Mate to the Demon Kings by Lacey Carter Andersen

15

Caine stareddown at the pathetic shapeshifter. “That’s all you have to tell me?”

The creature nodded, still kneeling before him.

If you weren’t my child, I would have killed you long ago, you useless creature.

Caine began to pace the warehouse. The darkness of his magic spread out around him, not just cloaking his shape from form. It spread further, filling the whole side of the empty building. Normally, in front of his child was the one place he didn’t hide his true form, but now that the war was beginning, he couldn’t even afford that luxury.

The judge of all of humanity must take every precaution.

“But,” the shapeshifter sputtered out, “this changes everything. We can stop them from saving the other demons. We can raid the sanctuary and kill the ones they already saved. We can end this now!”

“If only my mind was as simple as yours.” But none of this is simple.

The Fate had told him that soon the war would begin. He hated that he couldn’t simply kill any of his enemies. If he did so, he would never gain the powers of the Immortal Ten, and he wanted their powers more than he wanted anything else in this world.

And so, he would have to play this game. He would have to allow a war.

But he already knew he would win.

Like a chess game, I must always be ten steps in front of my enemies. They must not see me coming until every piece has been moved into place. Then, and only then, will I strike.

“I am yours to command, my lord. I can go back to the sanctuary. I can be the old man, or the girl, or return to Rebellion. Whatever you ask, I will do it an instant.”

Another whimpering creature eager to obey me, how…expected. And yet, a mindless grunt is just what I need.

“My desire is simple.”

The shapeshifter lifted its head. “What would you have me do?”

Caine smiled. “I would have blood…lots of it.”

In his mind, he pictured the chaos he would unleash onto their world.

I may not be able to kill them, but I can make them suffer.