Rejected Queen by Meg Xuemei X.
CHAPTER 14
Loki
For the first time, it was raining in the Underworld. Then the icy wind whipped the castle, and snow fell.
My mate had caused a hailstorm in Hell.
The prophecy pounded through my enraged mind. Ice to my flame.
It couldn’t calm me.
I’d shredded my entire suite. Not a single piece of furniture remained intact. The walls dented as my fists rammed into them. Glass shattered at my roar. My guards all fled to lurk at a safer distance. The only foolish ones circling me were my three dukes, but they didn’t come near either. They were trying to prevent me from leaving the room to end Tessa.
Somehow, Esme had gotten her out, and thus my mate had started the fucking snow show in my realm.
I’d finally learned why she’d joined the Bride Trials. She didn’t desire me. The throne of the Queen of the Underworld didn’t entice her either. She’d come here for one thing only—to take my head and serve it up on a golden platter, a specific requirement of Lucifer.
My father wanted me to suffer greatly first before my demise.
Lilith, my archangel stepmother, had summoned me to the Seventh Hell—the dungeon where my father used to whip me. There was a brittle one-way leyline there that led to the Void. Lilith could talk to me from the other side briefly before the leyline blinked out.
“Are you sure?” I had asked her.
And Lilith, who loved me as a son and had my best interests at heart, showed a recorded streaming hologram where Lucifer and Tessa struck the deal bound by blood magic, and my father told Tessa where I was and how he wanted me to be killed.
My stepmother had a spyglass hall in the Tower of the Void that could see events unfold in most of the realms. She’d finally located Lucifer, only to find out that he’d hired one of the most efficient, coldhearted, and notorious assassins to come after me. The hologram wasn’t a fake; the evidence was solid.
“I’m sorry, Loki. Strike before the assassin does,” she’d warned before the leyline vanished.
I was numb for a heartbeat before the pain came.
It fucking hurt to know Tessa had played me like a fool. Anyone betrayed me like that, and I’d tear their soul apart piece by piece.
She’s our mate, the beast murmured.
Shut the fuck up, I yelled at him. That fucking wolf only made me madder with his uninvited input. He should never have awoken. Now he wouldn’t let go of her.
But I was more of a man than a beast, forged in Hell’s savage inferno and Earth’s attempt at civilization. I had my vices, but I also had pride and principles. Tessa’s betrayal was one I couldn’t stomach and wouldn’t forgive. Of all the people, she’d worked for the one being I despised and hated the most.
I was on the way to falling for her. I wanted to take care of her and protect her with the last of my breath, and this was what I got.
It hurt so fucking much! No other woman could hurt me like she did.
I hadn’t allowed anyone to get close to me, not until her.
My beast shrugged. Talk to her, he said.
There’s nothing to talk about! I snarled.
I’d been through the anguish of nearly losing her. I’d feared for her life every second. I’d been hellbent on making sure she survived, and I’d tended to her when she was injured.
But I’d only nursed a snake back to life in my garden.
I should just cut the head off the snake before she bit me and pumped lethal venom into my body.
I swayed with vertigo. The idea of hurting her felt like punching a hole through the pit of my stomach.
You don’t just call mate a snake, the wolf snarled back. And you’ll have to get through me to get to her.
Like I need your permission, I sneered. You’re but a beast that has no understanding of complex emotions. You’re absolutely unrefined.
Fuck complex emotions, he answered. The only thing that matters is I’ve found my mate. She’s mine.
A sudden unreasonable jealousy shot through me along with rage.
I found her, asshole.
You were fucking a piece of bloodsucker meat, like you always did, he snorted. If I didn’t raise my head and show you who she is, you might never know you have a mate. And you’ll never know the joy of having a true mate and never being alone again.
How did the knowledge work out for you? I retorted. She came to take my head, and you’ll die with me if I let her.
That’s why I wanted you to talk to her, the beast said coolly. Clear things up.
That idea, though stupid, made some sense and tempted my mind, but the hurt of being betrayed by the one who mattered most to me cut too deep. What Tessa did and was going to do was unforgivable.
You can’t let the others know, not even your little sister, the beast warned. They’d hunt mate down. Your goons will find a way to finish her off once they know. If any harm comes to my mate, I’ll tear this whole fucking world apart and everyone in it. And then it’ll be too late to know who I really am. I’m not just a beast. My mate knows that more than you, and she wants me too.
The beast paused, indulging in his own delusion.
She doesn’t fucking know you. I sneered viciously. She doesn’t even know you’re part of me, and she won’t get the chance.
If I were you, I wouldn’t be so sure about it.
I narrowed my eyes in fury. Did my beast shift while I slept and sneak out to see Tessa without my knowledge? Was he stabbing me in the back too? I tried to shake off the red fog in my head. I was probably being paranoid.
You’re paranoid, fucker, the beast agreed. She woke me up and I won’t lose her. If you can’t make the right decision for both of us, I’ll take over.
Over my dead body, I hissed. But I was worried. He’d taken control from me once. The monster was very powerful when he was infused with extremely strong emotion, and I might lose the battle against him. I had lots on my plate as the King of the Underworld, and that bastard had nothing to do other than sate his lust. All he wanted was to get laid.
Keep debasing me, which won’t get you anywhere, he said darkly. I’m more intelligent than you can ever imagine. I just need a bit more time to get used to my new state of being and power as I slept for too long. You don’t even know my true origin. You can’t imagine what kind of power I can offer us when I unleash it. But she knows. You think our mate is as dumb as you? You’re a fucking moron who doesn’t know how to effectively court a woman and turn the situation around. I ain’t just a beast, but I won’t tell you anymore. You go fucking figure it out and learn to respect me. Our mate isn’t like any woman you used to deal with and stupidly screwed. Don’t ever compare her to them. You cheapened her value. She knows me. Tessa Morrigan is the only woman and mate for me. When I mate, I mate for life. I’m thankful that when you fucked those thousands of women over the centuries of boredom, I didn’t even bother to open my eyes to watch. I wasn’t there with you. I’ve kept my virginity for her. So, fuck you, Demon King, and be careful with her and me.
It was the first time the beast had spoken so long and eloquently. I could feel he was growing in cunningness and strength. If he’d talked to me like this under any other circumstance, I’d be amazed and even agree or listen to his counseling.
But when I was pissed off like this already, he only set me off even worse.
I would not let go of the truth that I was being betrayed by the woman I considered my future queen, the only woman I’d wanted to commit to. That cunning bitch was merely using me in every way. She’d let me pleasure her while studying my weaknesses and mocking me with her moans.
She moaned in a delicious way that set my blood boiling when I had my face between her white thighs. And now my mind kept darting to her lovely pussy and her taste. Despite my rage, my cock shot up, hard as rock. Even now I wanted to fuck her more than anyone, which only made me madder.
I snarled in disgust with myself and fought to expel her beautiful face and body and her addictive scent. I fixed on the sharp point of her viciousness and duplicity. Her plan laid out in front of me—she’d become my queen first, then off me while I slept beside her after making tender love to her. I wouldn’t just fuck her. I’d make slow love after I fucked her hard for half of the night.
But all she wanted was to use my body before taking my head.
Veronica was ambitious and wicked, but compared to nasty, devious Tessa, the vampire princess was peachy.
But the fucking beast who shared this body just didn’t get it. Unlike him, I would not think with my dick. It was time to let cold logic decide the course. The blood contract she took from my father spelled one thing only—we couldn’t co-exist.
It’s either her or me.
Hell wind tore out of me, bringing me back to my chamber. And I’d started shattering everything in the room.
The dukes rushed to me in alarm, their eyes wild.
“My king, what’s wrong?” asked the Duke of Deception as he tried his calm voice. “Talk to us. You always talk to us.”
“She’ll never become my queen!” I snarled.
“The vampire girl?” asked the Duke of Envy.
“This has nothing to do with that fucking vampire,” I spat, then bellowed, my eyes glowing red. “I’ll reject Tessa Morrigan even if she survives and becomes the champion, mark my words!”
I challenged the beast by denouncing his mate.
He roared, and I roared right back. The roaring shook the castle. The dukes stared at me, shocked to silence, before they all started talking at once. The guards stayed away.
“Why not, my king, if you don’t mind me asking?” the Duke of Envy asked carefully.
“You can reject the lady easily. You can turn down any chick, no problem,” the Duke of Wickedness offered. “But there’s no need to destroy expensive stuff. It’ll be a lot of work for us to replace it later on, and you’re extremely picky and hard to please.”
I trained my furious gaze on Asmodeus, as I’d just found an easy mark. He didn’t flinch or back off, even though his face paled.
The Duke of Wickedness was offering himself as a punching bag to let me release the tension and vent the rage. He often played dumb to get what he wanted. During Lucifer’s reign, Asmodeus had managed to get me out of trouble many times, often at his expense.
My inner circle was loyal to a fault.
I glared at Asmodeus.
Despite my turmoil and rage, I couldn’t bring myself to tell the dukes and Esme about Tessa’s betrayal. I’d never kept a secret from my tight circle until now. They’d find a way to take her out if they knew that she was Lucifer’s assassin girl.
When did I go soft? I bared my teeth. I’d always been merciless toward my enemies. When I saw threats, I eliminated them right away, or before a threat could really be a threat.
At least, you still have an ounce of sense, the beast offered.
Fuck you, I said, menace rolling off me. I hated the fucker’s coolness. She’s my enemy. Now she’s history. And I won’t allow her to become my worst nightmare. I won’t give her power over me again, and I’ll stop her and my father at all costs.
First, I needed to cease this pathetic pining for her. I wouldn’t lust after her, and I’d quench the fire that burned for her. She wouldn’t be my addiction. And then, I’d freely punish her for her betrayal. Tessa Morrigan would learn that the King of the Underworld wasn’t one to be toyed with. She’d fear me.
Fear you my ass, the beast roared. I don’t want her to fear us, and I won’t let you or anyone harm her.
We stopped cold as we saw the pouring rain sizzling above the spewing lava. Then snow started falling, turning Hell white.
You did this to her, the beast shouted. She’s in pain.
The animal lost his shit.
A stream of energy exploded from my body, stunning me. Agony erupted as my bones grew, building a vast new flame. My body stretched endlessly as my beast punished me. Dense black fur covered my forearms, then my shoulders.
Back off, you motherfucker! I warned, only for a large lupine jaw to jut out of my face.
I roared at my forced change, and the wolf howled back.
And then, the transformation was done. A massive nine-foot-tall black wolf stared at Esme just as she walked through the doorway, his/my eyes flashing with red light.
The dukes all backed off and pressed themselves against the wall. They’d never seen me like this. They’d never seen my wolf form that was predatory and savage and merciless.
I tried to warn my team to run, but I couldn’t speak while trapped in this beastly form. But if my wolf hurt any of my inner circle, I’d burn him.
The wolf’s black lips pulled back and grinned at my team menacingly, and then he stalked toward them.
I lashed out at him with hellfire, my phantom hand grabbing his massive jaw and dragging it back. He might be able to share my hellfire, but I was the master.
I was the King of Hell. I was Loki. I wouldn’t let the fucking beast outmaneuver me.
As my inferno roared, I resurfaced. The wolf was gone, and I stood naked in front of my team.
“My king?” they called urgently. They hadn’t run from my beast.
Then the wolf broke out of my skin again. It was even easier for him to shift to a wolf this time, and also less painful for me. The beast spat out a spell to help with the shifting. He had his own power as well.
You have no loyalty, dickhead, I roared. Go back to your hole.
My loyalty is to my one and true mate, he roared back. It’s you who’s lacking it. And you’re too stupid to know I’m trying to save your skin. We have a gift—our only fated mate—delivered to our door and you want to fuck it up.
A fate of having my head presented on a platter for Lucifer, you say? Can you be less stupid for once? Oh, you can’t. You only think with your dick.
If you kill her, Loki, you’re done.
I grabbed him again, and we wrestled and punched each other brutally. One moment, I was my own archdemon self, then next, a black wolf. Both versions roared with pain and rage.
“Get out of here!” I told my team before the beast gripped the reins again. “The fucker is growing stronger every second—”
My body was breaking, agony shattering my bones. My soul was being torn into two, but the beast didn’t care. He only wanted to go to Tessa, my enemy and betrayer, who still owned my desire.
Our powers blasted out, burning and destroying everything in our path.
