a man.”
Jaden swept a skeptical glance over the lush curves of her body. While he’d never seen her naked … “You sure about that?”
Rhibyn rolled her eyes?
Kaziel bit back a laugh. “Aye, indeed. He was cursed into that body after he broke the heart of a woman, and she killed herself for him. Now he’s forever damned to walk the earth in her very image, and cry out for the souls of those about to die to warn others that they will lose what they hold dearest.”
“Oh, that’s harsh.”
Rhibyn ground his teeth. “You’ve no idea. It weren’t even me fault. She preyed upon me until I was near mad with her attentions. The lass was unhinged.” Gesturing at himself, he sighed. “And this was her final vengeance upon me. To make sure I’d never have another woman. Ever. I’d have rather she turned me to a goat, to be honest.” He turned to Kaziel. “And one smart word from you, man, and you’ll be getting it kicked from a woman, you hear me?”
He held his hands up in surrender. But his eyes twinkled with unspoken humor.
“So I take it then that the Robin is short for Robert?”
“Rhyvawn Ddu,” they said in unison.
Jaden felt the urge to say bless you. But he refrained from saying more as he led them toward the room where Aeron should be found. “You know, Kaziel … for someone who couldn’t talk, you sure found your tongue.”
Kaziel returned to his wolf form.
“He’s only silent around those he doesn’t know or trust.”
“Apparently.” Jaden didn’t miss the way Rhibyn kept one hand buried in Kaziel’s white fur as if afraid the Cŵn Annwn would leave him.
They stopped as Jaden passed a door, and heard the sound of Noir’s voice coming from inside the dungeon room.
“How can I be weakening? We know who the Malachai is. I sent my siphon. How can I be weaker?”
“It must be something Cam did to protect him. She’s been soft toward their bloodline since the day we demanded the life of Kissare for his sacrilege.”
Noir snorted. “Longer than that. She’s wanted our deaths since the hour of birth. But for Braith, we’d have never survived the other three gods, and well you know it. They’d have wiped us out centuries ago.”
Someone stumbled and hit the ground.
“Kadar!”
Jaden froze as Azura used Noir’s oldest name. It had to be bad for her to make that slip.
And for Noir to allow her to get away with it. No one was allowed to call him Kadar. To call the dark ones by name gave you power over them. It allowed you to bind them.
Most importantly, it allowed you to banish them. Hence why Noir and Azura were currently imprisoned in the Azmodea—a Nether Realm that existed between dimensions. Forever held out of time and place by Xev’s blood.
There had been a time when this plane had been readily accessible by regular portals. But that was long ago. Before war and punishments.
“I need you to summon Thorn,” Noir groaned.
“He won’t feed you. You know that.”
“Yes, he will. Or we will war. More to the point, I will war against his child. And that he won’t tolerate. Tell him, he has one hour before I open my gates on Cadegan.”
Jaden’s mind spun over what Noir revealed. Noir, like Nick, was weakened. Drained.
Could it be from the same source?
A Malachai would strengthen Noir. Not weaken him. He always got a huge boost whenever a new Malachai rose to power. Those raw, untapped powers added to his.
Nothing should be able to drain them both. Simultaneously. It made no logical sense. There was no such creature or device that would do that.
No sooner had that thought gone through his head than a phantom wind whistled down the hallway with enough force that it slammed him into the wall and pinned him there.
Kaziel and Rhibyn were slammed and held across from him. That was Azura leaving this area to carry out her orders.
And it allowed him a chance to see Noir’s condition firsthand.
Pale and shaking, the ancient god was on his back, flat on the ground. Jaden had never seen him like this. Not even in battle.
Azura was right to be terrified. This was abnormal. The things that could do this to a god of their magnitude were few and far between.
The Malachai was one of them and he wasn’t here. Nor would Nick know how to do that without being shown.
Jared would be the other, and he wasn’t here, either. The two