Ninety-Eight Samkiel

The air above the Isle of Detremn tore, shuddering beneath the weight of the portal. The entire planet was wrapped in plant life but otherwise deserted. It didn’t even have any animals, but more importantly, it was several realms away from Dianna.

Trees broke and fell, the ground bunching beneath Kaden and Isaiah as I threw them to it. Power I had not used since my father’s reign wafted from my skin in silver tendrils, reaching and stretching, eager to defend and avenge her. It disrupted the atmosphere, clouds curling and darkening before rain poured. Lightning struck all around them, the wind holding them in place. My feet hit the ground, sending a shudder through the planet.

Kaden and Isaiah struggled to their feet, their faces masks of pure shock and hate. One by one, their Dragonbane helmets slid over their heads in an effort to protect them, but it was too late.

“You are supposed to be dead,” Kaden snarled from behind his horned helmet.

I flexed my wrist, the power flickering over my skin to coalesce in my hand. The shadow of a blade formed in my palm as dark and hateful as they’d made me. The sword solidified, purple and black tendrils of magic reaching, searching for their next victim. I pointed it at Kaden. “I am not, but you soon will be.”

“Oblivion,” Isaiah whispered. “How did you get that from Mera?”

My lips curled in disgust. “I did not get it. I am it. Oblivion is not something anyone can take from me.”

He took an involuntary step back, but his fear and good sense were short-lived. The serrated blades protruding from the armor above their wrists were as sharp and twisted as the two of them. Isaiah’s eye twitched before he looked at Kaden. I knew how powerful they were. Separate, they were deadly, but together, they could tear the world to ribbons with only claws and teeth. I had to be smarter. My father had preached intelligence during a fight.

“Even the strongest of your enemies has a weakness. We may be fierce warriors, but we are flesh and blood. Above all, we are emotional beings, no matter how hard or tough we think we are. Emotions, my son, run faster through the system than blood.”

He spun his spear above his head as we sparred, the tip coming to rest against my heart.

“Find a weakness, and use it if you must. No fight is fair, not even between gods.”

“I understand your obsession with her, brother,” I spat the last word as if it was poison. Even if I denied it, his obsession and love for Dianna were as strong and potent as mine. “After having her, I understand why you can’t leave her alone.”

Kaden’s eyes burned with fiery rage, and he clenched his fists hard enough to draw blood, his talons digging deep into his palms.

“Shall I show you why she would never return to you? Why father would never choose you?” I smirked, gauging his reaction before twisting my blade of words a bit harder. “Do you wish to see why I am king, and you two are a forgotten page in history, torn and tossed aside?”

Rage bubbled off them. Isaiah took a single step forward, but Kaden raised his hand, halting him.

“So the prodigal son returns,” Kaden hissed, the orange and red flames beneath his armor sparking. “Do you truly think a few jabs will make us react so blindly? I know the power that lies beneath your skin. It is just like father’s.”

“I think you’re a fool. Truly. You believe you can beat me here and return to Dianna.” I raised my hand and willed the gauntlet away to reveal the ring I had made, the one that matched hers. “Dianna will never choose you, even with all your conniving and fail-proof plans. She chose me and has every day from the moment she laid eyes on me. She left you then and never once looked back. Not. Once.”

“What is that?” Kaden hissed.

“You stole our amata mark, so I did the next best thing. She is my wife, my only, and she will never again be yours. Never.”

Kaden snapped, attacking with the same blind rage and fury he had proclaimed himself above. And Kaden fell first.

I twisted to the side, the gauntlet reforming over my hand. Using my momentum to complete the spin, I swung out with the sword. Kaden’s knees hit the ground with a dull thud, his eyes wide with shock. I watched with satisfaction as his head lolled to the side before slipping from his shoulders.

I stood with my feet planted and my body relaxed but ready, holding Oblivion casually with the tip pointed toward the ground. I flicked my eyes to Isaiah. He jerked to a stop mid-step as his brother’s body wilted and dissolved into dark ash, the particles floating between us in a haze. He glared at me, his crimson eyes filled with pained rage. I held his gaze with calm satisfaction, knowing Kaden would never again come after Dianna. I spun Oblivion in my hand and adjusted my grip on the hilt. Isaiah eyed the sword as if he wanted to flee instead of fight.

I smirked and called the sword back, holding my hands up in mock surrender. I saw his cold, red eyes narrow. “Come on, I won’t even use it on you.”

“What is this?” he spat. “Trickery?”

“I want you to see why it took chains and ancient runes to beat me.”

He didn’t move.

“Don’t be shy now. You’re embarrassing yourself, Blood Scorn.” I said his fabled name in a mocking tone.

Isaiah snarled. He ran toward me, his blade raised and angled to slice me in half.

I sidestepped.

He swung.

I grabbed the back of his armor and pulled him down. At the same time, I brought my knee up, breaking his spine before gripping his head and twisting.

THE PORTAL CLOSED ABOVE ME AS I DRIFTED TOWARD THE GROUND, Isaiah gripped in my hand, unconscious but breathing . . . for now. Thunder rumbled in the sky, the rain coming down in silvery sheets. The air was gray, and ash had turned to mud on the ground. It was complete desolation, destruction in its purest form. This was what I fought against unleashing.

My armored boots had barely touched the ground before a body collided with mine, strong, slender arms wrapping tightly around me. Warm cinnamon tinted the brutally burnt air, her scent a part of every breath. I dropped Isaiah in a heap at her feet and held her to me. With just her touch, the cold rage of battle was replaced by peace and comfort. I pulled her tighter against me, but she struggled, trying to push me away. I barely felt it. Her strength was depleted.

I cupped her face with my hands, searching her eyes. “Are you okay, akrai?”

She slapped at my armored chest. “You left me here, you ass!”

“For merely a second,” I said, happy to even hear her voice.

She forced a small smile etched in pain, the world an ashen gray mist around her.

“Are you okay?” I asked again, running my hand along the side of her neck. She hissed, her body starting to tremble. Between the rain, blood, and mud smeared over her, I couldn’t tell where she was actually hurt. “Where are you hurt?”

“Everywhere.” She smiled, then grimaced. “I really thought I had the upper hand, but I feel like I’ve been ripped to pieces and put back together again.”

“Dianna, my akrai. You did more than phenomenal. Two Ig’Morruthens? Gods have had their light bleed across the sky from one. Not to mention, my brothers were trained for war by my father. You were not.”

She nodded and grimaced in pain at the movement. “I want more training. No more holding back with me. My enemies will not.”

“We will talk about that later,” I said, tipping her jaw up so I could see the marks on her throat. It looked like one of them had grabbed her. I could see the handprint already forming. “But my main concern is why your ring is off?”

Her expression grew guarded as if she knew whatever she was about to say wouldn’t make me happy.

“I had a plan. A stupid plan.” She nodded and tapped her pocket. “I still have it.”

My thumb swiped across her cheek. “I couldn’t find you.”

She nodded, her body shuddering with pain. “I didn’t want you to show up. They would know you were alive. Nismera would know you were alive.”

Thunder cracked across the sky, the rain picking up speed. “I do not care about them or Nismera, only you. Never do that again.”

She smiled, the wound on her lower lip threatening to crack. “Pinkie promise.”

I made a noise low in my throat before placing both of my hands on either side of her head gently, letting my power flow into her. I smiled as she closed her eyes, relaxing into the warmth. She started to glow, and gods above, she was beautiful. The small cuts along her scalp knitted themselves back together, and her busted lip closed. I slid my thumb over its plump fullness, and she parted her lips, opening to me. I heard a few snaps as her bones popped back into place, and I fought the urge to kill Isaiah. Dianna sighed, and her hands wrapped around my wrists. She opened her eyes, and I slowly pulled my power back, easing out of her.

“I forgot how much that tingles,” she whispered, a pale line of red running down her face, the rain washing the fight off her bit by bit. I was relieved that her wounds were healed, but all the dried blood on her made me want to go back and kill him again.

“Feel better?”

She nodded and took a breath that wasn’t labored. “Are other worlds like this?”

“No.” I shook my head, casting a glance around the ruined and devastated planet. “Only this one. Only where you were.”

“Oh.” She sighed, pushing the hair that escaped her ponytail away from her face. “Also, I knew you could fly fast, but . . .”

I glanced up at where I had entered the atmosphere and shrugged. “Depends on the realm, technically. Some places are faster than others, gravity and all, or lack thereof.”

Her eyes dropped back to mine. “You destroyed a world for me?”

Dianna said it in utter disbelief. She did not fully understand the lengths I would go for her. Destroying a world was not even a fraction of it. She thought me a hero, but a hero would defy others for the greater good. She was mine, and for her, I’d do the unthinkable. My strong, fierce, beautiful girl who thought she could take the world on all by herself. Only she had me now, and gods above and below help anyone who thought they could hurt or take her from me.

My brows furrowed at her surprise. “I’d destroy several worlds if it meant keeping you safe. You have no idea the limits I’d go for you.”

“Shameless flirt.” She smiled through the rain, and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I chuckled, but I did not deny her claim.

She nodded to Isaiah’s slumped form. “I’m assuming Kaden is dead?”

“Long overdue, but you assume correctly.”

Dianna sighed, closing her eyes in relief, and I wished I could have given it to her sooner. When she opened them again, she seemed lighter, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

“And Isaiah? You’re going to interrogate?”

I nodded. “After we take care of you.”

“Such a gentleman.” A soft sigh left her lips, and she glanced down. She bent and picked up the dagger she must have dropped when she threw herself at me. The crystal blade shimmered, an aquamarine gem in the center. “We need to talk about this too, and trust me when I say you will not be happy.”

I lifted my hand, and a gently swirling vortex appeared beside us. The vast, gorgeous landscape below our castle appeared. The imposing mountains rose in the background, and I could just make out the towering walls of the outer bailey peeking through the trees.

Sweeping her off her feet, I picked Dianna up, supporting her back with one arm, the other looping behind her knees. She smiled up at me and rested her head against my chest as I kicked Isaiah’s body through the portal. “Trust me, I am already not happy.”