“I’m so sorry,” I offered to my Trifecta, their eyes sweeping over me as I dropped my hand and turned around. “I know you still had a small thread of hope, despite knowing the odds were slim.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for, my gem,” Rowen murmured and stroked my cheek gently. “Come on, let’s go tell the leaders you’ve been presented so we can go home.”
As a unit, we all began the trek out of this room to go back upstairs when, suddenly, Sylan stopped in his tracks. “Axton, were you touching Sera’s skin?”
“What?” my gold-eyed monster questioned as he turned back to look at Sylan.
“Were you touching her skin when we just presented her to the crystal?” Sylan repeated, his silver eyes alight with curiosity.
“No, I was touching her dress, but the thing is so sheer, I might as well have been touching her bare skin, right?”
“We have to be touching her skin,” he reminded Axton, sighing deeply.
Rowen shrugged. “It doesn’t matter—”
“It will to the leaders,” Sylan cut him off, and my other two monsters sighed in defeat.
“He’s right,” Axton conceded. “If they find out, they’ll just make us come back down here.”
I really didn’t understand what the issue was. It seemed obvious that they should just keep that insignificant detail to themselves when talking to the council, but I knew Sylan liked to follow the rules, and Axton felt a lot of honor in doing the right thing. Only Rowen seemed ok with us leaving—something I was one hundred percent on board with.
“Come on then,” Rowen sighed as he begrudgingly led the way back to the crystal.
Knots formed once again in my stomach as we walked back and stood in front of it. A shiver ran up my spine when all three of my mates touched my bare skin, causing the flesh to bump up, but after another minute, the crystal still didn’t do anything.
“There. Satisfied?” I teased.
“Yep—” Axton accepted, but Sylan once more interrupted.
“I forgot—you have to hold your piece of the crystal with your other hand,” Sylan directed, and I laughed.
“You’re just making stuff up now!” I exclaimed and chuckled at his antics.
It seemed more than clear we were not paired to the crystal at this point.
“No, I forgot. This is my first presentation, obviously, and usually the leaders are here to direct it. I just want to tell them we did everything right so we can leave.”
“Fine,” I grumbled and sighed deeply, clutching my crystal necklace in my left hand while I pressed my right into the giant stone in front of me. Once more, the three men placed their hands on my bare skin, and once more, I waited for their disappointment.
Except, it never came. Because this time when I touched the crystal, a blinding light burst forth immediately, filling the room.
I squinted against the intensity of the light and slammed my eyes shut, but still I felt the sting of the brightness. When the light faded into a luminescent glow similar to how my crystal looked after I came, I blinked my eyes open in wonder, staring at the giant rock that seemed to pulse with renewed life.
It truly did thrum now, but this time, the thrum of the light pulsating steadily was in time with my own heartbeat. We were in sync.
“Oh my god,” I croaked in horror, while my three monsters whooped in unabashed joy.
“Precious, do you know what this means?” Axton rasped, voice tinged with choked emotions.
I knew what it meant—I was the True Queen of Paratiisi.
Chapter Twenty-Five
SYLAN
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Never in my life had I seen anything as beautiful as my mate awash in the glow of the crystal.
Sera was our True Queen.
Her soft whimpers reminded me that this wasn’t anything she wanted, and my instinctual need to protect her came to the forefront. Wrapping an arm completely around her, I tugged her close. “It’ll be alright, Sera. We’ll get through this together.”
“I don’t want to be Queen—I don’t know how to be Queen,” she muttered despondently.
Rowen and Axton gently rubbed her lower back and tried to help soothe her.
“That’s why you have us,” Axton reminded her gently. “Your Trifecta will help you.”
“It’s so much, though.”
She didn’t elaborate on her words, but I knew what she meant. As Queen, Sera would be the one to restore all the lands, the crystal gaining strength from her. It was a great responsibility, and we would have to keep her replenished constantly. Her heat would take on a different form now, and the thought saddened me.
She would still crave our touch, but only because she fed the crystal with that primal energy—it was her life force that sustained it, literally—and because so much was taken from her as Queen to feed it, she would never be able to have a baby. No Queen of the past had been able to.
Although this is exactly what Sera wanted, and I should have been happy about that, I couldn’t help but feel slightly saddened. As her mate, I longed to see her belly round with our son.
But I could also acknowledge how much greatness would come from her pairing with the crystal. Our beautiful mate would finally heal the Rumilus, transforming anyone who was still a Specter back into their physical form, even without having found their mates yet. It was an amazing feat—a true miracle in the face of adversity that my kind had endured for so long.
Our land would be restored to its former beauty, and I only hoped that we could gain civility back in our species with this change. The desperation would bleed away, and I longed to see respect and admiration in the Rumilus for the females that came down here now.
They were to be cherished and taken care of above all else.
Under her breath, Sera was listing all the reasons why she couldn’t possibly be Queen while I let my thoughts take over. We let her vent, understanding her fear. It was a lot to put on her shoulders—anyone’s shoulders—but Sera had the biggest heart. Even though she hadn’t wanted to come to The Below, she still did what was expected of her and had even tried to protect those other two women in the cave the first time we saw her.
She knew nothing about what she was up against, yet she wasn’t hesitant in putting their safety first.
She faced her fears and didn’t run from us—even more, she accepted us. Not very many human women did that, or even could do that, but Sera was fierce, brave, kind-hearted, and above all, fair. She would make the perfect Queen for Paratiisi, even if she doubted herself now.
Another moment passed, and Sera sighed. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
I hated that phrase with a passion, simply because it crossed her lips too often and was a recurring theme in her life. I didn’t want her to hate this life that had been thrust upon her.
“I have a favor to ask,” she murmured as she stared at the ground.
“Whatever you want,” I instantly responded. If it was within our power, we would do anything she asked to help lift the burden she was feeling.
Her gray eyes turned to look at us as she said, “I want to go home first, please, before we tell anyone. Can I have just one last night without any pressure?”
Fuck, I wanted to just wrap her up in my arms and tell her everything would be alright.
Axton crossed his arms, looking unsure, but I gave him a slight nod. The leaders would want to know, and it would be hard to hide this from them, but she deserved this request.
With the crystal now alive and fueled by our mate, the healing of Paratiisi would begin. It would be apparent the True Queen had been found, so I didn’t see the harm in giving her just one more night.
In truth, I was touched that Sera didn’t want to stay in the castle, preferring to return to the place we had built for her—a place that she considered her home now.
“One night,” Axton conceded with a soft smile directed at our mate, “but then we must come back, Sera. You know how much is at stake
.”
“I know,” she whispered back. “I just need some rest. I’m exhausted mentally and physically from this day.”
Her words tugged at my heart. So much had happened to Sera in such little time. We had gained much by claiming her as our mate, but in contrast, she had lost much—her family, the life she knew, her choices, and today, a friend she had just made.
Death had left its ugly mark on her heart, and the crystal sapped whatever remaining life was within her, I’d imagine. She needed to rest as well as have us revive her energy, which was something I was more than happy to provide. She’d be thrilled to know we could revive her without the repercussions of a child now.
Scooping her up into my arms, I tucked Sera into my chest where she nuzzled her blonde head against me. Her eyes fluttered close as she yawned.
“Sleep, my Queen,” I murmured, and a small frown marred her brow.
“You don’t call me that.” She scowled. “I’m your beauty.”
A silent chuckle rumbled in my throat. “Very well then—sleep, my beautiful Queen.”
Sera huffed a little, but never opened her eyes again, and within minutes, she was sound asleep. Briskly, we left this basement and ascended back to the main levels of the castle.
When I stepped into the main hallway that led to the throne room, it was utter chaos. There was an uproar of yelling about finding the Specters who’d killed the claimed humans and bringing them to justice, which I couldn’t agree with more, but we couldn’t focus on that at this exact moment.
We needed to get her out here before the Specters transformed into Rumilus, alerting everyone to what had happened. I didn’t know how quickly it would happen, but we couldn’t take the risk.
Turning left, I quickly strode out of the palace, a hand covering Sera’s crystal, which was glowing with such a brilliance there was no denying that she was the True Queen.
It didn’t matter, though. There were no guards, nor any Rumilus or Specters to be seen. Pushing open the front doors, I nearly stumbled to my knees, blinded by the light. Rowen and Axton quickly came to my side, stabilizing me as I gripped Sera tightly to me, and I looked down to see if I’d jostled her awake. She was still nestled in place, sleeping peacefully.
I was happy to know her heat had subsided enough for her to get some rest, but I couldn’t help but be worried about just how much energy the crystal had taken from her.
Squinting, I looked in wonder around me. The once dreary landscape was saturated with the light of the still weak sun. Granted, not everything was flourishing yet, but to see our lands so clearly was a sight I hadn’t been sure we’d ever see again.
The sun wasn’t quite the same as in The Above. While theirs was in the sky, casting rays down upon them, ours was nestled in the core of our land, shining outwardly.
“Wow,” Axton breathed out in awe.
“It’s really happening,” Rowen echoed.
Looking down at Sera, I murmured, “And it’s all thanks to this incredible woman we are lucky enough to call ours.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
SERA
I didn’t know how long I’d been asleep for, but when I woke up, I didn’t feel refreshed at all. Groggily, I rubbed at my eyes, looking around the bedroom. I was alone in the large bed, but I could see my monsters over by the grotto waters, talking amongst themselves quietly so as not to wake me.
Their eyes flicked over to look at me as they spoke when I pushed to sit up. I knew that they were worried about me, probably concerned that I would balk at this new responsibility—that the choice had once more been taken from me, and it had—but by becoming Queen, I might have been granted my greatest wish.
There were some positives to the situation I found myself in.
I wanted to be the one to make my own decisions, to make the choices, and that’s exactly what a queen did. So much rested on my shoulders, but at the same time, I was given the rare opportunity to make change.
It would not only help Paratiisi become what it once was, but I could pioneer the reconciliation between The Above and The Below. I could heal the rift, but most importantly, I could spread the truth. Everyone in The Above was being lied to. We lived in abject fear of the monsters from The Below, but also from our leaders.
We let them rule with an iron fist because we thought they were protecting us, but it was all an elaborate lie—a lie that I planned to expose.
As I pushed myself out of the bed, my Trifecta wandered over to me.
Rowen’s gaze ran the length of me as he asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Still exhausted,” I admitted and stifled a yawn. “It doesn’t feel like I slept at all.”
Axton nodded as if he expected that. “You’ll need to be replenished soon by us. The crystal likely drained all of your energy reserves.”
I quirked a smile at his words and teased him, “It always comes down to you filling me with your cum, doesn’t it?”
His golden-hued eyes narrowed playfully. “Don’t act like you don’t like it,” he growled, and I shrugged, not bothering to lie. They all knew I loved it, and heat or no heat, I craved my monsters’ touch. It was a simple fact.
“After you feel better—” Sylan started to say, but I talked over him jokingly.
“You mean after we fu—”
But before I could finish, he pressed a finger to my lips, cutting me off. “Yes, after that, we’re going back to the castle. We need to tell the leaders.” He chuckled and pressed a kiss to my head.
Sylan wasn’t a prude by any means, but it was cute when he got bashful, as he was now, with crass talk.
“Okay,” I responded easily, already knowing they were expecting that of me today. Sylan shared a look with Axton and Rowen, as if he couldn’t believe my quick acceptance.
Before, I had hesitated to accept my role as Queen. At the time, I had no desire to be the ruler of this land, but I now realized the immense gift I’d been given.
I was going to right all the wrongs that I could and make the world a better place.
“I’ve been thinking…” I started. Rowen looked guarded, as if he didn’t trust what I was thinking, while Axton waited patiently, but Sylan was the one who encouraged me to go on. Taking a deep breath, I exhaled and announced, “I still want to go back to The Above, and I want to do it soon.”
Immediately, all three of my mates started talking at once in a jumbled mesh of disagreements. I knew that they’d been against it before, and I had already prepared for them to be adamantly against it now that I was Queen.
“Sera, my beauty, we can’t go back to The Above. It’s not safe for you there.”
I snorted. “It wasn’t safe for me down here, either, Sylan!” I argued. “What about the women who get sent down here that don’t have an amazing Trifecta to look after them? We have to go back to The Above and tell them the truth.”
Axton stepped in to intervene, gripping my arms. “As long as Paratiisi is being restored, the women that come down here will be safer.”
I wasn’t going to budge on this. If I was going to help fix their world, they couldn’t be surprised when I decided to fix where I came from as well. There was no way I could move on and act like The Above didn’t exist or that those who lived there had amazing lives.
They didn’t. They deserved to be free and happy just as much as the Specters and Rumilus.
“Yes, but what about those that are still up there—the men and the children, too, not just the women. We’re all oppressed, being lied to, being manipulated by a government that doesn’t have our best interests at heart!”
Axton turned his head away, knowing that he didn’t have a good response and that I was right. I understood it wasn’t safe, but there was no denying that it was something that needed to be done.
“Once upon a time, we were all friends—the humans and the Rumilus. I want us to get back to that point,” I forged on. “I know it’s possible if we just try.”
“We can’t,” Rowen interjected.
“Not with the leader that is ruling The Above. He’ll never allow it to go back to the way it was.”
“Then we need to make them!” I demanded, and all three of my monsters moaned in frustration.
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand it would take a lot of work, or that I thought it wouldn’t be dangerous—it simply was about doing the right thing.
“Sera, if we go back to The Above, it will incite a war,” Sylan told me softly. “It will break the treaty.”
I had forgotten about that, and I pondered his words. War always brought bloodshed, and there was no guarantee that we would win, but I believed in my heart that there was a way to resolve our differences that didn’t involve fighting.
Surely, the leader of The Above could be negotiated with. He was a different leader than the one that fought the Rumilus. Granted, he’d likely been taught all the same beliefs by his family, but we wouldn’t know if we didn’t try.
“I think we need to approach him and tell him what is going on—explain that the benefits are far greater than keeping us separated. It’s not just The Below that is rotting, so is The Above. In a few more generations, human society will likely crumble when they don’t have enough women to continue on. They are sending so many women off to be slaughtered now, and I don’t think we’ll be able to go on—and if humans don’t go on, then neither do the Rumilus. Your kind can’t survive if mine doesn’t, and I guarantee life in The Above is slowly dying much like down here—except we don’t have a magical crystal to restore us.”
I let my heavy words hang in the air between us.
“And if something happens to you,” Axton interjected, “it would kill us—both literally and figuratively. If something happened to you, we couldn’t go on. Eventually, we would die without you as our mate. Furthermore, you are the True Queen. If something happened to you, the restoration of Paratiisi could go backwards. This isn’t just about keeping you safe, it’s about keeping our species safe as well.”
“I understand what you’re worried about, but if something happened to me, another Queen could be chosen, correct? That’s what you told me—that when one Queen dies, another is picked.”
Captured by the Monsters Page 17
