by Olivia Ash
Zagan’s gaze shifted to her and he slowly smiled.
Sadie splayed her fingers out in front of her and shot streams of purple lightning at him. He was knocked off his feet this time, landing with a thump and grunt.
That worked to get him off his sons and focused on her.
As he climbed to his feet, he said, “I will have you and your power, or no one can. I’m your only hope at life.”
“What you offer isn’t life,” Sadie said, voice calm and strong. “I would rather die one thousand deaths than serve under you.”
He chuckled. “So be it.”
She shot more purple lightning at him, hitting his face and making him stagger back a few steps. “Look! I can wipe that cocky grin off your face.”
“You insolent bitch!” He gestured with his hands. The fight around him ceased as his army turned and faced him. With a hitch of his chin, the demons charged, coming from all directions.
The four demon princes turned and charged toward the onslaught of demons, witches, warlocks, and other creatures under Zagan’s control, leaving Sadie to focus on the demon king himself.
She stood at the ready, palms itching with the magic of her amulet, and the staff in one hand, ready to put Zagan back in his place. In the ground.
Chapter Forty-Five
Mordecai
He knew Zagan’s tactics better than his brothers. Having spied on a few of his war meetings, Mordecai gleaned just how corrupt and resourceful his father was. His father had managed to account for any possibility in his discussions. His generals would counter his approach with a probable outcome, and Zagan’s plans became solidified from multiple well thought out scenarios. That made him even more unstoppable.
He also knew that meant Zagan would use any force he could to take Sadie down. The last thing he would do is stand by and let that happen.
A demon charged him, consumed by raging flames, though it did little to stop him from trying to attack Mordecai. He shifted into shadow, dodging the blow aimed for his head. Solidifying behind the demon, Mordecai used his staff to break the demon’s back.
He turned toward another one that came to take the other’s place. He took him out easily, though he felt his strength waning. He needed to get to Sadie’s side and help fight his father.
He took a quick look around. The grounds in front of the fortress were littered with bodies, gore, and patches of fire and charred land. Soldiers filled every available empty space, the majority belonging to his father.
As he dispatched of a couple of more demons, not really paying much mind to who they were, he caught an open path to Sadie.
Determination refueled him, giving him more hope and strength than he felt like he had, and he rushed toward that direction. His way became blocked when a small group approached him. A witch was among them, and she chanted some arcane nonsense. He assumed it was a spell to give the demons with her the energy to defeat him then and there.
Not today.
He aimed his staff toward the group and nodded once, giving them the go ahead to charge.
He shifted his gaze behind them, toward his brothers, and saw that they were closing the gap between them and Sadie. He felt better knowing they were there, but he still needed to get to her. As the demons charged Mordecai, he saw his father release a torrential, spiraling column of fire on his brothers. They fell.
His lungs burned with the breaths he took. His eyes narrowed on the demons in front of him and shifted to his brothers who lay on the ground not moving and shifted his gaze again to his father who stalked his woman like prey.
Anger pulsed through his veins, burning through his nerves. With one step in front of him, he moved with his weapon, quickly dispatching the demons and then the witch. And the more he killed, the angrier he became. The closer his father got to Sadie, the murderous rage within him increased, and he hacked and slashed his way through groups with little to no glance or care as to who got in his way.
He only recently got his brothers back, after a long time of mistrust and distancing themselves. He just started reconnecting with them, getting to know them again, not worrying about them turning on him and stabbing him in the back. He just found Sadie and had a love he never thought he would find, and a reason not to spend the rest of his life alone.
Having had enough of dancing around the idea of having to kill his father, though he knew the time had been coming for a while now, he would end Zagan today. He would take his last breath in front of his son and die knowing who did it.
Chapter Forty-Six
Sadie
Sadie may have been pissed before, but the fury rushing through her now was beyond anything else she had ever felt. Livid didn’t seem like the right term either. She didn’t have it in her to hurt over or worry about her men. That would come once she stopped Zagan once and for all.
She narrowed her eyes on the king and held the staff in front of her, the point aimed at him. She was tempted to summon Pyra and the hellhounds, to have them pile onto Zagan in a whirlwind of fire and fury as she used the staff on him. However, they needed to stay behind in case the worst happened, or they needed a speedy retreat. That was the plan.
He laughed. “My sons didn’t deserve to live, much less with you. You had made them weak. Mere puppets for your entertainment. Humans should never control demons. Killing them is a mercy only a father could give them.” He covered his chest with a hand. Too bad he was too corrupt to have anything resembling a heart.
The control Sadie held over herself and her powers was lost. She wasn’t sure exactly what happened, but she knew she was warm, the energy flooded from her. Fire, electricity, shadow, and light all blended together and funneled out of her like a tornado.
Bodies fell around her, and she didn’t care. She wanted blood. Most especially, she wanted Zagan’s body parts mounted on pikes and scattered throughout her land as a warning for anyone else who thought they could push Sadie around.
She may be human. But she was still queen. Demon queen.
Zagan managed to block a few of the blows she aimed at him, but that didn’t stop her from continuing the onslaught. He even managed to throw his own magic at her in the way of boulders, balls of fire, shards of ice, and wind. She blocked the majority of them, but a shard of ice cut the side of her torso and a boulder knocked into her shoulder and head.
Meanwhile, the space between them continued to close. Sadie’s heart pounded with excitement and need. The need to get rid of him once and for all, and the need to avenge her princes.
Finally, he was close enough to reach with the staff, and he looked at it with a cocky smile and laughed. “What? You gonna prick me with that old, rusted thing?”
“No,” Sadie said, lowering it just a little. “I’m gonna kill you with it.”
The blusterous laughter that rushed out of his mouth made Sadie roll her eyes. “It’s going to take a lot more than—”
She conjured her vines, wrapping him tightly in rows upon rows of them. She even made sure to make the thorns extra sharp. He struggled against the vines, but they held firm. Just for added measure, she continued to add more. Once she was satisfied that he couldn’t run his mouth or even move anymore, she stabbed him. Ran the staff clean through his armor and into the part of his chest that at some point must have held a heart.
Zagan growled. The ground started to shake. Fighting ceased. The vines tremored but continued to hold.
Sadie pulled out the staff, stared into the demon king’s eyes, and stabbed him again. And again, and again. Repeatedly. Until she noticed that his skin started to wither, crack, and flake away until the muscle laid exposed. And even that began to pull away from his bones. Blood and ichor and sinew spilled between the vines and collected into a pool at Zagan’s feet. When nothing but bone was left within the vines, Sadie conjured her fire sword, infused it with all the heat she could muster, turning the flames white. She shoved the sword into the vines, combusting them and Zagan’s skeleton into nothing but ash.
Holy hell.
She had done it. She defeated the demon king.
Her triumph pushed adrenaline through her veins. Her hands shook, and she stared at what was left of her princes’ father. He had caused so much death and destruction, and she had put an end to it. An end to him. Elation and relief mixed with the ebbing flow of anger coursed through her body. Her throat burned from the breaths she took in.
Too many had died because of him. So much unnecessary death. She changed the course of the underworld in that moment.
Panting, she dismissed her sword and dropped the staff to the ground. Movement caught her attention and she noticed the armies had stopped fighting and stared at her with a mixture of delight, caution, fear, and relief.
Most of Zagan’s army started to scatter. She figured they were now free and were running off to reclaim their lives. As long as they never returned to her land to do harm, she had no qualms with it. She then paused to take in all the faces looking at her—those who stood still, gawking at her with shock and awe.
The amulet grew warm in her chest again. She touched it as her breath slowly returned to normal. Cheers started to echo over the wind toward her.
People cheered for her instead of attacking her. She didn’t know what to do. She never had the opportunity to stand before an army she just fought against and have them cheer for her.
She sighed and waved from one end of the crowd to the next. She wasn’t sure if that was the thing to do, but it was all she had, and that’s what she did.
Once assured that the remainder of Zagan’s army wouldn’t try to attack her, she turned to her princes. Damien, Steele, and Kaiser were covered with black soot, charred skin, and blistering wounds on various parts of their bodies.
She touched each one, holding her breath until she felt the air coming from their noses and felt a pulse in their necks. They were alive. She damn near collapsed on the ground with the weight of dread having been relieved. They were just knocked out. And she would need help getting each of them to their beds.
“I need help getting them to their beds. They’ll need their wounds tended to. Someone, anyone?”
Astrid was the first to speak up. “I’ll go ahead and set up some healing potions to speed up their recovery. I’ll even help you apply the balm to their burns.”
Sadie nodded and smiled.
The rest of the group seemed to snap out of their shock and pitched in with picking up the men, one at a time, and carefully carrying them to the gates. Even soldiers that had once served Zagan stepped in to help. She smiled at each of them, giving a nod of thanks. It made her realize that many of Zagan’s underlings were really victims, forced to serve him out of fear, unlike those who served her willingly. It made her even more thankful for her wonderful princes who had proved time and again their devotion.
Mordecai joined her at her side once the last injured prince was through the gate. He took her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. There was a light in them that made Sadie’s heart skip a beat.
“You never cease to amaze me. I could never live a day without you.”
Without letting her speak, he kissed her, deepening it, and she could feel just how worried he was over her. And she kissed him back, thankful that she had him too. And he wasn’t hurt.
That kiss was the perfect end to the long battle they had just won.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Sadie
Sadie looked out over the land as the people that joined her worked on the cleanup from the battle. Though she wanted to be down with them, helping them and getting to know everyone, she couldn’t bring herself to be too far away from Damien, Kaiser, and Steele.
Mordecai approached her side and leaned over the edge of the balcony’s wall. He watched the people below as well.
“Still sleeping?” she asked, referring to his brothers.
He nodded. “Peacefully.”
She sighed. “How long do you think it will be until they wake up?”
“As long as it needs to be. It should be soon, I would think.” He pivoted to face her more. “What’s next, Captain?”
Right. No rest for the wicked. First thing that came to mind was the previous demon queen. “Taking care of Hecate, before she becomes a bigger pain in the ass and more trouble than she’s worth.”
“Excellent. If you would like, I can scout for her.”
“No. I need you here for right now. When it comes time, we’ll all leave together.”
He nodded then turned his attention to the ruined battle ground. He was silent for several moments. And the silence didn’t bother Sadie. Just having him standing next to her was as much of a comfort as was his conversations. She enjoyed the quiet moments with him.
Finally, he said, “Do you ever think the blood will wash away?”
Sadie thought about it. There was so much blood that it looked like a huge black mark on her land. But if she had learned anything in her time as queen, it was that with every negative came a positive. And a huge one.
She smiled. “Yeah. I think so. Too bad it doesn’t rain here.”
“It does. Occasionally, when a witch conjures it or someone who can control the elements. It’s just not the same as it is topside.”
She nodded. “Well, maybe we could plant some trees or put in a maze or something.”
He chuckled. “As if you weren’t enough of a pain in the ass to fight, you want to increase frustrations by adding a maze before your gates.”
She shrugged. “Why not?”
“Fair enough,” he said and grew quiet again for a moment. He sucked in a deep breath, and on the exhale, he said, “You know, you fought incredibly well. I think my father had underestimated you and your powers.”
She nodded. “Me too.”
“I agree,” Damien said.
Sadie spun around and smiled. She ran to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting kisses on his cheek. She had been so relieved to see him okay. So grateful he was up and moving around.
Steele groaned as he sat up in bed. “My head hurts. What the hell did you put in me? I haven’t had throbbing like this since the first time I went topside and had drank enough ale to kill off an entire human army.” He rubbed his temples, resting his elbows on his knees.
Kaiser stood at the side of his bed, rubbing his aching muscles in his shoulders and stretching them before twisting at the waist. Once he was finished, he leaned against the post and crossed his arms. He looked as good as new.
Sadie was filled with warmth and love at seeing all her men together and well. She smiled at each of them. She shifted her gaze to Steele and said, “You know, they say the best cure for a hangover is a drink.”
Steele chuckled and nodded. He set his gaze on her with that stunning smile of his and said, “Lead the way. We have much to celebrate.”
“And plans to make,” Mordecai said, winking at Sadie.
“Let’s just take the time to enjoy a few drinks together. Then we can tackle the next unfortunate soul on Sadie’s hit list.” Damien moved toward the door.
“I’m guessing we’re talking about Hecate,” Kaiser said.
Sadie nodded. “It is. But I agree. We’ll have some drinks first, then we plan.”
A knock rapped on her door. Damien opened it to reveal Hobson.
“Forgive the intrusion, Your Majesty, but Astrid would like an audience with you.”
Sadie smiled. “Absolutely. Send her in.”
Astrid slowly walked in, taking in all the magnificence of Sadie’s room. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth formed an “O” shape. When she reached the middle of the room, standing between Kaiser and Mordecai, she set her eyes on Sadie with a smile.
Sadie returned the gesture and asked, “What was it you wanted to discuss with me?”
The witch nodded and said, “Right. I just wanted to let you know I had never fought beside a demon before, much less a demon queen. You aren’t who I expected you to be, and that’s a good thing. After spending thi
s little bit of time with you, I’ve come to see you really are different from the last queen. You have a big heart, and that makes me happy. It would be an honor to count myself among your ranks.”
Sadie’s eyes softened, and she smiled, rushing to Astrid and giving her a huge hug. “It would be my honor to count you amongst family.”
Astrid gently pulled away and said, “I’m not quite ready to pledge loyalty. But you are definitely on the right track.”
“Even if it never came to that, I would still be blessed with you being here,” Sadie said.
“I so want to be present for the ceremony,” Steele said, bobbing his eyebrows.
“If he gets to… I’m there,” Mordecai said.
Sadie gave them both a reproachful glance and shook her head as she shifted her gaze back to Astrid. “Never mind them. We’ll find a way that works for both of us when, and if, it ever comes to that.”
Astrid laughed. “I don’t know how you manage them.”
“With great difficulty,” she said and added, “Who’s ready for drinks?”
They all shouted excitedly and made their way down to the dining hall to celebrate.
As Sadie walked, she felt complete. Hecate would rear her ugly head soon. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t celebrate their latest victory before planning the next step in their game. She joined in the banter as they walked and even shared in their over-exaggerated war stories. She couldn’t see her life without her men. And now, she even had a friend to share girly things with.
Despite the losses Sadie endured, which still hurt her, she resolved to focus on what she had gained: her four princes were with her every step of the way, and Astrid counted herself a friend. Those who once belonged to Zagan and decided to stay were now down below, helping to rebuild. The fortress of Bitterthorn stood strong. What more could she ask for? Everything else would soon fall into place, and that brought peace to Sadie’s heart.
