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FORTY-ONE

Micha

That was twice my angel had managed to bring me back. If she wasn’t a celestial being before, she’d surely earned her halo now.

Ashley and Della were cleaning themselves up, washing away the blood, dirt, and grime they’d managed to get covered in. I was standing by one of the picture windows, watching the flashing lights deal with a couple car fires that’d be blamed on vandalism.

Josiah’s wraiths had cleaned up the bodies and the lawn, but the burned trees had to be addressed. Hence the misfortune of some of his neighbors. An officer had knocked on the door to ask questions, but neither of us saw a thing. If we heard anything, we’d notify law enforcement immediately, of course.

Not a single member of the Collective had come; they’d merely sent a group of highly trained mid-level demons. In my still weakened state, it’d been easy for a trio to get the jump on me. No matter, Ashley came through for me. She continued to impress me. She’d survived more trauma and torment than any human should.

I’d even given her the thumb ring I’d confiscated from her. She was allowed to self-soothe on the off chance I couldn’t immediately be at her side.

“Are you coming back to Manhattan?” I asked Josiah. He’d cut his Canadian meetings short to deal with my mess.

His chest rose and fell before he nodded. “I imagine you want some time with Ashley,” he stated.

“She’ll be in office with me.”

“Do what you will.” His lips thinned. “You will, anyway.”

I grinned at him. “Agreed.”

“Ashley doesn’t know, does she?”

She likely didn’t remember everything that happened to her. “I don’t think she does. If she did, she would’ve made some smart remark to me by now.”

The scent of her body wash filled the air. She was out of the shower. Visions of her succulent flesh filled my head. “I’m not sure I ever fucked a title before,” I mused.

Josiah’s eyes gleamed. “You do realize this gives us a distinct advantage, right?”

I met his gaze. He was right. “We’re utterly untouchable,” I marveled, feeling the slightest hint of moisture in my eyes over the emotion that filled me.

It’d turned out Samuel’s family had been royalty. His ancestors had once ruled over a fallen city in the Second Realm and the titles were thought to have been dissolved. They were in the process of being resurrected with the changes the Collective had been undergoing at court. This was new information for Josiah and me, but it appeared they were attempting to return to some ancient practices.. When Ashley was crowned, she became a princess. Not a queen as the demon had intended since he’d never fucked her, but with Elijah pronouncing their joining and the addition of the ceremonial wine, I was in eternal possession of a princess.

“I refuse to acknowledge your princehood so please keep that in mind,” Josiah instructed. “You’d be insufferable.”

“It's Your Majesty, from now on. You keep that in mind.”

Josiah laughed, the sound rich and deep. I’d missed him and was relieved he wasn’t leaving again any time soon. “You’ve sucked royal dick,” I pointed out, arching a brow.

He scoffed at that. “You weren’t royal then.”

“Um, anything I need to worry about?” Ashley wandered in, obviously overhearing part of the conversation.

She hesitated a moment before crossing the room, trying to find a level of comfort with all the changes. I was about to upset that further.

“Come here, angel,” I ordered her, my voice husky. “Sit on my lap.”

She blushed, her aura flickering as she thought of the last time she sat on my lap. Once she was arranged facing me, she tucked her face into the crook of my neck, and I placed a kiss on the opposite side. Della waltzed in shortly after.

“Guess what.” My lips rubbed her skin. “Do you remember where these marks came from?”

My fingers slid along the short horizontal scratches along her hairline, and she reached up. “I don’t know,” she replied.

“The ceremony with Samuel and Elijah. Samuel was going to make you his queen; he was royalty. You never consummated the relationship but through Samuel and Elijah’s actions, you’re now a princess. My princess.”

Ashley’s eyes grew big. “How’s that? What does it mean?”

“It means we have a level of freedom we’ve never had before. If you want to go explore the Second Realm, we can. We’d still have to be careful of course, but it’s an option.” Exhilaration filled her gaze. I knew she was itching to go explore and I had to chuckle. She wanted to go on an adventure as if we hadn’t just been fighting for our lives.

“So, we can go there and not have people try to kill us?” she asked. Her tentative excitement filled the air.

I leaned back. “We may want to rest some first but you’re literal royalty now.” Against my better judgment, I added, “You can tell people what to do and they have to listen.”

“No fucking way,” Della cried out. “Holy shit.”

“Language, little one,” Josiah chided.

“Wait. Are you serious?” I nodded. “Wow. That’s kinda cool. I know exactly what I’m going to do with that power.”

“Oh yeah?” We weren’t going back to the Second any time soon if I had my way.

“Yup.” Ashley slid off me and stood. “You got a dungeon here, right?” She turned to Josiah.

“Obviously,” he replied.

“What do you need that for?” I asked.

“Get up,” she demanded. “You never did pay for tricking me and I’ve got some plans. By royal decree, you’ll obey me. Now.”

Josiah roared, laughing so hard he bent at the waist. Della cackled. But Ashley was dead serious.

I stood up, thinking this could be fun. The only one of us that’d end up in chains would be her.

My angel.

Karissa’s story: Of Nectar and Steel- My Book