The Warlord by Gena Showalter (free ebook reader for pc .txt) 📕

“You are embroiled in one war right now, brother. Don’t start another.”

Aurora stepped forward. “The bride I met doesn’t need you to save her. She needs you to love her. So go. Love her while you can.”

While he could? Roc refocused on Chaos and took another step forward, only to lose sight of the throne room as he fell into another realm, then another and another, returning to Taliyah...to defeat?

Bad dreams sneaked up on Taliyah. At first, she floated in the light. But all too soon, darkness came. Though she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face, she knew she stood in the midst of an army, one of thousands, pressed in from every side. Screams, so many screams. The same screams she heard when she removed her ring, and they sprang from the women crowding around her...women who made not a sound. The incongruity of it all confused her.

What am I seeing? What is this?

Whoever they were, they needed her help. Their desperation felt like acid on her skin.

“I’m here, Taya. I’m here. I won’t leave you again. Rest easy. You’re safe.”

Safe...yes. Roc’s voice chased away the darkness. The light returned, and Taliyah sighed, slipping away...

Minutes or hours or days later, she roused. Consciousness came slowly as she stretched, waking from the most amazing slumber of her life. She was all set to bask in it, and the incredible power flowing through her veins, when she detected a thrum of aggression. A vibration along her bones.

Remembering her nightmare, she came up swinging, heart pounding, gaze darting, seeing little. She noticed enough to realize she occupied the master bedroom. Where was that light coming from?

Frowning, she scanned herself. Okay. Oh, wow! The light came from her. Her skin emitted a soft glow. But...was a threat nearby?

Another scan. “Roc?”

“I’m here.” He sat in a chair by the dying hearth, and the sight of him nearly broke her brain.

He wore a shirt and a pair of leathers but no boots, and he looked devastated, as if everyone he’d ever loved had died at once. What had happened while she’d slept?

Taliyah leaped across the room, throwing herself against him. “What’s wrong? Tell me!”

He kept his head bowed as he coiled his arms around her. Her big, powerful Astra was trembling.

Panic surged. “Roc? Start talking before I start throwing fists.”

“I can’t lose you.” His narrowed gaze jerked up, landing on her. “I won’t lose you.”

Fear of losing her had reduced him to this? The realization eased some of her apprehension. “You won’t lose me, baby. There’s a way out of our predicament, I know it.” She’d just found him, had just altered the course of her life for him, and she wasn’t willing to lose him, either. “Maybe you can kill me without ashing me, fulfilling the sacrifice, and I’ll revive. Maybe Chaos knows a way? Let’s not dread anything until you’ve had your meeting with him.”

“No,” he croaked with a shake of his head. “Chaos won’t help us.”

Ohhh. He’d had the meeting, and it hadn’t ended well. Well, Pawpaw Chaos could choke on hairy balls.

Roc reached out to clasp the edge of a blanket draping the top of the chair. He drew the material around her and settled in with his arms wrapped around her. As she melted into him, resting her head upon his shoulder, different parts of her body ached, reminding her of everything they’d done.

After thousands of years, Taliyah Skyhawk had given up her V-card. To her husband and consort, no less. She had no regrets. Her satisfaction remained.

“Tell me what happened with Chaos,” she requested. Morning sunlight poured through a crack in the curtains, and she barely stifled a groan. A new day meant a new check on their thirty-day calendar.

Only thirteen days remained.

“He...betrayed me,” Roc croaked. “He betrayed us both. We are to be his sacrifice, so he may ascend.”

She cringed. “Roc, I’m sorry for this. I am.” Did her grandfather’s betrayal suck for her? Yeah. Of course. But she’d never met the man. He’d exhibited no real interest in her, and that was his loss. But this really sucked for Roc. He’d loved and admired Chaos.

“I thought he cared for us. All the while, he did to us what I did to my brides. I am reaping everything I sowed.” Bitterness laced his tone. “How do I fix this, Taliyah? I’ve racked my mind to no avail.”

Well. No need to stone and ash her. His anguish was killing her quite nicely. “We’re going to overcome, Roc. We’re going to make him pay. And we’re going to have a good life together. I’ll allow nothing less.”

He tightened his hold on her. “How can you want a life with the man who once planned to kill you?”

“For starters, I have yet to meet a man who doesn’t want to kill me.”

A strangled laugh. A sharp inhalation of breath, as if he couldn’t believe he’d found humor in the situation, even for a moment. “I want to show you the alevala. The one I remove.” The torment he projected...the grief. “You haven’t seen the lengths I’ve gone to ensure we receive the blessing, and you should. Today, you will learn about the man you’re fighting for. If you decide he’s not worth the effort, I...will understand. Just give me a chance to change your mind. Please.”

Taliyah jolted. Please? He’d actually asked nicely for something outside of sexual gratification? She gulped and cupped his bearded cheeks. “Baby, I know you’ve had a rough day and all, but this poor-me attitude gets two thumbs down. You buck up, and you buck up now. I chose you as my consort for a reason. There’s nothing in your past that will change my mind. You’re worth every effort, I promise you. Okay?”

He gazed at her with haunted eyes. “Look, then. See.”

She wanted to...and she kind of dreaded to, but she clasped the hem of his shirt and lifted, baring his chest to her view...

Out of habit, he covered the area with