Savagery: Kingdoms of Hell, #3

1

MERIS

Ihad to be hearing things. I’m sorry, you’re what?

Gabriella squeezed my hands tighter. Meris, I know you heard me.

Maybe, but I’m pretending I didn’t.

I’d come to the Underworld to visit her for a couple of reasons. None of them involved what she’d told me seconds ago.

Needing a moment to comprehend the situation, I tugged my hands out of hers and walked around the workspace. My mind racing, I glanced around, taking in the surroundings.

Everything about this building reminded me of Gabriella’s cabin back in Channon, the kingdom she watched over. It was nearly three times the size, and she made use of every inch. Various bundles of herbs were hung upside down to dry from the ceiling. Three bubbling cauldrons were set in three hearths built into the outside walls. Bottles of brewed potions filled a massive set of shelves. Books were stacked on the floor and tables here and there. Some were ones she’d started writing herself. There were loose pages of parchment and numerous quills. It even smelled of her old home, but it wasn’t.

And she wasn’t the same either, not entirely. I supposed that wasn’t a bad thing. Her wild hair was done up in the same intricate braids decorated with beads crafted by her people. Her clothing style was the same mix of leather and light furs. She walked around barefoot now that she was in a warmer climate. She even had several new markings gracing what little bare skin she’d had left on her neck and forearms. One of them was of a hell hound. She’d turned into the woman who’d been hiding under so many years of misery and pain. Since marrying Holden, Prince of Disgrace, she was happy, and there was a light burning in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. She appeared more than content with her new lot in life.

She’d have to be with the news she had shared.

Are you not pleased with my announcement? Gabriella asked, a smile in her voice. You’re the first of our sisters I’ve told.

And that’s supposed to make me, what, happier? I unsheathed my dagger and tossed it end over end. It’s merely taking me a moment to absorb this development. That’s all.

Development? Gabriella barked a laugh. I understand if you don’t think this is good news. Either way, you’re going to be an aunt.

I missed catching my dagger, and it hit the ground, the tip embedding in the dirt floor. Aunt. I was going to be an aunt because Gabriella was pregnant with her and Holden’s first child. If her husband wasn’t the adopted son of King Jaspen, if she hadn’t been forced into this arrangement in the first place, maybe then I’d find a way to be thrilled for her.

Spinning around and studying her face, I searched in vain for any sign she was putting on a show for me. Her smile never faltered, and the touch of magic she had about her now was undeniable. Holden had brought that out of her. He’d helped her find her true inner strength.

You really do love him, I whispered.

I do, and I’m excited for this life we’ve created. She lovingly rested her hands on her stomach. She’d told me she was starting to show only a few days ago. It was why no one else knew yet. I found more than just a husband, Meris. I found a friend, and yes, a love I didn’t know could exist in this world. But it does, and it’s real.

Easy for you to say. You’re not promised to the Prince of Savagery, I spat, then scooped up my dagger, and shoved it back in its sheath with far more force than necessary.

Prince Caleb had fought in the wars against Alric, my father and the god who betrayed his kind. Caleb was there during the final battle that ended the campaign. He was the one who struck Alric down and had him near death. Nothing I did stopped me from hearing Alric’s pathetic pleas for mercy when faced with his demise. Death would’ve been too easy for him, so Jaspen and the other gods had spared Alric’s life.

In doing so, our father bound his daughters to the six princes of the Underworld. It was a way to keep an eye on us and ensure our father didn’t attempt to break free of his earth-bound prison and raise another army using his heirs.

I don’t know, Gabriella mused, a smile playing at her lips. I thought it was a pretty fitting union.

How can you say that? I exclaimed, then recalled Gabriella had no idea where my hatred of Caleb stemmed from, at least not all of it. We might’ve been closer than the rest of our sisters, but I had secrets even she didn’t know about. Marrying Caleb wasn’t possible. I refused to accept that as my fate, and I couldn’t even explain to her why. I’m nothing like that bastard, I added.

Gabriella’s brow arched while her eyes darted up and down my body. You’re really going to say that? You’re a warrior, Meris, through and through. Caleb is a fighter, born and raised that way. He’s a general in Jaspen’s army. You two should have plenty in common.

A flash of memory rushed through my mind, but I quickly replaced Caleb’s smiling face with the cold, hardened stare of the god I’d seen on the battlefield during the war. That was his true nature. Everything else had been a lie.

He’s the enemy, I said, gritting my teeth.

The war ended, Meris, Gabriella said, her playful tone gone. I understand your trepidation, I do, but don’t do something you’re going to regret.

She could never understand. She wasn’t betrayed by Holden and made to watch him morph into a monster. Into a killer. I swallowed hard, fighting to get a handle on the anger creeping in to consume me like a sickness I couldn’t shake. Meaning what?

If we don’t hold up our end of the deal, we’ll all be punished. She held her stomach, her narrowed glare focused on me. I’m asking you as a sister not to put my new family at risk for the sake of your pride.

I sputtered, ready to argue, but the swirling emotions in her eyes cut off my words. Gabriella’s childhood had been the worst of our sisters. She’d hardly known peace or love, and somehow, she’d found all of that here. As much as I reviled the idea of marriage to a son of Jaspen, I loved my sisters more. Alric could rot for eternity. He was nothing to me. But my sisters, they mattered. They always would.

I might not be able to feel your emotions like Irina does, but I’m not stupid, either. I know why you came here, and I’m sorry I can’t be of more help to you, she said.

I wished she was wrong. The moment Alric announced the marriages to Jaspen’s sons, I’d been doing what I could to find a way out of the arrangement. I might have been able to stomach it if it were any other son. But Caleb? Being trapped with him for eternity was as bad as being tossed in one of the pits of the Underworld. How would it not end badly for both of us? As much as I wanted to guilt my sister into helping me, I wasn’t Alric. I’d have to come up with a way to break free of my fate on my own.

I’m sorry, I said, but Gabriella waved off my apology.

The year is going by far faster than you thought it would, and you’re a little panicky. I get it, trust me. You should just be like me and get it over with. It might be for the best.

I choked back a curse at the notion of simply marrying Caleb now.

She doesn’t know. No one knows. You can’t blame her for what she’s saying.

How about we go hunting as you promised we would? I asked, hoping she’d stop talking about my doomed marriage to Prince Caleb. Or can you not hunt anymore?

Ha! As if being pregnant would stop her, Holden said from the doorway to the workroom. He was dressed in all black, and the torchlight flickered across his reddish-colored horns. He went straight to Gabriella, wrapped her in a sweet embrace, and kissed her. She returned it, and I occupied myself with looking at the ceiling until they finally parted. Rush is ready to go with you.

A hell hound trotted over to Gabriella, nudging her with his massive head. Is he going because he’s going to help me hunt or for your sake? she teased, running her fingers through Holden’s beard.

Holden kissed the back of her hand. Both. He shifted his gaze to me, and I had to fight the urge to grab my dagger. He wasn’t the prince I needed to worry about, not anymore. Besides, I’d seen him during the war. He hadn’t let the blood rage get to him. He’d maintained his honor and had spared lives when he could. But that didn’t mean I had to get along with him. Yet. Meris.

Holden.

I’ll leave you to your hunting, Holden told Gabriella. Please, don’t stray too far?

Gabriella patted his cheek. This over-protectiveness is adorable.

Gabby, he said with a growl.

We won’t, I promise. She stood on her toes and kissed him again. Be back with supper. She picked up her bow and arrows by the door and set out with a whistle to Rush. Following my sister, I strode past Holden without another word. I grabbed the bow and quiver I’d left outside, and we walked away from the castle. It won’t kill you to be civil to Holden, Gabriella said.

I was. I didn’t try to punch his teeth out.

If you do, you’ll be dealing with me, she said seriously. You need to let all your hatred go for the princes and Jaspen at some point.

Are we going to talk or hunt? I snapped.

I picked up the pace, darted into the forest, and turned my attention to finding our prey. Gabriella didn’t ask me any more questions or bring up Caleb while we stalked a massive deer. Rush stayed at her hip the entire time, his head constantly on a swivel. I’d expected the beast to keep his distance from me, seeing as his master and I didn’t get along. At one point, Rush nudged my hand, and I flinched.

He wants a scratch, Gabriella told me. He’s a big softy.

Rush nudged me again, and I gave in. The goofiest grin appeared on the beast’s face, and I couldn’t hold back my laugh. Being in the wilds with Gabriella helped ease some of my growing ire toward my future wedding, but not all of it. There wasn’t a chance in all the kingdoms of the Underworld that one day Caleb and I wouldn’t be at each other’s throats. How could we not be? I was bound to a god who was a traitor himself though he’d never admit it. He would only ever see me as the enemy, and he wasn’t wrong, not anymore. The hatred I had for him had festered all this time like a wound.

If we were bound together, we’d finally have the fight I’d been itching for since the war ended.

I doubted either of us would walk away from it unscathed.

We’d tracked a large stag, and Gabriella had taken it down with a single, clean shot. I’d raised my bow first, but my right arm had decided to spasm too severely even to attempt a decent release, let alone a solid kill. I feigned not having a clear shot and let my sister get the kill. I’d cleaned the stag for her after and had it draped over my shoulders. We were on our way back to the castle with Rush leading the way.

You know, I could do for you what Irina did for Holden and me, Gabriella said.

I don’t need you to set up a meeting with Caleb, I said quickly, not about to be subjected to such an evening.

The secret I’d held onto all these years would end up spilling out one way or another. Having that confrontation in front of anyone was out of the question.

I hadn’t seen Caleb face to face since that moment during the war.

The enemy had surrounded me. I’d lost sight of the others and was waiting for my end to come. It had been a doomed day from the start, but Alric hadn’t wanted to listen to the advice of his commanders. He’d been desperate and foolish and walked us right into the teeth of the enemy. I’d turned, sensing an attack coming from behind, only to have my blade cross with Caleb’s. His face had been streaked with sweat and dirt. There’d been blood, too, from a cut running beneath his right eye down to his jaw. Another slash had smeared blood all over his neck as if someone had nearly cut his head off.

His red eyes had glowed while they stared at me. I’d waited for him to strike, but his gaze had darted over my shoulder. He’d shoved me aside and attacked another demi-god, killing him instantly. Through the chaos, the shouts of Vander and William, two of my mortal soldiers, had reached my ears. Caleb had recoiled at the sound of them. I’d waited for him to say something, anything. But he hadn’t. He had taken off onto the fray.

I still didn’t understand why he’d spared me and went so far as to kill one of his own.

He’d spared me but not others he’d once called friends. Those he’d considered family.

Meris?

I tripped over a root but managed to keep my feet. I was so lost in the memory, I’d forgotten I wasn’t alone. Have you met Caleb yet? I asked, curious what her impression of him was.

I have, she replied. He’s visited a couple of times to check on the hounds.

And?

She stepped over a fallen log and slung her bow over her body. Holden said he’s changed since the war ended. He didn’t live up to his title as well as he does now. He said he wasn’t as angry and uptight back then, but he was nice enough to me. He’s handsome, I’ll give him that. He has these eyes. They’re unique.

So I’ve heard.

Caleb’s eyes haunted me most nights in my dreams. I remembered the first time I’d seen them. I’d thought I’d grown lost in the blazing red of the horizon on fire with the setting sun. His irises had shifted from a honey brown to red when he was fighting or angry.

Or admitting what he felt for a demi-goddess, then leaning in close—

My cheeks burned, and I refused to dwell on the memory that surfaced for a heartbeat.

He can’t be all bad, though. He seemed to enjoy himself just fine the last time he went out with Holden, Gabriella went on, thankfully not noticing how flustered I was. They’d gone to Channon and had returned cackling and holding each other up after starting a brawl at the tavern. She laughed. I will admit he’s a bit full of himself, but I suppose he has a right to be.

I stopped short and nearly dropped the stag. Anger burned inside me like a living flame.

I shouldn’t have said that, Gabriella said in a rush. Meris.

We should get back before Holden comes looking for you. I set off again at a much faster pace. The need to leave the Underworld before I said or did something I’d regret grew, and I breathed a sigh of relief once we reached the castle.

Holden’s voice came from near the kennels. Something made me turn to look, and I flinched, clinging harder to the dead stag on my shoulders. The god standing beside him had his back to me, but I recognized him all the same. His voice was unmistakable, as was his deep laugh that teased memories from before the war. The sound cut off sharply, and he glanced over his shoulder.

Caleb.

His eyes glowed red, and he turned all the way around. His long black hair was bound with a leather band. Lines from the tattoo that graced his back peeked out of the collar of his long, black leather jacket. The crimson shirt he wore underneath was parted at the top, revealing a chest I knew would be well-defined and covered in more scars. He was broader at the shoulders than Holden and taller. From here, I could make out the thin, jagged line that ran from under his right eye, down his face, and trailed onto his neck. The wound had been severe enough to scar even the flesh of a god. The war hadn’t been kind to anyone.

Our gazes locked, and I was frozen.

Then it was as if a storm erupted inside me. My body trembled, and I saw myself charging across the grass and burying my dagger in his