Blood Crown

I awoke with a groan. Everything fucking hurt. My eyes were gritty as I blinked them open, and I was disoriented when I discovered I wasn’t in my chambers. I glanced around, my head oddly fuzzy, and took in a large, dark empty room around me. Where was I?

A chill settled in my bones, and that was when I realized I was naked. A collar was wrapped around my neck, connecting me to the floor. I brought my hands up to feel the collar and fear flooded me. If I was right, the metal around my neck wouldn’t allow me to use any of my abilities, even if I was able to touch someone.

What the hell happened? The last thing I remembered was walking with Ambrose to my chambers. I’d…had some wine? I think…it was all so blurry.

I looked down at myself and noticed that I was covered in bite marks and blood. Fuck, vampires. The collar was even impacting my ability to heal.

Bright light flooded the room, and I slammed my eyes shut against the assault. I slowly opened them again to adjust. The room appeared empty and cavernous. It didn’t provide any clues as to where I might be.

“Hello, Queen Ashera.” I turned my head towards the voice. “Don’t be shy. All of the kingdoms are watching you, even the delegates in Shaytan.” The speaker, a male, gestured above me. I turned my head and noticed the magical sphere that would allow for this all to be broadcast to everyone the caster wished.

I slowly rose to my feet, the chain attached to my collar only allowing for that and not much else. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Is that any way for a royal to talk?” The man taunted. I snarled. “Your blood was delicious by the way. I could see why my prince was so enamored with you.”

Ice raced down my spine. Ambrose? I immediately dismissed the notion. I wasn’t sure why, but I knew without a doubt he had nothing to do with this. “We plan to test out the other part of you he seems so addicted to as well before we take your head.”

I didn’t respond. Let the idiot continue to talk about his grand plans. My eyes darted around the room and my heart rate picked up when I noticed far more men in the room with each passing minute.

“You’ll all notice the collar around our beautiful queen’s throat,” the man continued. “It’s a special blend of magicked metal that ensures she can’t use her powers or any other magic. She’s essentially just like the slaves she loves so much.” Chuckles rang around the room as the circle closed in on me. “Which means the time we have with her is going to be a lot more fun.”

Crack!

The snap of a whip behind me had me jerking my head towards the sound. “Boys.” Two vampires rushed forward and grabbed my arms, forcing me to my knees.

“We took the liberty of draining her majesty before bringing her here. We wanted to make sure she had an authentic experience.” More chuckles broke through the silence.

I heard the crack of the whip before the pain seared across my back. I bit my lip to stop myself from screaming as my body jerked. I wasn’t given time to brace for a second hit before it came, repeatedly. And the motherfucker was hitting damn near the same spot every time.

The heat of my blood burned as it poured down my back. The vampires around me shuffled closer, low growls of hunger and arousal now laced with the crack of the whip. I refused to scream. I wouldn’t give them the pleasure. Instead, I stared into the eyes of the man who continued to provide commentary for those watching. I noticed several other orbs now taking in the spectacle from different angles. I was going to kill every single one of them. My stash of blood for my bath had been running low lately, and I would be happy to refill it.

I was so busy focusing on not screaming and staring into the eyes of a dead man that I failed to notice the foot that swung towards my face from the side. Stars burst behind my eyes as my head snapped to the side, followed quickly by the snap of the whip against my neck and shoulder.

This time I screamed.

“Now I’d heard you’d been tortured for decades before you started your little army.” The vampire tutted as he knelt in front of me. “I doubt you’ll last that long since we won’t be allowing you to feed, but I’m still interested to see how long we can keep you alive.”

I spat in his face. He punched me in mine.

“Bring them in.”

Two small cries had me fighting the hold of the two vampires who still clutched my arms. Children. Dread coiled low in my stomach. No. Not children. A young boy and girl were dragged in front of me, their hands bound in front of them. I surged to my feet, surprising the vampires holding me.

I took one of them out with my leg and then punched the other square in the face. I reached out to attack the vampire holding the children when the whip wrapped itself around my neck and I was dragged backward.

“Now, now…” The vampire orchestrating all of this clicked his tongue. “We didn’t say you could get up. And a woman must always ensure she knows her place.” I glared up at him. “What will you do to keep these children untouched?” He laughed. “Would you get on your knees and blow me? Open those lovely thighs and let all my men take turns fucking you? Give up your own life for theirs?”

I got back up to my knees without answering. I wouldn’t fucking break. I knew Malachi and Jacobi at the very least were looking for me. I needed to hold out until I could either escape or until they found me. These vampires were sloppy, and there was bound to be a moment I would be able to take advantage of. And then they’d all be fucking sorry.

The vampire snapped his fingers, and the children were taken away. Confused, I returned my gaze to his. “We’ll get to them in a few days once we’ve reinforced a woman’s place.” Someone rushed over with a red-hot brand. “Starting with this.”

* * *

Malachi

Being forced to watch your mate, the woman you loved more than anything else, your fucking soul, get tortured in front of you was worse than death itself.

The first time Ashera screamed, Jacobi, Ambrose, and I had shattered the table we’d been strategizing at.

That fanged douche-canoe is a walking dead man. He’d found us shortly after Ashera had been taken and explained everything. We hadn’t ripped his dick off yet, but his usefulness would run out as soon as she was safe.

When the vampires brought out those children, my stomach sank. I knew, without a doubt, she would do anything to keep them from harm. My gaze floated to Jacobi for a split second, and I could see that he had realized this as well. Ambrose didn’t warrant a fucking look. If I looked at him right now, I’d fucking kill him.

I knew Ashera wouldn’t sit back and take this quietly. She would already be planning her escape and her revenge. But that didn’t make watching it any easier. Jacobi started pacing when they brought out the brand. I stood stiff, every muscle in my body aching to fly to her and fuck those vampires up.

Her agonized scream as the main kidnapper pressed the brand to the side of her neck almost had me lunging to wrap my hands around another vampire’s throat.

“Do any of them look familiar? Does the room look familiar?” Jacobi was sending out those calming waves of his again, and I was surprisingly grateful for it.

Ambrose’s tortured gaze was riveted to Ashera. Now that they’d branded her, they were beating her mercilessly. Even with Jacobi’s influence, the vamp grew more and more tense with each blow they landed on her.

I was offended that he felt this upset. “Don’t you fucking get it?” Ambrose’s gaze whipped to me. “You’re the reason they’re doing this. You and that fae fuck in our dungeon. The two of you wanted to take her down a peg, show her her place as a woman? Reinstate slavery? You. Did. This.”

He bristled and looked lost for a minute before he steeled himself. “I told you she’d painted a target on her back—”

I slammed my fist into his face. “That is not an excuse for what they are doing to her,” I roared.

He pushed me away from him and rubbed his face. Ashera’s next scream had him going paler than usual. “No. It isn’t a fucking excuse. They’ll all have me to deal with when we figure out where she is.”

“The only reason you’re up here and not locked away with the fae is that those are your people who have her. Your ass will be rotting away in our dungeon once we have her back. And the full might of Shaytan will wage war against Masas.”

“Thank fuck you can’t make those calls,” he snapped.

“He can’t.” Jacobi’s voice was deadly calm. “But I can. You need to watch yourself. Our mate is being tortured, and it seems as though it’s by your order.”

“She’s my mate too!” he roared. Jacobi and I froze in shock. “Ashera is mine! And don’t you fuckers think for one second I sanctioned this. I may be a sadistic bastard, but I’m not nearly this terrible. And when I find out where she is, blood will rain down and not one of those assholes will be left alive.”

We glanced at him, studying him closely. “His emotions suggest he’s telling the truth,” Jacobi confirmed, reading him.

Color me surprised. I’d known Ambrose had felt some sort of draw for Ashera, but it hadn’t seemed as though it was a mate bond. He was better at hiding his feelings than Jacobi or me. Or he was just a spoiled asshole who didn’t like having a toy taken away from him.

“I’ll take your word for it…for now.” Ambrose seemed to sag a bit with relief. “But if you so much as put one fucking toe out of place, I will make sure that Ashera wipes Masas from the map, am I clear?”

He glared at me before giving me a tight nod.

“Where the fuck would they have taken her?” I asked. Ambrose bounced his gaze between Jacobi and me before he realized I expected him to answer the question.

“While they could have stayed here in Shaytan, it would make finding her far too easy. It’s more likely they took her to another kingdom.” He ran his fingers through his hair as he started to pace. “I’d say Masas but that would also be too easy. Though, given that they took her from the damn palace they’re just a bunch of fucking idiots.” He was rambling now, but I let him continue, hoping something useful would come out of this. “My father and I weren’t pleased when we’d heard a woman had taken the Shaytan throne and then freed all their slaves, but I didn’t come here with the intention of killing her. Manipulate her into doing what would be in the best interest of Masas, yes. Fuck her, undoubtedly, especially once I saw her, but not kill her.”

I growled, and Ambrose stopped pacing to look at me, almost shocked that he’d been saying any of that out loud. I gestured for him to get to the point.

“I doubt Caspian and the fae are in on this,” he admitted. “While Juniya is a very close ally of Masas, this isn’t Caspian’s style. He’s very… flashy.”

“Flashy?” Jacobi snorted. “That’s a mild way of putting it.”

I’d never had the pleasure of meeting Prince Caspian, so I wasn’t sure what his “style” was. But I knew of King Judah — the witch king of Sahira and this stank of his ilk. But I wouldn’t put it past any of these assholes aside from Jacobi. Malak had always been slave free, and now their king was Ashera’s mate. I trusted Jacobi implicitly and had before he’d mated with my queen.

Actually, out of all the royalty, Ashera aside, he was the only one I could really see myself getting along with. Which was probably why I hadn’t bristled at the thought of him touching Ashera before I’d realized they were mates. Unlike the fanged asshole in front of me, I hadn’t once doubted that Jacobi would respect Ashera.

Ambrose, on the other hand, I suspected really just wanted to fuck Ashera senseless and that was it. Even if she was really his mate. It made me want to punch him again.

“Caspian is very over the top,” Jacobi broke me out of my musings. “Subtly isn’t exactly in his vocabulary. Then again, given how close the fae and vampires are, I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew or had some idea this was going to happen. What does surprise me is that you would be left out of the loop.” He gestured to Ambrose.

Ashera’s cry of outrage pulled our heads out of our asses faster than anything else could have. We all swiveled to look at the magical projection in front of us.

She’d been brutally beaten, and one arm hung limp by her side, but she was back on her feet. I knew they’d stripped her in an attempt to humiliate her, but something like that wouldn’t bother Sher. It bothered me only because of the sheer number of wounds that littered her body. She wouldn’t be able to stay up for much longer without feeding. I could already see the signs of fatigue around her eyes and the slight trembling in her hands. I was weak myself, not having fed since Ashera was taken, so I could only imagine how she would be feeling.

Her eyes weren’t focused on her captor anymore, instead, they were narrowed on a naked young woman that was getting dragged in front of her. How many fucking humans do these assholes have to taunt her with?

“You realize that she’ll do whatever she can to keep any of the humans from harm right?” Jacobi looked horrified by what he was witnessing, but Ambrose looked as though he was seeing Ashera, truly seeing her for the first time.

“We’re going to play a little game,” her captor said as they forced the young woman to her knees in front of Ashera. “This is one of my blood slaves, Kora. Not only does she provide me with blood, she also knows that her place is to provide for my every need.” Ambrose let loose a feral snarl. “She also knows what the punishment is for disobeying her master.”

Kora’s sobs carried loudly at the mention of punishment. My stomach sank. “We’re going to have her decide your punishment.”

Ashera’s eyes cut suspiciously to the vampire. Her lips tightened with the understanding that what had already come before was going to be nothing compared to what was ahead.

“Kora, what is the punishment if a female denies her master her body?” Ambrose’s snarl increased in volume and my entire body clenched. This asshole knew what was going to happen.

“She is to be passed to whomever her master decides for as long as he decides.” Kora’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“And what is the punishment if a female were to ever raise her hand or her voice against her master?”

“She would have her hand removed or her tongue. She would then be required to service her master in any way he deemed appropriate.” Gods.

“Very good, Kora,” the vampire praised. “What would happen to the female if she were to pretend to be above her station?”

Kora shuddered before answering. “She would no longer be a woman.”

“That’s correct Kora.” The vampire smiled at Ashera. “You have committed all of these grave sins against your masters, Queen Ashera.” Ashera actually paled. The vampire came closer, grabbed her chin, and brought her face close to his. Now all three of us were snarling. “We’re going to go through every sin you’ve committed and have Kora tell you your fate. And then the citizens of Shaytan will be able to watch their queen be put in her proper place.”

“We don’t have fucking time to dick around. Ambrose, we need to find her now!” I roared. My wings spread out as rage tore through me, and I stormed out of the room — slamming the heavy door behind me. It felt as though stones were crushing my lungs as I struggled to catch my breath. I needed to find Ashera.

The door opened behind me, and Ambrose joined me in the hall. “I’m going to go question my men.” He stalked down the corridor.

I slumped back against the wall. All the stress and fear since finding out about Ashera’s disappearance had drained my energy. I knew I was going to need to fight to get my mate back, but without being able to feed…What I needed was sexual energy to feed off — seducing the maids was completely out of the question. I doubted I’d even be able to get a hard-on since they weren’t my mate. And the thought of touching someone who wasn’t my mate or part of our mate bond sickened me. I would have to take care of this myself. It wouldn’t give me as much power as feeding off someone else, but it was better than nothing.

Ashera. My cock grew hard as I imagined her full lips giving me a teasing smile. Her luscious curves would be on display as she reached her hand into my pants, stroking me. Softly at first, and then gaining speed with the intensity of her kisses.

I undid my pants, wrapping my hand around my cock. It was a poor substitute for Ashera’s soft skin, but it would have to do. I groaned, pumping my hand along my aching cock, my hips thrusting against the air as I imagined sinking into her delicious pussy. She was always so wet for me — so ready. She wrapped around me as though she’d been made to take every godsdamn inch of my cock. I’d never fucked anything more delicious.

And the way my sweet little slut would beg as I teased her. “Mal, please.”

The intensity was building under my skin, rushing through my veins as I moved my hand faster — harder — imagining I was driving in and out of her slick heat. Fuck. As I edged closer toward my release, I fed off the energy from the air — the vision of her ripe breasts bouncing with each hard, demanding thrust of my hips, how her pussy would squeeze my cock as she got closer and closer to screaming my name. I kept the image of her fresh in my mind as I fucked my hand. I practically felt the scrape of her nails down my back as she urged me to fuck her as hard as I could, giving her my all.

My release hit me hard and fast — leaving me whispering Ashera’s name. I punched my hand into the wall behind me, cursing the gods that she wasn’t here herself.

“What the hell are you doing?” Ambrose had snuck up on me, obviously back from questioning his men. Clearly, I’d been too caught up in my fantasy of my delicious little war queen wrapped around my cock to notice anyone coming down the hall. I was losing my edge.

I pulled up my pants, glaring at the vamp. “What the fuck does it matter to you?”

“Maybe because our mate is being tortured to death, and you’re sitting out here getting yourself off.”

I sneered and used my significant height to tower over the fanged fucker. “I’m a fucking incubus, moron. How the fuck do you think I feed my magic?” I used my most condescending tone with the fucker. “Ashera isn’t your mate yet. Hell, we don’t even know for sure that she is.”

Ambrose growled.

“What’s going on out here?” Jacobi stuck his head out of the study. Surely, he had to have heard what was happening. The angel king needed to stop being so damn polite if he was going to survive being mated to Ashera.

Ambrose just rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t fucking matter. I know where she is.”