Chapter 3
KADEN
My head lifts from the carcass of the dead animal, blood dripping off my chin as it pat-pat-pats to the ground underneath. My eyes, black pits of the deepest bowels of the Underworld, look to the puddle pooling under the stag. Lowering my head, my tongue laps at the freshness and I growl.
Copper, grass, death, and fear all swirl in my nose and I inhale deeper. The scent is intoxicating. Real. Lush. It calls to me like nothing else.
Or rather, it does to the beast.
He controls my body and my movements while I am just a passenger. As weightless as a spirit, I am here to observe and nothing else.
I try, at times, to take it back. To fight for my body, to cage the beast. It’s a hard-fought battle when I can be the one in control. Those moments are rare and precious. I’ve gone days, locked out from my body, forced to watch as he goes wild.
He tried to attack Max this morning when we entered the In-Between, a place not claimed by Dark Fae or Woodland, that acts as a natural boundary. There are places like that around all the Fae kingdoms, but I didn’t realize once we entered the sun, it would hurt.
Burnt, and bleeding, he only wanted her blood to heal. It’s a holy nectar and he craves it in ways not of this continent.
By Bel’s grace, I was able to force him away, to follow the Hadeon, and find substance to repair the damaged flesh.
It didn’t last long. He’s getting stronger, enjoying longer durations as the sole owner of my body. This is penance for all the freedom I kept him from, when I was the one with the leash and he was locked in chains.
Blinking, I look through his eyes, like a trapped prisoner, trying to remember color. The beast sees in black, white, grey and only red—red for smells, or interest. The Hadeon nuzzles the dead deer again, as if begging me to continue eating.
His pulse is red, but the beast knows better to attack. I don’t hear his thoughts, but he knows the Hellhound will kill him if he tries.
He cares about his safety, above all else. He will not do anything that ends his reign.
He continues to eat, fangs ripping into the coolest tendon. It’s the oddest sensation—feeling my body devour blood, taste it on my tongue, feel it warm my belly and soothe the burn on my arm. But I am outside my body, trapped in the mind, holding on to a door with sheer force of will.
If the door closes, the beast wins, and I’m lost.
If it stays open, I have a chance to come back from this. Come back to Max.
Max, who is the balm to my rage, the moon in the sky, that shines brighter than all the stars. She is the only reason I have not fully given in, allowed the beast to control me and wished for death.
Max is my future. She is everything I never hoped to have and like Seti’s Hell, will I give it up.
The beast raises my face to the sky, basking in the glow of the cold night. Through his eyes, I see the thin clouds move along, obscuring the lights, but I feel it. The rays shine down on us comforting and welcoming, a source of peace after so much strife.
It feels like Max: her love and her strength. A steady presence, always there, always giving, and Gods above, I miss it. I miss her.
Our bond flares in my chest and I hunker into it like a weary traveler to a bonfire. This is why I continue to fight. My grasp is limp, my will in shambles, but I refuse to give up on returning to her.
On Enyo’s life, I mentally plead, let me return to her. Let us have the love we were destined to enjoy. Let us live.
A howl pierces the night and the beast snaps my head to the left. The darkness is thick, the branches covering most of the forest, but a prick of red moves in the distance.
I know these lands well. My mother often traveled to Aoife’s castle when I was young. When she agreed to be our only ally during the early days of our coup, I travelled here alone for correspondence.
I’ve witness the massive wolves who call this territory their home. They stick close to the rivers, hunting elk and stags, they avoid the Fae common areas.
They wouldn’t venture this far, not unless—
The beast growls, standing on my legs, feet curved, claws raking into the mud. He senses the change—the call of blood in the air. Unless they’re hungry.
And a long line of Fae soldiers with food is exceptionally appealing to starving beasts. Fuck, the guards themselves would be delicious.
Max.
The Hadeon takes off into the forest and I know he senses it too.
Max is in danger and the fear—the rage, at not being there to help, spurs me on.
Grabbing hold of her magic, the chaotic pulse of life that dwarfs everything else, I shove all my strength into the chains that keeps my conscience at bay.
The beast recoils, pawing at my head as I force my way in.
It’s brutal and I’m drained before I shove him into the cage in my mind.
It won’t keep him for long; his hold is too strong.
I wish my body would return to normal, but his control is too tight, the curse so mingled I can’t escape.
His form and mind have meshed together so much, that only an act of the Gods will separate us.
He growls in my head as I roll my shoulders, my body finally under my control. Once he realizes his cage is broken, he’ll fight.
I have to be quick, then.
Tracking the Hadeon, I launch myself through the forest, breaking limbs and roots with my stomps. Nails rake against the bark and I crash through bushes without a care as I hurry.
Now isn’t the time for stealth. My mate is unprotected and the wolves will eat her alive.
When I enter the clearing, it’s absolute chaos.
The wolves, snarling animals of matted grey fur and drooling black snouts, are as big as our horses.
Circling in packs, they’re work together to take down my soldiers.
The fact my highly trained, competent Fae guards who fought beasts in the haunted forests cannot kill them, speaks to how crafty these creatures are.
I swipe at one wolf as it dives for me. My nails cut into its flesh, fresh blood spraying into the fire.
It sizzles and burns, smoke billowing up that drives the pack back for a moment.
Then, they come again, a never-ending wave of destruction.
I don’t stop to look, turning as two more wolves charge me.
Where are they coming from? This is unlike them. They seem incensed, infected with the madness with bloodlust.
One goes for my thigh, another lurching toward my neck.
Snapping jaws with rows of sharp teeth go for every vulnerable part of my body, looking for an anchor to take me down.
Without my armor, I’m only a bigger target.
The one on my chest is caught midair, hand shooting out before it can blink, but the other lands a bite onto my leg.
Snarling, I throw the animal to the side and rip the lower one from my body. Grabbing it’s jaw, my claw slices into its vulnerable tongue, severing it cleanly.
Blood gushes from the wound and the wolf yelps. But it keeps attacking, possessed to finish the job.
Using my strength and the limited control of my magic—thankfully the beast hasn’t learned how to tap into it—I pull the jaw wide, ripping it from the hinges.
I’m covered in gore and blood. Thick pieces of fur are sticking to my body. But there’s no time to think—another wolf charges me.
Incessant things. They’ve never this persistent. My shadow magic wraps around its neck and I pull tight, killing it before it lets out a howl. The beast in my head growls, and I hold my temples, praying to whatever God that will listen to keep him at bay for a while longer.
They don’t smile on me today. My strength dwindles as he charges and the shields buckles. I can feel it. The curse, the manifested beast inside my soul, is trying to take back control.
From across the site, I locate Max, fingers red and bent, controlling the animals as they come at her. Reid stands at her back, digging his daggers into their hearts with sure hands.
Pride shines in my chest. Godsdammit, I’m glad I forced him to learn combat training.
The curse snarls inside my soul. It thinks it owns me, my body, but he cannot have it. Not while my wife needs me.
Taking a few steps forward, I’m surrounded by more wolves.
It’s as if they’re being controlled by other forces, determined to keep us apart.
Stupid, really. Waving my hand, my shadows clear them out—some are crushed under the weight, while others are thrown into the trees.
Branches shake and the leaves fall, but I don’t stop to check.
All I see is Max. And I read her face before she acts.
A few guards are herded from the site, into the thickest brush and she bites her lip. Indecision flashes through her big sapphire eyes, and then her brow tilts—proud and determined.
Infuriating woman. I know what she’s going to do next.
She darts between the trunks and I growl, snarling into the air like a man possessed. I’m going to wring her neck if we survive this.
Of course, she’s always the first to help—the first to throw herself into a fight to save someone else.
She never thinks of the consequences. Never stops to protect herself.
When this ends and I’m whole, I’ll need to remind her of her duty.
As queen, she needs to think through her actions, instead of jumping into something that could kill her.
Who am I fooling? She won’t listen, and if I’m honest, I love that about her. Her compassion, her selflessness, it reminds me to use on my own. To be a better Fae for her.
Roots break under my thrashing, as I follow her scent. Thick sultry flowers overpower the simple citrus scents of the Woodland territory. In the distance, her red pulse jumps with every beat of her heart. She calls to me—a light in the darkest of nights, and gladly, I let her pull me.