Slay My Soul
Chapter 40 Belestine

"What do you mean he tested the potion on Eve?" I roar at two of my circle.

"He demanded we hand it over and said he would test it. We didn’t realize he was going to try it on her. He never said who he was trying it on," one of them explains hastily. "Let alone that he was going to use a barbed nine tails soaked in it. He gave her thirty-nine lashes. Can hardly believe she stayed conscious through the whole thing."

"Is she alive?" I growl.

"Yes sir. She was still breathing when they took her back to the cells," the second one says eagerly, hoping to please.

"The king is readying to march on the enemy. He said to replace you and to get ready," the first says.

"Then go get ready," I growl. "I will check on Eve and ready Asmodeus to summon the Legion." I sweep out of the room and head to the dungeon.

I was going to wait for the vampires to win their war and then I would kill the King before he could kill us. But things have changed. He has gambled with Eve's life. She may be alive now, but the next time might be her last. For a man that intended her to inherit the throne, he has played a dangerous game today. One that I am not going to risk him repeating. What would have happened if she hadn't been as strong as she is? I'm hoping she will be able to feed on blood so I can get her vampire side to heal her body. I will end the King for this. I will strike while he is distracted by the battle. The legion is under my rule, not his.

The reality is that I actually don't need him. I will rip out his heart and give it to Eve to destroy. It will be my gift to her. I will destroy those that stand against me with the Legion. I will imprison Eve's mates and scour the shadow circles scrolls for a spell to dissolve the bonds attached to her without causing her harm. I also need to see if I can fix the part of her soul that tore when I took her wolf mate from her. I will wipe her mind once the bonds are dissolved, kill her newly unbound mates, and claim her as my own. We will live happily ever after, ruling the kingdom. The end.

I head down the steps and my stomach churns with worry at how damaged I will replace Eve. I replace her in her cell, her chains attached to the wall with enough slack to sit and walk around. She sits leaning against the wall picking the blood out of her nails, looking bedraggled but not half dead as I had expected, if anything she looks bored. In the cell next to her a male rogue lies dead. His arm is stuck through the bars of her cell, his wrist savaged. I grin.

"Clever girl," I praise. She gives me the finger and I laugh. Still the same Eve, despite what the king has done to her. "I'm going to free you. Not now, but soon. I will kill the king and give you his heart," I vow. She cocks her head with mild interest.

"Oh? Is the bromance over already? Did he break one of your toys?" She taunts. I let my eyes rove her naked, blood-covered body.

"He tried," I growl.

"And failed," she smirks. "Also, I am not your toy asshole."

"No, definitely not a toy," I reply honestly. She stares at me intently. I can see the wheels turning in her head as she tries to figure out what my angle is.

"So you kill the king and then what? We all go our merry way, or are we meant to bond over your selfless offering of a heart when it isn't even valentines day and sing kumbaya around the fire?"

"I haven't decided yet," I lie and her eyes immediately narrow. She doesn't buy my bullshit at all. I turn to the Demon who is watching me with a scowl. "When I give the signal, divert whatever number of the Legion you need to and kill the king's men if they continue to fight once he is dead. Make sure Eve's mates are not killed either."

"It will be done," the Demon nods. He's not even phased about how I am turning on the man I have claimed to be fighting for, or that I am leaving Eve's mates in one piece. Not that loyalty and honor mean anything to a beast like him.

"I must prep my circle for battle, try and stay out of trouble," I order Eve. She sticks her tongue out at me and mutters under her breath as I walk away. I send up a summoning spell, calling my circle to meet me in the ballroom. A few beat me there and the others aren't far behind.

"The king has declared we march for battle," I say once they have gathered. "The king also plans to end us with the rest of the races once the battle is won and the contract has been completed." There are murmurs of outrage among my people.

"Are we going to defect to the opposition then?" My second asks. I think about it for a moment but dismiss it just as quickly. That would leave the other circles alive and Eve happy with her mates instead of me. I have decided I will have her and I will not accept anything less.

"No. We kill the king and finish the fight. If there are survivors among the injured they will be offered a choice. Submit or die. We will rule supreme and live freely, the way it was meant to be."

"Are you killing the girl when you kill the king?" One of my circle members asks.

"No, I have plans for her. I need you to protect her mates. We will imprison them and then search the shadow circle for a way to dissolve their bonds. Once that is done, they will be executed and Eve will have her memory wiped. I will bond her to me and control the power she wields." There is a mixed response. Some smile and nod, but others voice that Eve is too powerful and the risk is too high to keep her alive. I hold my hand up. "This is what we are doing. This not up for debate, unless you wish to challenge me for coven leader?" There is silence. "Go and ready yourselves. And remember, keep her mates alive. Failure is not an option if you yourself want to survive." I leave them to gather their thoughts and head to the hall of souls. I will need to take them all with me to ensure my power is well-fed and the more intricate spells well-powered.

I pass a pair of guards on my way.

"I can't believe he just handed her to that beast. That Demon fucked her so brutally that she was completely passed out when we went back. You should have heard the screams. What a waste! He should have just given her to us," one guard says. I freeze in my tracks. My blood runs cold.

"Well, she's still alive. Maybe the King will let us finish breaking her in, to celebrate winning the war," the other says hopefully. My fists clench and I fight the overwhelming urge to end them where they stand. I can easily deduce who HE is. The King has handed his own flesh and blood to that monstrosity. He has also in the process, effectively signed Asmodeus's death warrant. No one touches what is mine and lives. As soon as the contract is complete and the Demons are freed from their realm as per my end of the deal, I will end Asmodeus's reign as their leader and he will be nothing but food for the worms.

Eve's smirking face enters my vision and I feel myself relax. Despite the brutality of the Demon and her grandfather using her as a test subject, Eve still stands firm. Unbreakable. The perfect Queen.

The Fates have chosen their champion well. I will allow Eve to mate her final two men once her memory is wiped, to complete the activation of her superior royal genes. Then I will put all of her mates out of their misery. Once they are no more, there will be nothing that can stand in our way.

I walk faster toward the hall of souls, excitement swirling in my gut. I am eager to get this over with. Soon Eve will be mine and mine alone. The world will have no choice but to bow to us.