Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Damien
The last time I had been outside the Summit building, things had been very different. Instead of fighting beside a group of men I respected, I’d been thinking about how I didn’t feel worthy of my future. The future where I was supposed to lead a house.
Now though? Now I sure as fuck did.
My Hellhound let out a low growl of appreciation as Ama landed next to me, her wings snapping in as sounds of battle filled the space behind us.
Of course, the moment we were within the capital walls, we had been met by small groups of militia from the House of Runes and House of Sin, but nothing like what we had faced outside on the battlefield.
Our forces were surrounding the Summit building as additional soldiers came out to meet us. Ama, the other princes, and I had slightly different plans on how we were going to handle this.
Plans that included finding the pieces of shit who’d caused this entire problem in the first place.
Our mate is perfect.
No shit.
I nearly rolled my eyes at my Hellhound's mental tangent, one that he had been pretty much continuously repeating since I’d let my shift take over.
I didn’t disagree with him at all—Ama was fucking glorious—but he was so devildamned distracted.
He and I were both on the same page in regards to keeping her safe, but instead of paying attention to making sure we didn’t get injured, which he was supremely confident wouldn’t happen, he was focused on her mate marks.
They looked devildamned amazing on her skin, the small twin flames echoed by Jace’s marks on the other side. That didn’t bother me nearly as much as they bothered my Hellhound. Although he wasn’t really pissed either, he was just an asshole.
You let another mark our mate.
I nearly rolled my eyes at that. Hate to tell you buddy, but she has multiple mates.
But that’s another Hellhound!
Can we please fucking focus?
Just then, as we broke through the door of the Summit palace, we were bombarded from all sides by Dark Elf magic. Luckily, Finias was back to full power, and the sonic blast of wind he seemed to call on from his runes threw half of them back against the walls, knocking them out.
I would give the Dark Elves this, they were a tenacious bunch, and I would have to remember that in the future because I could tell you for certain that the House of Hellfire had never considered them so.
Not that they weren’t a threat, but I was seeing from fighting with the others that it was possible that my house had a bias about how superior we were when it came to military tactics. While someone like Adrien fought differently from me, it wasn’t any less deadly.
I let out a growl and lunged at someone who went for Ama, but Jace intercepted them before I could. Relief rushed through me, but my Hellhound let out a vicious growl that had the hybrid prince turning towards me, his Hellhound responding with a dangerous sound to match.
Cut it out.
My Hellhound snarled in my head.
He shouldn’t try to protect our mate. That’s our job.
Did he even hear how dumb he sounded?
Plus, Ama very clearly didn’t need our protection, despite the fact that I would continue to provide it.
It was quite clear how natural battle was to Ama, and my Hellhound and I were fucking thrilled to see how vicious she was, cutting down her enemies with an ease and grace that was almost hypnotizing.
I was distracted enough that when a soldier lunged at me with a dagger, I barely moved out of the way in time. I turned sharply, and my teeth bit down on his leg as I pulled him off his feet and relished in his blood curdling scream. Good.
I hoped that it would hurt.
You’re sounding more like me.
Shit, he was right.
That wasn’t a good thing, despite him probably viewing it as so.
It meant he was close to taking over and me blacking out, giving him complete control.
I could not afford to lose control right now in the middle of this war.
There was no telling how he would act, especially seeing as he didn’t understand it was a good thing that Ama had more mates who would protect her right now.
We moved ahead once we realized all of the enemy combatants around us were dead or injured. Finias took the lead, and it was very clear he had a feeling where his parents were because he didn’t hesitate as he turned down several corridors towards where the ballroom had been before.
The doors were closed, but Finias easily used a rune to blow them open, and all of us came to a dead stop hearing a sharp inhale from Ama as Adrien went stock still.
Now, I wasn’t surprised by a lot of what Queen Ava and King Roarke had done. Hell, most of it had been smart when it came to strategy...but this? This was a low fucking blow, and almost every code of combat specifically clarified that when it came to children, you left them the hell out of it.
Clearly, they hadn’t gotten that devildamned message, because on the ground between Ava and Roarke, both unsurprised to see us, was Adrien’s little sister.
My eyes widened at the way she seemed almost drained of life and power, the nullifying cuffs surrounding her wrists as she lay there, half unconscious.
On all sides of the ballroom were soldiers, and while it didn’t stop us from entering, I knew we were walking into a situation that had more than a potential to be lethal.
There was no going back, especially now that we knew Adrien’s little sister was involved.
That was so fucked up.
“Son, good of you to join us,” King Roarke mused. “I do have to admit, it's a bit predictable that you’d attempt to act like the hero in all of this, storming in with your merry band of—“
“Misfits,” Queen Ava looked at Ama and Jace before glancing back towards the rest of us, “and soon to be dead heirs.”
A growl worked its way up my throat as the woman laughed, a shrill sound that grated my ears.
Let me kill her.
We can’t yet. We have to follow Ama’s lead.
“We’ve killed or injured almost every member of your militia. Our military stands outside, circling the Summit palace,” Ama said firmly, her eyes narrowed, “You’ve lost. Even with the soldiers in this room, you’ve lost.”
“Losing is a matter of perspective, hybrid,” King Roarke spat in disgust, his eyes flaring with rage.
“I mean, have you really won anything if we’ve already slaughtered your family and left you with nothing but this girl right here?” Queen Ava motioned as I felt anger surge through me. No, no that couldn’t be true. I refused to believe that my parents were dead.
Somehow, Ama managed to stay calm, her gaze turning critical and thoughtful, her chin jutting up as she called them on their shit.
“You didn’t kill any of the monarchs you captured,” she reasoned. “I know you haven’t. You wouldn’t have risked that because if you did, then we really would have nothing to lose by rushing and killing you right now.”
King Roarke chuckled as he appraised Ama with his eyes, “Smart girl. They may still be alive, just like how this little Wraith here is barely alive. However, whether they continue to breathe...that all falls to you, Ama.”
The tension in the room amplified tenfold at what he was insinuating, and I couldn’t help the growl that ripped through my chest, echoing through the expanse of the ballroom.
“Yes,” Queen Ava smirked, smug as all hell despite being outnumbered, which truly rattled me. What did they have up their sleeves?
Her gaze zeroed in on Ama as she tacked on, “You see, we are not giving up this fight, and the only way to win this truly is to have something of the heirs’ that will stop them from acting against us. Clearly holding some of their family as prisoners isn’t incentive enough.”
“Simple, really,” King Roarke agreed, a toothy grin on the bastard's face.
“What the hell does this have to do with Ama?” Colt demanded, his giant wings unfurling and expanding to their full massive width and height. Guards around the room shifted uncomfortably at his movement, their eyes flicking to their king and queen to signal an attack on him.
The toothy grin turned sinister as King Roarke explained, “If Ama hands herself over, putting a cuff on herself to nullify her powers, then we will not only let our little Wraith go, but we’ll also release any of your family members.”
Liar. He was a fucking liar, and we would never let that happen. We’d just gotten her back from the fucking devil, and we would not part with her ever again.
I wanted my family back, don’t get me wrong, but I am not willing to give up Ama, and my parents would never expect me to give up my mate. They knew how sacred our mate bonds were. Also, I didn’t believe for a devildamned second that they would keep their word to release their prisoners to us.
“They are lying,” Finias stated calmly, but his jaw ticked, belying his barely contained rage simmering beneath the surface.
Ama’s teeth bit down on her soft bottom lip in thought. That wasn’t good. That wasn’t good at fucking all that she was considering it.
Do not let her do this!
“Shut it, boy.” Queen Ava snarled at her son, her face contorting in a disgusting manner that matched how ugly she was on the inside.
“Fucking worthless,” King Roarke added in complete disgust as he waved a hand at Finias, like he was dismissing his very existence from his mind.
“Do not talk about him like that,” Ama hissed out, looking furious as her energy crackled around her and her wings fluttered like she wanted to launch herself at Ava.
“How sweet. I suppose she believes they are in love,” Queen Ava mused as she glanced at King Roarke and chuckled.
King Roarke bit back, “You can’t love a monster,” a sneer on his face as he looked at Fin.
Finias looked completely unaffected by their words, but I had a feeling it was purely surface level.
My parents had never said anything like that to me, but I knew it had to hurt, even if he had no love for them.
I knew it couldn’t feel good to hear someone who was supposed to love and protect you call you a monster.
Especially since it was his own parents who had abused him into being their weapon.
“So, what do you say, Ama?”
Her eyes filled with sadness as she looked towards Finias, “Do you really believe they are lying?”
Finias’ gaze filled with pure disgust as he looked towards his parents, who were both smiling and looked amused at the dilemma.
“Yes,” he bit out. “I don’t trust them.”
“If you don’t, we will kill the girl right now,” Queen Ava whispered something under her breath and brought out a dagger that she gently pushed against Adrien’s sister's neck with a small smile of amusement.
They were fucking monsters. The fact that they found this okay, acceptable even, was sickening.
Ama inhaled sharply and turned to look at all of us.
The soldiers at the perimeter of the room moving into position with their runes lit up, and I stepped forward to stand between them and her turned back.
I knew Ama well, and I knew how she felt about situations like this.
My Hellhound almost had me tackling her to the floor, and I heard the other men shift in realization of what she was going to do.
“Ama, they are lying,” Nico said softly, his tone filled with concern.
“I know that,” she murmured. “They probably won’t turn their prisoners over to us. But they aren’t lying about killing her if I don’t go.”
Adrien made a pained sound from the back of his throat, “There has to be another way.”
My heart broke for my friend and the dilemma of his little sister at the enemy's feet, not far from death as it was, and being told to trade his mate over to save her life. It was an impossible decision.
“We have forty of their soldiers surrounding us. We are good, but not that good,” Ama exhaled sharply.
“I can feel more in the castle passing through shadows,” Adrien grunted, looking almost defeated.
Finias was practically shaking with fury as Ama squeezed his hand and turned back around.
I could hear Jace growling, and it caused my own Hellhound to be defensive.
Colt appeared in front of Ama, and he snapped his wings out to block her from moving forward.
I briefly noticed the soldiers moving forward and closing in, but Ama just went up on her toes and grasped Colt’s face, which I noticed had a stray tear falling down it despite the furious expression he wore.
Her whispered words were so soft, I doubt anyone but Colt, Jace, and myself could hear her.
“Once I give Adrien’s sister to you, because that exchange I will make sure happens, you need to get her out of here—one of you has to. The rest of you should be able to handle most of these soldiers. I am going to go get the others free. Promise me, Colt.”
It was our best option at truly freeing our family members, but I hated the idea of her being out of my line of sight and in harm's way.
Colt’s wings snapped in, and as Ama stepped forward, I heard him filling in the others quietly. I kept focused fully on my mate as my Hellhound began to growl and surge through our bond, trying to overtake me.
Once Ama was out of here, I could do that. Once it was just the soldiers, I could turn this into a slaughter. Not a second before. She couldn’t see me when I unleashed the true monster lurking within, which reveled in the bloodshed of our enemies.
“Give her to one of them, and I’ll go with you,” Ama demanded, her words steady and even.
Queen Ava stood the girl up, and Ama edged forward. Then, in a move so fucking fast that it seemed like a blur...King Roarke snapped Ama up as Adrien’s sister went flying forward to where she was barely caught by him. That was when absolute chaos erupted.