A King to be Feared by Brea Alepoú

Alfrik’spanicked voice rang throughout the entire bond. Adom crouched down low, and Titos fell forward. He turned, searching out the danger. But everything happened all at once. He caught sight of the arrow headed toward him. It was as if the world slowed down just for him. Even bent over, the arrow was going to hit him, and he knew it. He could feel all of his keepers’ panic rushing through him.

Titos’s heart picked up in speed, and he closed his eyes for a brief second. It was all going to be over too soon. He hadn’t had a chance to express how much he loved them all. It wasn’t just because they were there for him; it was so much more. They meant everything to Titos.

A familiar warmth blanketed over him, and tiny sparks touched his skin. Titos opened his eyes just in time to see Mazki’s phoenix and all of its glorious flames before everything crashed and burned. An ear-piercing screech came from Mazki, and his side of the bond burned white-hot to the point Titos felt sick with pain.

“No,” Titos whimpered out.

He fell off Adom’s back, clutching his chest. The fight was very much still going on around him. But all Titos could focus on was the odd burning coming from Mazki. His precious phoenix.

Seth: Guard him.

Kail materialized next to Titos, tears already running down his face. Tito’s hands trembled as he held on to his keeper. Adom’s wings flared out and guarded them as they knelt down next to Mazki. Titos opened and closed his mouth as he stared at Mazki’s phoenix light dying out. The bond inside of him just for the bird got colder by the second.

Seth: Titos, Kail, you can’t stay there. Please.

Titos couldn’t even think straight. How could Seth say such a thing? Did he not care about Mazki?

Adom: That is far from the case, Master. He knows Mazki is a phoenix—he is not gone.

Titos shook his head. He could feel it—the bond was dying off, turning into nothing but ashes and taking his man away. Titos’s very soul wept as he reached out for Mazki. The flames didn’t burn, but they didn’t feel warm either. Kail was right by his side, and his fingers trembled as he touched Mazki’s feathers. They were going from bright red and orange to brown and slowly black.

Titos felt the others crying for him through the bond, but he shut it down. It hurt too much. A silent cry was pulled from him, and he fell forward. He rested his face for only a short while as Mazki’s body turned to ashes in his arms.

Titos’s mind teetered on the edge. He knew deep down that what Adom had said held some truth, but how could he deny the feelings inside of him? They felt so real. Mazki was gone—not even a spark of his bond could be found.

Power swelled inside of Titos. He could tell instantly it was too much and he needed to calm it down, but he had no idea how or if he really wanted to. They had come to his land and killed his keeper. And for what? Rage was quickly taking over Titos. He balled his fist, ready to kill every single last person out there.

The cover of Adom’s wings disappeared, and Kail shifted, fast his face a mask of fury. He blanketed a hunter in darkness. Titos didn’t hesitate. He pulled his blades out and entered the darkness that was Kail. He didn’t need his eyes—he and Kail were connected, and he could feel exactly where the edoli was.

An eerie calm came over Titos as all thought left his head. He waited as the edoli freaked out. He was clearly trying to escape the inky blackness, but there was none. He might as well have been tossed down an endless well. Titos snuck up behind him and brought the blade to his neck. He pierced the skin effectively and dragged it straight across.

The metallic scent of blood only fueled his anger even further. The edoli dropped to his knees, and Titos stood there listening to the man gurgle and no doubt trying to gasp for air. The blood was hot on his skin but still wasn’t enough. The power inside of him pressed against him, demanding an out. Titos could feel his control slipping. He should give in and destroy them all.

Seth: Master.

The word was shouted through the link, and Titos clutched his head. He’d been holding them all out. He fully opened back up and walked out of the darkness. He squinted his eyes against the glare of the sun, and his gaze fell upon Seth in his human form.

All of his smooth, light brown skin and chiseled abs were on display. He was covered in just as much blood as the rest of them. Titos marched right up to Seth, intending to punch the man, but as Seth opened his arms, Titos’s plan changed. He fell into his alpha’s arms as more hot tears spilled.

Seth was warm, and his bond was very much intact.

“I am so angry with you,” Titos grunted out. He still clung to Seth, even as the others came closer to him. Liby looked as if she’d bathed in blood. Kyo was only mildly better. Adom and Kail had the least amount of blood on them. Gin stood near Alfrik, and they both looked sullen but okay physically.

“I know,” Seth said softly. His large hands cupped Titos’s face and tilted his head back. “I would never intentionally ask for you to leave any of your keepers.”

Titos blinked, trying to clear his blurry vision. “Mazki—the bond.”

Seth kissed Titos’s tears. “He will rise from the ashes.”

Titos stared at Seth. The man sounded so sure of himself. “How do you know that?”

“The little birdie told me himself. Not to mention he’d already said it was getting close to his time,” Seth said.

Titos pulled back from the embrace. “Why didn’t he tell me?”

Seth smoothed back some of Titos’s hair. “He only informed me this morning. I’m assuming he’d planned to.”

The ball of dread in the pit of Titos’s stomach unfurled somewhat. “So what do we do?”

Adom moved closer to them, and Titos kissed Seth before going to his other keeper. Adom’s strong arms wrapped around him and brought comfort to him.

“We wait. Did Mazki by chance tell you how long it would take?” Adom asked.

Seth sighed. “He did not, which we need to address once he is back.”

Kyo cleared her throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “I’m going to pull the barrier back up. It will be quicker than last time, but it needs to go without being attacked for about a month.”

Titos sighed. He couldn’t exactly promise that. “Did any survive?”

Gin nodded and pointed to a woman wrapped in vines, buds starting to form on them.

“What is happening?” Kail asked.

Titos’s head tilted to the side as he tried to figure it out himself.

“The flowers are draining her life,” Gin said matter-of-factly.

Titos glanced around the battlefield that was technically his backyard and spotted a few golden flowers. They were shining bright as if they had a light inside of them.

“Wow.”

Gin grinned as they moved over to the woman. “Can you stop it?” Seth asked.

Gin sucked in a breath. “No. I was able to use something similar before, not nearly this effective or strong, but once it starts, there is no stopping it. I can slow it down, cutting off the buds before they bloom.”

Seth nodded. “That’s fine. I want answers. After we have them, that will be good enough.”

Titos stood next to Seth and glared down at the woman. Her eyes were full of tears, but Titos felt nothing. They had come to his home unprovoked and attacked.

Titos handed over one of his blades to Gin, and he went to work cutting off the deadly flowers. He sliced away the vine covering the woman’s mouth.

“Who are you, and why did you attack us?” Titos asked.

The woman’s eyes tried pleading with him. “Please, we didn’t know,” she said.

Titos’s eyebrows dipped. “Didn’t know what? That you were attacking me? Or that we were stronger than you?”

A cry burst from the woman as another vine wound its way back to her mouth, and her shrill screams were cut off.

“I can’t say I’m angry with the vines shutting her up. Although creepy,” Kail said.

Titos sighed. He crouched down and stared the woman in the eyes. “Answer the questions.”

Gin cut the vine again, and she gasped for air.

“The Valtruse house, the Dehyrus house, the Zeger house, and Olvix houses all met. Valtruse house warned all that there was a self-proclaimed king and he was trying to take over a territory and upset the current balance,” the woman rushed out.

“And which house are you from?” Adom asked.

“Please, I want to live,” she begged.

She hadn’t thought about any of them when she and the other edoli had decided to attack.

“Were your orders to take us alive as prisoners or kill us on sight?” Titos asked, his face an emotionless mask.

The woman looked away, and he had his answers and she had hers.

“Olvix house—we were the closest, and I know that bitch of queen Mia set us up. We are the smallest out of the powerhouses.”

Titos didn’t doubt that. Mia was a vicious queen; she hadn’t held her rule for so long for no reason. She’d killed any who thought to try and steal what she had. Titos had grown up with many stories about her. Not only did she defend her own territory, but she ruthlessly took over others. Her reach was far, and Titos loathed that she was his enemy, but he wasn’t going to bow down to her.

“What else can you tell us?” Seth growled.

The woman attempted to shake her head, but a vine was wrapping itself around her throat. Gin sighed.

“It’s speeding up.”

Titos opened his mouth to ask another question when he felt a small spark. He whirled around, the woman completely forgotten as his gaze roamed the area. He caught sight of the pile of ashes and ran over to it.

Titos stopped short as the ashes burst into flames. The heat that radiated off the fire made him sweat, but he didn’t move an inch. The bond was lighting up again. It was renewed and stronger than ever.

As the flames died down, Mazki’s smiling face appeared. His black hair lay flat, his marble-colored eyes catching the sunlight perfectly.

“You look like you are about to cry,” Mazki said.

Titos threw himself in Mazki’s arms, pulling him close and kissing his cheek and neck. He was there, and he could feel and smell him. But more importantly, their bond was still there.

Mazki wrapped his arms around Titos.

Mazki: Sorry I worried you. I was going to tell you it was time for me to die and be reborn, but things kind of got out of hand.

Titos shook his head. No thought or words came to mind—he was just happy Mazki was there. He pulled back and looked him over one more time. No arrow sticking out of his chest, not even a scratch on him.

Titos could feel the anxiety coming from the others, and it made him smile even more. He back away so the others could have their moment with Mazki.

“You took your sweet-ass time on purpose,” Kail said, pushing their laughing phoenix.

Mazki chuckled. “Aww, I was missed.”

“Dumb bird,” Seth grumbled, but Titos could feel the relief radiating from his alpha keeper.

“So that means I get a welcome-back blowjob, right?” Mazki said.

Titos laughed as Adom picked Mazki up and tossed him over his shoulders. “Sure thing, brat. I won’t be stopping until you’re a begging mess.”

Gin sauntered up to Titos. “Does that mean I get to come along or go back to my room?”

Titos smiled at his newest keeper. “Our room is now your room. If you want.”

Gin nodded, and Titos could feel through the bond that Gin was more than happy to join them.

“Just fall wherever,” Seth said.

Gin smiled, and as he fell in line with everyone else, Titos relaxed even further. They worked, all of them.