Ariel braced herself for more of Valteri’s mockery as trepidation filled her. Should she have told him that?
Maybe it would have been better for him to continue to deny the truth.
If Belial found out that Valteri knew the truth of him, what would he do? He was a cold-blooded bastard.
Ruthless.
He’d destroyed so many people. And for what?
His own gain? To make his overlords happy? She’d never understood what had made Kadar and Azura want to harm mankind. Prey on them.
From the beginning of time, they’d seen humans as the ultimate vermin.
Same with their servants, who’d always been set on the utter destruction of everyone and everything.
There was no kindness in any of them. All they wanted was to take over the world and ruin the lives of anyone who got in their way.
Her mind reeling with all the damage Belial had wrought throughout the centuries, she reached for her kirtle and donned it.
Silence hung between them like a thick pall.
Valteri turned away from her, and the betrayed expression on his face hit her like a fist to her heart. To think she’d been so worried about his leaving.
As if physical distance was the worst thing that could separate them.
What actually separated them was far more than just his brutal past, far more than what could be eased by a few tender words. They were two different beings entirely. Nothing could traverse the chasm between them.
He wasn’t demonspawn.
Valteri was the son of an ancient, primal power. One who’d done his best to ensure the survival of mankind.
A creature who’d enslaved himself to the king of all darkness and the queen of shadows to ensure that the greatest evil facing man would remain in chains and unable to break the world.
His father was a hero.
Jaden must have had some reason for fathering him. He didn’t do anything haphazardly. Especially not when it concerned humanity.
But to leave his son in this world unprotected …
Utter madness.
The last time a primal power had done that with a son, Kadar had taken the boy in to be his guardian in Azmodea—the hell realm where Kadar was trapped. While Seth wasn’t the son of Jaden, he was the son of the god Razar, and almost as powerful. And a potent force for Kadar and Azura to use in their war against Ariel’s father and the forces of light.
If Kadar could enslave Valteri the same way he’d done Seth …
A shiver went down her spine.
The combination of those two half-human warriors, along with the Adarian Malachai, who held dominion over all the demons …
Even without the powers of their missing sister, Braith, Kadar and Azura could use the Malachai to break free of their prison and overrun the world. And they would rain down hell upon it.
That was why Thorn and Shadow were here.
Why they had stayed.
The fate of the world was in their hands and if they failed.…
Everyone was doomed.
Surely, Jaden had known the repercussions of leaving a son in this realm without him or another to watch over the boy. Why would Jaden have been so careless and cold?
Was he no longer on their side?
That thought was even more chilling. Had all these centuries of serving evil finally turned Jaden?
If that was the case, then Valteri was in even more danger than he knew.
He’d been tortured by humans over a lie when the truth wasn’t much better. He could very well be a pawn to a father who might be willing to sacrifice him for his own freedom.…
Surely, Jaden wouldn’t be that cold.
Would he?
But what else made sense?
Why would he have fathered a son with a human when he knew better?
After the horrible fate that had befallen his other sons and grandson?
All of them had been sacrificed in this war.
Wincing, she didn’t know what to say to Valteri now.
Not if her suspicions were correct. Either his father was a selfish ass who wanted to sacrifice him.
Or he was so thoughtless that he hadn’t cared what happened to his son.
All she knew was that she ached to soothe some of the pain that bled from every part of him, but his rigid spine made him seem unreachable.
Formidable.
Just like his father.
And just like his father, his enemies wouldn’t rest until they saw him in chains.
Shadow paused as soon as he saw Ariel entering the donjon. With a polite excuse, he extricated himself from the extremely attractive serving wench who’d been offering herself to him.
If only he’d had a little more time.
And if Thorn didn’t have such a nasty habit of taking pleasure in interrupting his pleasure.
Rotten bastard.
“There a problem, pet?”
Ariel’s ball-shriveling expression answered that affirmatively.
“I see you have your memory back.”
She nodded. “Is there any way to restore my powers?”
“’Fraid not, punkin.” He jerked his chin toward Mildred the Crone, who was watching them while she cleaned. “She put one hell of a whammy on you. I could fry her for you, though. Return the favor, if you’d like.”
“Don’t tempt me. You’re almost as bad as Belial.”
He scoffed. “I’m worse than Belial. You should remember that, if you have your memory.”
She returned her gaze to him. He had his long hair pulled back into a sharp ponytail. It made his face all the more alluring. More masculine, as the beauty of his hair didn’t compete with the perfection of his chiseled features. “Nay, Shadow. You’re more ruthless to those deserving, but you still have a soul and a heart. The two things that Belial lost a long time ago. I might not have my powers at present, but I’ve seen you when I did, and you can’t hide the truth from me.”
He looked away sheepishly. “Don’t say that shit out loud. Someone might hear you.”
That was his worst fear. For his enemies to know that he wasn’t the cold-blooded bastard they thought him.
And he had a lot of enemies. Too many, in fact. They never left him in peace.
Her heart ached for him. “I will keep your secret.” Rising on her tiptoes, she kissed his whiskered cheek. Then, she whispered in his ear, “You know that Valteri is the son of Jaden.”
“Aye,” he breathed.
“Does Jaden know?”
He glanced around the room before he answered. “No. According to my agents, he only knows about Caleb and Xev.”
Xevikan Daraxerxes was a terrifying demonic beast. Shadow’s half brother through their mother, Azura, he served as the right hand of the Malachai demon. In fact, he was Adarian Malachai’s Šarru-Dara, or Blood King, who fed power to the Malachai so that he’d be able to destroy the world should Azura and Kadar ever break out of their prison and unleash the Malachai so that they could rule the world again as its dark gods.
And why was Xev enslaved to the Malachai? Because he’d betrayed his own mother by fighting for Ariel’s side during the Primus Bellum—the first war of the gods. Rather than serve the dark gods, Xev had changed sides to fight for his wife, who was a warrior, like Ariel, for the Arelim army.
The same was true for Caleb Malphas. Because he’d fallen in love with a human and switched sides to protect humanity, he’d been punished, too.
At the end of the war, Jaden had turned his back on them and refused to help them escape their unjust convictions.
No one knew why.
Xev and Caleb had done what was right and decent. And they were spending eternity being tortured for it.
Just like Shadow.
“I can’t let Valteri share his brothers’ fates.”
“Nor I. I’m sick of the gods and so is Thorn. Watching them play these games with the innocent.”
“Then how do we fix this?”
Shadow snorted. “That’s always the rub, dearest. Damned if I know.”
Valteri narrowed his gaze as he scanned the letter from William. His grip tight, he again read William’s dispensation of all the Ravenswood lands and titles to him.
I should be grateful.
An image of Ariel drifted through his mind, her arms open, her lips curved up into a warm, welcoming smile. Even now, he could hear her laughter as she danced around him.
For the first time in his life, he could imagine himself with someone. See himself growing old with a woman by his side.
Even more terrifying, he could imagine children.
His children.
Valteri shook his head, disgusted by the mere thought. He should know better than to even consider such a fantasy.
It’s not for me. I’m a warrior. Through and through.
He didn’t need anyone.
Damn sure didn’t need children. Wace was aggravation enough.
And yet …
Cursing himself for loving a woman who was obviously insane, he crumpled the parchment into his fist. Why hadn’t he listened to himself and left England right after William’s coronation?
If he had any sense, he’d defy his brother and go now.
Your wife needs you.
Valteri flinched at the voice in his head. Whatever was he going to do?
She was mad and he was a fool.
Mad.
That one word chased itself through his thoughts like a silent phantom seeking blood. He’d had plenty of experience dealing with the deranged.
His brother being the most recent one.
Damn the loons of his youth.
The last thing he wanted now was a return to having to walk the eggshells of his past, where every word had to be measured with care.
For that was the thing about insanity.
It only grew and became stronger. In time, she’d become a stranger. Not the lady who’d won his heart, but someone he’d never recognize.
And what would she be like once her reasoning fled? Would she be violent like the others who’d attacked him for no reason, or one of the poor souls who curled up like a tiny kitten afraid to move?
And what then?
Would her brothers cast her to the likes of Edred for exorcism, or worse?
He flinched as he saw himself as a boy being tortured by them.
Damn them all! They were the monsters in this world. Not the imagined demons they claimed they were after.
Valteri closed his eyes against the pain in his chest. He wanted to leave and yet he couldn’t make himself give up on her. Of all the things in his life, she alone was worth saving, worth protecting.
Damn you, William, for getting me into this.
Hours later, Valteri came out of the stable just in time to see Ariel heading for the hall.
“Milady?” he called.
She continued on her way without pausing.
Frowning, Valteri started to walk away, but stopped after two steps.
Was she avoiding him? It wasn’t like her to ignore him so.
Concerned that something might be wrong, he hastened after her. “Ariel?”
She hesitated. Panic flickered in her gaze a moment before she lifted the hem of her gown and sped forward.
What was that?
More concerned than ever, Valteri quickened his pace, and finally caught her as she entered the hall. “Ariel? Did you not hear my call?”
She looked up at him with an amused stare. “Aye, I heard you. But I needed to come in here before you stopped me.”
“To what purpose?”
She opened the door wider and smiled so that he could see a large feast had been prepared. “A celebration for you.”
He scowled at her. “Pardon?”
“Wace told me that you’d been declared the lord of these lands. I thought a celebration was in order. Come, Valteri, Lord of Ravenswood.”
He hesitated. “Milady, please. Do you not remember what happened the last time we attempted such a thing?”
Thorn and Shadow came up behind him.
“That was before I was here, brother.” Thorn clapped him on the shoulder. “I dare anyone to say a word now.”
“As do I. ’Less they wish to feast on their own entrails.” Shadow winked at him. “I say we drink, feast, and wench!”
“Shadow!” Ariel chided.
“Well, not Val. He has you. But I can wench aplenty.”
Thorn snorted. “How are you not diseased?”
“Who says I’m not?” Shadow raked him with a frown. “I just hope it’s terminal. Let me out of this life. I’m done with it.”
She was aghast. “You’re awful!”
Shadow grinned at her. “Incorrigible from my first breath to my last.” And with that, he went off in search of wine.
Thorn headed off after him.
Valteri shook his head. “Those two are so strange.”
“Indeed, they are.”
“Yet I like them and can’t figure out why.”
With a sigh, she nodded. “I know. I feel the same.”
He laughed. “But they’re your brothers. You should like them.”
She arched a brow at his comment.
“My brothers are different. They’re asses. Giant ones, point of fact.”
“As can be mine. Much of the time.” Taking his arm, she led him toward the table that was set with all the foods Wace had told her were Valteri’s favorites.
Ariel debated if she should try again to tell him the truth.
That they weren’t her brothers.
They were more akin to his.
He won’t believe you.
Besides, he was happy, and that was such a rare thing for him that she didn’t want anything to taint it.
But as she moved to take her seat, she caught the eye of the old crone. The hatred there chilled her to her soul.
Mildred was brewing evil. She could feel it. It crawled over her skin like a living, breathing creature.
“You will hold what you love in your arms and you will watch as he dies.”
Those words echoed in her ears. She remembered her curse. The old woman intended to kill Valteri.
To punish her.
Ariel winced as she remembered everything. The warrior she’d escorted from the battlefield—Mildred’s son—who had been honored to join ranks with her brethren.
And his mother’s wrath over something that Ariel had had no part in. Her role had been minor. All she’d done was escort him from where he’d fallen to those who offered him a chance to live again. To do what he’d wanted to do with his afterlife.
For that, she was being punished.
And so would Valteri.
It wasn’t right.
In that moment, her stomach cramped. By marrying him, she’d condemned him.
Belial had been right.
She wasn’t just a psychopomp. This time, she was the hand of death, and she’d stupidly dealt it to an innocent man.
Valteri felt the darkness from Ariel as he reached for his wine. “Is something amiss?”
She smiled and shook her head. “All’s well.”
Lifting her hand, he placed a kiss to her palm, amazed by her and the feast she’d made for him. No one had ever been so kind or thoughtful. And he couldn’t believe his good fortune.
How had someone so special fallen into his life?
That thought brought back his dream to him. The notion that with the good came an even greater evil.
Happiness never lasted. At least not for him.
Night invariably followed the day.
Was this only a setup for something far more foul? At no time in his life had he ever been allowed to take a breath and just enjoy one moment of his existence. Every heartbeat had been an endurance.
Surely this was no different.
What evil would follow? What cost would he have to pay for daring to enjoy this time with her?
But then, he knew.
You are cursed.
He’d been told that every day of his life. By everyone around him. No peace. No quarter.
His dream had been a warning, and he knew in his heart that fate would tear them apart.
Sooner rather than later, he would lose her.
And there would be nothing he could do.