Chapter 1

  I flopped onto the queen’s bed as sweat saturated my naked chest.

  Mona laid with her hands above her head, and my creamy seed dripped down her bare thighs. After we caught our breath for a few minutes, she rolled over onto her belly and put her head on my chest.

  “Do you think it worked?” she asked.

  “Like, do I think you’re pregnant?” I raised a brow, and she nodded. “I filled you up half a dozen times. I can’t imagine there is any more room in your womb or tunnel for my seed, and it is spilling out of you like a spring.”

  “True,” Mona giggled and rolled back over with a groan. “I almost can’t believe how much you poured into me. I should have suspected, since your fiancée and the rest of your harem are very satisfied.”

  “That they are,” I laughed.

  “I need to get cleaned up,” she sighed. “It’s almost time for dinner.”

  As if on cue, my stomach released a fierce growl, and we both laughed.

  “I guess I need to clean up for dinner also,” I said. “I’m going to the bath house, then I’ll meet you in the dining hall.”

  “Yes, my king,” Mona replied, and she pecked me on the cheek as she rose from the bed.

  The centauress slipped on a loose crimson robe and tied it around her waist. Next, she pulled a small piece of leather from the robe’s pocket and wrapped it around her hair at the nape of her neck. Then she pulled a simple gold chain from the box on her table and draped it over her head.

  The queen really didn’t go anywhere without wearing some gold, not that I could blame her. The color of the metal went really well with her hair and skin tone.

  I picked up my clothes from the floor and slipped them on before I grabbed my boots and walked to the door. I turned back to Mona and shot her a wink, and then I opened the door and headed down the hall to the bath house.

  The queen of the centaurs had made quite the bargain with my fiancée, Princess Alyona. I would get Mona pregnant with a daughter to rule over the city of Lumin, and she would be loyal to the crown and wouldn’t mate with anyone else. I loved adding women to our harem, and it was pretty awesome that my future wife loved it, too. Especially since it helped accomplish the goal of bringing the kingdom under our power.

  As I walked into the warm, stone room of the bath house, I could feel my tight muscles begin to relax before I even turned on the water. While the tub filled, I peeled my clothes back off and stretched my whole body out. I remembered my days as a high school athlete as I bent over and touched my toes, and then I reached above my head and felt my back pop.

  I stepped into the steaming hot water and groaned as it touched my skin. I felt like I’d just ran a marathon with the queen. But it was a very sexy, hot as fuck marathon, so I wasn’t complaining.

  I’d barely settled into the water when the bath house door was flung open behind me. I turned to see who was interrupting my bath and smiled when I realized Alyona and Ravi, another one of my lovers, had rushed into the room.

  Alyona’s beautiful white hair was braided down her back and swayed as she jogged over to me. Her porcelain skin was flushed with excitement, and her violet eyes gleamed like jewels. Not only was my bride-to-be a total knockout, but she was also the Divine Maiden and daughter of the King of Rahma, which made me the future king.

  Then there was Ravi, my little phoenix. Her fiery orange hair waved wildly as she rushed in behind Alyona, and the smell of a campfire followed her everywhere. Everyone had thought her species was extinct until she barreled into my city a few months ago. Then we saved her tribe, and she’d joined our happy, little family as one of my mates.

  “Oh, Evan, what a wonderful day!” Alyona cried out as she knelt down next to the tub. “You won’t believe what we learned from the history keepers!”

  The history keepers were the centaurs’ version of a library. The old creatures kept an oral history of Inati, and their information had already helped us defeat a skyraptor in Lumin. Alyona was in her own personal heaven when she listened to the white-haired centaurs.

  “Well, let’s hear it,” I chuckled.

  “The reason no one knows much about Colaruma is because it’s completely underground!” the princess blurted out, and her violet eyes were as wide as saucers.

  “Wait.” I sat up in the tub and looked at her. “The whole city is underground?”

  The name of the covert location had been given to us after a lengthy interrogation of a Green Glass Sect member who had been left to die and distract us.

  “Yes!” Ravi squeaked, and the phoenix was practically bouncing on her toes. “The history keepers said the original inhabitants were extremely secretive, and they spent months moving their village into an underground cavity they’d found.”

  “And they said no one knows who those original inhabitants were,” Alyona added as she gesticulated wildly. “It’s like there was this hidden village with secretive people living there, and then they moved underground and were gone.”

  “So, there’s this secret underground city that no one has been to in years because it’s under the surface!” Ravi finished as she excitedly twirled in place.

  “Wow,” I exhaled. “I’m sure the hidden location is pretty appealing to the Green Glass Sect. We would’ve never found them without getting that info from Jacob, then.”

  “No,” Alyona agreed and shook her head. “You did a great job finding that out, my love.”

  “Yeah,” I mumbled, but I winced at the memory of the poor bastard’s time with the Solas. “At least we got it, and now we know a little more of what to expect.”

  “So, how did everything go with Mona?” Alyona changed the subject.

  “Great,” I replied with a grin. “I’m sure we’ll be welcoming a little centaur-dragon baby soon enough.”

  “Oh, how marvelous,” Alyona sighed before she gasped and sat straight up. “Oh, I almost forgot! The history keepers said I should ask my father about who lives in Colaruma. They said he’ll be able to explain more.”

  “Should I send him a messenger?” I asked.

  “No, it’ll take too long for a response.” The princess shook her head. “I’ve never done one, but I think I can make a mirror message.”

  “I’m sorry,” I chuckled. “A what?”

  “Like what you described in the archives in Hatra,” Alyona explained. “I can use magic and a mirror to communicate with my father.”

  I remembered my adventure into the past with Tristan, where we’d communicated with King Rodion through a giant mirror on the wall to warn him of Hatra’s demonic fate.

  “Ohhh,” I exhaled. “That’s right. Well, cool, let’s do it!”

  Alyona giggled as she reached into her spatial storage and pulled out a hand mirror. The mirror was attached to a beautifully carved piece of white jade, and the handle was painted with intricate, floral designs in a stark violet color. The princess murmured to the mirror, and I watched as the surface began to shimmer like she’d touched water.

  Suddenly, King Rodion’s face appeared in the mirror. For generations, the king had been stationed at the Breach to keep armies of demons from pouring into our realm. The king’s white hair billowed in the wind, and his amethyst and sapphire eyes looked tired from the continued use of his magic, but even through the mirror, I could feel his pure power as it radiated from him in waves. Behind him, dark clouds swirled in the sky, and I could faintly hear people yelling as they ran back and forth past him. The king was only focused on the princess at the moment, though.

  “Daughter, what’s wrong?” he asked, and his brow deepened with concern.

  “We just have some questions, Father,” Alyona replied. “We’ve received word the Green Glass Sect is in Colaruma, so we need--”

  “No, that can’t be,” King Rodion cut her off and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “The Sentinels are guarding it.”

  “Sir, I don’t know who’s guarding what,” I interjected, “but we need to know what we’re getting into at Colaruma.”

  “Sorry, right,” the king said as he took a deep breath. “Generations ago, we found that under the city were three portals that led to the demon world.”

  Alyona gasped and covered her mouth.

  Looked like we just found the other reason the Sect was interested in the underground city.

  “Are these portals like the rifts we’ve been finding and sealing?” I asked. “Like the one you and Alyona sealed near Hatra?”

  “Sort of,” King Rodion hedged. “The rifts are smaller and are intended to allow demons into our world. The portals are more like open doorways for demons and people to come and go as they please.”

  “And they were just there?” I raised a brow. “No one had to open them?”

  “Well, think of the barrier between their world and ours like a house,” the king answered as he began to pace back and forth in front of the mirror. “The walls are thicker, which is what the regular connection to the underworld is like. The doorways are thinner, and right now those doors are shut. I sealed the portals as soon as we found them and assigned the Sentinels to keep guard. Then I asked the citizens of Colaruma to live in the cavity I created underground, so it would be more obvious if someone tried to get into the portals or if anything escaped.”

  “So, someone is trying to open the doors,” I murmured.

  “You have to get there, my child,” King Rodion urged. “I created a spell long ago, so the Sect has to open all three of them for anything to get out, but if they’ve opened eve n one, they’re a step ahead of us.”

  “We will leave tomorrow,” Alyona vowed. “We should be there in three days.”

  “Please, tell me if you need anything,” the king replied. “I can’t leave the Breach with such turmoil, but I’ll do what I can.”

  “Yes, Father,” the princess agreed.

  “I promise we’ll take care of it,” I added with a solemn nod.

  “I have the utmost faith in you,” Rodion intoned as he met my eyes.

  Then the mirror shimmered again, and it returned to its reflective surface as the king severed the magical connection.

  “So, we must leave tomorrow,” Alyona said as she gazed at me with her violet eyes, and they shimmered with concern.

  “Tomorrow,” I repeated. “We have to make sure they haven’t started opening portals.”

  “Oh, Gods!” she exclaimed and covered her mouth with a slender hand. “I’m worried about what could be happening, but I’m still a little excited about the city. I’ve never seen anything like what the history keepers described. Can you imagine? A whole city in an underground cavity. It’s amazing!”

  “How big do you think the city is?” Ravi wondered as she tilted her head to the side in a bird-like mannerism.

  “I think it’s got to be huge,” the princess breathed. “Do you think the original people left anything behind? Maybe there’s a clue about who they were.”

  “Ladies,” I interrupted with a chuckle, “while I’m enjoying your excitement, I’d like to go eat dinner.”

  I stood up, and both women watched my naked body leave the water as I reached for a cloth to dry off.

  “Ahhh,” Ravi sighed as I stepped onto the stone floor. “I can help you, Lord Evan.”

  “Help me with what, Ravi?” I teased. I stood in front of them, stark naked, and my blood rushed south as both women looked at me with hungry eyes.

  “We can help you dry off,” Alyona said in a husky voice, and she reached out to trail her fingers across my dripping chest.

  “I’d be more interested in making the both of you wet,” I growled.

  “We’d love that, too,” Ravi giggled, and then both of my lovers made me late to dinner.

  But I wasn’t complaining in the slightest.

  About an hour later, the three of us waltzed into the dining hall, where the rest of our group had already sat down and started eating.

  “It’s nice of you to join us, Lord Evan.” River smirked as he forked a bite of meat into his mouth.

  “Yeah, I had a couple things to do,” I replied with a wink and sat down in the chair to Mona’s right.

  The queen gave me a half-smile before she returned to her dinner.

  I’d obviously left her famished.

  I smiled to myself as I heaped food onto my plate. The cooks had prepared some new casserole-type food that smelled like turkey and stuffing, in addition to a couple fruit pies and a vegetable puree, so I filled my plate with a little bit of everything and dove in.

  “So,” I said as I swallowed my first bite, “where have you ladies been today?”

  I looked at Aaliyah and the dryads, who had been conspicuously missing from breakfast. I hadn’t seen them all day, though I’d been a bit preoccupied for most of it.

  “We slept a little later than usual,” Aaliyah replied as color crept up her cheeks. “It was a long night last night.”

  “And we drank a lot of the horsies’ special juice,” Marina giggled.

  “So, we had to recover a little,” Polina finished.

  “But then we spent some time at the marketplace,” Trina cut in.

  “Yeah, when we realized you were, ah, busy.” Aaliyah winked, and a sly smile spread across her feline features.

  “We also found some blankets and stuff we can take for the rest of the campaign!” Polina exclaimed as she clasped her hands under her chin. “They’re very warm.”

  “Oh, and some fruit guy named Rafe said to thank you,” Trina added with a confused frown. “He didn’t say why, but he said you’d know.”

  I looked at River and raised an eyebrow, but the centaur clearly avoided my gaze and focused on his dinner.

  “I see,” I chuckled as I turned back to my lovers. “Well, it sounds like you had a productive day.”

  “What about you, milady?” Marina asked and turned to Alyona. “Did you find out anything?”

  While the princess filled in everyone else about her findings, I turned to Nike, who sat across from me.

  “King Rodion wants us to leave tomorrow,” I told him after I’d explained our conversation with the king. “Do you think that will work?”

  “Sure.” The noble shrugged and brushed a strand of black hair back from his eyes. “We barely unpacked anything from the wagons, and I agree we should get to Colaruma as quickly as possible. We can use the route through the Golden Plains and get there in a few days. If we go to Kana first, who knows how long it will take to get over to Colaruma. If no one knows what’s going on there, we should try to get there soon to handle it, especially if the king hasn’t heard from the Sentinels.”

  “Very true,” I agreed. “Since it’s underground, no one is even going to know something is going on until a big, probably bad, thing happens.”

  “What?” Mona chimed into our conversation, and her face was contorted into a frown. “The city is underground?”

  “Yeah,” I confirmed. “Isn’t that weird?”

  “Very.” The queen nodded her head. “Just be careful. I get the feeling that place is special to those people if it’s so secret in nature.”

  “I agree,” Nike said and narrowed his silver eyes. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve already set up camp. They have a couple days on us.”

  “That would certainly save us some trouble,” I laughed. “If we could head off whatever they’re working on and get rid of a whole base, that would be great.”

  “It would certainly be a blow to the organization,” River conceded.

  “Maybe we’ll find this Xavier guy there, too,” I mused. “He sounds like a major player, and we need to get rid of him.”

  “Do you think that’s who used the mark of Gamma on the beasts?” Mona asked as she leaned forward.

  “Hmm, I bet you’re right.” I nodded as the wheels turned in my head.

  I should’ve found that link before. He obviously wasn’t the mage we killed in the woods during the centaur rescue, but he could have been involved somehow before he cursed Jacob’s binding rope. From what Jacob said, Xavier was a skilled mage that many Sect members were afraid of. If he was that scary to his own friends, we definitely had to watch our backs.

  As I pondered the connections we’d made within the Green Glass Sect, I forked the last bite of casserole into my mouth and looked around the group. The women had finished eating, and now they were chatting about the next leg of our journey.

  “Stick a fork in me, I’m done,” I sighed as I leaned back into my chair.

  “Why would someone want to stick you with a fork?” Mona asked with wide emerald eyes.

  “No, I--” I cut myself off and laughed. “It’s just a phrase where I’m from.”

  “Oh, good,” Mona replied with a smile. “I wouldn’t want anyone to stab you just when I’m starting to enjoy your company.”

  “Ah, I wouldn’t dream of anyone taking me away from you,” I chuckled.

  “About that, you’re leaving tomorrow?” the queen asked, and her smile slipped into a frown.

  “Sounds like it,” I confirmed. “We need to get to Colaruma fast. Since the king hasn’t heard from his guards in a while, there’s no telling what kind of shit the Green Glass Sect is up to now.”

  “I see.” Mona looked down at her plate, pushed her chair back, and stood up from the table. “You do what you must.”

  Something was off about her tone suddenly, and I frowned as I studied the queen.

  “Where are you going?” I asked, and I pushed my own chair back to stand up and follow her.

  “I’m just getting some fresh air,” the centauress replied as she walked quickly to the palace doors and pushed them open.

  I stared at her back suspiciously as I followed her outside.

  The moon was full and sat low in the sky. Night had fallen, and the stars were bright here, much brighter than on Earth, since there was no smog or skyscrapers to block out the view of the heavens.

  Mona looked out over her city, and I could see her body tense up even from a few feet away. Then she shook her head as she heard me approach.

 

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