Page 12 of Death God

Everyone in the car froze, except the dark mage driver. He might be one of the mages who had violated me. He was the Alpha King’s driver, which spelled how much War trusted him.

Going-gray held still and stayed silent. What I’d revealed was for his ears as well. I was planting doubts about the Alpha King in his head and letting him see his old boss’s true colors. My instincts said that the commander still had a sliver of conscience in him.

He wasn’t just any soldier. He was Jared’s right-hand man. He’d known me, and in his way, he’d tried to preserve my life, as he’d forbidden anyone from using real bullets on me last time when I had a vicious fight with Jared.

“This misunderstanding and mistrust goes deeper than I thought.” The Alpha King sighed and stared at me in exasperation. “There’ll be more detoxing to do than I expected. The angel might not be aware that you were being mistreated, but I’ll make sure to punish all those who wronged you. However, we also need to check out your story. The trauma you suffered in the hands of the Vampire King might have caused you to develop some psychological delusions. But you don’t need to worry about a thing, Pip.” He reached for my hand as if he wanted to convince me, and I yanked it away from him. “You might still hold prejudice against the angel of war, but I’m not him. I’m the Alpha King of the North American shifters and mages. I’ve made a promise to you, and I’ll keep it. You’ll always be safe with me.”

“Sure.” I offered him a savage grin. “I trust you as much as I believe that you shit gold, Alpha King of the North American shifters and mages.”

Everyone in the car gasped as if being choked, and the king glared at me.

“Being crude will get you nowhere,” he scolded me. “You’ll learn to show respect, and that I can also promise.”

The black van rolled through the formidable-looking iron gate of the enemy castle.

CHAPTER 5

The castle was a city on its own. We passed by shops, restaurants, and nightclubs on either side of the street. Dark magic hung thick in the air.

Patrolling soldiers saluted us, and the civilians watched our fleet of vehicles pass by from the streets and from behind their curtains. I could feel their wariness. A lot of them didn’t seem to be magic users. I also took notice that the dark mages and witches wore robes in a variety of colors, swaggered like they were better than everyone else.

The colors of their robes might represent their different ranks.

A small fleet of jeeps and vans escorted us while the rest veered in the other direction.

“Where are they going?” I asked.

“They’re heading to the military camp,” answered Going-gray.

“Where is that?” I pursued.

“That’s not your concern,” Going-gray answered again, and the Alpha King chuckled.

“You don’t need to get your hands dirty and fight like a solider anymore,” said the Alpha King. “You’ll be a queen, Pip.”

I rolled my eyes.

Our small fleet climbed the twisting road up into the hills until we crossed the vast courtyard and pulled up in front of a dark red stone palace that overlooked the dark sea.

Mages, shifter guards, and staff members lined up in front of the palace. Two shifters stepped up and opened the door of the front passenger side for Going-gray and the door of the back passenger side for their king.

The Alpha King climbed out of the van and extended a hand toward me. “Come, Pip. The queen’s suite has been prepared for you. You’ll enjoy luxury beyond your wildest dreams and will have the best protection.”

I looked beyond his extended hand and stared at the splendid palace.

If I lived under his nose, I’d have no freedom, and he’d harass me all the time since his main goal was to mate with me and form a bond. I shuddered just thinking of his unwanted sexual advances.

“No, thanks,” I said, gluing my ass to the seat. “I’ll have to pass on the invitation. A palace isn’t the place for a girl like me. Please take me to a guest room on the other side of the castle.”

“Remember your place, Pip!” the Alpha King said in a harsh voice. “You’re my mate and the future queen, so you should reside in my palace, as your status requires. Stop throwing a tantrum!”

“I never asked for that status,” I said. “And you never asked my opinion. So, why don’t you toss me into the dungeon like you did before, twice.”

Actually, I wanted to check out the dungeon. I bet that Spartoi had a lot of prisoners, and I planned to release every single one of them. I’d come alone, but it didn’t have to stay that way. My enemy’s enemies are my friends.

“Do not force my hand,” said the Alpha King, a muscle jumping on his jaw. “I can easily drag you out and carry you to the queen’s suite.”

“Oh, no, no, Alpha King,” I said. “It won’t look good forcing a woman in front of everyone. Word spreads like a virus, and people gossip. You don’t want to be perceived as a creep, or worse. And you just ascended to the title of Alpha King not long ago, is that right?”

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