Page 2 of Death God

All my warriors nodded and murmured in confirmation.

“Lady Pip Ophelia summoned us before she went into your chamber to form the mating bond with you,” Rudolf chimed in. “She commanded us to follow her plans as our queen, and she said her brilliant plan was the only one that could work.”

“Lady Pip said that where she went, you couldn’t follow,” Emmalyn added. “At least not today. She said your bull head—pardon me, those were her words—wouldn’t have let her do her fucking job if she’d told you her brilliant plan. Pardon me again for the language, Your Majesty, but we needed to convey what she said authentically. She said to tell you that she had to set the blood ward around you, so you’d have time to cool the fuck down. And after you got your shit together—also her words—she expected you to go get her in two weeks, when you reach your full strength as the former Vampire God.”

I balled my fists. “She’s the most infuriating woman!”

“Lady Pip also expected you to say that, and she said to tell you that she disagreed,” Emmalyn said.

I surveyed my warriors sternly. They’d become bolder in the way they talked to me after Ophelia had returned to me. My Bride always lit up the room. She’d lifted the severe air around me.

My gaze landed on the crumpled pages in Mosse’s hand.

“Is that my Bride’s letter to me?” I demanded. “Hand it over.”

“Lady Pip Ophelia entrusted me with her letter, Your Majesty,” Mosse said, his chest puffing up. “She wanted me to read it to you and the others since there’re detailed instructions for everyone.”

“Carry on,” I ordered, and my butler trembled under my glare, but he soon gathered his courage, as if my mate’s letter was his shield against me.

“Don’t go berserk, Sugar Cheeks.” Mosse’s trembling, bony hands unfolded the pages as he started reading. My Bride’s voice sounded in my head. “You can’t afford to do so, if you don’t want to lose your only Bride. Feel free to roar though. Just don’t hurt our loyal subjects—the list includes Snow White, Fairy, Musketeer, and even Mou—” Mosse paused for a second, “Mosse.”

“The world is a dangerous place, which is all the more reason you must hang in there and be steady for me,” Mosse continued. “I’m not a difficult chick, but I expect you to come get me in two weeks. I’ll be a Trojjan Horse in enemy territory.” Mosse paused and grimaced. “She misspelled Trojan. She put two j’s there instead of one j.” Before I could yell at him, he hurried to turn to the second page. “The letter is four and a half pages long. On the second page, she told a clichéd joke, starting with, ‘A fat shifter, an old vampire, and a short mage walk into a bar.’ Rudolf, Emmalyn, and I read the joke thrice and we didn’t get it. Steward Stephen chuckled, just to be polite, I think. But then he’s stayed in America for too long…”

“Get to the fucking point!” I yelled.

“I apologize, Your Majesty.” Mosse bowed before resuming reading the letter.

At some point, my warriors had gotten to their feet. My Bride’s shifter friends had also entered the room, pressing themselves against the wall. They were still nervous to be around so many vampires, but my mate had given an order that her shifter pack should be treated with utter respect, so no one would dare drive them out of the room.

“Then on the third page, Lady Pip Ophelia listed all of her demands, thirteen of them. She said she’d follow up with all of them to the letter after her return. She also warned us not to let Fairy near her necklace, Dragon Tears, since she was worried that Fairy might not be able to resist shiny things.”

Emmalyn rolled her eyes.

“Lady Pip Ophelia trusted me to keep her dragon’s treasure safe and demanded I guard it with my life,” Mosse said proudly. “She’ll count every diamond when she retrieves the necklace. At the bottom of the third page, she stressed that her pack, which is Princess Danielle and Miss Paris, should be included in all important meetings as her representatives, and they’ll take notes for her.” He stabbed at the bottom of the paper with a bony finger. “And she made another typo here.”

“Just show me the next page,” I growled.

Mosse stepped toward the barrier and turned the page for me.

“I expect you to be at your full strength, Vampie. You’ll not come looking for me a day earlier, nor a day later,” the letter said. Mosse was right. My Bride also misspelled “vampire.” “Or you’ll suffer my displeasure by ruinning my brilliant plan.” I winced. Another typo. Those typos were indeed distracting. “And then, you’ll be sleeping on the couch for a very long time. You need to be cool and smart and wait for the right time to strike.

Ciao.

P.S. do not despair, sugar.

Yours Truly,

Pip, the Rainbow Wolf”

That was the most ridiculous love letter I’d ever read. During my long existence, no one had dared to tell me to be smart, even if they didn’t desire to live.

But I should not criticize my Bride. She was right about me being cynical and critical, and so I should change for her. Even though she told bad jokes and wrote bad letters with a lot of typos, she could still wrap me around her little pinkie.

Just like that, clarity broke through the haze of my rage, making me realize that if I went after my mate now, it’d undo what she had planned. The enemy wouldn’t kill her for now, not until Spartoi got what he wanted from her—what he had always wanted from her. However, knowing the fact couldn’t stop the dread that settled in my stomach like cold lead.

“Your queen is buying us time by stalling the enemies.” I scanned my warriors, the mages, and my mate’s pack. “We must use the time wisely and get the work done. First, we need to find out where the fucker is taking my Pip Ophelia. And we need to get our army to this continent as soon as possible.”

The ward dispersed like mist.

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