Chapter 26 Roth #3
Thane rests his head against the back of the chair as the room fills with the smattering of polite applause and congratulations. But Soren isn’t done yet.
“My Saturnalia gift to you, Thane—boys,” he smiles magnanimously, “is free reign of the Aquae estate until the start of next term.”
Well then.
“Mon coeur, that is so generous of you,” Yvette gushes as he sits.
My parents share a loaded look before Rebecca speaks. “Yes, very generous, however we have several functions planned between now and then that require—”
Preston interrupts. “Oh let them run a little wild Rebecca. They have oats yet to sow before they’re tied down, no offense to you, darling,” he winks at Calanthe, who returns his flirtatious smile. “I bet you could use some room to run after being cooped up in that school, right Killian?”
“Fucking Fate, it’s the worst,” he bemoans with an exaggerated stretch. Only my parents are immune to his performance.
“It would be good to let my demon rise,” Thane states. “And the estate is warded.”
“Even then, if anyone sees you—” Renard begins, but I interrupt him.
“We’d be there to ensure he stays unseen.”
“Be that as it may,” my mother insists, fixing her gaze on me, “there are people who have been looking forward to seeing you.”
Her words say one thing, but her eyes say another: You have duties to attend to.
That’s what she calls them.
Duties.
Commitments.
Engagements.
“They’re only young once,” Yvette adds. “What could be so important they cannot enjoy their youth while they still have it?”
Rebecca gives her a pointed stare. If Soren’s spawn doesn’t kill her, then my mother will ensure her body’s never found—but the question does paint her into a corner.
Ever the machinator, Rebecca lets Yvette win this argument, it’ll be the only one she ever does. “You’re right, Yvette—I forget sometimes how it felt to be young and invincible.” Her smile makes my skin crawl. “Enjoy your time away, Roth. We’ll see each other at the Governor’s Gala, no doubt.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Mother.”
“Such a dutiful son,” Naomi remarks from across the table. Cyrus straightens his shoulders. Luther ignores them both.
The maid finally arrives with my dinner, noticeably calmer, and the rest of the evening is cordial—what passes for it in this den of vipers, anyway.
Killian entertains everyone with raucous stories of past antics while Thane and Luther eat in silence.
I give occasional, perfunctory responses.
Calanthe, Amarantha, and Rebecca discuss the latest wedding details they’ve decided on.
My body buzzes with anticipation, waiting for the right moment to make our calculated exit, so when the butler announces the worsening snowfall risks making the roads too treacherous, the four of us wordlessly begin the ritual of parting words, kisses, and embraces.
I’m going to burn these clothes at the first opportunity.
Behind the wheel of my Lamborghini Urus I feel in control for the first time tonight as I finally pull away in silence. The manor slowly shrinks in the rearview mirror, but it haunts me nonetheless.
It knows I’ll be back.
It’s merely a matter of when.
As the tallest of us, Luther sits shotgun while Killian and Thane snuggle in the backseat.
Eventually, Thane snores and tips his head back while Killian drools on his shoulder.
Luther stays awake to keep me company, and by the time we finally arrive at the shuttered Bar Harbor estate, the vice around my chest has loosened just enough to draw a full breath of fresh sea air.
“We’re here.” Killian snorts and wipes his mouth, looking around through bleary eyes. Thane gets out of the car, revealing pale, tattooed skin as he stretches.
“Y’all want to sleep?” Killian yawns as he gets out, “or shift?”
“I’ll sleep better if I shift first,” Thane murmurs.
I nod, and lead them around the dark house to the back of the estate where the crash of waves against the rocky shore sprays across the lawn. It’s shallower here, but Thane can easily swim to deeper waters before shifting. Wordlessly, we strip off our clothes and surrender to our demons.
Killian’s body grows taller and broader. Fingers turn to claws, skin becomes blackened fur. Four-inch long fangs descend from his jaw as it lengthens into a black muzzle. When the change is complete, he stands over seven feet tall—a legendary monster of death and nightmares.
Who’s wagging his tail.
“Cute.” I roll my eyes, but don’t bother suppressing my smile—there’s no one here to hide from.
His deep, rumbling laugh makes his hot breath fog in the ice-cold night air.
From the corner of my eye, I see Thane take a running dive from the rocks and disappear into the churning seafoam, and a gust of air behind me signals Luther’s immense wings have emerged.
He’s the largest of us—on land, at least—but that doesn’t stop Killian from trying to tackle him before his horns have even finished extruding from his skull.
Luther’s prepared for his antics though and leaps into the air, just out of Killian’s reach.
The mutt nips at his heels, chasing him in circles across the lawn.
He eventually manages to catch one of Luther’s ankles, who flies higher and higher until he’s over the water.
Killian franticly clings to his legs, but Luther manages to shake him off, and I hear his yelp of surprise all the way from shore.
When Luther lands beside me, his feral grin matches my own.
“Nice,” I murmur, and we fist bump. Moments later, Killian’s eyeshine rises above the waves and his bone-chilling howl is followed by shrieking clicks and deep warbles.
The water retreats from the rocky face of the property’s edge, and soon enough Killian’s closer than he could ever possibly get on his own.
His maw is open, tongue flopping in the wind as the oceans surface bulges with Thane’s massive form.
“Is the idiot surfing a Leviathan?” Luther chuckles, crossing his arms.
Under a blanket of stars strewn across the black night sky, an ancient and terrible god of the depths breaches the oceans surface.
Water shimmers in the moonlight as it sluices down his sapphire-black scales.
The orange shine of eyes make them appear lit from behind, and his slitted pupils contract from the moonlight.
His jaw parts, revealing rows of foot-long serrated teeth and his tongue flicks out, tasting the air.
Killian barks—as much as a demonic werewolf can—and Thane shakes his head, showering us with water even from here.
My sharp whistle pierces the night. “Here, boy,” I shout. A deep, thundering rumble rises from the bowels of Thane’s throat as he lowers his head enough for Killian to jump back onto land, where he snaps his jaws at me before sniffing the ground beneath Luther’s feet.
“You’re worse than a puppy,” he grumbles.
Thane looks at me expectantly, angling his enormous head so his hot breath douses Luther and Killian.
Everyone believes him to be the most terrifying monster between the four of us because of his size and propensity for chaos.
In truth, they’re all equally dangerous, equally destructive in their own ways—no one who’s seen Killian rend flesh from bone or Luther disembowel intestines one by one would disagree.
But I’m the only living being capable of summoning Hellfire.
I alone can extinguish the souls of Earth.
Death by my hand is forever.
With their demons surrounding me, my demon can finally rise from the prison of my mind.
My head tilts back as the crown of Wrath—two symmetrical sets of upper and lower horns with a crest that runs from my forehead to the middle of my spine—break through my skin, curling around my head.
Fire lights within my chest, emanating to my limbs and coursing through my veins.
My skin charrs and blackens, cracking to reveal rivulets of Hellfire glowing with the promise of death.
The agony it brings as Roth Kovacs is reduced to ash and the Heir of Ignis takes his place is addictive.
This pain means power.
This power makes me untouchable.
When I open my eyes, the world is bathed in a blood-red hue.
And nothing can hurt us.