Contents
Title Page
Copyright
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CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The Pang and the Power
The Nightmare Court, Book Three
Val Saintcrowe
THE PANG AND THE POWER
© copyright 2020 by Val Saintcrowe
http://vjchambers.com
Punk Rawk Books
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CHAPTER ONE
“There she is!” Sullo, god of the sun and Nicce’s father, waved to her and Eithan from across the throne room in the palace of the Nightmare Court. Sullo was a tall man with glowing yellow eyes and wavy golden hair. He didn’t look much older than Nicce, owing to the fact that gods didn’t age. Sullo was sitting at one of the tables in the throne room, feet propped up on the table. There were several bottles of wine clustered on the table top.
Nicce’s heart was pounding and her stomach felt sour. She had met her father barely fifteen minutes ago, when he’d appeared at the door of the room where she and Eithan had been together in bed. It was one thing to theorize her father was a god. It was another entirely to have the man appear and confirm it.
If he knew about her, where in the names of the gods had he been all her life?
She reached back and seized Eithan’s hand.
He entwined his fingers with hers reassuringly.
Together, they wound through the tables in the throne room to stand next to the table where Sullo lounged. He smiled at them both. “So happy to see you both. Sit, won’t you? Have some wine.”
Nicce let go of Eithan’s hand to yank out a chair. She sat down. “I have questions.”
Sullo laughed. “So serious. Wine, daughter. This is a celebration. Ciaska is dead, and I always knew you’d get the job done.”
“Oh, you did?” Nicce sat up straight, and her hands were shaking in rage.
Eithan’s hand fell heavily on her shoulder.
She looked up at him, and he shook his head at her, a barely perceptible movement. Nicce understood what he was trying to tell her. Sullo was a god. From their limited experience with gods, they weren’t at all rational or reasonable people. Getting angry at a god was probably a stupid idea.
Sullo removed his feet from the table and sat up straight. He cocked his head at her, looking her over. “Well, anything for my little girl. Ask away. Whatever questions you have. I’ll be happy to answer them all. But have some wine, why don’t you?” He nudged a wine bottle toward her.
Nicce had been drinking before going to bed with Eithan. Maybe not a lot, but enough. She forced herself to smile politely. “You’re too kind, but no thank you.”
Eithan sat down at the table and snagged two goblets. He poured wine for both of them.
She shot him a glance.
His expression was unreadable.
“Well?” said Sullo. “The questions?”
“You know about me,” said Nicce.
“Of course I know about you,” said Sullo. “You were my idea.”
“You made me to kill Ciaska,” Nicce said, struggling to keep her voice even. “You orchestrated all of it.”
“But of course,” said Sullo. He took a long drink from one of the goblets. “Well, some of it may have been Julia’s idea.”
“Junia,” said Nicce.
“Hmm?” said Sullo.
“My mother’s name was Junia.”
“That’s what I said,” said Sullo, setting his goblet down. “She and I had a fight. I might have kicked her out.” He shrugged. “You would have kicked her out too. She was being unreasonable and jealous and whiny. I’m a god. There’s enough of me to go around, right?” He snickered.
Nicce’s lips came together in a firm line.
She felt Eithan’s hand on her thigh, not in a suggestive way. He squeezed her flesh, a reminder.
She swallowed.
“Anyway,” said Sullo. “She went to that Guild, and she found out that the man there really had something against the Knights of Midian.” He turned to Eithan. “That’s you, isn’t it?”
Eithan nodded. “Ciaska forced us to serve her. We couldn’t refuse.”
Sullo looked him over thoughtfully.
“How could it have possibly been my mother’s idea?” said Nicce in a very low voice.
Eithan glanced at her warningly.
She wasn’t sure if she cared.
Sullo seemed oblivious to her emotional distress, however. “She was actually smart, your mother. Maybe a little needy and pathetic sometimes, but she had a head on her shoulders. And nice tits, too.” He winced. “Sorry. Shouldn’t have said that in front of you.”
“It seems pretty complicated for it to have been either her idea or yours,” said Nicce. “If you were so intimately acquainted with her body, why bother with the blood magic and possessing some man from the Guild?”
Sullo turned on her, finally noticing something within her tone. He furrowed his brow. “Are you questioning me? Are you implying that I’m lying to you?”
“She’s not,” said Eithan. “She’s, um, tired.”
“Oh, yes,” said Sullo, raising his eyebrows at Eithan. “And you’re responsible for that, I suppose. I know exactly what you want with my little girl, and let me tell you—”
“I think it was Diakos’s idea,” snapped Nicce. Did she want to think that only because he was dead and she had killed him? “I think you got summoned to the Guild by blood magic, and you were embarrassed to be bound, so you’re pretending like you had something to do with it. But really, if you wanted Ciaska dead so bad, why didn’t you do it yourself?”
Sullo’s lips parted.
It was quiet.
Eithan drew in a breath, as if he was going to say something.
Sullo spoke first. “You’re right.”
Nicce hadn’t been expecting that.
“I should have killed Ciaska,” said Sullo. “But she threatened my son. My Feteran. She said that if I hurt her, I’d never see him again, and I couldn’t handle that. I needed another way.”
Nicce waited.
Sullo poured himself more wine. “Most of it might have been Julia’s idea. Some of it might have been the idea of that, um, Diakos man. But some of it was my idea. And anyway, here you are, and Feteran is free and Ciaska is gone, and I am so proud of you, sweetpea.” His voice dropped to a croon, as if she were a much littler girl.
“She’s amazing,” said Eithan softly.
Sullo ignored Eithan and focused on Nicce. “I know why you’re angry. I haven’t been around like I should have been. You have to understand, being a god makes me really busy. I have to keep the sun in the sk
y.”
Nicce got the urge to roll her eyes. He did no such thing.
“I’m here now,” said Sullo. “So, let’s make up for lost time, okay, sweatpea? Let’s get to know each other.”
Despite herself, Nicce felt something go through her at the words. He sounded sincere. Could he be sincere? Ciaska hadn’t cared about her son at all, but Sullo did seem to have some interest in his children. Of course, Nicce remembered something that Feteran had said when they’d let him out of his cage, something about how his father was never going to care about him the way he wished. Even so, what else could Sullo gain by pursuing a relationship with her?
She considered. That remained to be seen, she supposed. If he wanted something from her, then maybe he was manipulating her.
“Can we do that?” said Sullo.
“Of course she wants to do that,” said Eithan.
“Don’t speak for her,” said Sullo, turning on Eithan. “You know, in my day, when a boy wanted to court a girl, he went to her father first. And a boy who took liberties with a man’s daughter without his permission, without making an honest woman of her, that boy was punished.” Sullo’s voice had dropped to a growl.
Eithan picked up the wine bottle and poured Sullo more wine. “My apologies. I can see how you must feel disrespected.”
Sullo took the goblet, but he didn’t drink. “So, what are your intentions toward my daughter?”
“Are you asking if I want to marry her?” Eithan’s mouth curved into a little smile.
“Well,” said Sullo, “you’ve put the cart in front of the horse, boy. My daughter’s honor has been tarnished. That demands a response from me.” He pointed his finger at Eithan, and a beam of yellow light shot out of it, like a sharpened spear.
It plunged into Eithan’s neck.
Eithan’s eyes widened in pain.
Nicce screamed.
CHAPTER TWO
Nicce lit up without truly thinking about it. The light inside her came on, pouring out of her eyes and mouth, glowing beneath her skin. She caught Eithan as he fell sideways out of his chair, putting her wrist to his mouth.
“What are you doing?” said Sullo. “This man has taken advantage of you.”
“I love him,” she said, pressing her wrist to Eithan’s mouth.
But Eithan wasn’t responding. He was motionless and pale, and black blood was bubbling up out of his neck, and he didn’t seem capable of biting her wrist. Her blood could heal him when it was like this, when it was liquid light.
“You’re young and you don’t know what love is,” said Sullo.
She snatched up a wine bottle from the table and smashed it against the surface. She used the shattered glass to make a cut in her wrist and started dripping her shimmering blood onto Eithan’s lips. “If you’ve killed him, I will kill you, and I’ll do it slow. I’ll make you suffer.”
Sullo got up from the table. “How dare you?”
She turned on him, even as she felt Eithan latch onto the wound on her wrist, felt him start to suck. “I’ve lived this long without a father. I sure as the pit don’t need one now. And if you ever hurt Eithan—”
Sullo reached down and grasped her arm. He yanked her off Eithan.
She struggled, pouring her light into her father’s face. It had weakened Ciaska, but it did nothing to Sullo, possibly because she had inherited her magic from him, and it was the same kind.
Sullo touched her forehead and her light extinguished.
She cried out. “How—”
“Listen to me, young lady,” said Sullo. “You are going to learn some respect for your elders, especially for your father. I am not going to be disrespected by my own offspring. Now, I know, at your age, you feel like you know everything and that you’re invincible, but trust me. I know a bit more than you, and that boy is bad for you.” He pointed at Eithan.
She managed to pull herself out of his arms. “You don’t know anything about it.”
“I know that you were supposed to kill him when you met him,” he said. “I know that he tried to kill you.”
“Not kill me,” she said. “Change me. It didn’t work, anyway.”
“He drinks your blood,” said Sullo. “He used you to get free of Ciaska. And then he took advantage of you and stole your virtue.”
“Oh, please.” Nicce put her hands on her hips. “I had no virtue to steal. I haven’t been a virgin in a very long time.”
Sullo’s eyes widened. “Well, I can see that you’ve run wild without a strong father figure in your life. It’s my own fault, I suppose. I should have been there for you. Don’t worry, sweatpea, I’m going to be in your life from now on. And I’ll keep the likes of that away from you.” He gestured at Eithan, who wasn’t moving.
She went down on her knees next to Eithan, turning her light back on. Defiantly, she cut her wrist again and put it back against Eithan’s mouth. “You can try.”
Sullo lit up all over, waves of bright light emanating out from him, like rays of the sun. His voice was a roar.
She couldn’t help but cower from him.
He snatched Eithan away from her and threw his body across the room.
Nicce screamed again.
What am I doing? The more I defy him, the worse he’s going to get. She drew in a breath. If it was Ciaska, what would Eithan do?
Nicce forced herself not to look at Eithan’s body, which lay in a heap against a table he’d collided with, motionless. She was pretty sure he’d had enough of her blood to keep him from dying. His wound had closed up. She had to hope that, anyway.
She squared her shoulders. “F-father?”
He turned to look at her, his light dimming. “Yes?”
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “You’re right. I’m rebellious and wayward and starved for boundaries. I never had a father before. Now that you’re here, I don’t know how to behave.”
Sullo’s light went out entirely.
“It won’t be easy,” she said, “but I can see that you’re only doing this because you care.”
“Exactly, sweatpea.” He touched her cheek. “That’s all I’m doing.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh, don’t mention it.” He chuckled. “How about a hug, huh?”
Inwardly, she cringed. Outwardly, she smiled. “That sounds nice.”
* * *
Eithan blinked hard, and Nicce’s face was swimming above him.
“Hey,” she said.
He grunted, touching his neck, which was healed.
“Sorry,” she said. “I had to wait to get you out of there until he wasn’t around anymore. It was awful, not even looking at you lying there. I kept being terrified you were dead. I had to pretend that I… I had to placate him.”
He sat up in bed, because that’s where he was, in his bed. “That’s what I was trying to get across to you.”
“I know you were, I just…” She clenched both of her hands into fists. “He’s insane.”
“He’s an immortal being with lots of power,” said Eithan. “I think insanity comes with the territory.”
“Is that so? You don’t die either, and you’re not exactly powerless.”
“I may also be a little crazy,” he said. He reached out and touched her. Her skin was warm. It seared him. The heat seemed to travel through his fingertips and shot through his body, to the center of him, making him feel unraveled, out of control. He couldn’t help but smile at her.
“Eithan, this is bad. He wants to kill you. He tried to kill you.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “Thank you for saving me.”
“Of course I saved you. I did my best. But he…” She got up from where she sat next to him. “I don’t know what to do. He says he’s going to be part of my life now? I don’t want a psychotic god around. We just got rid of Ciaska. Don’t we get a chance to breathe?”
“Apparently not.” He thrust aside the covers and put his feet on the floor.
“We have to kill him.”
&
nbsp; He considered. “Sure, why not? We’ll just set up shop as god killers.”
“We have his crystals. The topazes are his crystals.”
“For Ciaska, it took a room full of crystals. We have, what? Two topazes left? I don’t know if it’s enough.”
She nodded. “Okay, okay. We have to get more.”
“Until we figure out how to do that, we have to play nice with him,” said Eithan. “I’ll go and apologize.”
“No!” She shook her head, horrified. “He just tried to kill you. You can’t go near him ever again.”
“I’m good at groveling,” said Eithan. “I’ll grovel. I’ll tell him what he wants to hear.”
“Which is what, you think?”
“He thinks he owns you,” said Eithan. “I have to act like that’s the way it is, and that I’ll do whatever he wishes to win you. Which is true. And I do want to marry you. If he wants that—”
“He wants to kill you.”
Eithan eyed her. “You don’t want to marry me?”
“You’re proposing to me? Now? Here? During this?”
He considered. “Maybe it wasn’t the most romantic way to do it.” He got off the bed and went to her. “Look, all I’m saying is that, you know, if the sun god is going to demand I make an honest woman of you, I can think of worse things.”
She gave him a tiny smile.
He reached for her, and in two moments, she was in his arms, and everything was better with the two of them close.
“I don’t need to be married, to be honest,” she said. “I don’t need to be married for anything I want to do.”
He brushed hair out of her face. “All right. We’ll just tell him that we’re going to get married but kill him before we get around to it, since you’re not interested.”
She squirmed against him, looking embarrassed. “I didn’t say I wasn’t interested, exactly, it’s only…” Her fingers crawled up over his shoulders to hook around the back of his neck. “Don’t you feel like getting married is the end?”
“The end of what?”
“For instance, in a story,” she said, “the last scene is always the wedding, when the girl marries the handsome prince, and then they ride off into the sunset together—”
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