Chapter Twelve
Lord Nero lifted his head, taking in the dark abyss he had been thrown in by Dante’s guards. He had been slightly aware of his surroundings when they took him down here, only remembering flight after flight of stairs until they reached their destination deep underground. Smelling the dank soil and rot of the dungeon, he opened his eyes wide as they adjusted to the dim light of the lantern nearby. He noticed that it was real fire, and not even magic. Apparently, King Dante and his guards had taken every precaution. He couldn’t even use the magical fire to help heal himself.
Sneering at the handcuffs that held his wrists overhead, he tried to pull them free, but they were tight, biting into his skin at this small movement. He could bet that they were already bruised from the thick metal.
Sighing, he closed his eyes and steadied his breath, finding the power deep within him. He felt it, and massaged it awake. Before long, he felt the darkness take over him as he embraced the shadows inside. Being a Soul Eater, he could store his powers for use at any time, and he always kept an extra piece of them kept away for emergency purposes.
He smiled ominously as his body took shadow form and slipped out of the handcuffs that had held him captive. He almost laughed at the sight of the metal bracelet around his wrist. It was a magical device specifically created to limit a wizard’s or sorceress’s magic, but not his. His powers were different, fueled by dangerous and dark magic, not the magic of light that gifted the humans on the planet. His powers also had been developed with the help of genetic engineering, written straight into his DNA. If he ever bred with a female, his sons would inherit the powers of a Soul Eater as well.
Smiling, he imagined Morgana’s tight little body, imagined her form underneath his as he took what he wanted and she begged for more, despite her protests at first. He thought about her curvy bottom and what it would look like naked over his lap, awaiting a spanking from his very own hand. He felt his balls tighten and his dick harden. He would take her one day; he was sure of it.
Glaring at the metal bracelet, he placed two fingers to it and mumbled a few words as he shot his own magic into it. The bracelet unclasped and fell away onto the floor. He picked it up and put it in his pocket, not knowing if it could come in handy at any point in the near future. With any luck, it would be back around Morgana’s wrist before morning, and she would be getting the punishment of her life once they returned to Drentine.
She would pay for her treachery. He would make sure of that. And so would that traitor of a doctor, Kade.
Walking through the cell, he approached the bars that locked him inside. On a chair outside his prison, two men sat at a table, their backs to him. One of them was snoring, the other was reading a book. Neither seemed that invested in their guard duties.
Luck was certainly on his side tonight, now wasn’t it.
Ebbing into his shadow form, he walked right through the metal bars. There was not a prison in the world that could jail him. Very few people knew what made a Soul Eater weak; in fact, they were probably all dead, and he aimed to keep it that way. There was no way in the world he was going to tell anyone what it was either.
Everyone was terrified of the mysteries of his power, and that was exactly how he liked it. Walking up behind the guard, he grabbed the one who was reading and snapped his neck. The other woke up groggily at the sudden sound, but it was too late. Lord Nero killed him too.
He laughed at the weakness of the sad attempt to keep him imprisoned. He had expected more out of the great King Dante. Clearly, these people were lulled into a false sense of confidence at the security of their dungeon and who was he to fail to take advantage of that!
Smiling dangerously, he began the long climb up the stairs, killing anyone he met along the way. King Dante would certainly realize his mistake when the sun rose and he saw the aftermath of his escape. He would see exactly how many bodies piled up when he tried to mess with the great Lord Nero.
When he finally reached the surface after losing count of how many floors he climbed, he kicked open the door and walked right out into the fresh night air. The city of Eridell was quiet, everybody asleep in his or her bed. He looked behind him at the castle rising high overhead, and squinted when he saw movement on the terrace above.
His eyes wide with alarm at being discovered, he knew he had to investigate. If someone saw him and reported him now, he didn’t quite have enough power stored in order to hide in the shadows until he escaped the city.
Instead, he began climbing the wall, his muscles bringing him high before he began to sense any sort of fatigue. He was a big guy and carried around a lot of strength. It didn’t take long to scale the wall, and before long, he had pulled himself up and over the ledge. Silently, he knelt low and listened for any sort of sound. Moments later, he heard the soft scrape of a foot moving in the distance, not far off.
If he wasn’t mistaken, it sounded like a woman’s step, a tiny foot encased in a satin slipper. He heard the sound again and smiled, sure of it now.
There was a woman in his grasp, ripe for the taking. And he would certainly take care of that.
Creeping forward silently, he moved toward the sound. His dark eyes picked up the light of the moons, and he saw a feminine form leaning over the ledge not far away.
She wore a floor-length nightgown in a beautiful sheer red color that allowed her pale skin to shin through. The fabric hugged around her curves, her full breasts and delightful bottom shaped for his viewing pleasure. If she was his girl, he would beat her silly for walking around as she was, especially without him by her side.
He looked on as her blond hair cascaded down her back. He couldn’t see her face, but knew she had to have a pretty look to match the beautiful body she had underneath her lingerie.
He crept closer, off to her right side in order to see if he could get a glimpse of her face. Keeping silent, he took in her smooth moonlit features, chestnut-colored eyes looking off into the distance. Her hair was wavy and framed her face beautifully. Noticing a thin leather collar around her throat, he smiled as he finally recognized her.
It was Emma.
He had held a knife to her throat and she had quivered in fear under his hand. And it had been delicious. He couldn’t believe his luck. His dick hardened at the thought of his blade against her soft skin. He couldn’t wait to do it again.
He moved behind her, yet she still didn’t stir. Her gaze was somewhere far away, looking off into the mountains. Whatever she was thinking about, she was most definitely preoccupied.
His fist shot out, grabbing her hair and spinning her around. She yelped softly before his other hand clapped over her mouth, suppressing any other sound she would have had the chance to make.
Emma’s eyes opened wide as she took in his face. He knew she recognized his black eyes and his strong grip, a familiar touch from not long ago. Once she realized who he was, she screamed, but the sound was dulled by his hand. Her hands tried to grasp his wrist, but she couldn’t escape his strength. She was trapped.
Lord Nero allowed his power to flow into her mind, exploring every turn for any and all bad memories she had locked away. Taking a deep breath, he allowed his own magic to grow with the strength of her sadness, his power growing by the second.
She screamed with pain until her eyes rolled back in her head. She had fainted. A cruel smile came across his lips as he stared down at the limp body in his arms. Hell, he wasn’t going to leave Eridell without a bang, and he would make sure King Dante was fully aware of it by the time he left.