Page 151 of Ballad of Nightmares

“I’d hardly call that a downside,” she teased.

He nudged her nose with his before resting his forehead against hers. “Even if we had no one to fight, no kingdoms to overthrow, I would still want you as mine. We could sit on the ashes of this world as everyone tore each other apart, watch the chaos surround us, if only it meant I could have you at my side.”

“We’ll get rocking chairs and sit them on Firemoor’s hill,” she said.

“Watch the sun set over the world’s remains,” he added.

She held tight as he swayed with her slightly, and she grasped his shirt in her fists, chin jerking toward his. “The only ones left in existence.”

Something shifted in his eyes then, and Sam’s lips slammed to hers. Lightning snapped again as she threw her arms around his neck, drowning beneath his promises and desire. Beneath the fantasy of being wholly his and having all the things she’d planned for, but better.

She would be with him.

Sam pulled back and held her face in his hands. And for one brief moment…

Sunlight broke the clouds.

Ana let her head tilt back, basking in the warmth of it on her rain-covered cheeks, and she nearly started crying, but instead… a quiet laugh choked from her, and she opened her eyes to find Sam smiling in front of her. Golden light on his cheeks and glinting off the water droplets held hostage by his black hair.

Smiling.

She reached out to touch his face as she’d never seen it before. Beautiful and bright and so full of a barely recognizable haunting happiness that she had not seen on him since before the tattoo. On the days when he would smile at her while she prepared dinner, or he watched her laugh at whatever TV show they fell asleep to.

He swallowed as the clouds pushed back together. “Let’s go home,” he whispered. “I’d like my Queen cleaned up before the next idiot thinks he can try and take her from me,” he added with a wink.

“Overprotective and capable of killing without moving a finger,” she said as he took her hand. “The dream man.”

He smirked at her over his shoulder. “Temptress… for you I would keep them at their edge until you told me they’d had enough.”

She answered in a low groan and then pulled him back toward her, her mouth landing on his in a hungry kiss. Sam clenched her waist, dipping her slightly, and with a tug on her hair, he yanked her back. She moaned at the tingling sensation, of the push and pull, the bite on her lip, and the red glow in his eyes.

She could hardly wait to see him unleashed on her.

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

TRAFFIC WAS ALREADY beginning to back up.

Cars of humans fleeing to the boats awaiting them on the western shore, others packing bags to move into the underground bunkers they’d been building for years just in case this were to happen.

Sam had been preparing for this moment for centuries.

Anticipation was thick in the air. There was a rumble of predatory revenge rippled over the wind. Every demon. Every witch. They all answered the call of vengeance. No riots or fires. Everyone in Shadowmyer knew.

The world they would come back to would be free, and their king would make it so.

Rolfe and Millie made it back to the castle before Sam and Ana. Sam revved up to the front doors without bothering to cloak their ascent. The horned demon and deathhound were waiting on the pair at the front door. Sam cut the engine and pulled his helmet off.

“I see people are moving,” Sam said to Millie.

“I called the local news places,” Millie answered. “They’ve put out an emergency alert to all humans that invasion from Firemoor is imminent, and they should take shelter or get to the ships as soon as possible.”

“And our army?”

Millie smiled coyly. “Helping people out of the city, then reporting for duty by the end of the week.”

Sam nodded and looked at Rolfe. “We should clean a few more rooms,” he said. “Find whatever supplies we have stashed in the underground cellars.”

“You’ll need more than weapons,” Ana said as she came up behind him, her hand slipping into his. “Prei has caches of missiles all along the borders. The ones I sent to Ironmyer were barely a dent in his armory. But I can get us in.”