Page 55

Harlow

The Scourge

“ D o you need to sit or something?” I asked Elkan as he stumbled behind us. I was worried about the poor demon. He looked even worse by the time Kol, Monty, and I came back to the lower level to find him.

I couldn’t fuck Drake’s dad into health like I did the others. He was on his own in that regard.

He opened his mouth to speak but collapsed instead. Hel had used this poor demon, punished him, and taken everything from him. He had a bond with Sarah still and I couldn’t let him wither away.

They deserved a chance to reunite. I had to help.

He said I could appoint people to certain roles, like a warden and advisers, and maybe doing that was what he needed.

He wasn’t the average demon thrown in prison; he’d had his own power taken away as well.

There was no formality, only me holding onto my determination as I locked into the magic of Helheim and gave him a position.

If the change wasn’t instantaneous, then I might have been worried it didn’t work. His body filled out, his color shifting to a lighter shade, and life slowly filled his eyes.

I knew at that moment I’d made the right decision.

“Thank you,” he breathed out as he stood strong again. I could see the resemblance now. Just like Drake, he was unlike the other demons.

His tail and skin were identical to Drake’s, though his hair was a stark white and hung down in a shaggy curtain.

He was also much bigger, with leathery wings spanned out on either side of him as he stretched them, twice as big as his son’s.

“Now what? I just find a warden?” That would probably end up in someone else being imprisoned. Demons weren’t trustworthy as a whole and all the demons I knew here, were already my men. I wasn’t going to just throw one of them to the Scourge to keep it safe.

Even the thought had my chest tightening. They belonged at my side.

“Someone needs to watch over the prison as it was intended. This was the place the worst souls were taken to pay penance,” Elkan explained. “If a soul is here, it belongs here.” He let out a small laugh of relief. “It’s nice to feel like my mind is whole again, it’s been ages.”

A scream of outrage rang out. Without a second to consider what was happening, I pulled a wave of magic between the four of us and the source of the angry battle cry.

Until I saw who it was at least.

The fact that the former warden had the balls to show up here, to face off with me, was enough reason to kill him.

Knowing all the anguish he’d caused here fueled my rage far more than anything else ever could.

Until I remembered him slaughtering every one of my men, one by one, and making me watch.

Helheim answered my call, swirled around my fury, and rose up to fight with me. We were one and the same. Powerful. Hungry. Strong.

The barrier dropped away with a flicker of thought and I reached out, squeezing my hand in the air and imagining it was his throat.

It was far too easy to wield the power of Helheim now and our collective rage only made it stronger.

The scent of burned flesh filled the air along with the pained groan he tried to keep hidden and failed.

His jaw was locked tight and his eyes defiant, making it far too easy to see the lack of remorse. He would never be sorry for this pain, never recover and be a part of this realm under my rule.

There was only one fate for him.

“How dare you! You really thought you could cross me and come here to reclaim your status?” I demanded.

He couldn’t answer, but I wanted one. I released my hold long enough for him to choke out an answer.

“My Queen, please,” he blundered, trying to kiss ass now that he knew I was the one holding the power.

He may have overpowered me at Dark Haven and forced me to be under his thumb with the help of Gravik. In Helheim, the tables were turned. This was my realm now, and he had no place here.

“Your power is forfeit,” I said. Helheim was eager to take it back, siphoning the power from the once powerful warden.

Watching the power drain from his body and the realization of what was happening dawning on his face, was everything.

The cackle that escaped my mouth was unlike me, but this power was a heady thing. Having a never-ending wealth of magic at your fingertips, an entire realm full of creatures at your feet, it was something I had to appreciate.

“What are you going to do with him, kill him?” Monty questioned as he watched the scene unfold before him with mild interest.

My eyes never left the warden as I answered his question.

“I was thinking that I would do the same to him as Hel tried to do to you three. We could put his ashes in a cell or separate them into multiple so he can’t put himself together again. Even if he did over time, he’d be trapped inside, unable to escape.”

Then maybe the guards he pushed for so long, or the prisoners he’d tortured unjustly, could have their turns exacting revenge.

“How does an eternity of torment and reminders of your failings sound? Hmm, Askaal?”

Again he tried to say something but my hold on him was unrelenting. This time I didn’t give a single fuck what he had to say.

His fate was sealed.

“It’s funny to me. You knew what I was back in the human world. You were well aware of my future position here and the plans Hel put into place. Did you really think you were powerful enough to sweep in and take over before I could? Or did you wrongly think that because I was a human, I’d have no power here? Hel was not stupid, but it appears you definitely are,” I taunted him.

He shook either out of fear or rage as my words settled over him.

“Hel would never leave this realm in your hands. No matter how much she hated being stuck here, she wouldn’t risk her escape for you. It would only end in failure and send the gods after her even more ferociously,” I said as I walked closer, squeezing the magic tighter with each step. “The moment you killed my men was the moment that you signed your death warrant. Only it won’t be swift, it will be long and full of torment.”

Finally, I crushed my fist together in one strong movement. A loud sickening creak filled the air as I separated his head from his body. Ashes rained down on the stone floor below him.

Monty didn’t even hesitate to use the shadows to separate the ashes into two cells, the bars reforming with a wave of my hand, locking him in place. I filled those bars with magic, creating an impenetrable barrier around them that I knew would be permanent.

“Well done, My Queen,” Monty said with enough desire that I squeezed my thighs together and my omega preened. I may be the ruler forced on this realm, but I was still the omega who wanted to submit to her alphas on some level.

This was what Hel was missing, what she should have fought for instead. I couldn’t be strong without them. We were one unit, a shared being that was so much more than any other pack.

She could have had this.

Elkar let out a loud breath that brought me back to the present.

Now that Askaal was out of the way, I had one last order of business to take care of before I could go back to Drake.

Then we could find Hiro and Roman.

Our pack would be complete.

“Who was the head guard here?” I called out. A man stepped forward and I turned to Elkan for his reaction.

Elkan gave a noncommittal shrug. “He worked under the warden for all the years I’ve been here. I can’t speak for his worth.”

It seemed the only choice I had was to take risks and punish those who defied me.

“Would you be dumb enough to cross your Queen?” I questioned. His eyes flitted from me, to Elkan, Kol, then Monty before going back to me.

He dropped to his knees, bowing his head low enough it brushed the dirty floor.

“No, My Queen, I would not betray you. We were forced to do what the warden wanted, and what Hel wanted. I’ll be just as loyal to you as I was to her.”

Not exactly a reassuring statement, but it rang with honesty. Even Helheim seemed to approve, a small fraction of magic shifting toward the kneeling demon.

“Then you will be the new warden and you will fix this mess. Your life depends on it. I will be back often to check on your progress. This includes the men I’ve chosen to be at my side. You will treat them with the same respect. They speak for me.”

“Yes, My Queen.”

Helheim and I were so in tune, I didn’t have to question how much power to send into him. I left it up to the realm to decide what and how much he needed, and the moment I felt the power halt, I pulled away.

“Send word if you need us,” I told him. “I have more of the realm to see. I’ve gotten what I came for and I’ll be taking these three with me. You will not under any circumstances let the former warden out. He is to remain here unless I say otherwise. That power I gave you can easily be taken away and you could join his fate.”

“Understood,” the warden said before letting out a shrill whistle. He stood tall now, sure of himself. The guards all fell in line behind him as he led them away.

They were the most well-organized group of demons I’d seen since being introduced to this world. It was at least a little reassuring to witness.

Maybe they wouldn’t fuck this up in my absence. Then again watching the former warden’s head torn from his body was sufficient motivation.

“Elkan, is there anyone else who needs to be released before we go?”

My adviser shook his head. That was good enough for me.

“The others are free to go, their cells are still open. They’re far too weak to travel and you can’t give power to everyone. Only time will heal them, you’ve done enough.”

“Then are you ready to meet your son?”

I’d never seen a demon pale but I swear Elkan’s color changed and he looked uncertain.

It was such a human emotion that it would have been funny if not for the fact his human emotion was exactly what set him apart from the other demons.

In fact, he helped me more than anyone else had been able to. I’d take wins wherever I could get them in this life.

They were already crowded around me, so I set sights on the castle, reaching out for Drake’s energy and using it as a guide.

The shift was smooth but even before I opened my eyes, I knew I’d succeeded.

The air was no longer damp and stale. Instead, it was fresh, and a warm breeze blew through my hair.

I hadn’t realized how bad it was in the Scourge until I was here and took a deep breath of the clean air.

“Remind me not to go to the prison again for a very long time,” I said with relief. We all needed a shower and fresh clothes, but we were free of that place for now.

“I second that,” Kol muttered as he shook out his wings, stretching them to their full expanse.

“Harlow?”

The voice that called out my name was familiar, yet strange. My chest tightened as I turned to take in the man standing across the room.

I knew without a doubt it was my Hiro. He had too close a resemblance to Roman and his former body to not be.

If that wasn’t a dead giveaway, his sweet and smoky scent was. He was all beta, a soothing tone mixing in now.

“Thank you, Loki,” I said under my breath, rushing toward my mate.

Hiro moved just as quickly, meeting me halfway and crushing me in a hug.

He didn’t seem to care that I was coated in grime and ash.

“How are you here? What did I miss?” I gasped out as I clung to him just as tightly. “How are you, you?!”

“Surprise!” he offered. I let out a laugh at his awkwardness, glad my sweet beta mate was still the same.

“Is Roman here, too?” I questioned as I pulled away, my hands resting on his cheeks while I studied the man, learning everything about his new features.

Even if I’d never looked at this face before, it was insane how close he looked to himself. He was leaner and even a bit taller. His face wasn’t as sharp, but held a softness to it I’d always noticed in him before. There was a slight crookedness to his nose that gave his handsome face character and a dusting of stubble over his chin.

The familiar emerald eyes were just as expressive. It was as if Loki took every feature and mannerism that distinguished Hiro from his counterpart, and enhanced it perfectly.

I owed that god, and as I stared at Hiro, I knew I wouldn’t hesitate to return the favor when he asked. He’d saved my men and brought them here but what he did for these two was beyond what I could have hoped for. And I hadn’t even seen Roman yet.

“I’m here.” Roman sounded more like his usual self, but his voice had a gravel to it.

A gasp escaped as I spun to see a newly made gargoyle.

His body was fitting of Roman, taking his alpha nature and giving him a body to match. He could easily protect us without a second of hesitation.

He still had some of his human features, like the shaggy hair and green eyes, but it was mixed with stone.

I loved it as much as I loved him.

“You two are perfect.”

What was even better was being a whole pack again. Fighting my way to the castle, I felt like I’d never get all of my men back. And somehow, we’d managed to find each other in what felt like a few short days.

Roman moved forward and pulled me into his arms, just as composed as before. His wings wrapped around me and held me tight so I couldn’t focus on anything else but him. I breathed my gargoyle in as I held him tight. Embers and smoke tickled my nose and the hint of night sky that I now knew was all gargoyle.

“I missed you,” he whispered as he brushed kisses over my forehead, cheeks, and finally my lips. Just like when I kissed Monty and Kol, a hint of a bond snapped into place. The one that was soul deep, but still not finished.

I hadn’t felt quite as hollow since bonding with Kol and Monty, but now that he fit into place, his presence nestled right into my chest next to them, as if it had always been there.

It had happened with all of them so far and I couldn’t go another minute without doing the same with Hiro.

We had only touched, hugged, and it seemed it needed something more intimate than that.

Wiggling out of Roman’s embrace, I pulled Hiro in and locked my lips to his.

He gasped at the powerful bond forming between us. As it settled in alongside my pack, a shockwave of raw energy exploded around us. We were untouched and thankfully no one was blown off their feet... that was unexpected.

“That’s new,” I said, tilting my head. “These powers are wild.”

He started to answer but was interrupted.

“Hiro, are you tearing stuff up again?” Drake called out as he walked into the throne room, stopping when he saw us. “Harlow, you’re back. You found them.”

“And you found Roman and Hiro.”

He laughed at that, looking more relaxed than I’d ever seen him, pride reflecting on his face for our mate and Roman.

“It was all them. How did you get back?”

“I, uh”—he narrowed his eyes at my tone—“I landed in prison, freed some demons, found Monty and Kol. But… I also kind of brought your dad back.”

My face twisted into a wince as I pointed to Elkan standing off to the side. Even Monty and Kol moved out of the way so he couldn’t miss the old demon.

A war of emotions went across Drake’s face. He’d hated this demon for so long until he’d discovered the truth. It had to be hard to process and separate the pain and suffering from the reality… that they were all victims of Hel’s narcissistic plans.

“I’m so sorry, son.”