Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #2) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,50

felt… empty, and broken without it there. Knox turned to his men, screaming orders before he swung back, staring at me as if he had felt that same nothingness. His hands balled into fists at his sides, and his eyes condemned me for removing his mark.

“Stop,” I stammered through chattering teeth, trembling as denial rushed through me.

“You want his mark? You, a witch, want the mark of a male who wishes to own and end your kind?” the creature asked. “Interesting choice, since you’re a daughter of Hecate’s womb. Seeing who marked you, you may want to reconsider.”

“I know who he is,” I swallowed, holding Knox’s damning stare that told me he intended to replace his mark, violently.

The male’s mouth curved against my shoulder, and Knox stepped back, lowering his head as fiery embers burned in his gaze. I could feel the violence he wished to inflict on the male holding me. His power slithered through me, and I wasn’t sure I would survive both men sending power into my body at once.

Even with the male behind me, my eyes refused to leave Knox’s gaze, knowing he was the more deadly of the two. The creature’s hands lifted, cupping my breasts, his wings enveloping us, and he laughed at the sound of the low, growling purr that exploded through the barrier. His thumbs traced over my erect nipples, sending awareness pulsing between my thighs.

“I didn’t call you here for this,” I muttered, turning to stare into eyes that reflected lightning within them. “I called you to take the element back, and to remove the curse from your bloodline. I came to free you, and to take the magic from this realm into my soul. Not so you could mess with King Karnavious by fondling me in front of him.”

“You’ve come alone, little one. I cannot give you the power without a coven to ensure you don’t die before fully taking it from me. If you failed, my line would die out permanently.”

“I will not fail. I am of Hecate’s bloodline, and so much more.”

“Request denied,” he snorted coldly, stepping away from me as if he planned to leave. “You and your kind have been a plague within this world. You’ve taken and taken until there was no other choice but to do as your whore of a mother demanded of us.”

“Grandmother,” I corrected icily. “The blood of the firstborn witch resides within me, and something else. My power comes from the Nine Realms, not from other witches. I am strong enough to hold the power alone. The power of the Hecate line is within me to ensure I live to house it, guaranteeing my survival!”

“If you failed, the cost would be your life and that of my children, child,” he snapped loudly, causing lightning to pulse through the field, his eyes and hair igniting, and his wings vanished as if they’d never truly been there at all. “I won’t let you put my people in danger of extinction at the cost of your impending failures.”

“I will not fail,” I hissed, glaring at him. “You have no choice but to do as I bid! I am of Hecate, born of her daughter. I will take back the magic fueling this world, showing them what this place will be without the magic that holds the balance. I have slaughtered thousands of witches in the little time I’ve been here. I will undo the evil the witches have created, and I will free this world of their hold. However, I can’t do that without the power you and the other Keepers of the Elements, hold.”

“You think you are strong enough to hold my power? I am three thousand years old, and I almost failed to house it for Hecate. You’re a child, untested and untrained.”

“I am Aria Hecate, and I intend to rattle the Nine Realms!” I shouted as the castle beside us began to rebuild from the shambles I’d rendered it into during battle.

The army outside the barrier started floating in the air. All except for Knox, who peered over his shoulder. He turned his angry glare back to me as he lifted a brow with silent question smoldering in his stare.

Chapter Seventeen

The creature looked right, then peered left before he smirked wolfishly, stepping closer, touching my face to brush his thumbs over my lips. I raised my hands, and the entire castle creaked as it lifted from the ground. His lips tipped into a grin, and he grabbed my hands. That