The Warrior King (Inferno Rising #3) - Abigail Owen Page 0,108

not killed her father and sent her mother into hiding. She’d been raised among everyday humans. A simple life.

He’d leave the clan in her capable hands. With Gorgon, who had the faith of the upper classes, at her side, she’d be unstoppable.

A shout rose up from those behind him who had remained. “Traitors!”

Then another. And another.

One by one those before him rose to their feet, shifting uneasily, every gaze not on the king, but on Samael.

He didn’t need Meira’s abilities to see the desperation, the fear, and a slowly rising tide of answering anger that visibly rippled through them, evidenced in the tense jaws, slowly clenching fists, and glittering eyes. The people before him and behind him reminded Samael of a haboob sandstorm whipped to a frenzy by powerful winds. Evil winds. Until the skies turned blood orange, leaving behind a frosted coating of sand on everything in its wake. Only, if the violence about to blast through the Black Clan was allowed to happen, blood would be the coating left behind.

The pitch of the shouts gathered and rose, like a tidal wave of sound and fury behind him. The way those before him leaned forward, as though preparing to stand against the blast, the place had turned to a powder keg.

One kiss of fire, and the whole place would burn.

Three things occurred to him all at once. One, he had two jobs—protect his mate and protect the king. Two, Meira stood at Gorgon’s side, vulnerable in a way no one else in the room would be. Three, the commoners were his people. He would never stand against them.

“Stop,” he thundered, his dragon adding to the shout of his voice.

The cacophony of sound ebbed, only to surge back with renewed strength. Pure instinct driving his actions, Samael stepped into the gulf between the factions of his clan and shifted. His dragon’s only focus was their mate, and his transformation to creature rode that edge of pain, threatening to tip him over into the abyss where he became only beast, no more humanity within him.

But Samael held the edge.

In a shimmering burst and with a roar that shook the rock mountain, he whipped around to face those behind. Face down the dissenters.

He opened the channel in his mind to communicate to the horde gathered behind and before. “Abide by your king’s decision or leave now, cast out as rogues.”

The shouts, already dimmed by his sudden transformation, cut off, and silence slipped into the void.

Samael stood before them, the only motion the slashing of his tail behind him as he stared down the riot still trembling at a precipice.

“Of course he would back the traitors. He’s one of them.” A shout rose up from the back.

“Are you really that blind?” Samael didn’t bother to tone down his snide voice. “Other than the guard, most selected and trained from childhood, few of you are fighters. Meanwhile, the shifters behind me exist in a harder reality. My own fighting skills were cut among them. Do you seriously want to risk your lives against them?”

While some continued to glare at him, trembling with impotent rage, the smarter ones stilled, glancing around, a question clear in their eyes.

“Your lives are possible because of these people. I’ve listened to your pathetic grumblings. No one to clear your trash or clean your shit, make your plumbing work, cook your food. Even if you survived a fight, could you function without them?”

Even more paused to consider, though the sneers curling their lips said some wanted to argue, prove him wrong. But Samael had lived on both sides now.

“They need us as much as we need them.” A new voice rose.

An answering rumble at his back had those in front of him tensing.

“You’re not wrong.” Samael silenced both sides with the words, though he could feel the heat of anger behind him now redirected to a target on his back.

“They need your leadership, the peace you can create with the other clans, and yes, your money and need for their services to support their livelihoods. No society can exist with only one status. Nor can it function with any one group ostracized, oppressed, or shoved aside. Humans have proven that. Let us learn from their mistakes, and ours. Let us do better.”

“Captain.” A sharp voice came over the loudspeaker system.

Samael jerked his head to the side, eyeballing the two men manning the security booth. “What?”

“Dragons have been sighted to the northwest.”

“Ours?”

Bero shook his head. “Green and white. They appeared out