twenty-four

“Count me impressed.” King Lylel nodded as Tegan walked into the connecting antechamber. The vampire’s light tone and humor-filled eyes though told him it hadn’t been meant as a compliment. “All that screaming and you still look like shit.”

Tegan glared at him, but it did nothing to dim the grin the bastard was sporting. “Phoebe needs some clothes,” he said roughly. “She says you’d have some things?”

Lylel smirked. “Oh, I have some things.”

When Tegan’s only reaction was a tightening of his lips, the vampire pushed, “Do you want to see what she’s picked out for our wedding night or for the morning after?”

In the next breath, Tegan had the vampire pinned to the wall. “She’s not marrying you,” he snapped.

The king cocked his head to the side with a smug grin. “And yet she’s signed the papers…”

“Arawn’s fire, Lylel. Shut up,” Dalghizar growled as he noticed the Rage rippling across his friend’s back.

Catching Dal’s eye, the king nodded. “As you wish. But then again, can you blame me?” He raised a brow at Tegan. “She is a beauty, no?”

“She’s mine.”

“A pity.” He paused as he cocked his head to the side. “Although entirely predictable. In the four months of our courtship, Phoebe has never looked at me in the way she looks at you. And she sure as hel never let me know her so intimately.”

Tegan’s jaw clenched as his fists tightened in Lylel’s robes. Although he liked knowing that he’d been her first and last, he simply didn’t like the king thinking about her in such a way. At all.

“Just give me some fucking clothes for her,” he growled.

“Of course.” He smiled. “But you’ll want to put me down first. Aridam is a bit…touchy when it comes to keeping me safe. I swear, if I’d known he would get so attached when I’d saved his life, I would’ve let him die.”

Tegan didn’t share in his humor. He merely glared at him, but after a moment, he did do as requested. Slowly, his Rage receded too.

“Thank you,” the berserker said, merely to keep the peace.

Lylel might be a pain in his ass, but he was a powerful ally and one it would be best to keep. The king’s reach went across five of the Seven Planes. Only Persic and Konistra were outside his touch. The former because it was currently inhabitable and the latter because it was a land of nothing but beasts and monsters.

Stepping away from the wall, Lylel straightened his robes and then called for Aridam. The vampire phased into the room not a second later.

“Yes?”

“Phoebe needs a full set of clothes.”

“With full sleeves and a high collar,” Tegan added. He didn’t want anyone to see the bruises he’d left. His lips pinched in shame. “And bring everything here. I will give them to her.”

Aridam looked at Lylel. When the king nodded, he vanished.

Tegan then turned to Dalghizar. The stained attire the hybrid had been wearing when he’d phased into Heldron Castle had been replaced by a clean shirt and pair of pants. He had also washed, removing the blood from his hair and skin.

“I take it the blood wasn’t yours, then?” Tegan asked.

The hybrid shrugged. “Not enough of it to make a difference.”

“What happened?”

“Parius told me where I could find his friends. We had a lovely little talk over tea and biscuits.” He smiled cruelly. “They’re called the Order of the Night and are dedicated to hunting abominations. Their main base is somewhere on Blódyrió, but I wasn’t able to find it before you called. I did, however, find your agent Rico in one of their cages.”

Tegan’s eyes narrowed in concern. “Where is he?”

“Upstairs, sleeping off whatever hel he went though.” He paused with a frown. “Whatever they did to him, it wasn’t good. He was completely feral when I found him.”

Tegan cursed. “It wasn’t them.” At Dal’s questioning look, he explained, “Rogan’s report said Rico was feral when they’d left him a week ago. If he’s been feral all this time…”

He would never recover. Rico would have to learn to control the beast inside him all over again. After its taste of prolonged freedom, his wolf wouldn’t want to revert back to only coming out on a full moon. It would fight him every chance it got. Anytime he changed into his true form, Rico would run the risk of never being able to change back.

“Is he in his human form now?”

Dal’s grim look was answer enough. “No.”

Before Tegan could reply, Aridam phased in front of him. An assortment of clothes hung in his arms. “I was not aware of her tastes,” he explained as he pushed them at Tegan.

Grabbing the lot, the berserker nodded in thanks. “I’m sure these will be fine.”

Tegan headed for the double doors to the throne room, but hesitated with his hand on the wood. His guilt rose once more like hot coals in his stomach. All of those bruises…

“Tegan?” Phoebe asked softly through the doors.

He closed his eyes briefly, then pushed inside. “I’ve brought you some clothes,” he said gruffly.

He shut the door quickly behind him, not trusting Lylel to keep his eyes to himself.

Phoebe smiled at the numerous options in his hands. Her grin turned dry as she held up a turtleneck. “Really?” she asked. “Those are so out of style.”

He shrugged as he kept staring at the wall behind her. Even now, despite Tegan’s guilt and self disgust, the Rage wanted him to mark her. It liked seeing her branded so completely. Now no one could miss that she was his.

Clenching his fists, Tegan struggled to maintain control. He was thankful when she pulled on a very conservative robe. It was dark blue with a high collar and long sleeves. The length of it went down to her ankles, covering every bruise he’d given her.

Placing a hand on his arm, Phoebe’s eyes turned soft. “I promise you, I’m okay.”

He made a noncommittal noise, certain she was lying just to make him feel better. Still, he couldn’t get into it again right now. Phoebe was sticking to her guns and Rico needed him focused.

The man had been stuck in his werewolf form for a full week. Getting him to return to normal was going to be a bitch of a task. And one they might not succeed at at all.

“What’s wrong?” Phoebe murmured.

Just having her beside him eased a bit of his worries. Clasping her hand on his arm, he gave it a gentle squeeze. “An agent is in trouble. He’s been stuck in his werewolf form for a week.”

Empathetic pain softened her face. “That’s… I’m sorry to hear that, but…” Her eyes lifted to his. They were hard with determination, making Tegan’s stomach churn with apprehension.

Please don’t offer –

“But I think I can help.”

“No.” No way was he letting her anywhere near Rico. The man was a gentleman in human form, but as a werewolf he was an absolute beast. He was an alpha wolf, not some submissive Phoebe could manipulate emotionally. He had a strong, natural resistance to magic and no alpha would bow down without a fight. He would tear her apart as soon as she entered the room, let alone tried anything.

“Tegan.” She pulled on his arm, but he slipped away. Exasperated, she said, “I can do this. He’s an Elv’ve’Nor so all I’ll have to do is amplify his loyalty to the cause. He’ll want to revert back to a human so he can –”

Shaking his head, he gesticulated angrily. “I said no.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I thought you wanted to hire me as a therapist.”

“For a four year old kid without any powers! For agents I know would never hurt you! Not for a feral werewolf that wants to rip everyone’s hearts out!”

“But I’m his best chance at –”

“No, you’re not! Rico needs proper help, not some feel good therapy!”

Her lips tightened. If Tegan wasn’t so hyped up about not letting her go, he might have noticed. As it was, he merely crossed his arms and added, “You’re not seeing him and that’s final.”

 

Gods, he was hating this. Tegan stood at full attention alongside Dalghizar, Lylel, and Aridam. Not one of them breathed as they watched Phoebe approach the werewolf chained to the far wall. Silver chains as thick as Tegan’s wrists were wrapped around every one of Rico’s limbs, but still the wolf snarled with the promise of vengeance. Anyone else would have been whimpering in pain.

The berserker itched to rush forwards and haul Phoebe away. His Rage roared its agreement. Seeing his rising frustration, Dal grabbed his arm.

“Let her do this,” his friend murmured.

Tegan would’ve told him to go fuck himself if he could find the air to breathe.

“Hey there, big fella,” Phoebe cooed as she inched closer. With each step, the vice around Tegan’s heart tightened.

“He cannot break the chains,” Lylel assured him. “And they are ragged tight so he cannot move far.”

But Tegan was not ready to listen to any reason. His lifemate was now six inches away from a beast that even literal monsters feared.

Towering nearly eight feet tall, Rico was a monument of rippling muscle. His claws and teeth were as sharp as knives. His eyes were golden orbs of hatred. He stood on his hind legs, his thighs bulging with the need to rip free. His hairy fists clenched and unclenched as he snarled with all the rage inside him.

The only appealing thing about him was his fur. It was a beautiful blue gray that faded into a white belly. Or at least, it normally was. At the moment it was completely covered in dried mud and blood. Whatever Rico had gone through, Dalghizar was right. It had been hell.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” Phoebe said lightly. Her voice did not waver in the slightest.

Tegan shook his head in disbelief. His woman was mad. She was mere inches away from certain death and she was literally speaking as if she was talking to a child. There was something wrong with her brain. That was the only explanation. Perhaps she needed a healer. Yes, that was it. He would call a healer that would agree with him about her staying away from Rico and –

“Tegan?” Phoebe said softly.

“Yes?” He took a quick step forward, but halted at her next words.

“If you can’t keep your emotions in check, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. You’re distracting me and although I love you, this is not a good time for me to be distracted.” Never once did her voice change from the sweet melody she’d used on Rico.

Lylel snorted beside him.

“That goes for you too, Lylel.”

“You can feel him?” Tegan growled as he turned to glare at the king. Dal had assured him Phoebe could only feel the emotions of those she had a close connection to.

“Tegan,” Phoebe said, her voice finally holding the tiniest amount of exasperation. “Either go or shield your emotions.”

Pursing his lips, he clenched his fists. It was a struggle, but he somehow managed to do as she asked. Because to hel if he was going to leave her in this.

“Thank you.” Directing her attention back to Rico, Phoebe murmured, “It’s been a long week for you, hasn’t it? Your beautiful fur is all matted. I bet that doesn’t feel good, does it?”

Tegan’s heart clenched. He knew her well enough to know where she was going. “Phoebe…”

“You’re going to have to trust me,” she said. She never turned her head, but he knew she was speaking to him just as much as she was to Rico.

Still, Tegan wanted nothing more than to rush forward and throw her over his shoulder. The only thing that stopped him was knowing she would never forgive him. Her freedom was her greatest desire, so if he restricted her in this…

But by the gods, Phoebe was about to give him a heart attack. Sweat pooled under his arms as he continued to watch.

“Those chains don’t look nice either,” she said.

This time it was Dal who cursed and called her name.

“You and me both,” she muttered before starting to turn around.

Tegan’s eyes widened as he lunged forward. One should never give their back to a wolf. Not if they wanted to keep their heart in their chest.

He was halfway across the room with his sword drawn before he stopped in shock. Rico was growling at him, but he hadn’t moved. He hadn’t tried to attack her.

“Alright. Dal and Tegan, I need you to leave.” Phoebe placed her hands on her hips as she shot each of them a glare. Tegan barely noticed though. His eyes were on the wolf behind her. His heart was in his throat.

“Phoebe…”

“No.”

“But –”

“I can’t help him while also dealing with your two’s overbearing emotions. You’re about to hijack my link and we do not want that. Actually” –she turned to King Lylel– “you can go too.”

“What?”

“Tegan’s not going to leave if you’re allowed to stay.”

“But you need protecting,” Tegan growled.

“And I’ll have Aridam.”

“He doesn’t care about you.”

“That’s exactly why he’s staying.” She pierced Tegan with an uncompromising stare. “He won’t get in my way.”

“Dammit, Phoebe, no.” Tegan crossed his arms and gave his best authoritative glare. He’d stopped many a fight with this face.

Phoebe’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re not going to win this,” he promised. “So you can stop glaring at me and just accept that I’m not leaving.”

 

Seven minutes later, Tegan cursed as he paced around on the floor below. They were in one of the many castle’s parlors. Comfortable looking couches and chairs decorated the room, but none of them felt like sitting. Dal stared out of a window, overlooking the snow-topped mountains that surrounded the castle. A glass of whiskey was in his hand, but he hadn’t taken a sip yet. Lylel had one hip perched on a sideboard, right next to a platter of alcoholic beverages. As Tegan continued to pace, the king poured himself another drink.

“You know,” Lylel said as he swirled his glass, “I ought to thank you for taking Phoebe away from me.”

“She was never yours to begin with,” Tegan growled.

The king shrugged. “My point remains.” He tilted his tumbler towards Tegan. “She seems to be an awful lot of trouble. I’m glad she’s not my responsibility.”

“Watch it.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. She’s a treasure, I’m sure. Just not for me.” He took a sip as his eyes flicked to Dal.

“Why did you agree to marry her then?” he demanded.

“Because I know what it’s like to be trapped and helpless.”

At this, Dalghizar glanced over. “You?” He snorted.

“You may believe me to be all powerful and to be fair, these days you’d be right.”

Dal shook his head on another snort.

“But I was born a slave as my parents were and their parents were before them.” He turned his attention back to Tegan. “I’m not saying I think you kept her as a slave. Just that I know what it’s like to yearn for a freedom that’s outside of one’s grasp.”

“But I never meant for her to feel like that.” Tegan clenched his fists, beyond frustrated at himself.

“Leakini oceakanopasido veriqoceari.” A spilled drink is not meant to drown ants. “What you saw as an innocent action was –”

“Harmful to her. I know the meaning of the phrase.”

“Then you also know that the one who dropped the drink is not to blame. We cannot know everything.” He smiled over the rim of his glass. “Not even the gods have mastered that particular skill.”

Tegan’s brows pulled together. Before he could reply though, Aridam phased into the room.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Tegan roared.

“Rico is human.”

Tegan winced. “Ah, I’m sorry.”

Showing no signs of having heard him, either his outburst or apology, Aridam vanished.

“Gods, he’s so dramatic.” King Lylel tossed back the contents of his glass.

Walking over to Tegan, Dal flicked the vampire a glance. “I thought you liked drama?”

“Only when it’s mine.” Smiling, the king phased. In another second, so had Tegan and Dal.

As soon as they’d landed, Tegan pulled Phoebe into his arms and kissed her senseless.

“Promise me you won’t ever scare me like that again.”

She smiled up at him. “I love you too.”

His frustration melted at those words, only to quickly revive when he realized she hadn’t promised a thing. “Phoebe…” he growled.

“Rico has a lot to tell you.” Standing on her toes, she pecked his lips with a devilish grin.

Eyes narrowing, he shook his head. Then he turned towards Rico, still holding Phoebe tight against his side.

“It’s good to see you,” he said with a nod.

Rico was sitting on the bed in a pair of red slacks, but no shirt. His dark hair was matted as badly as his fur had been and his skin was still covered in mud and blood. Still, that did little to reduce Rico’s physical allure. If anything, it made him look more ruggedly handsome.

Realizing Phoebe had to have seen him naked, Tegan’s eyes narrowed. Feeling his jealousy, Phoebe snorted in laughter. She tried to cover it up with a hand, but it was far too late for that.

Rico glanced at her before looking back at Tegan. “It’s good to be back…” he said slowly. “How long has it been?”

“A week. Do you remember anything that happened?”

He frowned. “Only bits and pieces after we arrived to help Rogan.” He jumped to his feet, his face pale. “How are they? Did they – Did I –”

“No. You didn’t kill anyone as far as I’m aware. There were a few reports of your sightings, but nothing solid. You stayed inside the wilderness surrounding Sebastian’s castle.” At his heavy pause, his lifemate gave him a reassuring squeeze. This next bit never got any easier. Clearing his throat, Tegan said, “Mauvali didn’t make it and neither did Ruthnor.”

“What happened?” Rico’s voice was emotionless, but he was far from unfeeling. His team was his family, his pack. He’d given up his true pack when he’d joined the Elv’ve’Norc, having not liked what his wolf brethren were becoming.

“Mauvali sacrificed herself so everyone could get to safety.” Tegan swallowed, knowing Ruthnor’s death was going to hit Rico like a sack of bricks. “And Ruthnor was killed by the wolves.”

A flash of horror filled Rico’s eyes. He didn’t have to say anything for Tegan to know his thoughts. He’d been there himself countless times before. The berserker knew exactly what it was like to take the blame for the death of another due to the consequences of his actions.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Phoebe said.

Ignoring her, Rico rose to his feet. His pain was hidden behind a mask of professionalism. “There is one moment I remember. I was back at Sebastian’s castle, having caught the scent of blood. It was a woman’s, but by the time I got there she was gone.” His brows pulled together as he tried to remember everything. “But there was another woman there. And an angel. No, an archangel. He had black wings…” Rico trailed off as he struggled to recall what he had seen.

A werewolf could normally remember what they had done when in their wolf forms, but Rico had been feral for too long. He would have started to lose pieces of himself that made him human, including his memories. Tegan prayed that it was only this last week that Rico had forgotten.

“He put both hands on her head and covered her in light,” he continued, his eyes unfocused. “It was so bright…”

Tegan tensed. It could simply be a coincidence, but that was how archangels healed the Deusychosis Plague. Given it only infected persapics and gods, then the lady had to have been Elizabeth. She’d been there when Nivan had attacked Heldron Castle. She wasn’t a god, but she was their child…

Fuck. If that angel hadn’t intervened, the worlds would have changed drastically. Tegan didn’t even want to think about what would have happened if Sebastian had gotten access to all that power.

Phoebe looked up at him in concern, but he shook his head slightly. Some horrors didn’t need to be shared, especially when they were no longer a threat. Besides, he didn’t want to interrupt Rico. Anything the man recalled at this point would be useful.

“Was Sebastian there?” Tegan asked.

The agent frowned. “Yes. He was picking something off the ground. I didn’t see it, but it smelled…familiar.”

“Familiar how?”

There was a long silence as Rico tried to place the scent. When his eyes finally focused on Tegan, the berserker’s sixth sense flared with warning. He didn’t like the grim look on his agent’s face.

“Delentia,” Rico gasped.

Fuck.

“What?” Phoebe shook her head, her eyes wide. “But why would she help him?”

Ignoring her, Tegan spun to Dal. “We need to get back to Heldron Castle.”

His heart thudded something terrible. His lungs lost their air. His chest tightened like a vice. In all of his years, Tegan had only been this afraid a handful of times.

But if Rico was right, then they were all doomed. Charlie had told him what she’d given Sebastian in order to rescue her child.

A soul stealer. A device that could call back the dead as long as they hadn’t been killed by a god.

“What is it?” Phoebe begged as Dalghizar approached.

All blood drained from his face. His mouth was too dry to answer. There were only three things a soul stealer needed to work: five drops of the person’s blood, the binds of their prison, and the gift of a god.

Elizabeth had already stolen some flames from Niflhel. Sebastian had been the one to kill Rakian. He was the only one who knew where his body was. And now…now he had the gift of a god.

He looked at Phoebe in horror. He knew she could feel his emotions. It was there on her face, but she didn’t know why. She didn’t know that soon Rakian the Call of Ragnarok would walk these planes again.

And with his rebirth, the worlds would burn.