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This book also contains explicit sexual content.
F I N A L L Y
“Wow, this is nice. What’d you have to do for it? Postern-gate stuff?” Amma didn’t know how to answer that. She didn’t have to do anything for it, and she had no idea what the rear entrance to a fortification had to do with anything either.
He died choking on a bunch of dried leaves that the priestesses shoved down his throat and then set fire to. Can’t cast yourself back to life when your lungs are burnt out, can you, Lucius?”
“Amma, I would sooner be cleaved in two than allow anyone to take you from me.”
“I would have liked to kill him, to slice off his head or hack him into a hundred useless pieces.” He took a careful step toward her. “I wish I could have done it for you—slit his throat and cut out his heart to lay at your feet—however you might have ordered it be done.” “Oh,” Amma said, breath catching, stepping away from the wall. “Well, maybe now I do regret doing it. Just a little.”
“I can do whatever I want, Amma; I’m a dark lord, and this is Yvlcon.” She swallowed, clasping hands in front of her. “Fine, but I’m not doing any postern-gate stuff to reciprocate.” “Postern?” Damien chuckled. “If I ask, feel free to use the dagger on me.”
Traitorous tears sprang to her eyes as she took a deep, ragged breath. “What you did to me—” “Save it.” Xander loomed over her, eyes and voice gone cold. “I really could not care less.”
I want the woman in your novella to beat the shit outta you
IF TRUE STRENGTH RESIDES IN SUBMISSION, THEN WHY DOES IT MAKE ONE’S KNEES ACHE?
But then everything changed, and her features scrunched up as she blew hard through her nostrils like a boar. “What is this face you’re making?” He sat up, afraid to incur whatever wrath she had building within. Amma’s hands cupped his face again, and she growled, “I’ll kill her.”
“If you think you’re going to keep her, you’re delusional. But you’re smarter than that, aren’t you? Tell me you’re smarter than that—I can’t have been coming up even against you all these years to find out you’re an idiot.”
“She’s not stupid,” Damien mumbled, the only thing he felt capable of arguing against. “Perhaps not, but she is good, and that’s practically the same thing.”
“If you don’t kill her, and you don’t manage to trap her, she will leave. At least if she’s dead, you won’t have to trudge along through life knowing she’s existing happily without you.”
Xander if you dont stfu
“Do you have everything you don’t intend to leave behind?” Damien had finished dressing on the room’s other side. Amma checked herself then gasped, running to the pillow and scooping up the vaxin. “Can’t forget Vanders.” “Oh, good, you’ve named it.”
After the oracle, I will drive you to madness with my tongue so that you believe you were born only for wickedness.
Damien grinned. Darkness, did he like the sound of Mistress Bloodthorne when he looked on her.
The small cavern went quiet as if Damien already knew the worst had happened. Amma bit her lip and opened her eyes. “Damien!” His gaze snapped up from her chest. “We’re under duress for goodness’s sake.” She threw an arm over her breasts but was secretly at least a little pleased. “No, we’re not—the harpies are out there, and we are in here. Alone.”
“Misery personified shall descend upon a winged beast to unknowingly rescue her own undoing, but when the pieces are reforged, the downfall of the hallowed son, the chosen, and the heartless mother is inevitable.”
What good’s a prophecy after it’s already happened, you know? Nobody believes you at that point.”
As Amma helped, she felt her head go funny, the moving writing making her nauseated, but then a violet glow, the exact shade of Damien’s eyes, glimmered from beneath the pile. Her favorite color called out to her, and Amma stuck her hand into the scrolls to pull out a parchment that had perfectly legible Key upon it.
When the day is night, and the corners of the realm have fallen into rot, the hallowed son shall release the Harbinger of Destruction upon earth once again. Only by the spilling of the descendants’ blood may It rise, and by the spilling of the heart of the earth’s blood to beseech the gods may It fall.
“All hail new king, dieder of old king! Bow to great and mighty Amma da Enormous, Wielder of da Boulder of Doom and King of da Gribtoss Clan!”
“Dis concubine?” Finally, the all-too-pleased smirk Damien had been sporting fell away and he crossed his arms tightly over his chest, giving Skoob a look. Too bad it was about five minutes too late. Amma finally had a chance to giggle out a bit of relief. “No, no, that’s—actually, yes, he is.”
Amma made a small, flippant sound. “There are things, I imagine, we would all like but can’t have.” She had no fucking idea.
“You may be ugliest concubine, but also bravest.”
Amma pressed a kiss to his lips that made him forget dragons even existed. He melted into it, limbs going weak as fear was chased out of him by flaring passion. When she pulled back, her eyes were steely. “Come back so I can do more of that.” “Yes, Your Majesty,” he breathed, and then was unceremoniously bonked on the head by the tiny goblin’s weapon.
It was not as if it were written down in some tome, and he could flip to chapter sixteen to repeat it.
“You’ll be all right,” she said, insistence to her voice. “I’ll protect you.” The horribleness that had settled on him lifted then, just enough so that Damien could continue on.
But even if he’d pledged the world to her, anything that happened under Delphine’s control couldn’t possibly be deemed betrayal, and Xander was disgusting for suggesting otherwise.
At least if she were going to die, it would be to something so pretty, the tiniest consolation.
“This will take us to danger.” “Us,” she said and tore the bit of parchment that led to the Gloomweald in two, letting the pieces fall to the floor. “That’s what I choose.” Damien’s face fought a smile, eyes still trained on hers. That was fine—she would be happy enough for the both of them until he realized it was the right choice. “Touching and disgusting.” Xander dragged himself over to them and swiped the remaining parchment from Damien’s hand.
“That better be an absolutely hollow threat or I swear to the dark gods, I’ll devote myself to Osurehm right now.”
Damn 🤣🤣🤣
“So, you thought I should just live a life entirely devoid of love rather than risk me being disappointed in your parenting? That’s kind of fucked up.” “Come on, son, I already said it was shameful!” Damien huffed. Now wasn’t the time, really. “Fine, but I never thought you didn’t…” “Yeah, well,”—Zagadoth snorted out a laugh—“turns out you’re incredibly easy to love, kiddo.”
Multiple cups and jugs were being thrust at Amma, each filled with that water that was almost too beautiful to consume. Don’t drink the wine unless you’d like to end up a mindless devotee like them. “Oh, fuck.”
So, she would be razing the temple to the ground after all. They really should have been kind to him.
When she turned, the row of imps actually straightened before her, even Kaz. They were truly ugly, wretched, feral creatures that behaved poorly and smelled worse, and she absolutely loved them.
Diana blinked back at her, and the corner of her mouth ticked up into a smirk. “Oh, I am going to help you, Amma, but I hope you are prepared for a little destruction, if need be.” “To get him back?” She scoffed. “I’m prepared to destroy the entire realm myself.”
They were met with the head of a dragon, jaws open, eyes piercing, but it didn’t move. The flickering flames danced off of its too-shiny hide, the scales doused in a clear resin. It was mounted to the wall at the far end of the room, but it was so enormous that it shocked one immediately upon entrance. After a slightly longer look, it became clear that the eyes were but painted glass domes, and one was pointed in a slightly different direction than the other.
A gentle caress brushed against Damien’s shin, and the little, black cat was there. He lifted it from under its front legs, holding it out. It blinked yellow eyes at him, and Damien was unsure if it was infernal or not—it was always exceptionally difficult to tell with cats—so he just shrugged and carried it upward to the throne.
CHAPTER 35 HOW THE TURNTABLES
