Reign to Rule

by Zoey Ellis

  “No,” Malloron barked. He jumped down from the table. “I’m not waiting any longer. We need to make a move now.”

  The shinno straightened, his teal eyes hard. “The way to win a war is to think of all options our opponents can use to retaliate and defeat us. It takes planning and patience, King Malloron.”

  “I have been patient,” Malloron snapped. “We go now. My Omega is in distress. No more waiting.”

  Emtic stepped forward just as the shinno was about to answer. “I have all the knowledge of these Lands, shinno,” he said, inclining his head respectfully to Malloron. “I can tell you anything you need to know, if we can discuss quickly.”

  Within the next hour, they had come up with a plan. It was brutal and raw, but Malloron had confidence it would work. It was fascinating to watch the shinno prepare for battle. He had called in three more of his warriors, who seemed to be his generals, and analyzed the map of the Western Lands in great detail, asking questions to both him and Emric. He switched between his own language and the common tongue to communicate between the group to ensure everyone had an understanding of the setup of the Western Lands’ political and power structures, and considered all possible scenarios that Malloron hadn’t even considered. As far as he was concerned, he was capable of barging into wherever Amara was being kept and using the Talent to bring the entire Land to its knees. But the shinno’s preparation and cautiousness tempered his impatience. His prudence was ensuring that by the time this was over, Malloron would have the Lands completely within his control, which was what he always wanted. Kardos was making sure it happened.

  The pressure around Malloron's head remained light throughout their planning. Near the end of their discussion, he glimpsed the servant girl hovering in the doorway, peeking at him with her potion bowl. He beckoned her. He felt fine right now, but he needed to ensure he remained so until he got to Amara.

  "I can see why you wanted my warriors," the shinno said, nodding. "By securing specific areas, you can indeed dominate the entire Western Lands in one go. Your mistake is that you haven’t considered the loyalty of the people to their individual rulers. This plan is better. But you need to assist when it comes to the magic."

  "You will have full command of my Talent-crafter army,” Malloron said, gesturing to the girl to come closer.

  "But what about magical support here." The shinno pointed at a spot on the map. "We will need it here the most."

  "I will be there," Malloron said. "I will provide the magical support required." He hesitated. “Are you sure you have enough warriors? You only bought fifteen hundred men.”

  The shinno’s eyes hardened and he rose to his full height. “One Nyek warrior is worth five in every other Land,” he stated proudly. “We work in small groups that fight together; archer, swordsman, rockpulter, and hand combat artist. We never lose.” His gaze was fierce. “Fifteen hundred is almost too much for your tiny Lands.”

  Malloron held up his palms to indicate he didn’t mean to offend. “I do not doubt your warriors’ abilities, shinno Kardos.”

  The shinno let out a rumble in the back of his throat and then returned to look at the map.

  Malloron held in a chuckle at the man’s sensitivity. He should have known not to mention it. He turned his attention to the girl. “How long does this existing treatment last?”

  "It will be fading very soon, Your Majesty,” she said. “Please allow me to treat you before you go. It will help to stave off the effects of the bond, if it worsens."

  Malloron nodded. A sharp twist shot through his brain and a tremble of uncertainty and fear swirled in his chest. Amara. "Do it."

  The girl set to work dabbing the strange smelling potion onto him, starting at his temple and making her way along his hairline to the other side. It had the same impact as before, the pain lessening almost immediately, but Malloron remained tense and on edge. If Brecc or any of the others was hurting his Omega, many would die.

  As the girl reached to his other temple, he noticed that the shinno had stopped conversing and was watching him getting treated. Malloron gestured to him to carry on, but the shinno straightened, and Malloron noticed he wasn't looking at him, he was looking at the girl. The Alpha glanced down at her potion and back up to watch her careful movements with her potion brush, but if he was planning to say something he waited too long. The girl finished applying the potion and then quickly retreated.

  The shinno watched her until she was out of the room and then returned his gaze to Malloron.

  "Is something wrong?" Malloron asked, somewhat agitated. The treatment potentially signified he had a weakness, and he didn’t need the shinno having doubts now.

  The shinno glanced around the room. “Where are we? How many are in this house?”

  “We are in DarFara. This is my brother’s home," Malloron said.

  The shinno glanced at the map and then back up, amazed. “We have traveled to the other side of the Lands in one step?”

  Malloron smiled. “That is the benefit of portals.”

  “And that girl…” The shinno glanced in the direction she had gone. “She is your… family?”

  “No.” It suddenly occurred to Malloron that he hadn’t even inquired about Elion. “If we are finally ready, let’s go.” He headed toward the door. If Elion was alive when this was over, he would have his chance to explain immediately before his death.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  MALLORON

  Portals opened up at the same time all around the Western Lands, in and around every rulers’ residence. The shinno's warriors poured from them and slaughtered anyone who tried to escape or rebel against them. Any and all Talent-crafters were killed immediately, and the ruler’s family and staff were held by order of the king.

  Malloron hovered high over the mountains in DarRojan among the icy, white clouds concentrating on his spell. “Metha dayrow vessalethrah frow zisseniffra osse leemith,” he muttered, watching the jagged ball of magic forming before him. It surged wildly, revolving and jerking as new streams of magic joined to enlarge it. “Telleya aspoffrey nee-imriff deslaarronkin metha leemith.” He wrote this spell as a boy and refined over the years for this day; the day he took the Western Lands and became its king. He had always known he would need a raw magic that no other Talent-crafter could fight or escape from, one that would respond to his needs without him barely needing to give it much thought, and the gigantic orb forming before him was certainly proving to be as vicious as he imagined. The spell was also designed to heighten his senses so he could control and detect all magic used across the Land, and so far it was working.

  He was able to feel all the portals being used to invade the various countries and he knew that if any of them closed, it signified that the shinno's warriors had not secured the property and were engaging in battle with some kind of defense on the other side. Of course, they had no idea if the ruler of any particular country was actually within their residence at the time of the invasion, but the warriors would remain in place until the ruler returned. The beauty of this was that none of the citizens in any of the territories were aware of the subtle invasion happening within each country, and by the time they did, it would be too late. They wouldn’t be able to help their ruler.

  “Offroskray sessinalloy frow fara issip nelleyayn danfera okoray.” The orb stabilized into a pulsing ball of ruby-red, gold, and raven black glowing magic, and revolved and spun rapidly in different directions. Every raw inch of it echoed through Malloron’s body, connecting to every part of him, and a slight relief washed through him that it worked, even though he knew it would. He knew he wasn’t as incompetent as his grandfather, but he had been waiting to use the spell for such a long time and yet hadn’t tested it. He turned his attention to the rest of the magic he could feel throughout the Lands, a new anticipation emerging as he waited for the shinno’s signal.

  Provided he concentrated and ignored the pressure in his mind, Malloron’s connection with magic hadn't been affected by the bond
. As soon as he connected with it, Amara's hum bloomed within him, and he had flown directly to where she was being held. The hum itself had lost some of its vibrancy, but it signified that the tenebris was still responding to him and as long as it was able to help him to find her, that was all he needed right now.

  Suddenly a number of portals closed, one by one in quick succession, and Malloron tensed as he tried to determine which territories were fighting back. It was too difficult to pinpoint exactly, but he could make a guess that it was the countries that had some kind of protection at the residence of the ruler. Malloron clenched his fists, inwardly cursing that Kardos had not yet sent the signal for him to approach the prison directly below him. It sat snug among the mountains, which provided it with ample protection and made it difficult to approach without alerting its guards and Talent-crafters. Malloron wasn’t visible from his position in the clouds, and he doubted that any of Valinor’s Talent-crafters would expect anyone to be able to hover so high above the building. The main worry for him was ensuring that Brecc didn’t become aware of their arrival and take Amara through a portal to a different part of the Land. But while that would be an inconvenience, it didn’t really matter. Brecc would soon come to realize there was nowhere he could hide. Not now.

  The icy wisps of cloud that surrounded Malloron began to seep into his bones before he finally felt the signal. Dozens of portals opened up all over the prison at once, and a fireball shot into the sky. Malloron immediately soared down through the clouds. As he picked up speed, he directed some of the magic from his powerful orb into his shield and braced himself as the momentum built.

  Maneuvering the orb below him, Malloron used it to punch through the thick stone roof of the prison, closest to where he felt Amara's hum. Using the momentum, he continued the downward trajectory, crashing through the floor into the level below and then down again into the floor below, flying through each hole the orb made until he finally landed in a wide corridor. A guard, who had been running in his direction, skidded to a stop when he saw Malloron, his eyes wide, and he dropped the sword in his hand.

  Seeing he was no threat. Malloron turned, feeling for Amara's hum. Smashing the orb through the wall of the corridor, he walked through it and into a hallway where a bloody battle had already begun. He hadn’t needed to worry about the number of warriors the shinno had bought with him—they fought viciously enough to make an impact; two, three, sometimes even four men at a time. The clashing of swords and the whip of arrows shooting across the air was punctuated by cries and yells and grunts. The tang of blood had already soured the air and wriggling, mutilated bodies lay strewn across the floor.

  Malloron took it all in for a moment, and then directed his powerorb of magic over the heads of the battling warriors. At the spark of the barest of thought from Malloron, a number of glittering threads disconnected from the orb and whipped around the room, penetrating the heads of the guards that opposed the shinno’s army—no, Malloron’s army—and ripping them to shreds. As they dropped to the ground, Malloron moved across the hall and smashed through another wall, seeking Amara.

  It worried him that her hum was faint. At first, he thought it was because of the bond, but when he entered the prison, it should have increased, not remained weak. A siren erupted around the entire building, but Malloron ignored it. Did the weak hum mean that something had happened to her? His heart sped up as he realized that the quality of her hum had always indicated her mood or something about her physical state. So what the fuck did a weak hum mean?

  He crashed through wall after wall, heading toward the hum that beckoned but never seemed to get any closer. A fierce panic almost engulfed him before he realized he needed to use magic. This prison could be distorting magical signals.

  Stilling, he focused on the hum and pulled the magic from his powerorb and began to cast. The potent magic curved, rippled, and twisted until a brilliant blue circular portal appeared before him.

  He stepped through it into a large courtyard surrounded on all sides by high stone walls. Instantly, Amara's hum strengthened but he couldn’t see her. A mass of men were marching away from him down the center of the courtyard, and beyond them, a portal glimmered in the distance. By its color, Malloron could tell it hadn’t been created by any of his Talent-crafters. He felt his own portal behind him shift back into the revolving magical ball and three small orbs shot from it, soaring over the men’s heads, to the other portal. As they crashed into it, it destabilized, and the men realized his presence. They turned, readying themselves, but Malloron suddenly saw Amara. She was being held in the center of the men, right next to Brecc.

  Malloron growled at the sight of their hands on her, but his powerorb had begun to take action.

  Brecc’s face contorted and he pointed to Malloron, saying something to his men, but magical blades were already gliding through the air and they decapitated all who held her. The other men jumped back and shouted in surprise and horror and then seemed to notice the magic that bloomed out behind Malloron. Some of them simply ran in the opposite direction. Others froze on the spot. A small amount gripped their weapons and glanced at Brecc, uncertainty on their faces.

  But Malloron already had already forced a cord of magic in Brecc’s mouth and swirled it around his tongue. Connecting to Amara, and the tenebris, Malloron pulled her toward him, while glaring at Brecc. “Try summoning her now, Brecc,” he bit out. Without giving Brecc a chance to answer, he yanked on the magic inside his mouth. Brecc screamed wildly as his tongue was slowly ripped from his throat. Most of the remaining men scrambled away, but some still stood, watching the unseen parts of Brecc tongue emerge, and dark blood poured from his mouth. Malloron turned his attention to more important matters.

  “Malloron!” Amara’s voice sent a rush of relief through him, and when she soared into his arms, he couldn't help but grip her close, pressing her against him and gripping her tight. He wound his fist into her thick black hair and held her head securely so that she looked up at him. “Are you hurt?” he asked harshly. “Did he hurt you?”

  “No.” Amara breathed, but there was a hesitation in her voice that made him growl.

  He gripped her hair tighter and she whimpered. “Did he touch you?”

  “Yes,” she said, wincing, “but he didn't—”

  Malloron stopped listening. At his instruction, threads of magic streamed from his powerorb, soared to Brecc, and wound themselves around Brecc's fisted hands, then pressed in on them. Brecc dropped to his knees, his screams becoming wilder and uncontrollable as the magic continued to crunch in on his hands. Malloron relished the sound.

  He looked back down at Amara, locking his eyes with her wonderful blue ones. Fuck, this woman was beautiful. Pride, relief, and disappointment in her actions against him bounded through him in equal measures. He knew he needed her—he had come to terms with that now—but he also knew he couldn’t allow himself to enjoy her the way he really wanted to. Not any more. He couldn’t have her laugh, her comfort, and her kisses. He couldn’t look forward to any more discussions or debates or open and frank honesty. She had proven she was just like all the others who had let him down, and she would deceive him again as they all did. He wouldn’t let her get that close again, but the thought of losing all that, something so special that he’d only had for such a short time, fucking hurt. “You will bite me and bond with me,” he ordered, his voice gritty. “Now.”

  Amara's eyes widened a little and she nodded, but he was already pushing her face into his neck.

  Her nose ran along his neck, and then her lips pressed into the spot that always made him tremble. As her teeth sunk in, he watched Brecc screaming as his hands became two stumps of deformed bloody flesh at the ends of his arms.

  He relished the sting of her bite, a rush of desire storming his body as she sucked his blood. The pressure in his head swirled, trembled, and jumped, making him slightly disorientated, but he held onto her firmly, pressing her body against his to ensure that she stayed attached t
o him. Suddenly the pressure eased completely and the swirling energy rushed down into his chest. Buried within his chest, the feeling of the bond bloomed, deeper, purer, and more secure than her hum. It satisfied something within that he hadn’t even realized had always been unfulfilled, and he was unable to hold in the gratified rumble that the feeling caused. At the same time, the desire that had grown intensified. His cock hardened and his need to be inside her suddenly raged within him.

  Malloron tried to ignore the urge. They were finally bonded, and there was nothing that anyone could do to get in the way of that now. There were other things he needed to see to. Brecc was on the floor weeping and cradling his hands into his lap. A number of his men stood watching him, while keeping an eye on Malloron, but none approached Brecc to try to help him. It was time to finish him.

  And yet, Malloron suddenly noticed that Amara had not released him. In fact her arms were winding around him and she was humming as she pressed her body against his. She felt so fucking good and her scent, that scent he loved to drown himself in, was surrounding him so strongly that his arousal was becoming impossible to resist.

  He cupped and squeezed her ass, pressing her closer against him, relishing in her sigh of delight. His hands wandered under her tunic to her smooth legs, and suddenly he was wondering why they were not wrapped around him. In a swift move, he lifted her up and at the same time, his magic swept around them, forming both a circular shield and a wall behind her back, allowing him to press her up against it and hold one of her legs open.

  There was a commotion behind him, but he could not remove his attention from this gorgeous, beautifully scented being clinging to him. It suddenly struck him as strange that she had not let go of his neck.

  He gently pulled her head away, forcing her to release him, and he was met with a stunning sight. Her eyes were golden.