I’ll join my mate and her sister in opening a portal within a portal,” Killian added.
“Can it really be done? No one has ever achieved that before,” Cade asked, intellectual curiosity sparking in his cerulean eyes.
“Have no doubt, brother.” Killian grinned. “You have a goddess, the oldest magic in the flesh, and a dragon demigod right here.”
“And together, they walk into the Red Room,” Louis quipped.
Sy and I clasped hands, preparing to open the portal.
“Wait!” Cade shouted suddenly.
The mage prince surged forward and hugged me. Louis and Silas traded a look and followed immediately, even shoving Killian aside despite his warning growl. Cade was crying openly—he hadn’t even shed that many tears when Sy and I had uprooted the Fury curse from him.
“We almost lost you, little Barbie,” Louis said, his own eyes glistening.
“But you didn’t,” I insisted, hugging them back just as fiercely.
“Don’t ever do that again!” Silas’s voice cracked. “If anything happens, you come to us. We talk it through. If I go bald from stress, that’s on you. You know my good looks are important to me.”
Sy and Rowan also joined the group hug, leaving Killian on the very edge.
I could feel Tyson’s possessive grumbling through our bond.
The dragon was notoriously territorial, but I’d cut him some slack after the scare I’d given them.
Losing me would unmake them. The weight of that knowledge settled deep into my bones.
“That’s enough,” Killian growled.
“Shifters need pack affection,” Silas protested.
“Fuck off!” Killian elbowed the heirs away, managing to pull me back into his arms. His lips brushed the crown of my head, a simple gesture that undid me more completely than any of Ruin’s tortures.