Page 47 of Forbidden Empire (Sinful Gods #1)

“Did Aidon tell you about the first time he doubted you, Esme?” she murmured, as if she was holding the winning card. As if that might split us apart. Pathetic.

She had no idea with whom she was dealing.

I stepped forward, pulse pounding in my ears, and felt Aidon tense at my side. But for once, he didn’t hold me back. Neither did the others. For a split second, I almost smiled. Maybe I’d finally proven myself.

I squared my shoulders and looked Rhea dead in the eyes. No fear. No hesitation. Just cold resolve.

I lifted my gun and aimed it right at her face.

Her guards reacted, weapons swinging toward me, fingers tightening on their triggers. Behind me, the sound of my own people raising their guns rang out, a chorus of threats in perfect harmony: my army, my family, my choice.

I held her gaze and shook my head.

Unmoved. Undaunted. Ready for whatever came next.

"Rhea, you’re pathetic; you know that, right?

" The words dripped from my mouth, cold and sharp, as I stared her down. Disgust curled through me, so hot it almost burned, but the only thing I felt for this woman was contempt. "It might almost be sad, if you weren’t such a complete fucking cunt. But you can’t change what’s already been done.

You’re not in control anymore. Can’t you feel it slipping away? "

The way her twisted smile faded.

It was almost satisfying. She tried to meet my glare, tried to match my ice with hers, but now she was the one faltering.

"You’re wrong, Esme," she spat.

Her words came out brittle, desperate, even if she tried to cover it.

"No, you’re wrong, Rhea," Zeno cut in, a dangerous rumble.

He stepped forward. Aidon fell in beside him, Thal on the other side, all of them closing in.

"Your little act, your bullshit grip on this town and on us. It’s done.

When we end you, we’re taking every last scrap you’ve got, torching this place for good measure.

But first, we’re stealing your weapons and getting paid.

You’re finished. Canceled. Without our empires backing you, you’re nothing but a shadow. "

She tilted her head, arching a brow, still clinging to her goddamn pride.

"And still, here I am, standing alone," she shot back.

"We let you get away with it for way too long," Aidon said, edged with years of repressed fury.

"The power’s shifted," Thal added, his gaze all lethal intent. "We’re the ones in charge now."

But listening to them bicker about who ran what was pointless. I didn’t come here to argue.

"Enough," I snarled. "Let’s finish her."

She laughed, a low, mocking sound that rippled through the air.

"Gentlemen," she started, a smirk curling on her lips, "I’m afraid you’ve got it all wr?—"

I launched myself at her, the urge to get my hands on her too much to resist. She was so close I could touch her. Sure, guards surrounded her, but so was I.

She cried out in surprise as I made contact, my fingers snaking around her throat as I threw her to the ground. The sounds of chaos and fighting ensued around me, but I didn’t look over my shoulder. I was confident the men I’d surrounded myself with could take care of themselves just fine.

We’d come this far, hadn’t we? The moment stretched, a taut wire between us, thrumming with something wild and electric.

The sheer thrill of it, the pleasure that ripped through me at the sight of Rhea’s fear, so fresh, so real, painted her blue eyes wide as the sky, raw and desperate.

Her fingers scrabbled at mine, her mouth open in a silent gasp, lungs greedy for air. I smiled down at her, letting the dark satisfaction roll over me.

Delicious. Twisted. Mine.

I squeezed, knuckles whitening, but released her. No. Suffocation would be too easy, too merciful. I wanted more. Needed more.

She thrashed beneath me, hips bucking, but my thighs pinned her tight, a low, throaty noise caught in her chest. I made a fist, raising my arm high, heart hammering, before I brought it down.

The sick crack of flesh-on-bone echoed. Rhea’s nose split open, blood blooming beneath my knuckles. She howled, shock and anguish mixing in the air, and I hit her again, the crimson rush spilling hot and fast.

Yes. That was better. So much better.

I struck her again and again, losing myself in the rhythm.

The jolt of muscle and bone, the rawness of power that pulsed through me. I cared about nothing else in the room, not the world. Only Rhea. Only the way she broke.

My fist rose once more, and then someone seized my arm, yanking me back.

I crashed to the floor, breath knocked from my chest.

Before I could lift my head, a boot connected with my ribs, brutal and unyielding, stealing the air from my lungs and leaving me gasping.

I fought to suck in air, the sting of desperation burning in my lungs. Rhea scrambled upright beside me, but all around us the fight raged on, a storm of gunshots echoing, the guttural sounds of violence swirling through the space.

A flash of metal caught my eye. There was a gun just feet away. I clawed toward it, gravel biting into my palms, my fingers curling around the grip as I looked up and saw Aidon.

His face was a bloodied ruin, streaked with crimson and swelling.

One of Rhea’s guards had him by the shirt, pounding him with savage satisfaction. Rage ignited inside me. I lifted the gun, aimed, and squeezed the trigger.

The shot cracked through the air, striking the man in the back of the head. He went down instantly, a puppet with cut strings.

I crawled to Aidon, struggling to breathe, my chest raw and burning.

He lay limp, blood soaking his shirt, and the sight of him like that gutted me. I pulled him onto my lap, cradling his broken body, my hands shaking.

“Aidon!” I sobbed, slapping his cheek, desperate to keep him tethered to me. “Stay with me, Aidon!”

His eyelids fluttered, his lips parting as he struggled for consciousness, for breath.

Panic clawed at my insides. I whipped my head around, searching for help, but the world had narrowed to this: Zeno, Rhea, and one last guard, the barrel of a gun leveled at Zeno’s chest as he lunged for her.

Rhea’s face was unrecognizable, battered and swelling fast. I wanted to put an end to her, to finish what I’d started.

But I couldn’t leave Aidon, not for anything in this world.

She looked past Zeno, her eyes landing on us in the wreckage, and she laughed, a low mocking sound punctuated by a shake of her head.

“What a sight you two lovebirds are,” she taunted, before locking eyes with Zeno. The tension between them was electric, crackling in the battered silence. “It’s time for me to leave now.”

“This isn’t over, Rhea,” I spat. “Not even close.”

She laughed again, ignoring every word I said, her eyes locked on Zeno like I wasn’t even in the room.

His shoulders stayed rigid, unflinching, but something flickered in his gaze, a glimmer of something raw and sharp that made me wonder just what the fuck had gone down between them. Later, I told myself. That was a question for later.

“Zeno, tell me something, old friend. Do you still think you’re different from me?

That you have more power than I do, that you deserve more?

” Rhea’s words dripped with a lazy, dangerous kind of amusement as she clicked her tongue.

“Zeno, Zeno, Zeno. We both know power is just another kind of cage.”

He sucked in a breath, jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might break. Rage rolled off him in waves.

Aidon wheezed in my arms, fighting for air, and I held him closer, bracing myself for the possibility that I’d have to drag him out of here myself.

Rhea leaned in, her lips curved in a smile meant just for Zeno. “The throne is never secure, my friend.”

And just like that, Rhea and her guard slipped away, vanishing into her office. The only sign they’d ever been here was the echo of their footsteps thundering down the staircase.

Zeno turned to me, eyes blazing with fury, a storm barely held in check.

“You alright?” he asked, raising a brow.

“Yeah. You?”

“If you can call being so fucking angry I could tear someone’s head off ‘okay,’ then sure.”

A ragged laugh slipped out of me. Relief, exhaustion, the adrenaline dump of having survived the whole thing. I shook my head, so fucking glad it was finally over.

It was just a battle. The war still gnawed at our heels, jaws snapping, always hungry.

Maybe it would never be over. Perhaps another would rise, someone to take Rhea’s place, someone just as ruthless, just as hell-bent on ruin.

She’d run.

It mattered not. She was gone, whether by death or disgrace.

We’d won.

I stared down at Aidon, hands shaking as I brushed the blood slick from his brow then traced the line of his jaw. My fingers trembled, raw and aching. I fought to catch my breath.

“We did it,” I said.

He bared his teeth in a broken smile, pain twisting his words.

“Together.” The word shuddered out of him, ragged, desperate, and real.

My head dipped, lips catching his, the taste of iron between us.

“Yes,” I breathed. “Together, Aidon.”