The Throne of Broken Gods (Gods & Monsters, #2)

by Amber V. Nicole

“Oh, thank the old dead gods. Do you have any idea how sexual tension smells? It’s not great.”

“That doesn’t count. Samkiel closed himself off after he watched how heartbroken his father was. I don’t think he ever wanted to feel that level of grief, but then Dianna came along, and I think what he feels for her is unlike anything he has ever felt for anyone. No offense, Imogen.”

“It will be painful.” I grinned. “Eating? Highly unlikely.” “But it is necessary for what has to occur. I wish there were another way, but it seems even that cannot be avoided. You will lose so much, young hunter. You all will. I do hope you treasure your family while you still have them. I did try. Remember that.” Fear slithered down my back. “Try? Try what?”

Logan snickered. “We were concerned. Didn’t mean to alarm you.” Small bruises lined Samkiel’s neck and shoulders, bite marks marring the heavy muscles of his chest. “You’re like her own personal chew toy,” I said with a laugh. “Why?” His voice came out a tad bit rougher than usual. “I don’t know. You tell me.” Samkiel gave me a frosty glare that shut me up, and I realized he was answering Logan’s question and completely ignoring me.

“No, not me. How can you not know?” My foot stilled. “Know what?” “That your family is full of liars and killers and cheats, Samkiel.” I sighed, folding my arms as I leaned against the wall. “And how do you know so much about my family?” “Who do you think made this place? Carved and imbued with the power of the gods and meant to entrap all who dared fight them. One being. The World Bringer. Your father.” I pushed from the wall. “You lie.” “I have no reason to lie. Three generals ran this place: one who sheds blood, one who controls it, and one who feasts on it. Only two stayed after the Great War. Then one came back, took the prisoners from here, and rained fire on Rashearim.” “How would you know that if all you heard was the crack of thunder?”

“You’re wrong, and I know the Kings of Yejedin had a part in this. Perhaps you are mistaken about who let who out.” Porphyrion snorted. “No, you are wrong. The Kings of Yejedin are not that strong compared to the General.” I wiped my hand across my face, growing frustrated. “The General? More fables?” “Says the idiot king who knows nothing.” I lifted my blade, the pure silver gleaming in this darkened hall. “Speak to me like that once more, and I take a limb.” Porphyrion swallowed and scooted back but continued, “How you have The Hand, Unir had Generals. Three. They helped shape the cosmos. One General made the kings. The General of Unir that feeds on blood can shape terrifying creatures with his blood.” “Shape creatures with his blood?” Porphyrion’s massive nostrils flared. “Yes, and you reek of one of them.” Dianna. My throat went dry. “Kaden was one of my father’s Generals?” “If that is its name, then I suppose.” Porphyrion scratched at his elbow. “The General never spoke to us here. I only saw that spiked armor of black and orange as he passed by. But he made other terrifying creatures before he made the kings. He made Apphellon, the one that controlled minds.” He had to be talking about Alistair. “Haldnunen was the one who controlled the dead,” Porphyrion said. Or Tobias in Dianna’s world “There was also Gewyrnon, the one that could control plagues and sickness, and Ittshare, the one that could bend ice. I don’t know what happened to all of them. We giants fought with...

“Save your pity, royal trash. You cannot fool me. None of you could, and I know why you smell like the General’s beast, why you find comfort with it. You are nothing but a monster to us, too.”

“I already showered. You’re the one who got home late.” I placed the cloth down and turned toward him, leaning back against the counter. Suddenly, every bit of his attention focused on me. He stilled, water flowing over the carved muscles of his chest and thighs. “What?” I asked, cocking my head. “Home?” he asked, his voice husky and low, but I heard him. I hadn’t even thought about it. The word had slipped out easily. I stared into the deep gray of his eyes and realized that he had become my home. I didn’t bother trying to hide it. I was a terrible liar, anyway. “That’s what it feels like with you.”

“You are brave and sweet, and you have saved my life more than once. You risk your life for others with no regard for what happens to you.” I pulled on his arm, turning him to face me. “I’ve heard the stories. Gods, I’ve seen half of them in the blooddreams.” I wrapped the towel around him and tugged him closer. “You are both equal parts your mother and father. Strong and resilient like him. Kind and compassionate like her. You’re a protector, a guardian, and,” I reached up and wrapped my hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down to me as I went to my tiptoes, “my best friend.”

“Not an ex-girlfriend. The deity has no sex, really. They can be any and everything you desire. Besides, it was merely one time.” I reached between us, grabbed his cock, and squeezed. “Oh, even better.” “Jealous.” He groaned and nipped the tip of my nose. “Yes, but I have no right to be. I did a lot of things to make you hate me before we actually got to be together. Plus, you’re over a thousand years old, Samkiel. I can’t kill all your past lovers. Even if I want to.” “You want to?” I nodded. I had decided not to hide any part of myself from him. Not anymore. I stroked him, loving the feel of silk over steel, throbbing and hot. “Yes.”

I wanted him to know, to see, that even if I could not say the words he so desperately wanted, he owned me, mind, body, and soul.

His hands dropped to my ass, squeezing so tightly I knew he would leave marks. With ridiculous ease, he lifted me up and down on his cock. “Fuck! Yes! Please, Sami,” I screamed, ripping my mouth from his.

I leaned my head back and realized I wasn’t just imagining it. The ceiling was gone, the galaxy twisting and sparking above. Samkiel fisted my hair in one hand, forcing me to look at him. “I told you I would take you beneath the stars,” he growled, his thrusts powerful and steady. “I meant it.”

“You have such a pretty pussy, baby. I love watching my cock disappear in and out.” His hands gripped my hips, his rings biting into my skin. “You take me so well.” He moaned, his elegant face savage with hunger. “You were made for me. Only me.”

“Sami,” I moaned, my nails digging into his thighs. “That’s it, baby. Say my name. Tell me who makes you feel this good. Tell me who you belong to.” “Samkiel.” His name left my lips breathlessly as he drove deeper inside me. “Samkiel.” The second time louder, as he hit that spot only he could reach. My belly clenched, pleasure shooting through my legs and back again as I screamed his name louder, “Samkiel!” I sounded like I felt—completely insane. “Fuck me, Dianna,” he groaned, his fingers tightening on my hips. “Ride my cock, baby.”

Neverra pulled a book from the stack next to her. She flipped to a page she had marked and turned it toward us. “I found a brief history of Samkiel’s great-grandfather. It recounts how he went insane and blamed the gods for some future darkness that would taint and ruin the bloodline. He spread his lies and eradicated thousands before they dethroned him.” I placed a hand under my chin. “That could also create a legion of enemies.” “Phanthar, Samkiel’s grandfather, took the throne next, which we all know, but you know what they say. Cut the hand, and the blood that follows trickles down to the child.”

I felt the growing bubble of excitement in the room pop. My gift from Athos was often a curse. Cameron received the hunter’s drive, that extra enhanced sense of smell and ability to track that made even gods envious. But me? I got pure empathy. If someone’s aura changed, I felt it. I could feel emotions on some basic level, which made me great in council meetings and negotiations. Liars? I could sense every false truth they spat.

Imogen

Right now, Samkiel’s basic chemistry seemed to be altering. Not unpleasantly, but something waiting patiently to be known, something powerful and life-altering. Then the pieces clicked. My breath caught, and a smile spread so far across my face it pinched my cheeks. Finally, I thought.

“You show me your dark secrets, and I show you mine.” “That indeed.” “I hope it gets better. For both of us.” Samkiel swayed with me in his arms. “It will. Trust me. This is not something you just recover from in months or even years, but I will be here with you every step of the way, whatever you need, just like you have been for me. You led me out of my darkness, Dianna. Now let me lead you, or I can follow you into the dark, but there is no me without you. Not anymore. Do you understand?”

“You throw his father in his face again or hurt him again, and I won’t need my powers to rip your tongue from your skull.”

I opened the box, took out the layered silver pendant necklace, and held it up. “What is that?” he asked. “I know you kept those pictures from the festival, and I burned them. So I asked Neverra to go back to the festival booth and get another copy. They keep them on file for years. She got another copy and had them pressed into this pendant.”

“It’s from a jeweler outside of Veistran near Naaririel. He can make anything into jewelry, press photos or carve words. I always wanted something from there. It was where lovers would go to purchase items for each other, but I….” I trailed off and shook my head. “I just thought if you’re going to keep them, at least now they won’t get lost.”

“No.” Samkiel snatched it from me as if I was about to toss away a precious jewel. He clasped it around his neck, his eyes never leaving mine. The small, flat silver pendant rested in the dip between his collarbones, covering a tiny scar. He placed his hand over it, and power radiated beneath his palm. Small pulses of light ran along the chain, coating it in a bright silver glow. “There, now it shall never come off.”

“I’m sorry I left,” I said. His thumb stilled against my cheek. “I promise to stay if things get bad. I won’t leave you ever again.” Samkiel studied my face, relief filling his eyes as if he’d been waiting for me to say it for a while now. It was a comfort that I hadn’t known he needed, but I would make sure he didn’t doubt my commitment in the future. He raised his hand between us, extending his small finger. “Pinky promise? A dark-haired beauty told me long ago that it is practically the law in her world.” I grinned and grasped his finger with mine. “Pinky promise.” He yanked me forward, our hands pressed between us as he sealed the vow with a kiss.

“You knew I was waiting for you. I waited for you to even notice me like that, and when you didn’t make a move, I respected your decision and what you could give me. I accepted you didn’t want me. Now I’m with someone who wants to be with me. He isn’t afraid to tell me he loves me or that he wants a future with me. He fights for me.” It felt like he’d slapped me. “Like I don’t?” He was silent, too damn silent, as he ran a hand down his face. “Are you in love with him?” I asked. “What?” “Are you marrying him because you’re in love with him, or are you settling?” “Oh, fuck off, Cameron.” “Are you in love with him?” I shouted, emotion out, ruling me harder than any storm Samkiel could conjure. My heart broke when he didn’t answer. He stared at me. Please, my heart begged, it cried, it screamed. Please don’t be in love with him. Please. “It doesn’t matter.” He dropped his gaze from mine. “It’s too late. I am happy, and I am going to marry him. You had every opportunity over the centuries we’ve known each other, and I will not break someone’s heart because you finally decided to speak up. It’s not fair.” My shoulders slumped. I have been stabbed, damn near dismembered, and swallowed whole, but nothing hurt as much as those words.

“You’re late,” I said, feeling him stop behind me. “I got here as soon as I could.” The music began slowly at first as everyone got settled in. “Hmm,” I said, turning to face him. “Nice suit, Vincent.” Vincent came to my side, as tense now as he was when he first started working for me. He gave Roccurem a once over, but the fate seemed to ignore him. He leaned forward, gripping the rails as he spoke. “You are a fool to come out of hiding when everyone is looking for you.”

Kaden to Vincent

truly do.” “Is this another mind game?” I slapped a hand on his shoulder, and he jumped. I spun him toward me. “No more games, buddy. The final act is about to begin, and I need you all where I want you.” He nodded. “It’s done. The dream eaters did their part by planting the seeds of freedom in their minds.” I squeezed his shoulder roughly, his bones groaning in my grip. He flinched beneath my hand. “Good. Good. I need them separated for what I have planned.”

“What happens to them? After?” I smiled, turning back to watch the musician as she worked the instrument, coaxing beauty from it. “You know what happens. Don’t play dumb now. It’s not your strong suit.” “Will it hurt?” A smirk formed on my lips as I glanced toward him. “Don’t tell me, Vincent, the leader of Onuna and The Hand, suddenly has fucking cold feet.” His jaw tightened. “I don’t have a choice in the matter.” “You’re godsdamn right, you don’t. You work for us. That’s it. Don’t ask me questions about the so-called family you are betraying. It’s none of your concern.” I slapped his arm twice and smiled.

“He is with her, you know? Fully. It didn’t separate them. If anything, it made them stronger.” I felt the banister under my hands creak, the wood chipping beneath my claws. “If they complete the third act and seal the bond, she will⁠—” “Leave, Vincent, before I do something that even I will regret,” I growled, feeling Roccurem shift beside me.

I faced Roccurem, willing myself not to rip him to pieces and ruin everything we had built and worked for. Jealousy, hot, blinding, and violent, ripped through me. “Did you know? You said turning her would prevent that. Killing her fraudulent sister was to prevent that. Do you have any fucking idea⁠—” “The mark is not on her finger. You overreact like a child would.” His eyes popped open, all six of them. “I have seen a multitude of possibilities, their bonding being the least likely. The time shall still pass.” I growled, fangs erupting from my gums. “If The Order cannot⁠—” “The Order will have what they wished for,” Roccurem interjected. “What you all wished for. The death of Samkiel.”

The last guardian is dead. No more protectors. No more peace.

“I need you,” I whispered, looking at him over my shoulder. And I did. I always did. It was a truth I denied for far too long. I felt his cock twitch in my hand at those three little words. “Take me,” he demanded, his control slipping. “I am only ever yours to have.”

“I am the only one that gets to touch you. Fuck you. Say it.” “Yes, you,” I cried. “Only you.”

“Promise you’ll come back to me.” I didn’t try to hide the pitch of insecurity in my voice. Not now, not after everything. He shifted, holding me a fraction tighter, his head resting on my back. “As if you could ever be rid of me.” “I’m serious.” “Dianna,” he said, trailing kisses along my spine. He brushed my hair away from my face and gently turned me over. I trembled against him. “There is no force in this world or the next strong enough to keep me from you. Do you understand?” His words soothed the dark, broken ache of the dream. “Okay.” I nodded once, my nose brushing his. “But if you don’t come back, I’ll have to destroy the world or do something drastic, and who is going to clean up that mess?” He laughed before kissing me softly, his thumb caressing my face. “And you say you are not sweet.” “I’m not, but...” I didn’t say it, didn’t say what I wanted to, just letting the words trail off as I changed the subject. “Okay, shower, eat, and then you leave to visit your mystical ex.” He groaned and sat up, pulling me with him. I squealed as he tossed me over his shoulder and strode to the bathroom. “So jealous.”

I snapped my fingers, hoping the gifts appeared as I’d planned. If sleep had found Dianna, she should be deep enough now that it wouldn’t wake her. Either way, it was the least I could do. I lifted the pendant she had given me and kissed it for good luck.

“My father?” That catlike grin returned as she spun back to me. “Bingo. We have a winner.” “Why would he put his general there? Why would he protect the kings? The only reason would be to unleash chaos so they could defeat us in the war.” “It was not the kings he wanted to protect, but what Kaden had made.” “Kaden made the Kings of Yejedin. Yes, I know that.” The Higher One nodded. “Your father lied when he said it was the Primordials. The Primordials saw the raw power Kaden possessed and knew its potential. Unir’s power grew tenfold with Kaden at his side, and they recognized the threat level. They challenged him, and your father wanted peace, so he locked them all away.”

“Kaden was more than a general to him?” The Higher One nodded. My hands fisted. “A lover?” “No.” She smiled widely and shook her head, her dark hair spilling over her shoulders. “A son.” Son. The word echoed through my skull. Son. My head reeled back, bile rising in my throat. “Kaden?” “Is your brother.”

“How?” My voice sounded so far away. “You are asking the wrong questions. Your next one should be about your other siblings. Siblings that still exist, maiming and destroying beyond the barriers of the realms you hold sealed.” The Higher One stepped back and raised her hand, holding up three fingers. “Unir had three children long before you, god king.”

“My mother, she never said anything about my siblings. I didn’t know.” The Higher One tilted its head. “Why would she? You are the only one born of flesh, god king.” “But you just said⁠—” “Unir’s power far outreached even the gods closest to him. He saw a vision of the Great War. Only he didn’t realize he would be starting it when he made his precious children. The Great War happened because of them. Unir formed a plan, a way to build weapons to destroy any threat once and for all. Long before you were ever thought of, it seems. But to create life without sharing life is forbidden. He proceeded anyway. He cared for the realms, his people, and others so much that he made a choice, and it ended up costing him everything. The universe takes its debts very seriously. You cannot gain that much without balancing the scales.”

“Tell me what happened next.” The Higher One glanced at me and went on. “Unir made children, creating gods by spontaneous creation. He made some of light so bright it could blind, and others he carved from darkness itself. Three of them were so strong that he lost control of them. Three born from blood—one that sheds it, one that bends it, and one that consumes it.”

“The others saw what Unir could do. Seeds of doubt spread about the powerful children that he made, and gods turned against gods. Unir hid his children, locking them away. All but one, and that one has lived under your nose for a very long time. In an attempt to bring peace, he sowed hatred and jealousy from those he’d created. Jealousy because true love came and bore fruit. A child so filled with light that it solidified their hate. You are that light. Your birth began the Gods War, and your death will unleash chaos itself.” The Higher One shrugged, picking at her nails. “I guess your name holds more merit now than ever. That’s kind of funny, huh?”

“I just didn’t see. I thought he meant her. This is how the world ends. But it wasn’t her. It was never her.” The Higher One looked at me curiously. “Who? Your amata?” My heart stopped. “My what?” “Your amata. You know, this beautiful being,” she said, gesturing toward the facade of Dianna she wore. “You know, I really thought The Order killed her as an infant, but here we are. Kind of funny, huh? She’s definitely your type, though.” My entire world shifted. The Higher One grinned. “You truly didn’t know? It explains why you two have been so ravenous in your lovemaking and probably fighting. It’s that mark trying to form and seal itself, bind your souls by any means necessary. Why do you think her fire doesn’t burn you? Your lightning, your power, are they not the same? Thunder is only heat expanded. Nature always makes you in pairs, sometimes more. I mean, you are the creation to her ruination. It’s synchronicity.”

Dian is Samkiel Amata

“Oh gods, no. Roccurem works for your father. The other two Moirai work for the One True King.” The other two Moirai? The fates. Roccurem’s siblings. “They’re still alive?” The Higher One nodded playfully, taking on more of Dianna’s mannerisms. “Yup.”

“This whole time, I have been lied to like a child. Important life-altering information kept from me. Why?” I hissed. Warm liquid dripped from my nose, my head throbbing as my body tried to force me back. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s too late. The equinox crests soon.” The Higher One moved, appearing in front of me. She reached out and grabbed my hand, holding it up to examine it. “And I do not see the mark upon your finger. It seems your time has run out. I guess he really did do it.” I yanked my hand away. “Do what?”

You spoke of gifts as a tradition, and I could not decide on just one thing to get you, so I got you a few of your favorite things. Yours truly, Samkiel

“Say hello to Daddy,” Kaden gloated as my blood turned to ice. Azrael.

Dianna's father

“Sorry, is this weird for you since it’s your dad and all?” He shrugged before going on. “Anyway, Victoria learned she was pregnant, and your dear old dad freaked. You see, there was a prophecy of Samkiel’s equal being born on the crest of a waning moon. The Order knew about it, but they kept it from Unir. Azrael worked for the true king and couldn’t let anyone find out about his sweet baby girl. You’d have been slaughtered. So, being the loving parents they were, they sent their sweet child all the way to Onuna. Azrael landed so fast and hard out of fear that he laid waste to the surrounding environment. Did you never wonder why Eoria was the only desert on Onuna?”

“Azrael did well, though. Not even Unir or the other gods knew about you or what you carried in your blood. It’s your destiny to kill Samkiel. There had to be a loophole for Kryella’s spell to work. It is always necessary to maintain a cosmic balance. If Samkiel had true immortality, then there had to be a way to break the spell. His blood closed the realms, and the blood of his mate will open them. You know, it’s funny. Azrael thought he was saving you by hiding you here, but the fates lied, tricked even him. They work for the true king too. They convinced Unir that Samkiel’s mate was dead. It was perfect. Unir bound the spell to something he believed didn’t exist, ensuring his precious boy stayed alive.”

“The book. That’s why you wanted me to find it. You said we would know, that we would feel it, but it was me?” He smiled and bit his bottom lip. “Of course. It’s always been you. Azrael’s daughter could find the book because it’s made from his magic. Blood, Dianna, it is always about blood. It’s the driving life force of every being in this realm or the next. It’s why the others find me so terrifying. I could read every sin, every thought, with just a taste. The same taste you have. We’re damned, Dianna. We always have been because we’re too powerful, too unhinged, and uncontrollable. That’s what the old gods preached and why they decided that eradication was the only way to ensure their survival.” Kaden looked at the celestials. “Didn’t work in their favor, though, did it? As soon as we knew the truth of you, I was sent to Onuna to take you.” “You sent the plague?” He clicked his teeth. “No, how powerful do you think I am? I mean, the plague was a nice touch. Kill a bunch of mortals so we could find you easier. Then, of course, dear old Drake did what he did best, and here we are.”

“The words of Ezalan, of course. I always wondered why more gods didn’t use it and turn those pesky feelings off.” My shoulders bunched as a breath of despair left me. “How could you do that to them? You know what it does, how it makes them feel.” “It makes them feel nothing. All they know is to serve as they should have from the beginning of time. You, Unir, and the others wanted them to have feelings, completely ignoring their nature. They were made for war, Samkiel, and to war they will go.”