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

  “I do want you, woman.”

  “Yeah, to use me as a weapon against those who seek to oppress you and your people? I am neither wanted nor craved by you. I am simply a means to an end. I don’t think anyone has ever wanted me, not simply just for me.” My eyes peeked open a sliver, and I found him frowning at me. “Don’t misunderstand, Knox. My family loves me very much, but I am the strongest player in their game. I know that, to them, I am also a weapon. It would be nice if just one person wanted me because I was worth wanting. Maybe someday, right? When this war is won by you or by me, and you no longer care where I am, I will find a man who craves me for who I am as a person, instead of the power within me. That would be the dream, wouldn’t it? To be worthy of one being who just wants me and likes who I am,” I swallowed thickly.

  “I want you right now, Aria. I dream of the time you spent in my basement. The day you discarded your human skin and let go of those emotions and inhibitions. You shed your morals like snakes shed their skin, revealing the beast within you. I’ve seen you at your rawest, most vulnerable, yet truest self. You fought me, and I fucked you harder for assuming you had what it took to take me on. You liked it and begged me for more. You lost control, and I didn’t. You became this beautiful little monster who raged, pleaded, and lifted that sexy ass into the air, urging me forward to take what you so willingly offered. You are a savage. You wouldn’t settle for someone just wanting you. You’d want them to crave you with intensity, and fight you when that anger rips through you with savagery. Admit it, that’s why you didn’t feel shit with Dimitri’s kiss. He lacked everything you crave from me. He isn’t man enough for you, and the moment you fought him, he’d bow to you, and that isn’t what you want from a man. You want someone strong enough to bend you over and pull that hair while destroying your sensibility with every thrust into that tight cunt. You need someone that will dominate you in bed because it’s the only way your creature will allow it to happen. Just as mine demands you yield, yours demands to be earned and subdued. It’s why she fought me before letting me fuck her.

  “You’re just like me, Aria, whether or not you like it. We are monsters clothed in a package that eases other’s fears because if they ever looked upon us in our truest form, we’d feast on their bones. You and me, we’re not created for dreams. We’re created for nightmares, and we’re okay with that. We’re smart enough to know that dreams are sweet whispers of promises that never happen or come true. Nightmares are what people fear most, praying they never unfold into reality. You never forget a nightmare because they haunt you forever.”

  I swallowed, placing my palm flat onto the floor as a portal opened beneath me. His eyes narrowed to slants. I lifted my head, smirking at him.

  “That’s where you are wrong. I am someone’s dream, and you’re my nightmare, Knox.”

  Passing through the portal, I landed in a field of soft flowers, peering around the space before I moved through the long grass toward the woods. I was exhausted, but that man was frustrating and tiring me out on purpose.

  His eyes mocked me, forcing me to hear what his lips didn’t speak. He’d taken me right back to that basement, forcing me to relive every sinful act we’d done, right down to the ones that had been painful, and yet I’d roared his name, urging him on. Some shit remained in the dark, and him getting his jollies over his time with my creature was one of those things.

  Rubbing my eyes, I studied the terrain, forcing my gaze toward the keep I couldn’t breach because of their wards, barriers, and protection crystals. Frowning, I gazed around the field until I found a cliffside, knowing if nothing else, I could catch enough sleep inside before the sun rose.

  Chapter Eight

  Hands grabbed me, yanking me up from the cave floor where I’d found respite from Knox and his men to indulge in sleep. Ocean blue eyes locked with mine. The smile curving Knox’s lip was sexy and bespoke of victory.

  He wore nothing more than a pair of loose hanging jeans that clung from his hips. The raven on his hipbone drew my gaze, holding my attention as it shifted, lifting its head, peering at me before opening its beak.

  Knox pulled me against his heated flesh, running his hands down my sides. The scent that hit me was overwhelming, turning my mind to mush. His subtle deep purring had my body on high alert. My entire female anatomy dancing and purring in harmony with his as his warm mouth brushed against my shoulder before sinking his fangs into my flesh. Instinct took over, and my body betrayed me as my ass lifted for him.

  I didn’t care that he’d caught me, or how he’d found me. I needed him to soothe the ache within me. I needed Knox to end the animalistic craving continually pulsing from deep in my soul. I rattled the moment he removed his mouth, noting how his eyes slid down my face, settling on my lips.

  “You look like you’re starving,” he murmured huskily.

  “I am. I’m absolutely starving. Feed me, Knox. Feed me all of you,” my voice coming out breathy and full of lust sounded as if it belonged to someone else.

  The rocky cave floor turned cool and smooth. I looked down to see that I was standing on marbled tiles. Gasping, I lifted my head and surveyed my surroundings. The cave was gone, and in its place was Knox’s library. I loved this library.

  Slowly, I tried to step away from him, but he didn’t allow it. Knox grabbed the bottom of my top, removed it, lowering his head to flick my nipple with his tongue. His sharp fangs nicked the raised peak, and I moaned, calling out in pleasure as dark laughter vibrated through him.

  His hand slid to my throat, moving my head to the side as his teeth skimmed the flesh. Knox’s loud purr echoed through the room as he kicked my feet apart, running the tip of his finger against my opening. My eyes slid down, finding myself completely bared to his touch. This man undid me, stripping me naked as he made my soul come alive.

  He was a fire in my veins that burned without warning, driving my mind to a sizzling inferno that raged out of control. His mouth found mine, kissing me until breathing became irrelevant, and my need for him grew. My heartbeat echoed in my ears, mirroring thunder’s sound in an electrical storm with no pulse between strikes.

  He pushed me back onto the couch and turned me onto my stomach before licking against my core from behind like a starving beast devouring his kill. I felt him against my pelvic bone, lapping hungrily as he sent my body rushing into orgasm.

  The sound Knox made against my sex was a raw, angry noise echoing through his chest and down his body, dancing over my opening as a purr exploded from my throat. A low purr escaped from deep in his chest, pleased to feed me white-hot pleasure, causing me to vibrate and pulse. I came until my body lurched forward to rest on the bed.

  My head lifted, and I rose to my elbows, looking down at the bed. Hearing a moan to my left, I slid my attention to the couch, shocked to see another version of me and Knox, his face buried between my legs, lavishing me. I cried out his name like he was my salvation. I watched in confusion, then felt something push against my opening and stiffened.

  Peering over my shoulder, I found Knox number one parting my ass cheeks to gaze at my sex. The tip of his cock slid against my opening, gathering my wetness along his shaft, and he groaned, testing my readiness to take him.

  The version of Knox behind me was pure lust in the most primitive form. Dark power exuded from him, and I let myself feel it for a moment. In that instant, there was just the two of us. I was a needy ball of nerves driven by desire. He was burning with hunger, ready to devour me, and that was all that mattered.

  I felt him entering my body, burning with his invasion as muscles stretched to accommodate his inhuman size. Hands gripped my thighs, spreading me further as he shoved me to the bed, pushing into me again and again. I screamed, crying out loudly at how fully he filled me.

  The mindlessness he made me feel was absolute. He picked me up, shoved me against the wall, and lifted me, burying himself within me once more. My gaze moved to the bed where we once were, and yet another version of us was on di
splay. Knox number three pounded recklessly into my body, his ass tightening with each thrust as he entered my heat.

  The version of me on the couch smiled in my direction as Knox number two continued to feast on her sex. Her head turned to watch as Knox number one held me pinned against the wall, driving mercilessly into my core as he rattled, creating slick arousal, demanding I take more of him.

  “What the hell is happening?” I whispered. Dark wings slid from Knox’s spine, preventing me from seeing anything other than him as an orgasm rocked through me.

  I felt the library’s cold marble floor beneath me as he laid me down and rolled me around. I straddled the glorious beast that held me pinned to his body, impaled by his large, thick cock. I smiled down at him, rocking my hips in a move I knew drove him to the edge of his sanity.

  Eyes the color of freshly polished black onyx held my gaze, embers burning within their inky depths as he peered up at me. His hands cupped my breasts, and I whimpered, noting how sensitive they felt.

  I looked around the room, noting all the other versions of me were watching us. I moved, clenching hungrily onto him as the orgasm slowly built in my core. My vision blurred, and I started to bend over to claim his mouth, but the sight of my round stomach stopped me cold.

  Panic ripped through me, and my hands lifted to my belly, slowly rubbing the swollen flesh. My heart jackknifed, and I whimpered as tiny feet pushed against my hand. Knox touched the babe within me, holding his hand against mine.

  “This is what we will take from him,” my creature whispered as Knox sat up, cupping my cheeks between his hands. “This is what he will give us, Aria. This is how we get rid of the cobwebs on our vagina.” I blinked, frowning. “You know, this is why we have a vagina. Put it to use, and we’re both happy! Don’t use it, and it will look like this!” I stared down, looking at my very flat, very smooth, plastic-looking, Barbie-like flesh between my legs, minus a vagina. On my knees were cobwebs with a spider dangling between my legs. I slapped at it, as Knox snickered very familiarly. “You deserve it since you don’t seem to know how to use your vagina!”

  “Creature!” I snapped, shivering as pain sliced through me, causing me to peer at Knox, who spoke with my voice.

  His image wavered until another version of me was looking into my eyes, holding my face. My eyes searched her face, and I shook my head. Had I eaten something poisonous? My hands tightened, and all around me, the other versions of Knox and me moved closer. I stared into the eyes of Knox number one as he moved his mouth. Sounds echoed in my ears, and yet I couldn’t make out the words.

  I gasped as pain entered my awareness. I felt the oily touch of dark magic and whimpered. My eyes slid to my belly, finding it smooth and flat once more. A tremble of unease slithered through me, wrapping around my throat as panic entered my mind.

  “Wake up, Sweet Monster,” Knox whispered, standing in front of me.

  He forced me to move, pushing my double out of his way. His hands clapped against my cheeks with his claws extended. Knox shook me forcefully as I cried out, alerted to more than his angry scream. His face morphed into that of a monster, his tone urgent and immediate.

  “Wake the fuck up! Now, Aria!” Knox shouted, and I whimpered as something struck me, hard.

  My eyes snapped open, revealing black-eyed witches surrounding me. Blood caked my face, both dried and fresh. My blood painted the white skirt and top I wore, and I could feel bruises and cuts aplenty over my body. One witch smiled crudely, her empty stare holding mine as she lifted her hand once more, slamming it against my cheek.

  Pain filled my mind, knowing they’d tried to fuck with my head. They might have succeeded if my creature hadn’t forced me into a sex dream with Knox and our doppelgangers. My body was a mass of welts and bruises and a few cuts here and there. I’d survive the pain because whatever lived within me, she’d gone ten times harder against Knox, and we’d survived. A fist lifted, slamming against my nose, causing lights to explode in my vision.

  I dropped my head back, laughing softly until it bubbled up in my chest, escaping louder until the witches stopped assaulting me. They stood quietly, watching what they assumed was a nervous breakdown unfolding.

  “You thought you could pass by our land without offering tribute to us?” one witch snarled, and I turned my attention toward her, laughing harder at her narrowing glare.

  “Couldn’t get past the crystals,” I admitted, letting the laughter subside.

  “What are you talking about?” she demanded through blackened teeth, threatened to disintegrate if she ground them together too hard.

  “I couldn’t get into the castle to murder you because your wards and protection spell prevented it. So, what’s a girl to do? I let you assume you’d captured me so I could gain entry,” I laughed, yanking on the rope that held me, inhaling the scent of fire as it burned the ropes that secured me to the ceiling.

  I smiled coldly, watching the panic igniting within their eyes, and laughed soundlessly. These witches screwed up and walked me through the front door, and I was about to bring their house down on their fucking heads.

  Chapter Nine

  Black magic rushed toward me, but I sent it right back at them by simply lifting my hands. I stretched my arms, cracked my neck, and smiled at their horrified looks as my teeth slid free, along with razor-sharp claws. I watched the witches slowly backing away, prowling closer, I smiled coldly.

  “Sometimes, you just have to play a damsel to create some distress. Anywho, you’ve been charged, judged, and I’m here to execute you all. Who wants to die first?” I asked, watching them tremble as the Hecate insignia glowed brightly on my forehead.

  I studied the witches as they ran from me, dark magic sizzling around them as their panicked minds searched for an escape from the monster they’d brought in through the front gates. Their screams never escaped past their lips as my power rushed through them, shattering them, painting the walls in blood. The hallway emptied of living witches, and I smirked, heading toward the potion room, knowing what I needed was within.

  Stepping through the entrance, I paused, letting my gaze slide over the potions brewing, sending steam billowing into the air. It smelled of lemongrass and sage, an enticing combination. Tiny round vials filled with glowing liquid piqued my interest. Lifting one bottle to my nose, I inhaled and frowned.

  Still holding the bottle, I spun as a single witch entered the room, her dress flowing behind her. She lifted her hand to draw magic, but she wasn’t quick enough as mine held hers in check. I tossed the bottle at her, watching the horror play on her face as it slammed against her body. I ducked the moment it struck. The room shook with an explosion, forcing me to lift from my hiding place behind a table. I peered over it through the remainder of magic vials.

  “Holy shit.” I watched as the witch continued staring at me with a horrified expression as her body melted.

  I could see through her stomach to the rest of the wall still behind her. My attention slid from the dying witch to the pile of bottles next to me, carefully stepping further away from them. On the far shelf that lined the back wall were ancient tomes. I moved toward them, ignoring the witch behind me, as she slowly and silently got her goop on with the floor. Talk about a hot mess!

  My fingers brushed over the leather spines of the books, and a smile played on my lips. I loved books and the scent of melting witch in the morning. Actually, the witch reeked, causing my eyes to water and my nose to wrinkle at the stench.

  “Book of Potions?” I asked the witch, turning to find her head gone, and her organs slowly bubbling over her hips bones. “Bad day, huh?” I asked the room, frowning as I heard footsteps shuffling above me.

  I had no idea how deep into the castle I was, but I could sense enough to realize I was underneath at least one or more floors from the ground level. The decay of earth was rife, and like most potion rooms, this one sat nestled into the soil. Examining the room’s contents, I studied the large skulls from unknown creatures marked
with runes and other strange carvings.

  Stepping closer, I lowered my head to inspect one skull up close, frowning when I felt power pulsing from the inhuman, unproportioned skull. It was yet another gigantic bird or something similar to the skull I found in the village. Apparently, people collected things like these in the Nine Realms.

  Another skull caught my attention, sending a shiver down my spine. I moved closer and paused. Swallowing hard against the unease I felt, I placed my hand onto it, frowning as the room spun around me.

  I could see images flashing before me of creatures fighting against unseen foes. A man beside me rattled, exposing serrated teeth and claws before the entire world mimicked the sound and a low, eerie purring escaped from those marching toward the dark shadows and mist waiting across the field, preparing for battle.

  Blood splattered my face, and I turned, releasing my hold on the skull as a man with turquoise eyes and silver hair stood staring at me. In his hand was the head of a witch whose prone body was on the floor beside me. He stared at me as a rattle echoed from deep within his chest, filling the room as he turned, placing his hand on the skull I’d been inspecting. Grabbing my hand, he held it to the skull, forcing us into the scene I’d just witnessed.

  “You are of both lines,” the male whispered, his nose pushing against my hair, inhaling as he rattled, which didn’t call to me, but strangely enough, it was soothing. It lacked Knox’s intensity, but I felt the call to answer him with one of my own.

  “Who are you?” I asked, uncertain that I really wanted to know.

  “You’re not ready for that answer, Little One.”

  “Are you, my father?” I turned to look at him as his lips twisted into a smirk.