26. Chapter Twenty Four

Chapter Twenty Four

Felix

With a huff, I launch Bythor like a shot put into the group of guards charging up the stairs. The big fucker manages to knock all of them down, completely pinning a couple under his literal dead weight .

Bythor really was a giant lump of shit and while killing him was easy, especially hopped up on Davina’s blood, lugging his huge ass up the dungeon stairs and through this labyrinth of a castle was not.

I knew I’d need him, though.

I hadn’t exactly decided what I’d need him for, but I knew he’d come in handy and I guess it was for royal guard bowling.

Thankfully, it gives me a few seconds to collect myself.

Feeding from Davina was a good idea, if only because it helped the healing process work a little harder since the bitch destroyed my wings. I’m not one hundred percent, I won’t be until I can resume feeding the way I was meant to, but between the demon and vampire queen blood, I got big fucking fast. Which needs to last me until I get to Davina’s personal portal because I plan on going topside, grabby Roger, then disappearing somewhere quiet and secluded, and far away from everything and everyone. I won’t be feeding on anything but coconut water from that point forward. Or as soon as my goddamn nubby ass wing stubs heal.

Then I’ll go back to being an isolated, nerdy, vegan vampire who plays video games.

I’m not even going to bother with the podcast.

It did nothing but cause me trouble in the end; I don’t need that shit.

Trying to get the bones to retract, I grit my teeth against the pain but give up after a few seconds. I’m going to have to find a way to get rid of most of what’s left. I won’t be able to tuck them back in, that’s for sure, but I can’t have all these little dangly pieces flopping around either.

That’s a problem for a later date because I can hear the next wave of guards heading this way.

I take a deep breath then start down the stairs, kicking the unconscious goons out of the way. I step over Bythor’s body, noting the smell coming from him and wondering if that’s decomp or his normal odor. They’re pretty similar, it’s hard to tell.

It’s also not important.

Creeping to the end of the hall, I wait to see which way the next unit is going and just before I head the opposite way, one of their communicators goes off.

“The queen is dead! I repeat, the queen is dead. The threat is mobile inside the castle and—shit! We have unknowns running through the front yard.”

Well, I guess my cover is blown.

Bythor was the first to come in and check on Davina. He’d been waiting outside the dungeon and after he deemed too much time had passed, he came looking for her. He’d paged a nearby unit to be on alert. I thought I’d avoided them but they must not have been as nearby as Bythor thought since I just used his body to level them after twenty minutes of running with it.

They must have set off some kind of domino effect, though, since the unit standing in the hallway like a bunch of idiots came about ten minutes after the first, and I’m sure this is going to set off various waves until the castle guard is wiped out and the servants are waiting for the rest of the army to arrive.

Since that means I’m probably going to have to be the one to wipe out the castle guards, I need to avoid expelling too much energy inside so I can battle my way outside to the portal out of Purgatory.

Which is exactly what I do.

I watch the four guards take off toward the dungeon, stupidly backtracking after too much time has passed, then I start zig zagging my way through secret compositors and hidden hallways.

After a few minutes, I finally make it out the servant’s exit, stopping briefly to catch my breath before I hear a commotion coming from the left side yard.

“I’m telling you, this is where he’ll be. If I know Felix, he’s heading toward the—” I look up just in time to see Silas come flying around the corner. “Fucking told you.”

He points in my direction then glances over his shoulder, Azrael hot on his heels.

“Yeah, okay. You were right, there he is.” Rae rolls his eyes as they head my way and for a split second, I’m relieved to see them.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever see Silas again so I’m glad he’s here. Azrael’s presence doesn’t move my meter much, not outside of another set of hands breaking vampire necks but Silas and I would have been fine without him and—

“Hey, wait for me!”

Azizia .

She barrels around the corner as fast as her legs will carry her, the female clearly exhausted already but running on nothing but annoyance, judging by her tone. Zia blindly follows her brother then crashes into him when he stops next to Silas.

Backstabber or not, I can’t argue with the way everything inside me flutters and heats over seeing Zia.

Which is exactly why I point at her as soon as she steps around Rae and bark, “Get her the fuck out of here.”

“Hi, Felix,” she says, elbowing her brother as he growls at me.

“No.”

“No?”

“Stopping talking to me, Azizia. I have nothing to say to you.”

She frowns. “But I’m here to rescue you.”

“Silas,” I grunt through clenched teeth. “Get her out of here. I dont have the fucking patience right now.”

He glances around the yard, half listening to me, half listening to his communicator.

“You should talk to her.”

My jaw drops and I just blink at him for a moment before I shake my head.

“Not happening. I don’t need rescuing, either.” He arches a brow and Rae mumbles something under his breath. “The royal bitch is dead, and I just need to get to the portal and I’m home free.”

“We can help you get to the—wait, what?” Zia snaps. “Who’s dead?”

I roll my eyes and turn, annoyed and angry, and wasting too much time. The entire royal army could descend upon us at any minute and I know more guards are on the way. I don’t need to stand here chit-chatting with anyone, let alone the female who betrayed me and left me for dead.

“Davina,” Silas says before I hear, “Holy shit, did that bitch seriously cut up your wings?”

“Yes,” I growl as they all start following me.

“Jesus, Felix, I’m—”

“You have wings ?” Azizia asks, almost offended.

And for some reason, that’s when I snap.

“ Had .” I spin around to face her, narrowing my eyes. “I had wings but Davina, you know, the lady you handed me over to, she had one of her ogres cut then to shreds so I’ll never be able to use them again.”

Zia blinks wide eyes at me. “Felix, I—”

“I don’t have time for this.”

I scan the yard again just as a unit starts marching in from the right and left.

No one has time for this if anyone wants to get out of this alive. Which means now we have to fight.

“I need to talk to you,” Zia says as she stomps her foot into the ground. “You don’t understand anything that happened.”

“Here’s what I understand.” I signal to Silas to get information and he turns Rae around so all three of us are back to back with Zia in the middle.

Pissed at her or not, she isn’t going to die today.

“I understand that everything I thought we had was bullshit.” I brace myself for impact as four guards come charging toward me, grabbing the one in front by the spear and sending him flying. “I understand that you’re a liar. I understand that you don’t give a shit about me.”

Sending the spear back into the unit like a javelin, I grab the next guard by his shirt collar and slam him into the ground. I step on his throat until I feel it crush beneath my weight then use his own dagger to cut his head clean off.

“You know what else I understand ?”

Azizia growls from behind me, clearly pissed and getting more so with everything I say.

Good .

“I understand that for someone who painted their significant other like such a fucking monster, you sure did like having him grab your pussy.”

I gasp as my knee gives out, Zia kicking the back of my right one so I go down.

“I didn’t!” she screeches as she leaps over me, right onto another guard, taking him down to the ground where she beats him senseless. “I hate when he touches me!”

“Who? Your husband? The only male you could possibly love since he’s so fucking great?”

Running after another male stupid enough to head right into a fucked-up lovers’ quarrel, I tackle him to the ground and sit on his chest long enough to snap his neck.

“You’re one to talk!” Azizia runs after a soldier heading toward Rae, he and Silas taking on a larger group on the east side of the yard. “Davina seemed like a real cunt!”

“She was!” I snap, leaping to my feet then plowing into two more guards wielding swords.

One of them gets me in the side, the other slices my arm but all that does is piss me off even more, so I take hold of one of them and turn him into my weapon.

“That’s another thing!” Azizia shouts from somewhere behind me. “I wanted to kill her, Felix! Me! I was going to run in here and save you the same way you tried to save me, then I was going to kill Davina for taking you away from me.”

“You gave me to her , Azizia! Willingly, happily. You handed me over so fast I’m surprised your head didn’t spin.”

She cries out in frustration as I stab one male with the other, taking both of their swords before I turn to check on her. Which is when I have to remind myself she betrayed me and I don’t want her anymore because watching Zia literally tear the head off of a vampire and fucking punt it across the yard like a football has me contemplating marriage.

I shake my head as she levels me with her stare. “It wasn’t me , Felix. If you’d just listen to me, I could explain everything.”

I ignore her for a few seconds as I scan the incredibly full yard, all of the palace guards coming for the four of us now that shit has spread. Searching for Silas, I sigh in relief when I see him tearing the arms off a male he’s hated for the last fifty years, smiling like a lunatic as he tosses them to the side. He looks up at me and tilts his head, a silent question in his eyes.

One I answer with a nod.

Silas nods back then lifts his hand above his head, making an almost lassoing motion before he points to Azrael, and I nod again.

Then he’s saying something to Rae quickly, the two of them sharing a strange look before they split up and start running on either side of the castle, taking a decent chunk of the enemy with them.

Which means I am now responsible for Zia even though I want nothing to do with her.

“Hey, wait, where are they going?” She watches her brother disappear around the corner, starting to go after him until I grab her arm and begin dragging her behind me.

“They’re diverting the attention.”

“What?”

I clench my jaw and stare straight ahead. “They’re trying to get the bad guys to follow them so we can get to the portal.”

“What portal?”

“One that will take us topside.”

“What if I don’t want to go topside with you?”

Stopping dead in my tracks, I let her go and stare down at her. “I don’t want to go with you, either, but we don’t have much of a choice right now. You won’t find it on your own, and I don’t want Azrael hunting me down when I leave your dead body behind.”

Zia scowls and crosses her arms against her chest. “I’m not going to die.”

“That’s not the fucking point, Azizia.”

“Well, I’m not going into that portal with you while you’re acting like a jerk.”

She tilts her chin in the most stubborn way.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I check to see if anyone is heading our way yet, then scrub a hand down my face. “Fine, I will stop acting like a jerk and keep my mouth shut if you’ll come with me to find the portal.”

“Why would I want to go anywhere with a jerk who keeps secrets from me?”

“ What ?” This female is insane.

Zia nods then marches past me. “You didn’t tell me you had wings, Felix. And that’s hurtful.”

“Oh this is fucking grand.”

“You didn’t tell me about that, or how huge you really are. I don’t even know you right now.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” I groan as I turn to follow her. “None of that fucking matters, Zia. You betrayed me. You toyed with me for several days just so you could get me to Hell to give me to Davina. That’s like the pot calling the kettle black to the nth power.”

“I didn’t do any of that!” She whirls toward me, arms flailing in anger.

“I was there, Zia! You did all of that!”

“No!” she shouts then she’s charging toward me and I, once again, have to remind myself I don’t want her and we’re fighting, because her expression right now, I’d love nothing more than to fuck it off her face.

Except, Azizia flies past me and before I can turn, I hear a sickening thump followed by a crunch and now we’re both covered in blood.

“Did you have to make such a mess?” I try wiping the blood from my chest but end up smearing them in.

“No thank you for saving me, Zia ?” she asks sarcastically as she shoves the sword deeper into the vampire's skull before twisting it free. “He was coming right at you.”

He isn’t the only one.

About seven more guards come out of nowhere, heading right for us at full speed and no matter how pissed I am, Zia and I make a good team.

We watch each other’s backs, working together to quickly and efficiently destroy everyone who comes at us. It’s poetic really, seamless and fluid.

If she hadn’t destroyed my heart the same way, this would be the exact moment I’d ask her to stay with me once we came out on the other side of the portal.

But she did, so I won’t. Because no way am I making that mistake a third time.

“Felix,” Azizia pants. “Are you listening to me?”

“No.” Because I wasn’t. “We need to go before more of these assholes come.”

Turning away from her before what little dignity I have crumbles to dust and leaves me begging for things I don’t really want, I start toward the farthest part of the yard.

Only to be yanked to a halt and spun around.

“I’m not going any further until you listen!”

God, she’s a strong little thing.

I keep forgetting that.

“Fine.” I fold my arms against my chest and nod. “You have five minutes before I’m leaving with or without you.”

Zia plants her hands in her hips and blows out a breath. “I was spelled, Felix.”

I narrow my eyes but say nothing. She can say her piece, lie all she wants but—

“Prazin put a spell on me because Davina wanted him to. That was the plan.”

My head is fucking spinning.

Could she be telling the truth?

Everything she’s saying makes sense but… How can I be sure?

“When you busted into the castle like some knight in shining armor, I knew that I knew you, but couldn’t figure out why. I gave you to that bitch because I had to. It all seemed weird and a lot of it is fuzzy, but thankfully I ran into Rae and Silo—”

“Who the fuck is Silo?”

“The corn man,” she says simply. I raise a brow. She thrusts her arm toward the castle. “Your friend that constantly looks at my brother like he wants to eat him for breakfast!”

“You mean Si-LAS?”

“I meant what I said, Felix, so if you’ll let me continue?”

I blow out a breath and gesture for her to go on. We’re running out of time, I hear the enemies closing in, but I know her. If I don’t let her do her thing, we’ll be here all damn day.

“ Anyway , my brother and your friend, Silo , made me take this super long walk into town, and we met with this guy who said I was spelled, and the only way we could fix it was to get the guy who put it on me to remove it or kill him.” She’s talking so fast and I’m trying to keep up. “We had only just left that place when I felt like I was being crushed by a rhino. Everything hurt, but then it all made sense when my memories came back. Eventually I remembered everything that happened, including the conversation Xadrian had with Prazin, the guy who put the spell on me. It made me want to be with Xadrian because that is the only reason I would ever want to be with him.

“When you killed her, it broke the spell because even though Prazin put it on me, it was initially Davina’s spell disguised as being a spell for Xadrian. They’ve been ten steps ahead of us this whole time. I didn’t set you up, they set us up.”

I blink a few times, just staring at her and trying to process everything she’s saying.

Is she telling the truth? Is this all part of the plan?

“Felix. I…”

I frown. “You what?”

“I love you,” she says simply with a little shrug. She steps closer, putting her hand on my chest. “You’re the only creature in this world that has made me feel safe, who has given me a choice, let me be me. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. I want to be away from this place and all the evil people in it. And I promise if you choose to forgive me, I’ll be nice to your mole rat.”

I stare at her for a few beats, ignoring the way she calls my good boy Roger a mole rat again , and search those dark eyes for the truth.

And I find it.

The honest, open and raw, unfiltered truth is staring back at me and instead of responding with words, I snap.

I lunge forward and cup her cheeks, slamming my lips against hers. Zia freezes briefly but when I pull her flush against me, molding her body to mine while I kiss her hard, she relaxes before becoming just as desperate as I am.

Lips, teeth, and tongue. Our kisses are frenzied and feral, I can’t get close enough. I lift Zia against me and she immediately wraps her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist, never breaking our kiss.

“Oh Felix,” Azizia says on a sigh. “I missed you.”

I nod, sucking on her lip as I start walking toward the nearest tree.

“Mhm,” I grunt. “Fuck, Zia.”

She rolls her hips the second her back hits the bark, moaning into my mouth when she feels how hard I already am.

Keeping one hand under her ass I shove the other up her shirt, squeezing her breast hard before I stop.

“Felix, what—”

“Consent. We’ve both been through hell the last few weeks and we’ve both had our choices stripped from us.” I frown at what looks like a face behind her then squint over her shoulder, realizing a few of the queen’s men we killed are dangling from the branches like fucking ornaments.

Oh well.

“Felix?”

I meet Zia’s eyes and give her a soft smile. “I just want consent to be clear, for this to be a straightforward choice we’re making together.”

Azizia smiles brightly and nods. “You have my consent from now until the rest of forever, Felix.”

“Perfect,” I growl against her lips. “You have the same, and now I’m going to have your pussy.”

She shudders as I move my hand between us, quickly undoing her jeans. Zia drops her legs long enough to kick out of her pants and undo mine—I managed to find them before I left the dungeon—then I have her back against the tree.

“Forever, Azizia.” She nods as I look her in the eye, searching once again because I need to be sure, and when I see nothing but love—borderlining craze—staring back at me, I slam home, knowing she’s it for me—unhinged and all.

“Fuck!” Zia cries out as she digs her nails into the back of my neck. “Oh my god, Felix!”

I still briefly, the extreme heat of her pussy blanketing me while she squeezes the life out of my cock.

This is good.

This is so fucking good and I start to move, dragging my cock almost all the way out before slamming in all the way to the hilt.

She moans and pants, making little noises as I fuck her hard and fast. The way she keeps pulling me closer, clawing at my neck and shoulders, kissing me every time our mouths are close enough, it all has my balls going tight and my cock swelling inside her.

“Felix,” Zia chants. “Oh, my Felix, yes!”

“You’re mine. Mine ,” I growl. “You are fucking mine, Azizia, and I am never letting you go again.”

“Bite me,” she moans as her walls flutter around me. “Please, Felix. Bite me, feed from me right—oh!”

I sink my fangs into the side of her neck as I pound into her, my hips slamming against hers, my cock so deep inside her cunt I’ve got to be hitting her fucking guts.

The first hard pull on her vein has Zia bucking against me and when I drop my free hand between us to rub her clit, my fucking girl screams.

Azizia screams out my name as I fuck her harder, losing my rhythm with each tug on her neck and when I feel her pussy gush around me, I’m done.

My orgasm slams into me like a freight train, every inch of my body tingling as rope after rope of cum fills her cunt. Zia comes with me, chanting my name through it all, nearly sobbing out her release as her thighs shake.

Carefully, I release her neck, licking over the mark I made before pressing a kiss there. I rest my forehead against her shoulder for a moment, trying to collect myself while I focus on the way her blood burns through me in the best possible way. I’ll never get used to that, the way her blood tastes like her, how I can feel Zia’s essence moving through me.

It’s incredible really, and it’s all the confirmation I need that we're meant to be together.

“Did you fall asleep?” Azizia giggles as she strokes my hair. “Not that I mind, I like having your cock inside me.”

My dick twitches at her words and I slowly lift my head and meet her eyes. “You can have this every day if you want, baby. I like having my cock inside you.”

Zia giggles again as I lean forward to kiss her but before I do, my head swings to the right where the first wave of the queen’s army is moving toward us.

“Shit.” I pull out and set her on her feet then I bend down and grab our clothes, then I take Zia’s hand and start running.

“Felix! I don’t have pants on!”

“We don’t have time!” Not if we want to get to that portal without hundreds of vampires following us through it. Just run!”

“Okay!” Zia laughs and I can’t help but smile. “But we have to stop and put them on once we’re topside. I don’t think humans approve of people walking around half naked, and since you’re so worried about their laws, it’s better to be safe than sorry!”

I grin as we haul ass toward our future, happy as fuck that this unhinged little demon is mine.