Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms Book 2) Read online

  Dimitri narrowed his eyes and growled, licking his lips as he stalked closer to the witch who had yet to answer his question.

  “I don’t know!” the witch screamed, continuing to lie.

  “Cut off her feet,” I ordered, hoisting myself up onto the rock, as Dimitri turned, peering at me from over his shoulder, piercing me with a pointed expression. “You made me cut up the other one, and then you killed her. That one drank hemlock, and I’m not getting close to her in case she pisses herself when she dies, too.”

  “Everyone pisses themselves when they die, Aria.” Dimitri placed his hands on his tapered hips, frowning as the witch gasped. Her blackened teeth were rotten from using too much dark magic. “I hate killing women.”

  “She’s not worth your pity. She was murdering two men when we caught her, so she is definitely not from the same class of women I’d respect. I don’t identify her as being anything like me, so instead of thinking of her as a woman, just stick with the fact that she’s a murderous witch that isn’t worthy of mercy or pity.”

  “That works,” he snorted, grinning wickedly at the witch who had whimpered.

  The area surrounding us rippled with magic, and I turned as Luna, Kinvara, and Aine appeared without warning. Smiling at their sudden arrival, I jumped from the rock and moved to hug Kinvara tightly, and Aine smirked, hugging me from behind, sandwiching me between them.

  “I have missed you guys so much!” I admitted, pulling back as Kinvara narrowed her eyes and scrunched her nose at me.

  “What smells like piss?” she asked, her eyebrows pushing together as she eyed the offending body that lay unmoving in the high grass. “Yuck!”

  “Is there a reason your dick is out, Dimitri?” Luna asked, glaring murderously at him before she let her scathing gaze slide down his body.

  Luna had been moodier than usual. Everyone was walking on eggshells or avoiding her as the moon got fuller within the Nine Realms. Dimitri spent his nights with Luna, but still pursued other females willing to soothe his need to mate. He was the basic man-whore of the group, the only man actually, and I still didn’t care or feel an attraction to him.

  A scream pulled me from my thoughts, and I looked to see Luna slicing her claws through the throat of the witch tied to the tree, removing her head from her torso. Hissing vehemently, Luna cradled her hand, burning from the hemlock in the witches system. Moving into motion, I grabbed Luna, pulling her with me into the water while avoiding her hand.

  “She drank hemlock, dammit,” I groaned, carefully helping Luna wash her blistering arm. “Are you okay?” Luna lifted her haunted eyes as she nodded.

  “I don’t know why I did that,” she whispered, shaking her head. “I’m going back.”

  “I think its best you go back to the tomb,” I mumbled, lifting my eyes to the headless witch who had the answers we’d needed.

  “To Haven Falls,” she returned. My eyes widened before I could prevent the shock from showing on my face.

  “Luna, Haven Falls is gone. There’s no way for us to return there,” Aine stated gently, settling in the shallow water with us. Her eyes held mine as she hugged Luna, comforting her twin. “I’m going to take her back to the tomb.”

  “You should all go back.” I stood, drying my hands on my shirt before turning to frown at the two dead, dark witches. “I’m done here. Thanks to these two, the town is vacant of life. I’ll still go back to see what I can find. Hopefully, there will be something there that will point to who is responsible for all these deaths.”

  I offered quick hugs while a flirting Dimitri stopped in front of the portal to escort Luna away. Glancing at me from over his shoulder, he turned and entered the portal after my sisters, before it closed behind him.

  The town, if you could call it that, was empty. No animals moved through the litter and debris. There were no villagers other than the two men that the witches had been feeding on, literally. Dimitri buried them both, offering them what solace we could in death. I erected a crude grave of rocks, placing them over the ground where we’d laid the men’s bodies to rest.

  It scared me that I was growing numb to death and murdering monsters. I didn’t kid myself or give in to the illusion that these witches were anything but monsters. They killed without reason, letting their other half grow rabid and poisonous. The two we’d killed were like Luna and Aine, witch and wolf, and yet they’d been more rabid witch than anything else.

  Frowning, I stopped in front of a well full of water; the bucket floating on top. I kneeled, peering into the green, murky water to figure out why the rope had so much slack. Something moved just below the surface, and I leaned in to get a closer look, jumping backward as a scream bubbled up my throat. Stepping to the well again, I looked down, past the hair flowing underwater, into the eyes of the villagers’ dead bloated faces. The witches placed them here for safekeeping, no doubt for one of the power grids I’ve seen all over this realm.

  They had secured ropes to their waists, and something heavy on the other end, allowing their bodies to float closer to the top of the well. I glared at the dead, offended that they had sunk where wishes should be made, instead of bodies being laid. Not that I thought the creatures of the Nine Realms believed in wishes. If they had, those days were long gone.

  A scent wafted through the air, causing my skin to prickle with awareness. Stifling a groan, I turned, staring over my shoulder into the shadows, searching for the male hunting me. I lifted my skirt, exposing my bare feet as I hurried over the old cobblestone street, slipping into one of the thatched-roof cottages.

  I placed a few pieces of spelled, smoky quartz at the doorway to hide my scent, protecting me from others sensing my presence. Slowly, I walked down the stairs that led to a large room filled with journals. Picking one up, I noticed they belonged to the Keeper of Notes, long since forgotten, along with his king, after Hecate banished their entire race for overstepping and going mad.

  I heard the sounds of the approaching army, pausing as Knox’s scent struck me, forcing my nose to the air as I inhaled deeply. The door above opened, and I moved, rushing further down the staircase that spiraled into the earth, opening to a long, moss-filled hallway with doors lining both sides of the walls. Sprinting forward, I slid into one of the many doorways, discovering a hidden alcove.

  Dark, husky laughter haunted me, Knox’s heavy footfalls echoing as he slowly made his way down the stairs. I slid behind the wall, backing against a moss-covered doorway. Closing my eyes, I tried to calm my racing heart and emotions. Slowly, so slowly, I lowered myself to the ground, and my legs burned from the strain. Reaching in my pocket, I produced a handful of quartz, placing them on the floor to protect the space I held.

  “Aria, I can smell you. You’re so fucking close that I can taste you in the air,” Knox taunted, his voice coming from every direction at once. The sexy, deep, rich baritone slid through me, creating a storm of need that only he could create within me. I hated and craved him, which was confusing among a mess of emotions that offended me down to my toenails. “Are you afraid? I smell… fear.” The sound of his heavy boots moved over the moss-covered ground I’d just run over. “I miss the feel of your body beneath mine, and the sweet noises you make when I’m buried deep within your tight cunt. I miss the smell of your hair against my nose when I wake from slumber, wrapped around your heat, holding you close against me. Enough running, Little Monster, I want to taste you dripping down my face. Let me give you what you crave, what we both crave from one another.”

  He stopped in front of me, his jaw clenching as he inhaled deeply. His oceanic eyes narrowed to slits as he looked at the floor where the moss showed my last footprint stopping.

  His body turned, and he stared through me, the crystals protecting me from discovery. The door at my back was covered in thick moss, a tattletale sign that I hadn’t gone through. His dark head canted as the men entered the narrow hallway of the alcove. Knox lowered his head slightly, and I held my breath while he looked right into m
y eyes that widened with worry.

  “The rooms over here are disturbed,” Killian called from further down the hallway, causing Knox to turn toward him.

  When had Killian walked past? How was he at the far end of the hallway without passing me? My attention moved back to Knox, taking in the sleek, rippling muscles beneath his shirt, which did little to conceal the hard-lined contours that my hands wished to trace. No matter how many times I saw Knox, the sheer power and dominance of his presence always struck me.

  Relief washed through me when Knox appeared to be moving on, but he paused, slowly turning back toward the door where I stood. He lunged without warning, and I spun, barely missing his hands as he shoved his way through the door behind me. My trembling hands lifted to my lips, holding a scream at bay, and I closed my eyes, relieved that I’d placed the quartz around me to keep my presence hidden.

  Knox moved through the doorway, pausing as he turned, inhaling my scent. His nostrils flared, eyes mocking as he stared at me directly, like he could sense me there, but couldn’t see me.

  “She was just here. I smell roses, and mutt,” he snarled, turning toward the doorway where Lore appeared, frowning as he inspected the room. “I want Dimitri tracked down and handled. He isn’t with the others if the smell of his aroused state clings to Aria like perfume.”

  “I thought…”

  “You thought fucking wrong, Lore,” Knox interjected, cutting him off. His tone offered no answer to Lore’s question. Nor did Lore persist, choosing to drop the subject abruptly. “Leave it alone. The rats have eyes, and the walls have pretty flowers listening to our every word.”

  I didn’t dare breathe or move my eyes from the room that held enormous, bird-like skeletal remains. I had to refrain from gasping as large, colorful feather plumes glowed with magic. Knox pushed a wall open inside the room, smiling coldly at whatever he’d found. I worried my lip with my teeth, barely standing back as Brander moved through the doorway. Bumping my arm, he stopped and spun to look behind him.

  My blood turned to ice in my veins, preparing to run from them, knowing I wouldn’t get far with the army outside the house and the men within it. Brander swung his arm, and I ducked just before it would have struck me.

  “This place gives me the creeps,” Brander muttered, running his hand over his mouth before moving to where Knox stood.

  “Get the men in here and have them collect the journals,” Knox stated. “She isn’t getting what she’s after today. If Aria wants these, she can ask me nicely.”

  I barely managed to stifle a snort as they exited the room, moving back into the long, winding hallway. The men with Knox gathered outside the doorway. Swallowing, I reached into my pocket, grabbing the remainder of the spelled quartz I’d taken from the tomb. Closing my eyes, I exhaled, moving with inhuman speed. I stepped out of the circle, tossing the quartz to shield the entire doorway leading to the journals.

  Ocean blue eyes locked with mine, my lips curving into a victorious smile. I stepped back, tilting my head while his heated gaze slid down my body. Knox and I fought hard, but anytime we caught sight of the other, we looked for injuries, or at least I did. Him, on the other hand, well, he was probably sizing my head up for his throne, deciding what to do with the rest of my corpse.

  “That was really stupid, Aria,” Knox snorted, his smile all wolf, lifting at the corners of his mouth, promising to draw blood. “How do you plan on escaping a room guarded against the use of magic?” he asked, and the color drained from my face. “Are you planning to spend the night in there?”

  I frowned, cocking my head to the side. I sent feelers out, sliding my magic through the room, smiling at him. Knox’s magic may not have worked within the room, but mine did. His body moved closer, sending his power slithering over my bare midriff, causing my eyes to grow hooded with need.

  “You’re moaning, Aria,” he announced through a gravelly tone. He leaned casually against the doorframe as his eyes slid over my body, sending thunder rumbling through me, as lightning struck every part of me that came to life in his presence. “Remove the spell and let me ease the tension you’re experiencing. You and I both know how this ends. You’re only delaying the inevitable by running from me.”

  “I like the tension you cause me. It’s a reminder of how tense I’ll be when you remove my head for your throne,” I swallowed a moan, inhaling his aphrodisiac scent that fed life to every cell in my body.

  “Oh, sweet girl, I had something else in mind for that head. I enjoy that tongue of yours entirely too much to remove it, or the pretty head in which it’s attached. I also enjoy how hot you burn beneath me when I am buried within that tight, clenching cunt of yours.”

  I swallowed hard and loud. Knox had a crude mouth, but damn did it do delicious things that made my legs clamp together at the memory. He smiled with an intensity burning in his eyes that almost caused my flesh to combust and catch fire.

  “Stop looking at me like that.”

  “Looking at you like what?” he smirked as liquid desire pooled between my apex.

  “Stop looking at me like you’re about to consume me and spit out my bones. It’s disturbing because I’m pretty certain I’d enjoy it, up to the point where you left me in a pool of blood and bones.” His lips jerked, and his eyes narrowed to mere slits as his nostrils flared at the moisture collecting in my panties.

  I absolutely hated the words moist and dripping, yet both words were terrifyingly accurate for describing what he did to my pussy. A mere look, or the sound of his sultry voice like gravel, scraped over every nerve ending until my cunt dripped for him. He was a bastard for knowing how he affected me, and I was a masochist for craving him the way I did.

  “Lay down. Spread your legs, show me what belongs to me, and I promise to devour it endlessly for hours. I won’t leave you in a heap of blood and bones, but I will leave you boneless, and craving the feel of me buried in that tight, heated sheath that even now clenches from the memory of how it felt stretching while I wrote my name on your insides.”

  “Damn,” I swallowed, and my nipples grew hard with need, pushing against my top’s fabric. My spine arched subtly, and my legs tightened together. I hated that Knox knew I was considering his offer. The triumphant look burning in his eyes forced a sultry purr to escape my lungs, finding purchase through my lips, opening as my tongue slid over them. “That was smooth, asshole.”

  “Not as smooth as that naked flesh that I want to taste. Can I eat that pussy, Aria? I’ll even give you control and allow you to ride my face if you promise to let me taste the honey coating your cunt. Remove the crystals and get the fuck on my mouth. You know you want it as much as I do. I can see the need burning in your eyes.”

  “That’s not happening. Though if we’re honest? I do miss the feel of you beneath me, stretching me, taking me until every part of my body aches from your abuse. However, we’re not being honest, and it isn’t happening. I’m the prey, and you’re the carnivore that intends to devour me. You’re not gnawing on my bones, so stop with your deliciously dirty mouth, because I haven’t had a single orgasm in months. I’m a very needy bitch who is experiencing some very hostile emotions about you right now.”

  “I’m right here, Little Monster. Take that aggression out on me. I’ll even let you tie me up if it makes you feel safer.”

  I smirked at the idea of him bound and a slave to my every whim and desire. However, we both knew it would be more for my benefit because neither rope nor chain would ever contain Knox. I worried my lip with my teeth, causing his eyes to dip to my mouth as they filled with lust and desire.

  We both remembered the only time he’d ever been helpless. I’d been on my knees with him buried in my throat and at my mercy. I stepped back as he stepped forward, rattling low and needy in his chest. I purred, knowing he scented the arousal he’d created within me. He was a storm, and I was the land that prepared to be ravished beneath his endless torment.

  “Let me in.”

  “Pass,” I
smirked, watching the anger rising to fill his gaze as he held mine. “I am so wet right now. Maybe I’ll get myself off while you watch. Would you like that?”

  “We both know that you can’t come without me right now. Your heat is upon you, which means nothing short of me buried within that tight haven will get you off, Aria. Right now, your body pulses with need; a need so deep and extensive that nothing you do will ease the ache in your cunt. You need me. For this, you need me, and only me. You and I both know the truth of what is happening, and yet you think you’re strong enough to ignore it. You’re not. No one is. You’re in heat, and only I will touch you. Anyone else who attempts to ease your aching need will die by either your hand or mine. I care not which of us ends the life of the poor bastard that touches my woman. You’re mine and only mine. We both know that, too. You’re only prolonging your pain, Sweet Girl. It’s inevitable. You can’t fight your need any more than you can fight evolution. Now remove the fucking crystals so I can give you what we both need right now.”

  “Come and get me if you’re man enough. Break the wards, and you can fucking have me,” I taunted, watching the muscles in his jawline clench as his throat bunched together, his need as great as my own. I smiled, lifting my skirt to show him precisely how drenched for him I really was. “Here’s the honey. Let’s see how you get through my magic to taste it, Knox. I crave your sting, and yet you’re all bark and no bite. Pity,” I stated, pushing my fingers through the wetness to lick one as he watched me, his eyes locking onto the tip of my finger as my lips wrapped around it, and I moaned loudly. “Pussy, it’s not what you’re having for dinner. I taste like you need to fuck me.” I dropped my skirt, stepping back as his smile turned cruel, and his features sharpened like he was fighting his creature for control. My fingers moved over the hollow column of my throat, and I slowly stepped back again, showing him that the crystals moved with me. “That’s what I thought, pussy.”