Page 83 of Lethal Souls

“You know what I want!” Selah shouts back. “I want his power. I want this world erased. All of its people, its animals, its senseless creatures—I want it all washed away to the shores. I will not stop until I get rid of every inch of this place.” Another flood of creatures breaks through the gap in the barrier, and Korah flies toward them, throwing fireballs and swiveling with her sword, but it’s not enough.

The two of them will never be enough to stand against her and those creatures. They file in like ants, crawling along the barrier with deep hisses and growls.

Hassha rises higher to level herself with Selah. “End this. Now!”

“Never,” Selah seethes.

“Then let this be a fair fight,” Hassha insists. “You want to take this world? Fine. You can take it—but only if you give the people a fighting chance. What you’re doing here is beneath you. Let the people prepare. Give them a chance to protect their lands before you destroy it. If they lose, it’s yours. But if they win, Vakeeli remains.”

The creatures are dropping on the ground again. I and the remaining men level our swords, preparing for attack. I fight a wince from the stab wound in my thigh, gripping the handle of my sword tighter.

When I look up, Selah’s head cocks unnaturally. Then she snaps her fingers. The creatures freeze where they are, and their noises cease.

“So it is a war you want?” Selah asks, revealing a sharp toothed smile.

“We have never wanted a war. That has always been your desire,” Hassha declares. “But if it is a war you want, it is a war you’ll get. And as you know, with every war, there is always an opportunity to prepare. Let us gather ourselves. As I said, if we lose, you can take everything…even our power.”

“Hassha,” Korah calls with worried eyes.

Hassha raises a hand at her sister.

Selah tips her chin and studies the ground beneath her feet. When her eyes land on mine again, I clench a fist.

“Even the Seed of Yuri?” she probes.

“Everything,” Hassha returns.

A smirk sweeps across Selah’s lips. Then she snaps her fingers again, and the creatures crawl and fly back up the barrier, slipping through the crack as quickly as they arrived.

“Very well.” Selah floats closer to Hassha. “I will give you five days to prepare your beloved people. If you win, you keep your silly tribe, lands, and the pests beneath our feet. But if I win,” Selah purrs, looking between her sisters with a menacing stare, “you will watch me burn everyone and everything alive right before I strip you of your energy and harness it for myself. That goes for your chosen child too.” Selah’s eyes flash a threatening orange as she locks on me.

I stare back, gritting my teeth.

“Five days,” Hassha says. “But during those five days, you cannot come after Caspian, his mate, or his family. If you refuse to play fair, we won’t either.”

Selah chuckles. “Don’t worry. I’d rather wait until the five days are over so he can watch me burn his family to a pretty little crisp.”

“Fuck you!” I bark back, and all The Regals’ eyes drop to me.

Selah cackles, pressing a dainty hand to her chest. I know she’s saying those things to get under my skin, but hearing her speak that way pisses me off.

I’ll kill her, I swear I will. Just like I swore to kill Decius.

“I should go prepare then,” Selah chimes, drifting past Hassha. Hassha catches her by the shoulder and grips it firmly before she can get by.

“When we win, Selah, we will strip every single layer of power within you,” Hassha growls at her. “Then we will use your skin to feed the demented creatures you’ve given birth to.”

“Ah.” Selah stares into Hassha’s eyes, amused. “There she is. Hassha the Regal. Queen of Vengeance. We’ll see how well you use that vengeance in the next five days.” She looks from Hassha to Korah. “Sisters,” she hisses, eyes flaring. She flies through the gap in the barrier, and Korah hurries to seal it again.

“What were you thinking?” Korah demands as she and Hassha lower to the ground.

Hassha ignores her as they march in our direction. I take a step back as Cerberus meets next to me, his snout coated in thick black blood. He licks his chops, glaring up at Hassha and Korah while waiting for my next command.

“I’m with Korah,” I toss in. “You shouldn’t have agreed to a war with her. We don’t know what she’ll bring when it happens.”

“It will buy us time,” Hassha says. “Would you rather she take your head right now while you’re weak in power and torch this place like she did Ripple Hills?”

“No, but we haven’t had a war in?—”