Page 61 of Death God

The last trace of wind brought the echoes of his promise. “Hold on, Sunshine. I’ll come for you. I’ll do anything in my fucking power to have you in my arms again!”

CHAPTER 16

When a series of urgent knocks sounded on the outside door, I was hugging myself in the bathtub, lamenting the absence of my mate.

The spirits chimed in my head, informing me that the prince required an audience.

I wiped away my tears, fixed myself, and rushed out of the bathroom.

As soon as I flung open the door, Shade slid in like a ninja and closed the door right away.

Then he narrowed his eyes at me and sniffed. Shifters could smell arousal. From the look on his face, he must have thought I was entertaining myself.

My face flushed. “It’s not what you think, Canary.”

“That’s not important, Catnip.” He waved a hand dismissively. “We need to change the plan. Mage Martin will be here in a minute.”

He meant Freckles.

I nodded. “How did your meeting with the Alpha King go?”

His face darkened.

“He no longer trusts me,” he said. “He’s going to add me to the list of his opponents.”

“You do know that he’s no longer your brother, right?” I asked. “Not exactly, anyway. He’s become the vessel to Spartoi, the horseman of war. Did you see that he used the spear, War’s signature weapon, to spear the Vampire God in the last battle?”

“I was hidden, ready to aid you when I could, but I did see what happened.” Shade let out a heavy breath. “That’s why I sought out King Nyström in the first place, especially when I saw that he’d sacrifice himself for you without a blink.”

Thick emotions stuck in my throat, and warmth swelled in my chest. If we made it, Marlowe and Shade could be friends one day.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Shade continued. “I still don’t trust vampires, but we have a bigger problem. We might have a common enemy.”

“I hate to say this, and I’m sorry,” I said, “but there’ll be nothing of your brother left in that body when Spartoi decides to take full control.”

“Can we exorcise the horseman of war?” Shade asked.

I shook my head sadly. “I don’t know if it can be done. Even if it can, it’ll come at a great cost. They’ve merged. Jared’s wolf has already faded.”

“The horseman diminished my brother’s wolf,” Shade said, balling his fists. His knuckles turned white. “I can no longer sense his beast.”

I hugged him, and he clung to me.

He pulled away, pain flashing in his eyes.

“Alpha King or not, I won’t allow him to destroy the Shifter City,” he said, determination overlapping his pain. “My healthy father died very suddenly, and then Jared took the crown right away.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Alpha King had murdered his father. The entity inside him was a mass murderer. So what was one more to him?

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

“It must be Mage Martin,” Shade said and went to open the door.

Freckles carried Jacob on his shoulder like my nephew was a parrot, Sam by their side.

“Jacob demands to play with his favorite auntie,” Freckles said, winking at me.

My little nephew had become the prop in our schemes.

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