Page 64 of A Simple Truth (the Freckled Fate #2)

63

GIDEON

T he stars were gradually fading into the warm golden sunrise as I snuck past the tents to find Finnleah. She’d been distant since I got my team a win, and I for one was sick of Zora’s stupid lockdown. I could no longer bear to stay away.

The morning dew from the green grass softly landed on my boots as I excitedly made my way across the camp, towards the Ten’s tent, or the ‘angry dragon lair’, as Broderick nicknamed it last night after Pelagia, the sunniest person I’d ever met, flipped him off after their encounter at dinner as we loudly commented about their ‘embarrassing’ defeat.

In reality, it was far from embarrassing.

In fact, after two games with the Ten, I had realized that I most definitely had been underestimating them as they demolished us every time, coming so close to the finish line until I yanked their win right from underneath their noses.

I crept inside the tent, without making a single sound. Finnleah was cuddled up with her blankets, mumbling in her sleep. My mouth stretched in a wide smile as I heard her murmur Gideon in a half whisper . My ears perked up, listening for her soft breathing, resembling a heated moan.

Well, good morning to me... My eyes lit up with mischievous amusement as I grabbed her boots and pants, kneeling on one knee by her bed as I gently pulled the blankets off her shoulder.

“Wha—” She startled awake, her eyes widened in shock, and then narrowed with anger-laced confusion. I covered her mouth with my hand, silencing her, motioning with my eyes to the sleeping Ten and then to the door. She scowled but nodded as we snuck out of the tent.

“Are you kidnapping me?” she hissed outside, keeping her voice down. She ripped her pants out of my hands, and I couldn’t resist glaring at her bare, muscled legs as she quickly slid them on.

“Maybe,” I replied. “But that’s of no importance. You had a dream about me...” I concluded.

“No, I didn’t,” she argued, tying up her pants and tucking in her thin, loose nightshirt. I passed the boots to her. She attempted to balance as she forced her foot down the narrow of the boot. I rolled my eyes, extending my elbow for her to hold on to, and she grudgingly grabbed it, sending lightning down my skin at her touch.

“Oh, but you did. You even said my name. I was there, I heard it,” I probed her further.

“Well, if I did, it must have been a nightmare,” she replied, bending over to lace up her boots. In that moment, I didn’t fail to notice that one very particular piece of clothing was definitely missing, now that her loose shirt was hanging down low, exposing her bare chest as she bent over to tie her boots, my eyes wandering to places they shouldn’t wander. My heart thudded loudly and for a second, I forgot to breathe.

It was a good fucking morning indeed.

“Except it wasn’t a nightmare…” I interrogated her, almost gaping as I saw the light blush filling her cheeks, confirming my suspicions as she stood up. “Are these the kind of dreams you are catching, Dreamcatcher ?” I smirked as my teeth scraped across my bottom lip.

“Even if it wasn’t a nightmare” —she rested her arms on her hips— “which it was…but even if it wasn’t, the only dreams I have about you, General, are of me stabbing you dead, so don’t get too excited.” She dramatically narrowed her eyes on me.

“If that’s how you say my name when you are stabbing me, then by all means, Finnleah, please don’t hold yourself back.” I spread my arms wide, exposing my stomach and chest to her as if waiting for her to stab me.

The air caught in my lungs as my gaze wandered down to her chest, her nipples taunt through her thin nightshirt, thanks to the light touch of the chill morning breeze. She followed my eyes, noticing.

“Eyes up here, General,” she sneered, giving me a well-deserved whack in the stomach.

“Remind me to kidnap you more often,” I uttered, completely infatuated with her as she glared at me. I couldn’t even hide it anymore.

“If you dragged me outside at the crack of dawn on the day of the game for no good reason other than your desperate need to chit chat, then I swear to the gods, General, you are indeed about to get stabbed again.”

“I enjoy your threats, Daughter of the Dead, they hold a certain level of heat that I am looking forward to exploring more of,” I buzzed at her.

“What do you want, Bellator?” she asked, her raspy morning voice turning me molten.

I was fucking obsessed.

My mind went blank at her question, forgetting whatever my excuse was to see her, besides being unable to spend another day not being close to her.

“See you on the field,” she retorted, turning back to the tent, but before she could take another step, I grabbed her hand. Her eyes darted from my hand on hers, giving me a sharp stare, her emerald eyes drowning me.

“I have a gift for you,” I remembered.

“A gift?” She didn’t believe me as she pulled her hand back, folding her arms up.

“Yes, a gift.”

“If this is some twisted scheme to mess with me before the games—” she started, but I interrupted her.

“It’s not a ploy or some hidden contract…I promise. ” I raised my arms up, in a gesture of surrender. “It’s a simple gift. From me to you.”

“I’d be damned to take another gift from you,” she replied, but I waited as she scrutinized me with her eyes. “Well, where is it then?”

A small gust of late spring wind ruffled her unbound hair, distracting me.

Gods, she was divine.

“General, you are about to learn that I have very little patience for people that wake me up from a good dream and waste my time—”

“Follow me.” I started walking through the half-asleep camp, unable to fight a smirk. It was a good dream after all. “Pretend that I am kidnapping you since we’re not supposed to see each other before the games,” I whispered to her as we snuck past the camp, towards the forest.

“I don’t have to pretend. You are kidnapping me,” she sarcastically remarked, though still following me.

“Do you think you’ll win the game today?” I started.

“Oh, nice try, General. I am not going to tell you anything about the games, other than I fully plan on kicking your ass today.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” I chuckled as we followed the familiar trail until we were far enough from the camp that nobody would be able to see us.

“What is this?” she asked as we came out on a little open spot between the trees, where Orest stood with his hands behind his back, observing the five men that were kneeling down. Black bags were covering their heads and their hands were tied behind their backs.

“This is your gift,” I replied, nervously clasping my hands together.

“You’ll have to expand on that…” Her brow rose up in question, eyes examining our prisoners.

“They are yours to kill,” I explained. This was a risk—a calculated one, but a risk nonetheless. “They are much more accurate to test your fire on than Glides, don’t you agree?” I gaged each slight change in her face, watching for any indicator of her disgust, shock, or hatred, but instead, I was met with a hint of surprise and curiosity. The corner of my lips tugged upward. I was right.

Of course, I was. I should never doubt myself.

“Consider this your gift for graduating from my training,” I declared. She took a step closer to them.

“Are they Destroyers?” she asked.

“Yes,” I replied, unable to tear my eyes away from her.

“Are they guilty of something?”

“Yes. But does it matter?” I argued. She tilted her head a bit, focusing on one of the captives.

“I accept your gift,” she finally replied, her answer sending a certain thrill through my bones.

Finnleah turned to one of them, pulling the cover off of his head. “Do you think you deserve to die today?” she asked him. And I gave a quick nod to Orest to release his hold on him.

“I’ll fucking kill you, bitch!” the prisoner shouted at her and without a single thought, I blinked, incinerating him immediately. The wind just carrying his ashes away.

She sent me a sharp look.

“I have limits too, Finnleah.” I shrugged in response, feeling no remorse for taking his life.

Nobody, dead or alive, would disrespect her.

“Murder for breakfast, never done that before,” she mumbled more to herself.

Her fingers moved imperceptibly as the golden flames devoured the next prisoner agony-filled screams disrupted the birds, causing a few flocks to take flight.

She had let him burn there slowly, listening to every crackling sound as he burned alive. The growing flames reflected in her eyes as she stayed motionless, just watching the prisoner turn limp on the ground, his flesh turning to charcoal in the all-consuming fire.

She didn’t blink, didn’t falter, even as sheer horror and panic filled her eyes, her face turning extremely pale, but even then, she didn’t turn away.

I moved towards her, but Orest stopped me with his arm as he whispered, “Let her be.”

She stood there silently until the very last flame died down, leaving now unrecognizable charcoaled remains. Then she moved to the next body kneeling near her. With a single motion, she turned him into a pile of ash. One snap of her fingers, and he no longer existed.

I had always found Finnleah striking, but now, watching her stand there, empowered as she took their guilty lives with nothing more than a single snap of her fingers?

Hell, I was majorly turned on. It was neither the time, nor the place, but I couldn’t help it.

I would take her right now, and let the world burn around us.

“Gods, please tell me you are not feeling what I think you are feeling?” Orest uttered near me through his teeth.

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” I lied, as I uncomfortably adjusted the large bulge in my pants.

“Free them,” she commanded. “Whatever hold you have on them. I want them to fight me for their lives,” she ordered, her voice exuberating nothing but power and control. And I, with no regard for reason, obeyed. I might have ruled the armies and the future of Esnox, but she ruled over me. I gave Orest an approving nod.

“Now gentlemen, fight me, and you might just survive today,” she told the last two remaining soldiers.

The prisoners exchanged a quick glance between themselves. I’d seen that look before; a desperate look before death. Men with nothing to lose were dangerous. I clasped my hands tighter, observing. They were weaponless and I would kill them immediately if they posed any danger, but a part of me still did not like her fighting them at all.

I let out a measured exhale. I was here for her, and if this was what my Empress-to-be desired, then that was what she’d have.

The soldiers moved but before they could take another step, she did something that I didn’t expect.

The two prisoners collapsed to the ground, grasping at their throats, clawing the ground as they painfully suffocated.

“Is she using Utradecend on them right now? On both of them?” Even Orest hid no astonishment in his voice as he watched her tug on their powers. The hairs on my body stood up and all I could do was nod to Orest in confirmation, even as my own power trembled in awe at the sight.

She was strength.

She was power.

She was Justice and Fate herself.

I was the cursed bastard heir to the throne, but here, amidst the dead prisoners, amidst the ever-green trees and the moss-covered rocks, stood the true Destroyer Empress, Fearless Ruler of Esnox, my never yielding Queen, a marvelous Goddess: Finnleah, Daughter of the Dead.

Once the soldiers were unconscious, she released her pull, incinerating them instantly. Her head twisted to look at me.

“Is this similar to how you tested out your raw fire too?” she asked of me.

“Yes, except I was five and they” —I motioned to the remnants of whatever body was left— “and they were about twelve. But yes, very much similar,” I replied.

“Hmmm...” She started walking away from us while neither Orest nor I moved. I wasn’t sure I knew how to walk anymore, stunned to my core.

“Finnleah?” I finally managed to find one clear sentence in my mind, and she twisted her head halfway to glance at me. “Today, after the games. You and I are going on a date,” I stated.

She paused; her face flashed with a look I didn’t quite understand.

“I will see you later, General,” she replied, easing the twisted tension in my stomach. My hand slid into my pocket, adjusting my hardened cock as my fingers dug for the ring, I’d been carrying with me since the Desolate Desert.