Inferno of Darkness (Divisa Huntress #2) - J.L. Weil Page 0,98

the demons who served under Ashor, Soren excluded. Only the little bits that Ashor had mentioned. Apollo, Erlik, Draven, and Beck each gave me a nod before focusing their gazes on Ashor.

“What is it?” he demanded, sitting up and running a hand through his dark hair.

“The queen is on her way here,” Draven said. He was more mature-looking than the others, or perhaps it was just the full beard that made him look that way. “We came to warn you.”

“She knows your mate is with you,” Erlik added gravely.

“And she isn’t happy about it, considering you're here to prove your loyalty to her,” Apollo said. “She is coming to claim what you promised to deliver.”

“How much time do we have?” Ashor asked, running a hand through his hair.

“Her armada has already set sail. She will storm the court at nightfall,” Beck informed.

“We know how she feels about daylight,” Ashor sniped. The room went quiet as the Hunt waited for Ashor to give them orders. “Do nothing for now. Stay out of her way. If I need you, I will call.”

In turn, they each nodded before their forms faded into the darkness, dematerializing. This wasn’t the first time I’d seen the Hunt astral projecting, yet it wasn’t any less eerie. “That was unexpected,” I said, still sitting on the bed with the sheet draped around me.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, giving me a clear shot of his toned ass. “Verena does not make decisions without considerable thought. She put pressure on us today because she knows my mother is on the move. Whatever happens next, we need to be prepared.”

My mind knew it was supposed to be focusing on more important things, but my body was like, holy shit, take a bite out of those butt cheeks. I shook my head. “What are we going to do?”

“We deliver the queen,” Ashor said with graveness.

I swiftly forgot about his nakedness as his statement registered. “Ashor! You can’t be serious.”

“I am.”

“Just like that, we give her over? Do you have any idea the repercussions the underworld will suffer?” I snapped.

His eyes flashed. “Oh, I am very aware, luv. This is my world.”

I moved to the edge of the bed alongside him, taking the sheet with me. “Then how can you sit here and be so calm about starting a war?”

The prince stared at me for a long moment, tiny stars glittering in his eyes. “It doesn’t matter if I fulfill my oath or not. War is coming. What is important is that we are on the winning side.”

I countered with a flat look. “And which side is that?”

“My side,” he said with a disarming smirk.

23

The outline of warships appeared on the horizon just as night was beginning to descend. I sat at the window, staring out over the River Styx, doom sinking deep in my gut. I’d never seen such an impressive fleet in my life, and the sight was intimidating. How could Verena hold up against the numbers Kali was bringing to her doorstep? The ships went on and on, spanning the entire width of the river for as far as my demon eyes could see. “Just how many ships does your mother have at her disposal?”

Ashor came up behind me and leaned down, brushing his scratchy cheek against mine as he glanced out the window. “Thousands. They are crafted from her darkness.”

“Won’t that drain her powers?” I asked.

He wore his unreadable mask, the one that told me trouble was coming. “Yes, but she has plenty to spare, especially if she has been conserving them.”

That worried me, and I could tell from our bond that it worried him as well. “Can you stop them?”

“The entire fleet on my own?” He shrugged and stood up. “If I had a mind to.”

“Ashor,” I groaned, turning away from the window to look up at him. “You could put an end to this before it begins.”

Anger rumbled down our bond. Not at me, but at our situation. “No, luv. It would not end with me destroying my mother’s armada. She will come again and again. Each time with more forces at her side.”

I comprehended the depths of Kali’s commitment and greed, the lengths she would go to get what she desired. “Will the Hunt be among them?”

He shook his head. “They will not fight until I give them the order.”

“And Soren?” I asked, repulsion tumbling in my stomach.

His gaze flicked back to the window, eyeing the approaching armada. “My brother will