When the transformation is complete, I am fully clothed.
“Let’s get a handle on this shit show,” the king says as he snaps his fingers. Instantly, the King’s Tower disappears from view.
31
A Traitor
ERIK
The second my feet touch the cobblestones, my legs crumple beneath me. My stomach is in my throat, and my entire body feels like it has been torn apart into a thousand pieces and then put back together again. As far as I’m concerned, I never want to do that again.
“What in the gods’ name was that?” I ask, turning to glare at Helena’s uncle. We’re standing on what must usually be a busy street, surrounded by the eclectic mix of old and new buildings that make up Lethe. Right now, though, it is deserted. Everything is eerily empty, and the city looks nothing like the one I had ridden through earlier.
I only see massive black tanks driving through the streets marked with the DaePolice logo on the side. A siren wails in the distance. A voice keeps repeating three phrases amplified through dozens of hidden speakers.Remain inside. Do not come out. The King will keep you safe.
The warning sends shivers down my spine.
The tower is visible just behind us. Somehow, we have gone from the elevator to being outside in the time it took me to inhale.
The Daemon King has the audacity to bite back a laugh, his eyes sparkling with mirth despite the current state of his city. He shakes his head, eyeing me. “Don’t tell me you’ve never Transposed before, Captain?”
Shaking my head, I push myself to my feet and cross my arms. “Never. Nor do I ever wish to Transpose again.” I snap. Remembering who I’m talking to, I cough into my arm. “But thank you, sir.”
The King smirks, but another blast shakes the city before we can say anything else. The sirens continue to wail, and a dozen DaePolice run out of a building down the street before simultaneously launching into the air. Their black wings mix with the smoke from the city, creating a terrifying visual.
“Shit,” I reach down and wrap my hand around Helena’s. Tugging her to stand beside me, I keep our hands intertwined. “That definitely didn’t sound good.”
“It’s not. We have to go,” the Daemon King says. He snaps his finger, and a black mist appears above the cobblestones. The scent of ash fills the air, and I wrinkle my nose. When the fog dissipates, a massive stockpile of weapons is lying on the street before us. I raise my wide eyes to the Daemon King, who simply shrugs before gesturing to the pile.
“Take what you need,” he commands. “Quickly.”
I nod, jumping into action. Like the beautiful juxtaposition of the city, the king has summoned both old and new weapons. I find a sword, sheathing it across my back, as Helena grabs what looks like a dozen daggers and starts hiding them all over her body. My gaze runs over her appreciatively before she elbows me in the side.
She smirks at me, her eyes twinkling.Really?
I shrug. “Sorry, Princess. I can’t help it.”
She shakes her head, bending back down to pick up more weapons. I join her, my eyes widening as I spot several pieces of elusive Summer Fae tech tucked away amongst the weapons.
There are guns here that will vaporize beings with little more than the twitch of a finger, spears to paralyze, and axes to cut through the densest bone. I recognize a grenade capable of neutralizing magic lying on the ground haphazardly next to a taser that is the size of my hand.
A ripple of excitement washes through me as I pick out my weapons.Thisis something I know.
I’m busy turning into a walking armory when the Daemon King clears his throat. I lift my gaze and freeze, my arm extended towards another weapon. His pure green eyes are staring at me, his horns reaching the sky as his wings snap out behind him.
“Captain,” he says. The one word is laced with an order, and my blood chills in my veins. The Daemon’s voice is garbled and sends shivers down my spine. Everything about him tells a tale of violence, death, and pain. Shadows leak all around him. The smoky air fills with swirls of inky darkness.
Thisis the King of the Gates of Hell.
The uncle of the woman I love. The woman I almost... Shaking my head, I clear my throat. This is definitely not the time for that.
“Yes, sir?” I manage to speak without my voice cracking, which I consider a massive feat. If I survive this day, I will remember this moment fondly.
“My niece had better make it out of this alive,” he says. His voice rumbles through me, and a crack of thunder roars through the sky as though emphasizing his words. “If she doesn’t, I’ll make you wish my brother’s so-called ‘Elite’ warriors had killed you.”
I swallow, taking a step back. “Understood, sir.”
Helena, who has been arming herself, looks up at this statement. Her eyes flash. I can hear her voice echoing through my mind.I can take care of myself, Erik.