Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

P rince Aeralis marveled at the energy readings on the reports. There have always been rumors of magical objects capable of immense power in this galaxy. It seems I’m on the path to finding one! His pulse quickened with excitement. Turning the page, he looked at the schematics of the Mineva mining colony and the sector where the energy burst had originated.

It was sheer luck that the Vralgari were passing through the area doing surveillance when the magic was used. Mineva was known for its mines. And while he knew many beings with magic lived on the small planet, it had never been of much interest until now. Now, someone’s using a magical object of great power.

“See here, Prince Aeralis, the spike lasts nearly ten minutes,” said Vesmona, pointing at the graph. “So, we know it’s not an anomaly. It’s one thing to possess an object of such power. But also to have the strength to wield it! This person has great magic.”

“This power is for gods! Not for some commoner with magic!” he sneered, arching his brow. “The object has traces of ancient magic. Incredible!” He looked at the spike, blinking rapidly as his mind raced.

“It’s almost poetic,” he murmured, his voice thick with pride, “ I was meant to have this power! It’s why fate brought it to my attention.” He strode around the command console in the large conference room aboard the massive ship. It was a prize among the Vralgari fleet. He was part of the first strike of the Vralgari armies.

Prince Aeralis was the youngest son of the King of the House of Vralgari, the vampiric Red Fae, descendants of gods. The Vralgari’s mission was to have the universe bow to them as gods. He smiled, intending to make sure that happened.

After learning of the magical object, Prince Aeralis knew finding and controlling its power was essential. He, too, wanted to rise to godhood, and the magical object would almost assure it. He savored the idea of conquest and his father’s praise as if it were already destined.

His boots echoed across the polished floor as he strode into the massive command deck of his flagship. The ship itself was a sprawling masterpiece of decadence—every corner gleamed with wealth and power. Walls lined with intricate carvings depicted the great conquests of the Vralgari Red Fae. He couldn’t wait to see his triumphs among them. His large, leathery wings flexed behind him, the faint screeching of their sharp tips scraping the floor barely audible amid the hum of the ship’s systems.

He paused before one of the large, transparent panels offering a breathtaking view of the stars above Mineva. His golden eyes gleamed as he imagined the object he sought.

Vesmona, standing a step behind him, smiled with the polished charm of a demoness. The low lights of the command deck framed her long, sleek form as she watched him with cold yet attentive eyes.

“The stars align for no one else but you. This object was meant to bring your ascension,” she purred, her voice smooth, almost affectionate.

Lips curling into a smirk, Prince Aeralis turned, hands clasped behind his back. The House of Vralgari bloodred markings on his face and neck pulsed with the fire of his ambition.

“And yet,” he said, his tone shifting to arrogance, “no one speaks of my brilliance. No one writes of the Vralgari Prince who descends from the gods. I’m supposed to be a good little prince and stay under the radar!”

His red crown flared briefly, casting a reflection of bloodred flames along the windows as he relished the thought of being worshipped. He imagined the day when his every step in the galaxy would be met with chants of worship. People would fall to their knees as he grasped the power the magical object granted.

Vesmona’s voice broke through his thoughts, quiet but sweet as honey. “And they will,” she reassured him, stepping closer. “The entire galaxy will tremble at your feet. And so will those in the Red Fae Court who question your leadership.”

Her flattery was good—too good. He could feel how she laid it on thick. Her every word was laced with her survival instinct. She knew full well what failure would mean for her. He took in her beauty, the way her eyes sparkled with reverence. He loved it. Yet, deep in his gut, his hunger grew into something darker. The fear—the what-if?

“Ah, Vesmona.” He sighed, walking toward her, his wings spreading slightly to remind her of the power she dared play with. His tone changed like velvet turned into wool. “Flattery will keep you alive, for now. Just know that I can tell when it’s bullshit.”

Flattery is a dangerous weapon, and I can tell when it’s said in honesty—or deception.

Vesmona’s smile never faltered. “I would never dare lie to you, my Prince. Your power will be unmatched. I’m here to serve you however you wish, for you are Prince of the House of Vralgari.”

He studied her a moment longer, then nodded. “Good,” he said, the dread beneath his pride settling. He spun on his heel, striding again toward the view of endless space. The stars glittered in the distance, reflecting the promise of an adventure like no other.

“I will search the ends of the universe to find this magical object. And when I return home, all who worship the stars will bow before me. ”

Every adventure starts with a single step, but the truly great ones begin when you realize the universe is watching.

“There will be parades for you— Prince Aeralis of the House of Vralgari! Your father will be so proud!” Vesmona waved her hands in the air, fanning herself at the idea. He knew she revered him, even possibly loved him. His first-strike army also revered him. And they feared him just as she did.

But my father doesn’t see me the same way.

“Yes, I must tell the Vralgari King of this magical object. But...only after it’s in my hands.”

His father treated him poorly, always judging him harshly and discounting his strategies for power. Prince Aeralis had to keep his search for the power source a secret until he possessed and controlled it.

He hit the conference table, rattling the papers at the very idea that he still had to prove himself to his father. All because of one blunder!

The Vralgari had come to the galaxy to rise to godhood. Their first attack was upon the Crelentians, one of the galaxy’s most powerful elementals, and their Celestial dragons. While they defeated them to near extinction, things didn’t go exactly as his father had ordered. The Vralgari fed off magic. They needed a steady food source of powerful magical beings to maintain their conquest and take over the rest of the galaxy.

“Father is still angry about what happened on Crelentia! He blames me for what he calls ‘the worst invasion in Vralgari history!’” The Vralgari King blamed him for the feeding frenzy that took place after.

He hated remembering his father’s words when he learned that Aeralis and his army had defied his orders. “If you kill them all, who will we feed upon, you vrexing idiot?”

“Had the Vralgari King not sent me a starving army, they wouldn’t have overreacted when they invaded Crelentia. I couldn’t stop their greed!” He threw everything from the conference table, rounding it and punching the wall next to the picture of his father. It was the Vralgari King’s fault, not his. But he was the only one who saw it that way.

Prince Aeralis wanted action and adventure, which the Vralgari King argued caused Aeralis to be too aggressive, slaughtering countless people when his father told him not to go too far.

“The Vralgari King will see you are a great leader, Prince Aeralis.”

“Oh, come now, Vesmona. You’re just afraid of me! You’ll say anything,” Aeralis sneered as Vesmona clasped her delicate, clawed fingers before her and bowed low. She knew better than to argue with him, even to defend herself.

Aeralis wasn’t convinced. After the blunder on Crelentia, his father’s punishment was swift and horrific. Without a food source to sustain themselves, the Vralgari King put Aeralis’s entire army into hibernation until it was time to take over the universe, leaving only a small force for Aeralis to command. And he stripped him of leading the second strike force, the largest part of the Vralgari army.

Prince Aeralis was ordered to search for food sources and to watch over their hibernating army until his father arrived.

“I’m a vrexing babysitter to the hibernating Vralgari army on Crelentia! I should be by my father’s side, planning our next strike. Now that the Crelentian elementals are no more, the demigods are all who stand in our way to take over this entire galaxy.”

Prince Aeralis loved the Vralgari army just as much as his father. He would give his life to protect the hibernating Vralgari army on Crelentia. But watching over a hibernating army that no one knew existed was a boring and demeaning task for someone with his military acumen.

The Vralgari King had ordered the Vralgari to stay under the radar, not letting anyone know they existed. And when encountered, they presented themselves as a gentle race with little power. People only realized they were conquerors when their red ships appeared in large numbers. It was the Vralgari King’s best battle strategy, and Prince Aeralis had to admit it worked. Prince Aeralis couldn’t wait for that day, though he bristled, knowing his father blamed him for the delay.

Prince Aeralis knew he needed to be patient and use stealth but preferred quick, decisive action and confrontation. He looked out the window of the ship into the sky. Every star will fall under the Vralgari rule, as they did in the galaxies before this one. He smiled, rubbing his hands together thoughtfully.

Things will be better once I possess the power of the magical object. My father will release me from punishment and restore my place at his side, planning the invasion.

His jaw clenched as he tried to focus on the mission at hand. The mission that would finally gain his father’s respect. A mission his father knew nothing about.

The Vralgari King had no idea that Prince Aeralis had left Crelentia, and was now on a ship docked on Mineva, searching for a magical object of great power. And Prince Aeralis planned to keep it that way.

S uddenly, the air thickened with the smell of blood, and the floor vibrated. Prince Aeralis turned when Vesmona hissed at the demon horde entering the area.

Vesmona’s body twisted as she shape-shifted into her demon beast form. She towered over the horde on tall, muscular legs, extending her long, bony arms with three razor-sharp talons toward them. They lowered their eyes, not daring to look directly at her until spoken to.

“ Well, what news do you have for us ?” she slurred, her tongue scenting the air. Prince Aeralis loved it when she twirled her tongue in the air, long and thick. Her show of force was erotic. He almost hoped the demon horde would piss her off so he could watch her tear one from limb to limb. But they were obedient, shaking as she scented each one, ensuring they feared her sufficiently.

“We haven’t found the magical object Prince Aeralis seeks on the mining colony. But we are getting close.” The demons bowed again before Vesmona dismissed them, telling them to wait outside for her to join them.

“What the vrex! Am I not Prince of the Vralgari? Am I not merciful by giving demons a place of stature at my table?” he yelled at Vesmona. “Yet, you cannot find one vrexing magical object on a mining colony?”

“Forgive me.” Vesmona’s melodic voice flowed to him. “Forgive us, merciful Prince of the Vralgari. We will do better.”

Slowly, she shape-shifted her form back to a youthful demoness body—the one most people saw. His eyes drank in her luscious body as she moved gracefully in high-heeled stiletto boots, sitting in a chair, her legs spread wide. She leaned forward, her boobs overflowing her leather brassiere.

He knew he had to have Vesmona the first time he saw her when the Vralgari had taken over her planet. She had powerful magic. She could shape-shift into various demon forms—young, old, female, and beast. And with demon magic, her clothing changed with her.

Vesmona was a seductress, using each form to get information from people, regardless of whether they wanted to provide it willingly. So he made her the head of his intelligence unit. Wherever he went, so did Vesmona. He controlled her and the demon horde.

He calmed, knowing she and the demon horde were doing everything possible to find the magical object. But as with most things in his life—he’d have to do it himself if he wanted success. This was too important to leave to the demon horde to find and retrieve.

“Tell me again everything you know about the magical object so far. Perhaps we are missing something,” he commanded. He snapped his fingers with annoyance when she took too long to answer.

“My Prince, we learned there was an explosion at a mine on Mineva. We think it’s connected to the magical object we detected. We’ve been searching for days at the large mines in the north. Great magic was used to create a shield around a group of miners. I feel we’re getting close to finding the magical object!”

“I don’t care about feelings ! Or your vrexing intuition !” he sneered. “You’ve been searching for several days now!” He knew she expected his wrath. It’s likely the reason she chose her more seductive outfit to deliver this disappointing update. She would not disappoint him tonight, for he would work her hard in more ways than one. Lust lit his eyes red and the only thing that would turn them bloodred was hunger.

“You disappoint me, Vesmona—” He walked over to her, his wings rising with each step. Her eyes never left his claw-tipped wings. “Why haven’t you found it yet?”

“When we detected the energy signal from the magical device, we couldn’t get a lock on its location. We only knew it happened somewhere in this region of Mineva. But Mineva is a large mining colony, making searching more difficult than expected.” She spoke frantically, eyes darting left to right as if someone could help her. “There are over a dozen mines, all spread around.”

“Excuses! You have a demon horde with you. Enough demons to force people to talk!”

“Yes, but we must move with stealth. I promise things will move faster as we search more mines to figure out which one the explosion took place. And we don’t know for certain who was in the mine. Or what type of magical object created the powerful shield.” She stared at his wings, her breathing erratic. “Please, oh merciful Prince Aeralis. Give me more time to find it.”

He thought about what she said. His mind moved the pieces of information around like a jigsaw puzzle taking shape. He had the four corners, and now, he knew exactly how to find the middle pieces.

“You’ve been focusing on finding where the object was used. But...perhaps you need to focus on who used it!”

Her purple eyes sparkled beneath her long eyelashes as she slowly nodded. “Someone used the magical object to protect the human scoundrels working in one of the mines.”

Flexing his muscular wings, Prince Aeralis’s fangs extended as he smiled. “Find whoever cares for the human filth, and you’ll find the one holding the magical object.”

She nodded but didn’t move. Perhaps she wants to serve her punishment now. His dick lengthened, swelling against his black leather pants. Keenly observant, she smiled with wicked amusement. Her demon teeth were sharp as ever.

“Be careful with those, Vesmona.” He winked as she bowed before him. And then she got on her knees to serve.

Several calls came in as he stood. The next call nearly took him to his knees. “Son, you sound distracted,” said the Vralgari King as he asked for a status update on supplies. Prince Aeralis promised to get it immediately, hanging up before his father could ask where he was. “Vrex! That was too close!”

He looked down at Vesmona with a sly smile. Though she remained kneeling before him, he knew with her keen ears she heard every report. He was glad she hadn’t stopped. She was the only person who could soothe him when he was having a bad day.

When she was done, he ran his fingers through her lustrous midnight-black hair. It was soft like silk. He lifted her, hugging her close to his body. He kissed her, carrying her to the sofa. After calling one of his lieutenants and ordering him to send his father the requested report, he grabbed a drink. He and Vesmona lounged for nearly an hour before the horde reported back they had found something.

“Do not disappoint me again, Vesmona.” Grabbing her by the throat, his wings wrapped around her, closing her tight against his chest, squeezing until she could barely breathe. His claw-tipped wing drew blood from her bare shoulder. Licking his claw clean, he savored the sweet taste of her magic as it fueled him.

Her wound healed quickly, causing him to raise his brow. “Hmm, you and the horde have been feasting on the magic wielders on this planet! No wonder you’ve been taking your time finding my magical object!”

“They are delicious, merciful Prince,” she said, not denying her fast healing was because of feasting on those with magic. “I’ve been questioning the magic wielders for information on the magical object. The humans there don’t have magic. So, we never thought to look in their homes for the object. But now, we will go quickly to find them.”

“And I’ll go with you and do the questioning myself!” he snapped. “Perhaps I’ll find a snack along the way.”

Stepping off the ship onto the dirty ground of the Mineva mining colony, Prince Aeralis spread his wings to join the demons searching in the north. His Vralgari army followed.

“Let’s eat!”