Dark Possession - Aja James Page 0,68

Queen Ashlu’s throne, from which she observed the proceedings with increasing excitement and interest. The winner of this last round was to be her Mate, her Consort. The male who would be her Champion for the rest of their immortal lives.

Their eyes met and held—gold colliding with obsidian.

He saw the possessiveness and lust in her gaze, magnified to extraordinary heights by the fact that he was fighting to Claim her. He bled and hurt for her. He pulverized other males into ashes to prove his strength to her.

She wanted him badly.

Him.

Not the disguise.

This the Elemental repeated to himself in his heart of hearts; he could accept no other alternative.

The Elemental also took note that when she glanced away from him to gaze upon the other warrior, the desire in her eyes cooled significantly, but still held interest. The other male was, after all, a magnificent sight to behold, and a warrior of distinction.

But the Elemental prince knew that his love wanted him most. And that knowledge charged him with a burst of power he’d never experienced before.

At last, the opponents took their positions. The most epic Challenge of the Dark Ones’ history commenced in a thunderous clash of blades. Any weapon. All weapons. They would fight to the death, and there were no rules.

Immediately into the battle, the Elemental knew that his opponent was fully his match. He also felt that the other male was slightly holding back for some reason, not unleashing the full force of his power.

Fuck that.

The Elemental turned his entire body into stone and charged at the other male with the speed of a boulder falling from the skies.

Instead of getting flattened and falling back in a heap of broken bones from the onslaught, the other male actually stopped his progress, though the Elemental’s momentum had pushed him back several paces, his heels practically smoking in the dirt from the effort of digging in to hold his ground.

Stop.

His opponent communicated to him telepathically, the first word that had transpired between them.

The Elemental didn’t stop, pushing forward in a bombardment of fists, elbows, knees and feet.

I don’t want to kill you. Listen to me.

The Elemental didn’t listen, continuing his attack unabated.

Kill him? Ha! He’d show the other male who was the better warrior when he reduced him to ashes.

Stubborn youngling, listen to me.

Youngling? Who was this red warrior to call him such?

The Elemental might be tender in years relative to his immortality, but he was a full-grown male with unparalleled power. It didn’t matter his age. He could, and had, defeated warriors hundreds of years more experienced than him.

If this is how you respond, then you leave me no choice.

What—

In a flash, the other male transformed into a giant eagle whose flame-tipped wings spanned the width of the entire fighting grounds, completely blocking out the moon and stars.

A Beast!

And not just any Beast, but the Eagle King himself, the Elemental was sure of it.

The gasps, shouts and murmurs of consternation from the gathered crowds were drowned out by the eagle’s piercing shriek as he flapped those gigantic wings and clawed one of his talons directly around the Elemental’s torso and lifted him straight into the sky.

Everyone stood, including the queen, to watch the scene more closely, as the eagle deftly changed direction mid-air and began to fly away with the Elemental in his talon’s tight grip.

“Put me down!” the prince shouted, though his words were distorted and muffled in the swift air as the eagle picked up his pace, flapping those enormous wings.

“Fight me on fair terms! Face me!”

The eagle crooked his sharp-beaked head to look down at the Elemental.

You think this isn’t fair? You are an Earth Elemental, I can tell. Even now, I cannot crush you in my talon because you’ve turned yourself to stone. I am a Dark One Gifted with the Eagle Spirit. We are fairly matched. Do you expect to use your earth powers but not have me take Beast form? You have much to learn, youngling.

“Stop calling me that!”

You are young, the eagle persisted in the same deep voice, frustratingly calm. I was created by the Dark Goddess herself. I have millennia of experience to your handful of years.

“It doesn’t matter,” the Elemental growled. “I will still defeat you. I shall not fail my queen! Put me the fuck down!”

The eagle seemed to smile.

As you wish.

And hurled the Elemental right against one of the jagged peaks of the Fire Mountain.

If he hadn’t turned his body to stone, the prince would have