The Rise of the Underworld Page 4

  Sebastian received some attention as well, as a few women kept asking him about the Dragonian race. I suppressed a smirk at hearing my brother try to pose as an expert. He’d positioned himself at the rear of the group to replace Max.

  None of the women’s fascination was sexual. They’d had enough abuse from the Sváva, and the last thing they wanted was a man’s touch. For now.

  But my mates and brother were showing them that there were good men as well.

  My heart bled for the women, and I was greatly comforted that I’d come back for them, though I should have come earlier. I shouldn’t have left them in the first place. We’d lost many good women today.

  As we marched on, I was also grateful that my mates were an obvious distraction, so the women didn’t notice I was in the grip of the mating fever. Now and then, I had to squeeze my thighs and walk funny due to need, ache, and the unbearable heat between my thighs.

  All sorts of naughty images ran through my head all the time. I could barely think of anything other than finding a place to fuck my mates over and over. I dared not fan my flushed face, and I tried my best not to hold the heated gazes constantly darting in my direction from my mates.

  This wasn’t about public image. This was about sanity.

  Now I understood why they bickered and kept threatening each other. They weren’t faring any better than me, and they needed the aggression to lessen the sexual tension that charged the air.

  The mating fever was relentless.

  All I could do was pray for discipline, and that I wouldn’t jump on my mates and ride them in front of the women.

  At some point, Ash couldn’t take it anymore and shifted to his large gray wolf form, and Max ground his teeth as he fought not to drag me into his arms and mount me right in front of everyone.

  “Halt!” Max suddenly barked, and all of us jerked to a stop in alarm.

  “We have company,” he shouted.

  Then I spotted the sand wave twirling into the sky.

  “It’s not a sandstorm!” Octavia called. “It’s something else.”

  The wolf and tiger trotted in front of me to guard me. Then Ash shifted to fae, his hands lifting, ready to battle any storm with his elemental force.

  Max spread his wings to shield me and the women beside and behind me.

  “Huddle tighter and hold hands!” Max ordered our group. “We’ll let the storm pass.”

  The women followed his order as a booming sound echoed ahead.

  The black owl landed on my shoulder with a hoot.

  Killian roared, ready to jump and attack the bird.

  Not now, Killian, I said sternly in his head. The storm is coming!

  He whimpered, but then he obeyed and pressed into me to keep me anchored. He was terrified of me being blown away. In his eyes, I was too thin.

  The sand wave moved in our direction.

  “I can hold my own,” I shouted at my mates amid the noises. “Go protect my women!”

  But none of them moved an inch. Instead, they closed in on me tightly.

  No matter what I said, they’d never put anything or anyone above me.

  The sand flew everywhere, blurring our vision.

  With the sound of tearing metal, a rift opened up in the land ahead. A horde of raiders in black leather masks poured out from the opening and rushed toward us amid the sand waves.

  “Battle ready!” Max roared.

  Ash, Max, my tiger, and I lined up in front of the women, our swords flashing in the dim light. Sebastian charged to the front with a roar. He and Octavia would protect the women, along with the women fighters.

  The raiders carried ordinary swords. Only one or two of them held an angelblade. And on the masks that covered the bottom half of their faces was the symbol of a thorned rose.

  “Wait!” I called right before Ash charged in with Killian following him enthusiastically.

  “They’re the Thorn Rose rebel soldiers!” Octavia yelled.

  The sand waves receded, and a raider leader halted several feet away from us. If he had kept going, my mates would have taken him and his men down, whether they bore the symbol of a thorny rose or not.

  The leader stabbed the tip of his angelblade into the sand and dropped to one knee in front of me, and then his men followed suit, their hands crossing before their chests in reverence.

  The leader wore homemade leather fighting gear. He had short brown hair and dark eyes. He removed his mask and revealed his bronze skin and scarred face.

  “Queen Calamity,” he said. “I’m sorry we’re late.”

  It was a wonder that he already knew who I was, considering he’d never seen me before. Word must have traveled ahead of me, or Willow might have sent a messenger to Nightingale and spread the news of my escape from the emperor’s court.

  “Rise,” I said, gesturing for the men to stand up.

  It felt so natural for me to step into the commanding role, as if it was my birthright, though I’d resisted being their queen in the beginning.

  The men got to their feet. Most of them fixed their attention on Max because of his massive black wings. A few of them lingered on Ash, an incredulous look on their faces as my fae mate moved toward the opening where the Thorn Rose raiders had jumped out. No one wanted to stop him, seeing how fast he zoomed toward the location.

  “There’s a tunnel underneath,” Ash said, glancing at Max and me over his shoulder before turning his gaze back to the tunnel.

  The tiger perched beside the fae, peering down curiously too. As soon as his short-lived curiosity died, he rushed back to me, chasing away the black owl that clung to my shoulder.

  You need to work on your jealousy issue, Killian, I said in his mind.

  The black bird is enemy, he insisted again. He’s bad. I want to eat him.

  Until he proves to be the enemy, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

  I said, scratching the back of his ear to calm him.

  The raiders watched my tiger and me, waiting patiently for me to turn my attention back to them.

  “What’s your name, soldier?” I asked the leader.

  “Guy, my queen,” he said.

  Max regarded him while watching his men. My mate appeared relaxed, but I knew how fast he could draw his weapon and bleed anyone. If he wanted to kill the Thorn Rose soldiers should they proved to be enemies, the soldiers wouldn’t stand a chance.

  Half of them kept staring at Max’s lethal wings that arched behind his shoulders.

  “Max isn’t a Sváva demon, despite his black wings,” I offered, “if that’s what you and your soldiers are concerned about.”

  Ash chuckled, staying where he was, a strategic spot. If the raiders proved to be a problem, my fae mate could attack them from their rear while preventing any reinforcements from emerging from underground.

  “Consort Max is a vampire!” Octavia said brightly and proudly.

  I blinked at Max’s new title, and Max grinned at me, amused.

  A wave of confused expressions passed over the raiders’ faces.

  “That’s juicy,” Ash murmured, “like they know what a vampire is.”

  I cut in before anyone got sidetracked again. “Guy, how did you know it was me, since we’ve never met? And shouldn’t you and your team check me out before accepting me as your queen?”

  If I wanted to hand my women to him and his team, I needed to make sure he was the right man.

  “You aren’t just anyone, Queen of the Flame,” he said vehemently. “I was in the spectators’ seat when you fought and declared freedom. You’re the queen who has come to lead us to light. Your deeds and words have reached every corner of the Underworld. You saved innocent lives and left piles of demon bodies in your wake. Slaves have risen everywhere under your banner.” He gestured to the women and the angelblades on the carts. “And they’re the living proof. My men and I have been searching for you. We vowed to be your blades when we first joined the elite Alpha Pure Thorn Rose force. Our mission is to fin
d you, guard you with our lives, and escort you to Nightingale. We’ve been tracking you for weeks now. But I have to warn you, my queen, not everyone in Nightingale will be devoted to you and your cause.”

  I didn’t really have a cause. I just wanted to be free and go home.

  But I didn’t hear anything false in his words, and I appreciated him being candid about not everyone welcoming me.

  “Recite the passage, if you belong to the true Thorn Rose force,” Octavia demanded.

  “The Queen of Flame will shatter our shackles and burn away our chains,” the soldiers said in unison. “When the first star lights the sky, she’ll come. And we’ll wait for our queen faithfully. Where she goes, we follow. We’re her blades. We’re her…”

  “Enough,” I said. “That’s fine. You don’t need to quote anymore.”

  This sounded like a cult, but I bit my lip, as I wouldn’t want to offend them by saying so. It was hazardous to put such faith in one person and make that person an idol. And I didn’t see any star in the sky. There’d never be stars in the sky of the Underworld.

  I strode toward where Ash stood. I needed to make sure the tunnel was safe and that once my women got into it, the demons couldn’t track them down.

  Killian trotted beside me as if he owned the world, and the Alpha Pure team gave him a wide berth. The black owl followed, and Killian bared his teeth and bellowed at the bird, slashing his claws in the air threateningly. The owl hooted fiercely at him.

  I sighed. There was no hope that these two would ever get along. They were like natural enemies.

  Ash put his arm around my shoulder as I peeked down at the stairs that led to the tunnel.

  “How did they build this in a desert?” I asked. “It’s incredible.”

  “Our ancestors had the foresight,” Guy said with pride. “Our oracle foresaw the invasion of the Sváva, so they built Nightingale under the ground. Half of the native population has been preserved, to wait for the arrival of the queen who will bring us to the light and see the stars.”

  “Will this tunnel lead us safely to Nightingale?” I asked.

  “Yes, my queen. The demons can’t track us once we’re down in the tunnel,” answered Guy.

  “Then I have a mission for you and your team, Guy,” I said.

  “Anything, my queen,” Guy said eagerly.

  “You won’t follow me,” I said, “but you’ll escort my women to safety, to Nightingale.”

  “But my queen, it’s our duty and honor to escort you and all your men and women to Nightingale,” he protested.

  “Are you going to disobey my order?” I asked.

  “No, my queen,” he said, dropping a knee.

  “I need to leave you,” I said. “But I’ll go away only for a while. The army from your city won’t be enough to fight the demon hordes. The Sváva are one of the most powerful species from another galaxy. They’re a branch of the angelic race. To fight them, we’ll need a mighty army from the Upper Realm. And I’m going to bring the greatest army on Earth to fight Cain and his demons. Octavia knows all about the plan. She’ll debrief you when my mates and I are on the road.”

  I turned to the women. “You’re in safe hands now, and I need to go before the portal shuts down.”

  Their fear hit me like a brick. They didn’t want to part with me. I understood fear more than anything, as it constantly lurked in the back of my head.

  “Courage,” I told the women.

  “Some of my men and I can still escort you to the Upper Realm,” Guy said.

  “No,” Ash said, his eyes burning with icy fire. “You’ll only slow us down. We’ve already delayed our schedule and lost several days. We can’t afford to lose any more days. Once the portal closes, we’ll be trapped here forever!”

  Sebastian looked between Octavia and me. He wanted to go with me, but he had strong feelings for Octavia and couldn’t bear to leave her behind. And it was no longer practical to bring her with us. Even Sebastian would slow us down.

  My brother turned to me and said quietly, “Come back for us.”

  I nodded. “I promise.”

  Max took flight into the air, wind beating on his massive wings. Ash and I zoomed away from the tunnel and Nightingale, with Killian springing after us.

  Without looking back, I could picture the stunned looks on the raiders’ faces. Now they knew Ash hadn’t been kidding when he said any of them would slow us down.

  In seconds, the women and soldiers became tiny dots behind us, until the flying sand obscured my vision. I didn’t look back again.

  “Hoot! Hoot!” the black owl cried excitedly above us.

  The bird followed, and he was just as fast as we were.

  That was unexpected.

  It wouldn’t be easy for Killian to get rid of his nemesis, who carried the speed of the wind.

  CHAPTER 5

  __________________

  Ash, Killian, and I sprang through the desert at a nerve-wracking speed, with the mating fever chasing our heels. Max flew ahead of us to scout the area.

  We ran silently for a long while, urgency burning through our thoughts.

  Then Max landed beside me and ran on my other side. He showed us the magical compass on his wrist. The needles and arrows inside were moving again.

  “Wipe off that crease between your brows, doll,” he said, trying to lighten the mood. “We’re all good.”

  “You’re sure Merlin will be waiting for us?” I asked.

  People were fickle, and the world was full of uncertainty.

  “He’d better be,” Ash said, staring at the mating icons on my forearm. Four of them were strung together by the glyph of an ivy vine. The two icons marking my mating bond to Ash and Max glowed bright. One was dim, and the last one remained dormant.

  “He’ll know when we’re close to the leyline, right?” I asked. “Through our mating bond?”

  “He can sense the bond even if he’s on the other side of the veil,” Max said. “He should be able to keep the portal open until we arrive.”

  But his brows furrowed with deep worry.

  “What if we’re already too late?” I said, my anxiety spearing the pit of my belly.

  Somehow, I had a foreboding feeling that things would go awry.

  “Stop worrying, Blossom,” Ash said. “We’re almost there.”

  But all of us picked up speed.

  “Thank you for sticking with me,” I said, guilt bleeding from me. I’d been making all the decisions for them and dragging them along with me. If the portal sealed and I got them stuck here, it was all on me.

  “You’re our mate,” Ash said. “What wouldn’t we do for you?”

  “But I don’t want to take advantage of you,” I protested.

  Max’s large hand squeezed my small one. “It’s our privilege to be taken advantage of by you, doll. You should do that more often.”

  Warmth swelled in my chest. It was such a good feeling knowing I was cherished.

  We kept running. My tiger lagged several yards behind. He was so tired that he didn’t even bother chasing the black owl. The owl remained vigilant, gliding along with grace.

  The landscape changed. Mist loomed in from ahead.

  “Is that the leyline?” As I spoke, a light flashed from the magical compass on Max’s wrist.

  All the arrows and needles inside were frozen in place.

  “We’re here,” Max announced.

  Ash let out a breath of relief. “We’ve reached the endpoint of the Underworld.”

  My heart pounded in both excitement and nervousness.

  We’d arrived. I was finally going home.

  On either side of me, Max and Ash held my hands in theirs, and we advanced and entered the mist.

  A vast expanse of water blocked our path. Lava bubbled in the depths of the dark, red lake. Steamy heat rose, slamming into our faces.

  Ash and I stepped back a few paces automatically, but Max let go of my hand and remained where he was, his wings spreading a
nd one of them shielding me.

  “It’s a lake,” I said. Confusion wheeled into my head. “Where’s the leyline?”

  I darted my eyes left, right, up, and down, seeking something unusual and significant, though I had no idea what a leyline should look.

  “A leyline looks like a large streak of light,” Ash said, stalking around the edge of the lake. “I don’t see it either. Merlin! Are you here? Answer me!”

  Only the echo of bubbling lava answered us.

  Ash balled his fists.

  We waited.

  “The fucker isn’t here,” Ash grated. “The druid went back on his word.”

  “Maybe he hasn’t come yet?” I offered. “We should just wait here for however long we must.”

  “Are you sure we came to the right spot, Max?” Ash asked after a few more seconds. “It’s your task to find the location where the leyline lies. This isn’t the time to fuck it up.”

  “We are in the right place, but not at the right time,” Max said grimly. “Merlin was here. I can smell the residue of his earth magic. He opened the portal, waited, and then he left.” He sniffed deeply. “His magic residue is half a day old.”

  Ash sniffed around, too, then he nodded at Max.

  “The druid was here for days,” the fae prince said.

  “We were late,” I said, my eyes downcast. “I’m sorry.”

  If I hadn’t gone back for the women, we’d have made it. But how could I not go back for them and let them all be slaughtered? And my brother and Octavia were with them.

  Yet guilt and sorrow still gnawed at me.

  I had gotten my mates stuck with me in Hell for real. I had missed the chance to go home to see Mom and Dad. I might never see them again. And without the army I’d promised my women, we’d eventually all be slain by the demon hordes.

  Killian came forward, rubbing my thigh as he sensed my bleak mood.

  The black owl cried out dolefully above us before he landed on top of a tall branch, out of Killian’s reach, and watched us with eerie intensity. I bet even the bird was disappointed at me.

  “You never need to feel sorry for anything, Blossom,” Ash said. “It’s Merlin’s fault. Why couldn’t the fucker wait a little longer? Or he should have waited for us to get here and then opened the portal.”