Page 23 of Death God

“Sure,” I said. “But I hope it won’t take too long. I have things to do and places to go.”

He stormed out, and I jogged to keep up with him. Passing by the stone-faced guards, I winked at them. They might not like the dark mages and witches, but they had no love for me either.

I might be their king’s future trophy queen, but plenty of guards and soldiers had seen me fight beside the vampires against them. I bet word had spread to every shifter before I arrived here. I was a traitor to them in their minds and hearts.

Going-gray’s suite was like a football court. The outer room had a luxurious rug, an entertainment set, and a wooden conference table with a dozen chairs. The commander liked Japanese-style furniture.

He stood beside an elegant tea table, his bulky arms crossed over his broad chest that stretched his fine uniform. Some people lost weight due to stress and some gained weight. The commander appeared to be the latter.

He didn’t offer me a seat, so I stood several feet from him, eyeing his teapot, since I was a little thirsty.

“What stupid, dangerous games are you playing, Pip girl?” he shouted.

“I never targeted shifters, your people,” I said, “unless they tried to maim and kill me first. I’m a cool chick, and I do everything for a reason. Don’t mess with my friends, those I care for and vow to protect, or me, and we’ll be besties. So, this serves as a warning. If the Alpha King keeps sending dark mages and witches my way, you might want to keep them out of my perimeter. They wronged me for a century, and they still regard me as meat that should be cut up and cooked.”

He was silent for a second or two, rage in his eyes, then he snapped at me again. “Drawing such attention to yourself is the dumbest thing to do! You should know better, Pip girl.”

“I’m always the center of attention, no matter what I do,” I said. “So, while I’m at it, I’m setting an example and sending the dark mages and witches a kind message: come near me and see how they like it.”

“You’ll only make a lot more enemies,” he said, his face dark.

“Who are you kidding?” I laughed without mirth. “I’m in enemy territory.”

“You’ve been brainwashed by the vampires.” He sighed in dismay. “It’s going to take a long time to set you right.”

“Are you hearing yourself, Commander?” I asked. “Your blind faith is going to bite you in your taut ass. Things aren’t right here. You’ve seen it as well. Haven’t you seen the slave brands on the maids? They’re people like you and me. Are you okay with slavery? You might be a pain in the neck, but I thought you were a better man!”

“This is war time!” he yelled angrily. “We don’t just challenge everything that’s already been established. You think humans treat us better? They fear us, and there are campaigns in the human-dominated states to get rid of all supernaturals. So if you think humans are saints, don’t be so naive. It’s a good thing the chasm separated the majority of humans from the supernaturals so they can’t make us extinct. By the way, if you read history books, you’d know that humans not only drove a lot of species into extinction, they were also the first to practice slavery.”

“Talking to you is like talking to a wall, old man,” I said, spreading my arms exasperatedly. “You just keep finding excuses for your alpha who’s not exactly your alpha anymore.”

“Stop this dangerous talk, Pip girl. I warn you,” he said. “I’ve never met anyone more exhausting than you. But mark my words, I might turn a deaf ear to your obnoxious words, but don’t ever push the king’s boundaries, because you never know—” He stopped abruptly, realizing his slip of the tongue.

“Whatever,” I said. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Go get ready,” he said. “You’ll need to be presented to His Majesty and the court. Don’t embarrass…yourself.”

He’d once ordered me not to embarrass the Alpha Heir when Jared first asked me out on a date. The commander had changed some of his wording. Maybe there was still hope for him.

I jogged toward the door, a whistle on my lips.

“I’ve explained to the Alpha King about the incident with Asmodeus,” the commander said behind me. “The king will overlook it this time, but I strongly advise you to watch your step, and especially not to make a scene tonight, as it’s your specialty.”

“You got it,” I said, flashing him a grin over my shoulder before I turned the handle of the door, my heart pounding hard, for I knew tonight wouldn’t be a breeze.

“And stop whistling, Pip girl,” he added with a frown. “It’s annoying and you’re off key.”

GG just couldn’t help but criticize everything about me.

CHAPTER 7

Five shifter guards, Spaghetti included, escorted me to the king’s palace. No dark mages or witches were in my entourage.

The murky moon hung over the dark ocean, waves crashing into the rocky base of the castle. The king’s illuminated red palace stood at the apex, as if endeavoring to reach the darkened Heaven, the corrupted angel of war’s former home.

Heaven had rejected him, and I’d make sure even Hell wouldn’t receive him.

A small army of mages and shifters patrolled the grounds of the palace like bloodhounds. They trained their sharp, unfriendly gazes in my direction before looking away.

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