Page 68 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

The soldier who had spoken first screamed, his body pulling tight until blood pooled in his eyes, his nose, and his mouth. He coughed and choked, spraying blood everywhere. He gurgled and dropped, blood oozing from his pores as if every blood vessel burst at once. Everyone stood frozen, their eyes like saucers as they stared at the minotaur. His entire demeanor had changed, and he stood with one hand raised toward the soldier.

“I have been waiting for you to fuck up. Now you have,” the minotaur said, only his voice was different. He took a step forward, and Jiraiya stepped back. I knew that voice, remembered it as if it followed me everywhere I went in this place.

Isaiah.

Jiraiya held his hands up, his eyes wide with terror. Inky black smoke dripped off the minotaur, leaving Isaiah behind, wearing his dragonbane armor and towering over the smaller man. “We were just. Well . . .”

Isaiah tipped his head. “Go on. Tell me what you wanted to do, and why you are all away from your stations with one of the elite female guards. Can’t get your dick wet with the willing?”

“What did you do to Cluvern?” Nivene asked after his minotaur friend.

The smile that formed on Isaiah’s face made me far more scared than what these soldiers had planned to do to me.

“Oh, him?” Isaiah chuckled. “I did this.”

He was across the room in a heartbeat, his fangs in the orc general’s throat. He fed, drinking deeply before dropping his body as if it were nothing. The other soldiers ran, eager to escape. Isaiah grabbed one of the orcs’ longswords and threw it at the door. The blade pierced the wood, nailing the door shut and stopping the fleeing soldiers. Then the screams started, rending the room. I could not move my head to see all that happened, but I did see arms fly across the room and blood paint the walls. I shuddered when I heard a series of crunches, my mind trying to figure out what could make that wet sound.

Jiraiya started begging, and my heart thudded. “It’s not what it . . .”

Isaiah growled, low and feral. “Go ahead, lie before you die. Do you think the old gods will welcome you for it?”

There was a strangled gasp as if Jiraiya were choking. “Why do you care so much, anyway?”

“I don’t like when people touch what belongs to me.”

Belong to him? My mind reeled, fear sweeping through me. Jiraiya’s scream died, and somehow, it was worse that I didn’t see what had happened. Everything was horribly silent, but then I heard the squeak of boots wading through blood as he drew near.

Isaiah stopped in front of me, but I only saw the jagged chest plate. Cool fingers touched my chin, tipping it up until I stared into those swirling, deep red eyes. They were so much like Dianna’s but so different. His face was covered in blood, and while it should make me queasy, the splatter only accentuated his strong jaw and dark brows, making his eyes even more otherworldly.

He looked so much like his brothers. I could see the same nose, the same piercing gaze, and above all, the beauty. Emotion flooded my body, and my heart skipped a beat for the first time since my mind had been taken over. As fast as it came, it was gone. His free hand reached up, gently brushing the hair away from the side of my face. I wanted to laugh. He was such a contradiction, shifting from pure brutality to tenderness so quickly. He had just turned the guards and Jiraiya into a heap of blood and limbs, and now he was touching me as if I were made of glass.

“What is it about you that has me so enamored?” he asked the empty shell that was me. He studied me for a moment longer before shaking his head. “We need to get you cleaned up.”

He turned and yanked the longsword from the door. Tossing it aside, he looked at me, his beautiful lips forming the damn word that was the key to my body. Internally, I screamed and struggled, willing myself to resist, but I calmly followed him from the bloodstained room.

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?” KADEN BOOMED AS ISAIAH washed the last bit of blood from his body. Isaiah’s bathroom was wide open, with a shower enclosed by clean glass that didn’t seem to fog, giving me a view of all he had been blessed with. I hated that I couldn’t move, hated that I couldn’t turn away, and even more, I hated the fact that the most perfect body was wasted on such an evil man.

“Which part?” Isaiah called, stepping out and wiping a towel around his waist. He headed into the room, water dripping from his hair onto the thick muscles of his shoulders. He swiped a hand over his face as he went to his dresser.

Kaden came into view and pointed at me. “This? She is not a pet.”

“I don’t plan to use her as one.”

“You killed a legion member.”

Isaiah held up his fingers. “Two.”

Kaden growled and stalked toward his brother. My body jerked as if I wanted to rush forward and protect Isaiah. Wait, no. That was impossible. I hadn’t moved on my own or felt on my own in weeks. No, that was wrong. It had been months. It had to be months, right?

“Mera will have your head for this.”

Isaiah dropped the towel and pulled on a pair of lounge pants before slapping Kaden on the shoulder.

“No, she won’t. The other two in their unit have been promoted, and I cleaned up the bodies. If anyone says anything, we will just tell them they died bravely in battle.”

Kaden frowned. “She was okay with that?”

“Absolutely.” Isaiah laughed. “Oh, brother, trust me. Her soldiers come and go. She is used to it. The rest is a ruse, so the remaining feel she cares for them. She doesn’t. They are just casualties of war and all.”

---