Chapter Fifteen
Lana woke, the sunlight streaming in through the windows in Dante’s suite. Yawning, she stretched, and groaned when her very sore bottom made contact with the sheets. Reaching back, she felt the residual heat still emanating from her well-punished backside. The leftover discomfort would remain with her for a couple of days, she was sure of it. Dante had never been as harsh as he had been with her last night, but then she remembered how he had held her, how he cared for her, rubbing salve on her aching bottom, and all the naughty things they had done as well. Sex had never been quite as explosive as it had been last night. A soft smile overtook her face as she thought about just how naughty they had been.
Looking over, she realized Dante was awake beside her, and he had been watching her. She blushed at this, and hid herself in his chest. Cuddling up close to him, she felt safe as his big arms surrounded her small frame.
“I love you,” he whispered, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head.
“I love you too, sir.”
The two of them lay like that for a few moments, enjoying the silence and each other until a frantic pounding sounded on the door. Lana’s body jolted in response, not expecting the harsh sound.
“Your majesty! We need your guidance immediately,” a man shouted through the thick wood. Dante pulled the covers up to hide Lana and himself, and yelled out for the man to enter.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the man swung the door open and nearly tripped in his rush to get inside the door. His breathing was harsh and ragged; he had clearly been in a rush to get to the king. Lana recognized him as one of the royal guard members who she had seen talking strategy with the king. He must be fairly high up in the army here in Eridell, she thought. His short brown hair was mussed, and his clothes looked haphazardly put together, almost as though he’d dressed in record time. Narrowing her eyes, a strange feeling began to develop deep in her belly. Something wasn’t right.
“My king, we have received word that the army from the south, the D’Lormerean army, has breached the kingdom of Legeari and is not far from our city gates. We need your guidance immediately.”
“Has the rest of the guard arrived yet?”
“No, sir. I think they are still a few days away.”
Dante ran his hand across his face, exasperated. He threw the covers off and stood up naked. Grabbing the shirt and pants he had thrown aside, he quickly dressed and made his way to the door. Looking back, he met Lana’s eyes, his concern blatantly clear.
“I’m going to send Wes to come get you. You and Emma are to stay in the throne room until we settle this matter, or I send for you. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir,” she said, her voice barely audible. She knew now was not the time to argue with him.
Her eyes flickered up as the two men rushed out the door. Before she knew it, she was naked and alone under the covers in Dante’s bed. Her heart beat in her chest as a glaring realization came over her.
Lord Nero was coming to Eridell.
He would be looking for her, and she knew he would be angry. Her fingers touched the collar that circled around her small neck. Dante had said it would protect her, that Morgana had made it especially for her.
But his torture had been so great, the pain so immense, that her flicker of doubt began to grow. Would she really, truly be safe from Lord Nero’s special brand of agonizing mental torture? Tears of fear threatened to fall until she took a deep breath, remembering that she had to dress herself because Wes was coming to fetch her. Almost numbly, she climbed out of bed, now only slightly aware of the soreness she felt on her backside.
Despite her fear, she felt a little better, knowing Dante had had made the collar made just for her, and that he would keep her safe, no matter what happened. She was his, forever and for always.
After pulling on the sheer red human garb, she sat down on the bed and waited. It wasn’t long before there was a soft knock on the door. Lana rose and went to the door, opening it slightly to reveal Emma’s face. She opened it wider and saw Wes standing behind her.
His face held no gleam of any smile, no hint of the normal sarcastic Wes she had come to know and appreciate. Seeing him now, she realized how much she already missed that. Sternly, he grabbed her arm and led them down the hall. Lana barely paid attention to where they were going, but simply put one foot in front of the other. Before she knew it, they had reached the throne room.
“Where’s Dante?” Lana asked, desperation edging in her voice. Her nerves were beginning to get the best of her, and all she wanted was to be by his side, making sure he was safe.
“He will be here shortly,” Wes answered gruffly. Emma came to her side and held her hand in support. They sat down on the steps and began to wait, everyone too nervous to hold any sort of conversation.
The clock on the wall ticked away. Fifteen minutes passed, then another fifteen, and another, until they had sat there in total silence for an hour. Lost in her worry, Lana was jolted back to reality when the door to the throne room opened. Slightly disappointed, she realized it wasn’t Dante, but a female form. It was the fiery redhead Morgana. Her beautifully curved body was encased in a dark purple satin dress that was laced up the front with a lilac ribbon. The dress hugged her waist and hips, flowing down to the floor. She was the picture of a confident sorceress, striding into the room with purpose.
She gazed over the group sitting alone in the throne room.
“The D’Lormerean army is going to attack the city walls any minute. They have brought with them a multitude of ships, weapons, guns, and their own group of magically gifted humans. We have learned this much from a quick reconnaissance mission, and it has been determined that the city is in imminent danger. Dante is asking for you now, Wes. He sent me to protect your women.”
“Is he on the wall?”
“Yes. Please head to him immediately. He needs your help strategizing. Much of our arsenal is being prepared for battle. Our stores of dark matter will power us this day.”
Wes nodded and quickly left the room, which left the ladies alone together. Morgana walked over to Emma and Lana quickly, taking a seat beside them.
“Is it scary out there?” Lana asked softly. Emma was looking at the door sadly, a little upset Wes had been called to battle. Morgana ran a hand over her face, already looking very tired.
“Eridell is strong. We have been here for a very long time, and have even held up under the time of the great civil wars. King Dante has conserved the city’s use of dark matter for hard times especially like this. I don’t doubt his ability to lead us to victory.”
Boom!!!
A large crash sounded outside, in the direction of the great wall. The battle had begun. Cracks of gunfire began in the distance, along with yells from men. She heard the clash of swords, the neighs of horses, and the sounds of other beasts. Remembering Tala was out there too, she prayed for their safe return, that Legeari won this battle swiftly and with little loss. She had seen much of the territory of D’Lormere and she hadn’t been impressed, and she hoped their army was in much the same condition.
Over and over she jumped as sounds of war reverberated throughout the walls. She could hear ships flying overhead, and hoped the enemy wouldn’t hit the castle. She especially hoped all those she cared for, whether they were Erassan, human, or beast, would make it through today.
The door to the throne room clicked open, and Lana smiled when she realized it was Dante.
“There is my escaped prisoner,” he said, a dangerous smile on his lips.
Lana’s smile faltered. There was something seriously wrong with his demeanor. He didn’t seem like himself. His walk was different as he entered the room. The quiet confidence that Lana had come to love was replaced by something darker, dangerous, and altogether evil. His eyes were dark, not the red or icy blue she was used to. The closer she looked, the more she began to quake in fear. She knew those eyes. They were Lord Nero’s.
She moved backwards, trying to put distance between them as he sauntered toward her. The look on his face was one of insane pride in what he had just accomplished.
“What have you done to Dante? Why are you in his body?” she said, horror clear in her voice.
Lord Nero began to laugh, a terrible malignant laugh that chilled Lana to the very core. Emma had backed up to a wall, frozen in fear. Morgana stood tall, her back arched in defiance. She wasn’t going to back down.
“As a Soul Eater, I have powers that you could only dream of, you naive girl. Because your witch Morgana had left her king without her protection, ironically, at his own instruction, I was able to enter his head and take over his body with my power. Simple, really. Now, I have come to fetch you, my prisoner, and punish you for escaping from me. Since I have had the pleasure of sifting through Dante’s mind, I know exactly how to punish you,” he said, emphasizing the word punish with a decisive chuckle.
Lana felt the hairs on her arms rise in terror, and her hands quickly went to her throat, gripping the heavy silver collar that surrounded her neck. He couldn’t touch her. She was safe from him. Lord Nero couldn’t touch her.
Another dark look crossed his face.
“You think you are safe from me?” He laughed again, and a sickening feeling grew in the pit of her stomach.
“You are only safe from my touch. Your friend Morgana here placed her power in that collar preventing my power from hurting you, but what she didn’t bank on was my ability to take over Dante’s body. Which, if you’re following along, means I have full control over his powers as well.”
Morgana’s face paled as she raced forward, standing between Lord Nero and Lana.
“You won’t be able to hurt her with me here. I will fight you!” She lifted her hands, and a magical light began to flicker angrily about her fingers. Lana recognized it as the fire with a rainbow of colors, the same fire that was used to light the castle torches. She was definitively seeing Morgana’s magic in its truest form.
Morgana threw her hands toward him, and her colorful magic turned into a volley of raging hot, crackling fire. Lana could feel the heat radiating from it as it raced toward Lord Nero. He lifted his hand, and the fire crashed into an invisible wall of air, bouncing of it back toward them. Morgana threw up her hands again, and a wall of water extinguished the volley of fire.
Lord Nero smiled, and Lana shivered. Knowing it was Dante’s face with Lord Nero inside him was something she could not accept. She needed him back; she needed her Dante.
Lana rose to her feet behind Morgana. Allowing herself a final moment of fear, she threw it all away. What was left was a strong woman who needed to protect herself, her friends, and the love of her life.
Morgana threw up her hands again to toss more magic his way, but Lord Nero disappeared into thin air. He then appeared in front of her, his hand gripping her throat. Slowly, he lifted her, and she choked, her feet struggling to make contact with the floor. His other hand dug in his pocket and pulled out something round and metal. He clasped it around Morgana’s wrist. Lana realized it was a bracelet, and with a sinking feeling came to the conclusion that it probably wasn’t just a pretty piece of jewelry.
Morgana’s feet finally made contact with the floor as Lord Nero placed her down. Raising his hand, he backhanded her to the floor. Morgana’s hand flew to her face, covering up the red mark developing across her cheek.
The look on her face was one of sheer wrath, shooting daggers in his direction. On her wrist was a thick silver bracelet, carved with some sort of design that went around the entirety of it.
“You… evil bastard.” She glowered, simmering with rage. She rose to her feet, her shoulders rising up and down with anger.
“Morgana, what has he done?” Lana whispered, almost terrified of the answer.
“He’s sealed my power, so that I cannot use it to defend you. He’s made me a simple human female, with nothing but the raw strength of one,” she answered with a growl, still glaring in Lord Nero’s direction. “I haven’t been this weak since the last day I spent on Earth.”
An evil smile was still plastered to his face. He chuckled again before he strode up the steps toward the throne, and toward Lana.
Like a wildcat, Morgana pounced. She scratched at his face, but Lord Nero simply pushed her aside into the wall. Morgana’s head hit the wood with a sickening crack, and she slumped to the floor, her eyes rolling back in her head.
“What do you want?” Lana questioned, her voice steady, devoid of fear.
She stood tall in front of him, his large frame towering over hers. His unnerving black eyes stared down at her as he slowly backed her into the wall. He lifted his palm in front of her face, empty. With a slow breath, he blew the air above his palm, and a wicked-looking dagger appeared out of thin air.
Her eyes grew big, realizing his true intentions.
He was going to kill her.
He knew what the prophecy foretold. He knew she was central to Dante’s reign as king. The only solution was to kill her.
Lord Nero held the dagger to her throat, and the sharp metal cut into her flesh. A droplet of blood dripped down her skin as he pressed further. The wicked smile on his face never wavered. If anything, the look of glee at her helplessness seemed to increase with every passing second.
Her eyes flickered to the side, hearing Morgana groan in pain. Thankful that Lord Nero hadn’t killed the poor girl, she turned her gaze to Emma. The girl was still plastered to the wall in fear. At least the two of them were still alive. At least they would be able to take care of Dante when he learned how she died. A quiet sob died in her throat.
Lana closed her eyes, accepting her fate. She would die by Lord Nero’s hand. She was truly and utterly lost. The dagger bit further into her flesh and she cried out in pain as her vision began to darken.