Page 4 of Crown of Chaos

I took my seat, the one marking me as high king, and frowned at the hooded figures huddled in the center of the area. They pulled their cloaks back, and the witch standing closest to the podium held my stare, her mouth curving into a cold smirk.

“Welcome to the council of those who protect the Nine Realms,” Lord Brandyn stated, bowing his head while the witch’s stare remained locked with mine. “It’s been a long time since witches were allowed within the chambers,” he continued, standing to clap as others joined him.

I didn’t stand, but then, no one expected me to, either. Smiling coldly, I refused to look away from the woman who fully intended to remove me from my throne. She could try, but she wasn’t strong enough to lead the army, and while she may not know it, everyone else here did.

She tore her eyes from me, and the grin on her lips faltered as she took in the stares narrowing on her and the witches she’d brought. Unease slithered through the room as the voting ensued, and me and my men were the only nays cast against allowing the witches back onto the sacred council that controlled the laws of the Nine Realms.

Once that decision was completed and the ayes won the tally, she stood, strolling to the middle of the room. My attention zeroed in on her, wondering what she intended to add, or voice for her first order of business as a member of the council.

“We need to discuss Aria Hecate, and the danger she poses to every kingdom within the Nine Realms. It’s not without pain or a heaviness that I pose this vote, but with her power and the unhinged magic she pulls from the realms so easily, we must prevent her from continuing her current path. I ask you, each of you, to vote in favor of capturing and caging Aria Hecate so that she is no longer free to create chaos and destruction to any of the kingdoms that diligently guard and defend innocent lives within the realms,” she said softly, emotion dripping from her words.

“I concur,” the nymph queen cried, rising from her chair to address the assembly. “Since we cannot eject her back to the Tenth Realm, we must end her life force and ensure we restore her power to the land.”

Arguing erupted in the room while I glared at the witch who had tossed one of her own to the mercy of the council. That the witch’s first plan of action was to remove Aria from the playing field made little sense. Sure, they hadn’t proposed her death, just her capture and containment, but that wasn’t going to be good enough for half the council members seated in the room. They were making it clear they wanted Aria dead. If that happened, she wouldn’t be accessible to use if shit hit the fan. The witches being here now had been strange, but now more pieces of the puzzle surrounding Aria were settling into place, and my earlier suspicions were correct.

I silently stood, lifting my chin before I jerked it toward the exit, knowing Killian and Brander would understand they were to follow.

Pulling on Aria’s magic, I felt it rushing to my fingertips. It was a perk of marrying her and made calling it to me much easier. Since she’d fled, I had been testing it and storing it as she did, which allowed me to wield greater force without ever needing to refill my reserves. Thrusting my hands upward, I opened a portal into the library and then slammed it closed as soon as Brander and Killian stepped through.

My attention immediately slid to her section, and unease tightened in my stomach. How long before those same witches joined her and walked Aria into a trap? Aria always strived to see, and discover, the good in beings, but she was surrounded by enemies right now, and none of them gave a fuck if she lived or died.

“We have to locate her,” I demanded, slamming my hand onto the round table in the middle of the room. “That witch won’t hesitate to sacrifice Aria to save her own ass,” I said as anger bubbled up within me. “I can’t lose her.” I hated admitting how my heart clenched when I’d learned that those closest to Aria wanted to destroy her.

The council was turning, and even with my being the highest-ranking member, they’d chosen to ignore how I’d voted. It made me consider the possibilities that they’d spelled the council and other leaders or somehow gotten them to turn against me during the time I had been with Aria. Even though it wasn’t unheard of for kings and queens to change sides or shift views, they’d apparently forgotten who the fuck I was and who’d protected them during the wars we’d waged against Asil and Ilsa’s reign of terror. Without me, they’d be sitting on thrones of rubble, and that was irrefutably true.

“The scouts are out looking for any sign of her, Knox. Wherever Aria is hiding, she’s covering her tracks. The hounds aren’t picking up on her scent, and they’ve never failed us before,” Killian admitted, settling in the chair to rub his temples. “This is a clusterfuck.”

“Aria warned me of the snakes in my nest, but she has an entire nest of them slithering around her, too, waiting to wring the life out of her,” I muttered as I took the seat opposite of Killian. “You two should go see about gathering information to use against the council.”

“You’re not joining us for the fun tonight?” Killian asked pointedly.

“No,” I informed with a sigh, craving to find the one woman who I could fully unleash on without needing to hold back my savagery and vicious hunger to destroy. “They’ve allowed the witches to return, and we all know what happens when they join the revelry. They’re going to end up turning the gathering into one large orgy, and I intend to be elsewhere before it begins.”

I didn’t want anyone else. I craved my wife with a thirst that I had never felt before. Aria was wild in bed, and her passion was unmatched, but I wanted more than emotionless sex. I longed to feel her flames licking over my flesh. Could I indulge in meaningless sex? Yes. Did I want to? Nope.

“That’s the fun part, asshole.” Killian snorted, pushing up to his full height. “Besides, if these women would lower their guard and disclose intelligence to anyone, it would be you. I think you should reconsider and join in the fun. It might soothe that tension you’re permeating the air with.”

“No,” I answered after a moment. “Go enjoy the entertainment the lords and ladies have planned for me tonight. Someone should get to relish in the party.” I chuckled, turning to peer at the room beyond the barrier. “Report here in the morning and keep an eye on Greer and Lore. Ensure the newest additions to the council don’t harm them.”

I waited for Brander and Killian to exit, heading to where the party would begin once the meeting adjourned. The moment they were gone, I once again looked toward the shield barring me from seeing her side of the library. Her space was tidy and appeared untouched, making it easy to determine that I was looking at a projected image. Even though I couldn’t see past the illusion, I knew she wasn’t there. She hadn’t been hiding behind it for quite some time.

Moving toward the fireplace, I stared down at the burning log with Aria’s ethereal features being etched into the lumber. Over time, I had fed several of them to the ifrit I’d stolen and hidden away, and it had crafted the image into the wood.

The council had made plans before ever bringing Aria into the realms, and once she was here, other witches and creatures had attached themselves to her side. They’d planned to cross paths with her, knowing that something as powerful and merciless as her would be the key to their chance of surviving this war.

She was a weapon to be wielded and used. Did it make me better than the ones who wished to use her in the same manner? No, but I needed that light in her eyes not to die out, either. In the beginning, I’d been a heartless prick to her. Now, I didn’t crave her pain or suffering. There was a fire that burned within her that warmed even the coldest of hearts. Others wouldn’t care if she was abused or hurt while wielding her against their foes. I wanted to locate her and shelter her from this world, even if she was still my enemy. If I were being truthful, I’d admit that my needs for her went deeper than I understood. She deserved the world and the future I saw inside her pretty eyes as she had claimed me. Fuck, I wanted it all, but I didn’t deserve it with her. I was the product of hundreds of years of torture, and she was a chaotic beauty in motion that still believed in happy endings.

The question was, would Aria allow me to divert her from the path she was on?

Or, if I was even the one to do that considering the choices I’d made recently. Afterall, I had been the one to allow Celia to guide the council in my stead. I’d been the one who assured them she was part of my inner circle and could be trusted. I’d handed the bitch the keys to my kingdom and had gone off to play war while she’d pretended to be a queen. The issue was, Celia wasn’t queen material, which was something I’d known when I’d given her that power, but I hadn’t cared. I needed to remedy that quickly. I also needed to decide what was best for Aria, because I sure in the fuck wasn’t it, either.

Chapter Three

Aria

Solace didn’t come easily duringwartime, but I was learning to enjoy the small moments. It had been two months since I’d spoken to Knox. I’d seen him plenty of times in the library, but I’d remained hidden behind the barrier. I’d chosen to let him go, for now, to move on from the pain he’d inflicted on me because I couldn’t save him and the Nine Realms. Not when both were actively trying to kill me.

I looked out over the slice of heaven we’d claimed as our sanctuary. High mountains hid the small palace that connected to a tiny village nestled around it. Little cottages were hidden beneath the thick greenery that covered the mountainside and moss that had grown over the rooftops.

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