by K. M. Scott
“Are you alone in there?” Noele asked as she searched the back of the cell for Navarus.
As if she read her mind, Macaria nodded and sadly said, “He separated us. I haven’t seen him in ages. He’s a vicious tyrant. Don’t trust him. He will hurt you like he hurt me, his flesh and blood.”
Hades groaned like this encounter bored him and took Noele by the hand again. “Time to go, pet.”
She had so many questions she wanted to ask Macaria, but how could she when Hades stood right there? Reluctantly, she let him pull her away from the cell.
They made it a few feet away before Macaria yelled, “The child will defeat you, father. Your time ruling this world is nearly to an end!”
Her threat didn’t seem to faze Hades, and as they left through the gate to Tartarus and began walking back up to his throne room, Noele wondered if Macaria knew that for sure. She so wished she could ask her, but she knew she had to keep pretending to not care about her claim or risk the pain that would surely come from Hades’ anger.
Even more than that, Noele worried her son wasn’t ready for the destiny that would come from defeating the god of the Underworld. He was only a little boy, no matter how fast he’d aged. How would he ever deal with the power that came from defeating Hades?
Chapter Two
The Order’s headquarters buzzed with excitement, making Theron want to just begin this fucking war and stop all this meeting and planning bullshit. The rest of the Sons had been anticipating this war with the Archons for decades and centuries. How much more talking had to happen before they just accepted it had begun and they did what they had been chosen to do?
Elders hurried past him as he headed toward the main conference room, and he watched with amusement as their long black robes made it hard for them to move as fast as they wanted to. Not exactly active wear. He couldn’t even imagine how they sat around in those things all the time. His mind drifted to things other than the impending battle, like did they wear clothes under their robes or did they let everything hang free under them?
With a chuckle, he thought maybe if he could free ball, he might consider being an Elder someday. Well, only if those robes weren’t scratchy. No one wanted prickly fabric rubbing up against their balls.
That thought was quickly replaced with the reality he knew all too well.
If he got out of this Archon war alive, he would never have the luxury of just lolling around the Order’s headquarters naked under those long black robes and discussing issues of the vampire world. His fate held a far different future. If he survived the war, he was to be the ruler of the Underworld.
Not that the idea held a whole lot of pleasure for him. He’d never been down there, but just the name said it all. Underworld. No sun. Beneath the world where all the life existed. For a young clyten vampire, the thought of being bound to that place did little to make him look forward to much of anything.
So while the rest of the Sons of Navarus made plans for their lives after the war, lives full of hope and anticipation they willingly wanted to fight to protect, all Theron had to fight for was the fact that he was born for this very purpose and had only the present to live for.
He walked into the main conference room and saw everyone had arrived already. Well, not everyone. Nico was missing.
“I think we can put away any hope that your friend Nico has remained loyal to the Sons of Navarus,” he said as he made his way across the white marble floor toward the table where all the Sons and their mates sat.
Not a single one of them responded to his statement, but they didn’t need to. They knew as well as he what Nico was. Traitor. The Son who had been there the longest mentoring generations of warriors had given up and gone to the other side.
Theron stopped at the spot at the head of the table they’d left empty for him. Leaning down, he firmly placed his hands on the table and looked at each of the vampires gathered there in front of him waiting for what he had to say. Just two years ago, they’d come to see him as his mother held him lovingly in her arms, proudly showing off her baby boy. Now they’d come to listen to him as their leader.
If only his parents could see him now.
“I hope you all had an enjoyable final night and got everything you needed to in order. The time has come.”
Terek leaned forward and looked down the long table at him. “We’ve heard nothing to indicate the war has begun, Theron. Have you heard something?”
Christ, this one in particular seemed to want to drag his feet. What was with this guy? He knew how to fight. He was revered in the vampire world as a great warrior who’d vanquished thousands in battle. Why the hell did he seem to be so intent on avoiding this war?
Theron only had to look to Terek’s left to know the answer. The beautiful blond who sat next to him, a petite thing who looked at her mate like the world revolved around his every thought. He didn’t mind Ilona, especially since she took such good care of his sister, but Theron didn’t have time for lovesick vampires too afraid to fight because they had so much to lose.
Just as he opened his mouth to tell Terek the time had come to fucking step up, an Elder hurriedly shuffled across the floor toward them, breathing heavily like he’d run all the way there. When he stopped next to Theron, the old vampire with the wrinkled face sighed and his whole body seemed to collapse under the weight of his task at that moment.
“I come with news, terrible news. Reports have come in that Ramiel has attacked Archons across the continent, killing dozens. Archon headquarters has gone into lockdown mode.”
Then he took a deep breath and hung his head. “The war has begun.”
For a moment, it felt like time stopped as no one around the table, including Theron, moved or even breathed. The Elder’s words hung in the air all around them.
The war has begun.
As the old vampire slowly walked away, all Theron could think of was how happy he was that the time had finally come. Good. Those fuckers had killed his mother. It was high time they paid for that.
His father had done the right thing. Attack the Archons before they attacked the Sons and their allies. Leave it to Ramiel to step up like a Son should.
Looking down the table at Terek, who now sat with his head hung and frowning, Theron answered his question from a few moments earlier. “There’s your indication, courtesy of my father.”
Seated next to Terek, Vasilije smiled. “Leave it to that Visigoth to take things into his own hands. I have to admit I’d expected this to come before now. He must have been planning his attacks all this time.”
“Well, whatever he was doing, the war’s begun, thanks to my father, so now we move. We don’t have time to drag our feet or discuss what should happen anymore. We’re at war, so now we attack.”
He half expected some kind of resistance from one or more of the other Sons, but not a single one said a word, so he continued. “Vasilije and Terek, you’ll fight with the dragons in the east. Aim for any and all Archons you can find. The dragons will be up against the European witches who likely know the geography as well as the dragons and you two do, so don’t underestimate them. And you should expect Hades and his creatures to come to the witches’ rescue if things start looking good for you.”
Terek slowly nodded, but didn’t say anything. Vasilije smiled and shrugged before nudging his friend. “Looks like we get to fight with our friends this time. You ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Terek said in a somber voice.
Before that vampire’s worry could infect everyone around the table, Theron turned to Saint and Solenne who sat closer to his end of the table holding hands. Neither one had ever appeared unwilling to fight, which he liked, so he expected less feet-dragging from the two of them.
“Saint, you and Solenne will be fighting with the weres in Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Expect things to get nasty fast since the witches will be bringing out the big guns when it comes to spells to keep the weres down. I suspect that most of the Archons in th
ose areas have already made their way to Archon headquarters, but knowing the weres prefer to keep to their home turf in that region, I think you should expect the witches to come at them hard. I wouldn’t put it past Hades and his daemons to show up too.”
Nearly as serious as Terek but nowhere as reluctant, Saint nodded. “That’s all fine and good, but I need everyone here to understand that Verrater is mine and Solenne’s. That goes for you too, Theron. I don’t care who thinks they have more right to that bastard. You don’t. He’s hurt my family the most, so we get to kill him. I’m not willing to negotiate on this.”
A quick glance around the table told Theron no one disagreed with Saint’s claim to Verrater’s death. “I don’t care what you do to him. He’s no one to me other than another goddamned Archon who needs to be eliminated. Whoever finds him will hold him for you two. Then it’s just a matter of what you want to do to him.”
Unlike most of the Sons, Saint ran on pure vengeance when it came to that Archon, but Theron could appreciate that. He knew what it felt like to eat, sleep, and breathe pure hatred for another being and think of nothing but how you planned to wipe them from the world, except his rage wasn’t focused on any one Archon. He wanted all the motherfuckers dead.
Next, he turned to Sion and Kali. His mechanical army would help them against the witches. Their fucking spells wouldn’t be as effective on machines like they would be against the weres and dragons.
“Sion, we’re going to need your drone army up and running as soon as possible. Kali, keep working on the Prophecy of Idolas for anything that might be able to help us.”
Smiling, she sighed. “I just hope I can find something, anything to help.”
Her mate turned to look at her and shook his head. “You cracked that thing practically all on your own. You’ve already helped more than you can know.”
For the first time, Dante spoke up. “Yeah, nobody thinks Sion, Ramiel, and Thane did the heavy lifting on that.”
As always happened when anyone mentioned Thane’s name, the feeling amongst them all changed. Theron had never met that Son and had heard enough about him to know he’d betrayed them nearly as badly as Nico, so he struggled to understand why any of them ever looked sad when his name came up. Well, all but Vasilije, the one he’d betrayed the most. Whenever he was around and Thane’s name was mentioned, all he did was narrow his eyes to angry slits.
Recognizing what he’d said and seeing the reaction of his fellow Sons and friends, Dante quickly asked with a smile, “So do I just get to hang out here with the robed dudes or what?”
“No, you will head up the clytens and join with Scarlett and the American witches. After what happened with her coven already, I expect them to be in danger now that the war has begun. I also expect that your friend Nero, the Archon from New York, might not be so friendly now that the fighting has started. If he’s still on our side, all well and good, but if not, take him out along with any other American Archon. They don’t get spared just because they’re over there. They made their choice. Now they’ll have to die for it.”
Dante had no joke to follow that, so Theron continued. “I’m going to follow my father’s lead and take out as many Archons as I can in Europe. Keep in mind that Nico is the enemy now, so if I see him, he’ll get the same treatment the Archons will. The sooner we eliminate all of the other side, no matter who they are, the sooner this war ends. That means if any of us find him, he needs to be killed.”
All of them reacted with shock at how plainly he stated the truth, but Theron quickly read each of their minds to find out what they planned to do about Nico. Each one understood the necessity of treating their old friend as the true enemy he now was. Even Terek, whose mind was filled with sadness at the thought of what he must do because of the choices Nico had made.
While he visited each of their thoughts, he found Kali’s not focused on Nico but on what he must do with Hades. Of course, she’d be thinking about that. She’d spoken to him several times about that very topic since she deciphered his future in the prophecy and saw it entangled with the god of the Underworld’s.
But he needed to keep his eye on the immediate fight in front of him. The Archons needed to be eliminated first before any defeat of Hades could happen.
“As Kali will be back here at all times, if any of us need help, let her know. For now, we understand what we have to do.”
With that, he turned to leave as the rest of the Sons and their mates said their goodbyes. He didn’t know if any of them would ever see one another again, so he didn’t begrudge them these final few moments together. For him, though, he had another place in the world to be.
Just as he stepped out into the dark hallway, Kali and Dante caught up with him. Quickly, he scanned their minds and saw what they were thinking. Neither one seemed to have war in their thoughts, oddly enough.
Dante pushed him on the shoulder and smiled. “Hey, tell that crazy father of yours I miss him and his miserable ways, okay? And tell him I want to see him again, so don’t do anything stupid. That goes for you, too. Got it?”
“Still trying to boss me around like you used to when you were my babysitter,” Theron said, remembering those happy days he and his clyten friend used to spend together in the sun as his parents slept.
“Old habits die hard, you know? So just don’t get yourself killed, all right? And if you find yourself looking for excitement, the clyten regiment can always use another one, and since you fit the bill on that…”
He let his sentence trail off before wrapping his arms around Theron in a hug that surprised him. “Seriously, though, find your father and get those fuckers who took her away, okay?” he whispered in his ear before backing away. “Take care, Theron. See you soon.”
As he watched Dante walk back into the conference room, he thought about how good his friendship with him had been, even when he didn’t deserve any kindness back when they were in the States. Theron hoped after the war ended and life for vampires changed for the better that they’d see one another again.
Alone with Kali, he didn’t have to consider what she wanted to say to him. He read it perfectly in her mind, so he said it first. Looking down at the small female who had done so much for the Sons and the Order, he smiled. “I know what you’re thinking, and you don’t have to worry so much. That whole Hades thing will happen when it happens. Until then, I have to focus on helping my father kill as many Archons as possible.”
She took his hand and gave it a sympathetic squeeze. “I don’t have much more to do with the prophecy when it comes to this war. The sides have been drawn, and the battles will be fought. I worry about the effect of Hades’ daemons when it comes to our side, but I believe in the Sons and our allies. What’s left for me to figure out all revolves around your defeat of Hades, Theron, so that’s what I’ll be working on.”
He saw tears well in her eyes and wondered why. She’d already told him the Prophecy of Idolas said he’d defeat Hades, so what was the problem?
“Have you kept something back from me about my beating Hades?” he asked, sure she couldn’t have since he’d read her mind over and over and found nothing she’d hidden from him.
She smiled and shook her head. “I know you can read my mind, but I have a feeling that gift of yours might allow you to see what you want. I’ve been worried about you fighting Hades since I first deciphered that part. Hades is a god, Theron. For all your gifts and abilities, you’re only a vampire. I’m afraid of what you’ll have to endure to end his reign in the Underworld.”
For a moment, he thought about that very idea of what Hades was and what he wasn’t and smiled. “I don’t have a choice, do I? I never have before, so if I do on this, give me a head’s up.”
Kali rolled her eyes. “I’m not kidding. This is a huge thing. He’s a god, Theron.”
“And I’m not, yet still the prophecy says I’ll defeat him. Since the prophecy predicted I’d be born from the only born vampire who could give birth to me, and then it p
redicted all the abilities I’d have, which I do have, I’m putting my money on Idolas and his prophecy. He says I’ll defeat Hades. So I’ll defeat him.”
She grabbed his forearm, and with a grave look in her eyes, stared up at him. “That’s not how prophecies work. If that were the case, this war wouldn’t be a big deal at all. But it is. Vampires will be killed. And I’d like to remind you that the Prophecy of Idolas said nothing of the Bliss epidemic the Archons have set loose on the vampire world. Prophecies give us the rough outlines. Real life and now fills in the details. Please don’t forget that, Theron.”
“Okay, Kali. I won’t forget. If you find out anything about what will happen with Hades, let me know.”
She sighed and then opened the door to the conference room. Light spilled out into the hallway, and Theron took one last look at the rest of the Sons of Navarus. His father belonged there with them, and now he had to find him so the two of them could exact their revenge on those fucking Archons for what they took from them.
As for Hades, he’d get to him when the time came. Whatever was to happen, Theron knew one thing for sure. He’d been born to fight the evil in the vampire world, and that’s what he’d do.
He didn’t have a choice.
Chapter Three
Marc Verrater stood silently in Magistrate Consera’s office wondering if he had organized the attacks on the Archons himself considering how beneficial they’d been for him. Any stragglers who weren’t sure now was the time to go to war with the Sons instantly came over to the magistrate’s side when they heard about what that fucking animal Visigoth had done to so many of them.
So much for any opposition on their side. Now that all the Archons had been persuaded of the necessity for unity and the witches were fully on board, along with Hades’ daemons, all that was left was for the fighting to begin.
