Wars of the Underworld

by Olivia Ash

  Damien nodded. There was a glint in his eye that made Sadie narrow her eyes on him. “Care to explain that to me?”

  “I haven’t had sex with any of them. Instead, they pledged themselves with blood oaths. It’s not the strongest bond, as sex would make the bond unbreakable, but the blood oaths work just as well in this case. The difference is they can keep their souls. However, the bond is easily broken, so it takes some… creative methods to keep them in line and loyal to me.”

  Sadie lifted an eyebrow at that last part. “Why not just have sex with them and have an unbreakable bond?”

  “Sex without meaning is pointless, Sadie.”

  She accepted that. And appreciated his honesty. “Are they part of Astrid’s coven?”

  “There are a handful of Astrid’s coven here. They are not loyal to me, but have pledged an oath to serve in your efforts.”

  Sadie nodded. “Thank you. That is all. I have no need for a demonstration. Any questions?” She had addressed the group as a whole.

  The murmurs became unintelligible, but one phrase stuck out above the rest. They wanted to see the amulet as proof she was indeed the demon queen.

  She rolled her eyes, stood from the throne, and revealed the amulet. She even pushed into it some magic to make it glow. After a few moments, she retook her seat and asked, “Anything else?”

  More murmurs, but more excited ones as they exchanged random comments between each other. Finally, some heads shook, and Damien sighed.

  “I’ll take that as a ‘no.’ Please consider yourselves at home.”

  Damien nodded and led the group of witches out of the room.

  The next group was called forth, led by Steele as he walked in with a wink and a smile. Sadie laughed under her breath as he stopped in front of her as well.

  “Let me guess,” she said. “These are your succubi.”

  He nodded and looked over his shoulder at them. “They are.”

  Sadie noted there were only sixteen succubi in total, with another one seemingly royalty as she wore a circlet on her head and golden clothing that barely covered her unmentionables. She held her nose in the air, and when she looked at Sadie, her eyes narrowed.

  “Can you demonstrate your powers to me?” Sadie asked.

  The queen of succubi lifted an eyebrow. “I am Deseree, queen of the succubi. I shall be addressed accordingly.” Her words came out sharp with a hint at something Sadie couldn’t place, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to either.

  “Of course, Your Highness. As long as you regard me in the same respect.” Sadie held her head higher and sat a bit straighter. This queen wasn’t messing around. Deseree could just fuck off if she demanded respect that she wasn’t willing to give in return.

  The succubi queen shifted her gaze to Steele who stood at the foot of Sadie’s throne with his arms crossed over his chest. She nodded, though her fists were clenched at her sides. The other succubi behind her either shot dagger-filled glares at Sadie or looked longingly at Steele.

  “What can you do?” Sadie asked.

  Deseree held her head a bit higher. “We have specific skill sets that allow us to lure men and demons to their deaths. We survive on their life force and are granted powers in return for a short amount of time. Having us on your side would enable you to create distractions by separating the weaker-willed minds from the collective.”

  “I see,” Sadie said. “I presume Steele has discussed a different form of payment to you for your services?”

  “Indeed. But what we desire is our previous bargain to be upheld.” The queen shifted her gaze between Sadie and Steele.

  “That’s not going to happen,” Sadie said. “He belongs to me now and the payment we offer was more than compensating for the change in your previous agreement.”

  Deseree smiled. “Of course. There will always be room for further bargaining.”

  Sadie wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that and wasn’t willing to put more thought into it. It was clear she implied that they were going to get Steele one way or another.

  Good luck with that.

  Not.

  After she proved herself as the queen of demons, the succubi seemed more willing to accept the terms of her bargain. Though, she was convinced they were still ultimately aiming for sex with Steele. She wasn’t okay with that. And they needed to deal with it.

  The queen had also made some veiled threats of getting Steele back while winking at him and glaring at her.

  She wasn’t sure she would allow them to stay in the end, but she still needed allies and an army to build against Zagan. While she wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, something just didn’t sit right with her.

  Eventually, she dismissed the succubi and made her way to her room. She was tired, needed a bath, and some very much well-deserved relaxing time.

  STEELE

  Slipping away from his allies, he paced the hallway as something nagged at the back of his mind. The way the succubi glared at Sadie caused his blood to boil. But he knew with the current situation, they couldn’t afford to dismiss anyone or lose any allies. The upcoming war with his father would be a challenge using the group they had just accumulated. Losing the succubi would make Zagan nearly unstoppable.

  But he had to let them know that their behavior wouldn’t be tolerated. He had to be careful of his delivery.

  He considered returning to their door several times, even stopping long enough to raise his fist to knock on the door. But he never followed through. He knew the tensions were high with the new bargain of riches in place of the power they gained from having sex with him. Not to mention the best they ever had. Still, it would take a great deal of finesse and charm to make them see his reasoning. He didn’t want to lose them completely, but he wouldn’t tolerate disrespectful behavior toward Sadie either.

  He continued pacing as he considered finding a better way to handle the situation as he couldn’t rely on his knee-jerk reactions.

  Eventually, he decided to give things more time to settle and adjust. When the time was right, he would handle the issue.

  For now, he went to check on the barrier. This many people in the fortress made things seem more crowded, and as restless as he was, he needed some time alone to think.

  SADIE

  When she stepped through her door and into her room, she found Kaiser on the balcony. He faced her and smiled.

  Sadie forced back a groan and said, “Not now, Kaiser. I’m too tired and I need to rest and think.”

  “You can do that with me right here,” he said.

  “I meant, I need alone time.” She opened the door to her room and gestured for him to leave.

  He shook his head. “You won’t even know I’m here.”

  “Yes, I will.”

  “I’m not leaving,” he said, firm.

  “Get out!” she yelled.

  “No,” he said as calm as ever and planted himself against a wall.

  “I have to think. I need to process my meeting with the allies, start coming up with a plan. I haven’t even talked to Astrid about the damned weapon, I need sleep and peace. I need you to leave!”

  “The allies are exactly the reason why I am here. I’m not willing to let you out of my sight until I know the others can be trusted.”

  She knew damn well that was just an excuse to stay with her. Something, however, did provoke his protective nature, and she knew there was no arguing with him once his foot was down. She sighed. “Fine.”

  He swooped her up with a smile and planted kisses all over her face, which caused her to giggle and kiss him back.

  “Allow me to help you relax,” he said and carried her to the bed.

  He then laid on top of her and kissed her deeply.

  Though she wouldn’t let him have his way with her, she loved spending the evening making out with a side of naughty touching.

  In the morning, she pulled herself away from him and dressed so she could meet with Astrid. Before leaving the room, she watched
Kaiser sleep.

  Damn. He was something else. She loved him. Felt even closer to him, but she really wished her men would follow her simple orders and grant her peace for once.

  Shaking her head, she left her room, closing the door behind her softly.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Sadie

  Sadie had finally set off to meet Astrid in the war room to discuss the weapon and where it was located. It had been a long day already, and she felt like time was running out.

  As she entered the room, she was shocked to find Astrid already there, staring at the maps and weapons that adorned the walls. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she looked over at Sadie when she entered the room.

  “There you are. I was beginning to wonder if you were even coming,” she said.

  Sadie sighed. “I regret my delay in showing up here. I woke up later than expected, apparently. Thank you for waiting.”

  Astrid nodded. “So, what did you need to discuss? I’m assuming we’re in this room for a purpose.”

  She nodded. “Yes. I wanted to discuss the weapon and where it is located. Can you explain what makes it so special and how it works?”

  Astrid stared off, seeming to weigh the pros and cons of telling her any details. Sadie realized she may not trust her just yet. That made her slightly frustrated after what she had done to make sure the witch didn’t fall into Zagan’s hands. Still, she could understand her position.

  “If it would help, just give me the basics,” she said.

  That seemed to encourage Astrid as she nodded and said, “It was created by a group of witches loyal to the previous queen. They developed and built it with special magical properties with the purpose of giving Hecate ultimate power and control over the underworld. Make her the supreme ruler.”

  “Thus, your hesitation to tell me about it,” Sadie said. “You believe I’m walking the same path as her, don’t you?”

  Astrid shrugged. She narrowed her dark blue eyes on Sadie and said, “No offense, but I have every reason to be a little shy on the trust department when it comes to demons and anyone who associates with them.”

  “You associate yourself with Damien,” Sadie added.

  “Barely.” She took a seat at the table. Sadie joined her.

  “What else can you tell me about the weapon?”

  “It is made with a variety of woods with specific magical powers from all over the world. The blade is made from the rarest steel from here in the underworld. The poison was an added little treat that was honed by one of the most powerful dark witches. It slowly eats away at the soul, rather than the flesh, when stabbed with the blade. It also has special enchantments to protect whoever wields it.”

  “And that’s another reason you are hesitant? How powerful it could be in the wrong hands?” Sadie asked.

  Astrid nodded. “That, and it was set up not to work.”

  Sadie leveled her gaze on the witch. Her voice came out flat when she said, “What?”

  “According to legend,” Astrid said, “the staff didn’t work in the way it was meant to, or rather, the way Hecate wanted it to. My suspicion is that it didn’t work because some of the witches were also working closely with the angels, who needed a way to ensure it was flawed.”

  “Of course, that makes sense.”

  Astrid cocked her head to the side, an expression of confusion pulled her eyebrows closer together. “It does?”

  Sadie hadn’t realized she said that out loud. But she decided to use the opportunity to build a little more of that trust with her. “Angels are watching out for me too. They think I’m going to turn out the same as Hecate.”

  “Can you really blame them?” Astrid asked.

  Sadie shrugged. “I can and can’t at the same time. It’s complicated.”

  Astrid slowly nodded. “I see.”

  I doubt that. “I imagine Hecate, from what I have learned of her, didn’t take well to the staff not working?”

  Astrid let out a sarcastic laugh. “Yeah, you could say that. In a fit of rage, she locked it away and told only one witch where it was located. Before she had a chance to tell anyone, that witch disappeared. However, she was able to write the location in a book, in code. Only someone who knew the witch or knew what to look for would know what the passage meant.”

  “And that was the book we just risked our lives to get?” Sadie asked.

  Astrid smiled and said, “Yes. Thank you again.”

  “It was my pleasure. Win-win, right? You get an ancient tome of your people and I get a way to defeat Zagan.”

  “Exactly.” She smiled again, and this one was genuine, reaching her eyes and creating an almost ethereal glow around her.

  “So,” Sadie said, “do you think the weapon will work to knock Zagan back a few notches at least?”

  “Oh yes. It is powerful, despite it not working to the degree Hecate wanted. It will definitely kill him as there is no antidote to the poison that I know of. But since I specialize in the healing arts, I could make an attempt to find one.”

  “No,” Sadie said. “That won’t be necessary. I don’t want the formula to fall into Zagan’s knowledge and undo everything we are trying to accomplish before we even get started.”

  Astrid nodded.

  Sadie did the same and clutched her stomach as it growled. “Sorry. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get something to eat.”

  “Of course,” she said.

  Sadie made her way toward the door. She stopped half way there and turned and faced Astrid. “Is your room okay? You’re comfortable, right?”

  “Yes,” she said. “Thank you.”

  “Absolutely,” she said, smiled, and finished heading out the door.

  ASTRID

  Astrid made sure she wasn’t followed to her room. She shut the door and set the locks with an enchantment.

  She still wasn’t sure of what to think of Sadie. She had seen the nice act before, and the effects of that act blowing up in a witch’s face.

  No thank you.

  But there was something different about the queen. Astrid couldn’t tell if that difference was enough to trust her entirely. She was polite, sure. Amazingly nice for a demon queen, which was seriously odd and a hard concept for the witch to wrap her mind around.

  The thing she just couldn’t understand, no matter how hard she tried, was the fact that she didn’t want an antidote. To not have a way out of the poison in case Zagan took control of the weapon didn’t make sense.

  She made her way to her notes scattered along the desk on the far side of the room, she fingered them, studying the words in search of an antidote. She needed to be prepared in case things went south. And that meant making sure she had perfected the cure for the poison before the weapon could be used.

  Especially against her.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Damien

  With too much energy to burn off and not a hell of a lot to do, he decided to challenge his brothers to a match in the training room of the castle.

  He found each of them in separate areas of the castle, but each of them just as eager to have something to do besides babysit their allies. Steele was in the hall of the west wing, not too far from the room his succubi allies were staying in. He stared at the ceiling, sitting in an armless chair with two of his legs up in the air, and his head resting on the wall.

  “Don’t you look as happy as a lark in a windowsill,” Damien said.

  Steele shifted his eyes only to look at his brother and then they rolled. “Brother, this is a moment of celebration. Can’t you see I’m too busy in my thrilling excitement to talk?”

  Damien chuckled. “Oh, yes.” He kicked the legs of the chair that were hovering in the air and brought Steele upright in a sudden shift in movement. He glared at him, but that only caused him to laugh again. “Come on, I have an idea.”

  “Oh, do keep the suspense going by the oh so tempting words you just said.” Steele didn’t move. He crossed his arms over his chest and leane
d back against the chair, crossing his legs at the ankles.

  “What if I told you there was a chance to beat me in a challenge?” he added.

  Steele’s breath caught in his chest and he inched his gaze to Damien’s, a mischievous tilt to his lips. Damien had him right where he wanted him. Putty in his hands.

  Steele narrowed his eyes on his brother. “You lie.”

  Damien shrugged. “Guess you’ll have to find out.”

  Without another word, Damien turned on his heels and headed down the hall to find either Kaiser or Mordecai. He knew Steele would follow. He was too much of a jokester to resist the temptation of what he had just offered. None of his brothers would.

  Mordecai was just leaving the barracks where his warlocks were stationed. There was a glint in his eyes as he met Damien’s. He recognized that look. It was annoyance. Which played well with Damien’s plans.

  “Warlocks giving you hell?” he asked.

  Mordecai said, “Not now, brother.” He passed his brother and continued on without missing a beat.

  Damien shrugged and followed him out of the barracks. “So, I made this deal with Steele that he couldn’t beat me.”

  Mordecai snorted. “What else is new?”

  “What if I said you had to fight with him?”

  Mordecai hesitated, stopping mid-step and turning his head to gaze over his shoulder. He didn’t answer though.

  “Come on. We haven’t sparred in a while, brother.”

  “Last week.”

  Damien ignored the interruption and continued. “I promise it will be worth your while. Work out those frustrations on me.”

  Mordecai faced his brother. “Steele bought this?” He shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

  “Please.” That word sounded horrible coming out of his mouth. Mordecai must have caught the same as he lifted an eyebrow in response. Damien cleared his throat and said. “Meet me in the training room. Unless you’re scared that I’m going to defeat you.”