Chapter 20

Twenty

~ Alaric ~

Fury consumes me as I let loose multiple arrows in rapid succession. Two of the giants are on the ground within seconds, but Drax is still standing over the demon princess, a single arrow protruding from his shoulder.

I jump down from the roof I’m on and stalk toward the worm of a male not far from me. To his credit, he doesn’t try to run when he sees the tattoos covering my arms.

“Drozac,” he says with a strained smile. “How nice of you to join me. I gather she must be your?—”

“Target,” I finish for him.

“Ah yes,” he says, “but you see, the thing is she’s promised to someone else.”

I crack my knuckles. “The code is clear. A Drozac never fails to take out their target.”

He holds my stare, and I adjust my grip on the hilt of my sword.

I’m not surprised when he concedes. “Then I guess I’ll have to explain her death,” he says with a toothy smile. He peers down at the princess, and his grin grows bigger. “Promise me you’ll make her suffer. The stupid bitch?—”

He doesn’t finish. I’d intended to question him more, but my blade is through his neck and silencing him before he can utter another word. It’s a quicker death than he deserved, but he’s not my priority right now.

Turning, I peer down at the unconscious female on the ground. Her long black hair is soaked with blood, but the gash I’d seen open up on her forehead has already healed.

Blood drips from my sword. She’s the reason I’m here. My target. My purpose. Another name to add to the long list of lives I’ve taken as a member of the Drozac. She’s my revenge for my brother’s death, and the key to taking down King Dalton. Decades, I’ve waited for this. I told myself I couldn’t let Drax have her. The giant had lost his way if he’d sided with the witches, but that wasn’t it. Watching him strike her had blinding anger rolling through me.

My fingers twitch on the hilt of my sword. You’re my mate. Her words fill my head. She has to be wrong, but the wind stirs, tunnelling down the street, and I brace as her scent hits me. The alluring smell of honey and cinnamon threatens to cripple my resolve, and I clench my jaw.

I stare at her pink cheeks and dark lashes. Her feathered wings are splayed behind her, and she looks more like an avenging angel than a demon princess. An image of her face contorted with ecstasy as I watched the invisible demon pleasure her at the park fills my mind, and my cock instantly hardens.

Control yourself, Alaric, I tell myself. Whatever response my body is having, it must be wrong. The female is my enemy, a royal of Seral, and the price that must be paid for the death of my brother. I grind my teeth. Decades I’ve waited for this moment. For this one chance to make things right.

I lift my blade. A single strike. That’s all it would take. Mentally, I fight against her scent. Against the allure of the demon. If I’m wrong and she is my mate, I’ll feel this for eternity. The mistake won’t just haunt me, it will terrorize me. But I’ve endured years of pain, and I’m not afraid to endure more.

My hand shakes. A target. That’s all she is. But one of her mates starts to stir behind me, and I act on instinct. Sheathing my sword, I scoop the princess into my arms and carry her away.