The Warlord (Rise of the Warlords 1)

“Fear?” She lifted her gaze, and her head followed, only at a much slower pace. “You take that back right this instant. I fear nothing.”

“You should fear Erebus and his phantoms,” he told her, and yes, he contradicted his earlier assurance of protection. He was aware. “They want you dead before the day of sacrifice.”

Her icy irises glittered with malice, the waters beneath that frozen surface clearly churning. “Since you killed our current General, I’m merely a single star away from being the next harpy General. I can handle a god and his puppies. Now. Do. You. Understand?”

Magnificent female. She embodied rage.

He suspected he’d learn nothing else until he responded to her query. “Let this stand as an official proclamation by the Astra Commander. Taliyah Skyhawk fears nothing.”

Pride assuaged, she relaxed into her seat.

“I haven’t forgotten what you said in the throne room.” Words spilled from him, a question suddenly troubling him. “With whom have your hands and mouth...done things?”

She didn’t miss a beat. “I used a temporary boy toy whenever the occasion suited me. His name is Hades. Why?”

“Hades, a king of the underworld?” A master seducer, according to reports.

“You’ve heard of him?”

“The male has won major wars and slain countless enemies. Yes, I’ve heard of him.” Roc settled his fingers over and around the arms of his chair, slowly gripping the wood.

Taliyah and Hades.

Hades and Taliyah.

Hmm. “Do you miss him?” How could any male leave her a virgin, when the fate of his loved ones didn’t hang in the balance?

Her lips formed a wide O, and she sputtered again. He hated that he’d stooped low enough to ask. The answer mattered not at all. In no way would her emotional state affect Roc’s plans. But he didn’t like the thought of his bride pining for another male in his palace. The disrespect of it... Yes, the disrespect. The only reason this bothered him.

He would hear her response, and he would hear it now. “Answer me, harpy.”

“You really are jealous,” she gasped out. “You are! We’ve been married a hot minute, and you’re already foaming at the mouth with jealousy.” Mirth softened her features, highlighting her delicacy. “Astra are possessive, then? No, don’t try to deny it. Envy is practically seeping from your pores, darling.”

In that moment, Roc kind of hated her. “I’m merely curious as to why you risked your chance to become General to get off with a man like Hades.”

“Here’s the thing,” she said, and judging by the calculated gleam in her eyes, she planned to eviscerate Roc. “I didn’t just get off with him. I had my world blown. Repeatedly. No other has ever come so close to winning my V-card.”

A god of the underworld had nearly taken what belonged to Roc. Little red dots sparked throughout his line of sight, every inhalation like a stream of fire in his nostrils.

The first signs of anhilla, a time when nothing could stop him. Anyone who got between him and his enemy died screaming.

—Dismiss me, and I’ll finish constructing the chastity belt before dinner ends. I’ve only a handful of adjustments to make.—Silver’s voice broke through the haze, alerting Roc to how quickly he was burning through his control.

He gripped the arms of his chair tighter, swung his gaze to his warrior and offered a clipped nod.

—Do it.—The sooner Roc put Taliyah in her belt, the better. Not because he feared he would lose his mind and bed her. Please. No matter how badly he wanted her, he wouldn’t take her. But, if he had to suffer without a concubine tonight, she would suffer without relief of any kind.

Silver stood and marched out of the room.

“What was that?” A frowning Taliyah skidded her gaze over the warlords. “Do you guys communicate telepathically like Sent Ones or something?”

“Eat,” Roc snapped.

“I’ve nearly cleaned my plate!”

“Yet you haven’t consumed more than a bite.” He needed time to calm. She needed sustenance. They might as well stay here while he awaited the belt. “We aren’t leaving this room until you’ve dined, Taliyah. If I must feed you by hand, I will. That, I swear to you.”

8

Taliyah recognized a challenge when she heard one. Alaroc wanted her to refuse to eat dinner. Any excuse to punish the woman who’d unearthed a weakness: his primitive sense of possession. Oh, he wasn’t a raving envymaniac because he’d fallen for her or anything like that. She carried his name now. He considered her a piece of property. In his mind, he had an exclusive right to her body.

At the moment, he spoiled for a fight. How he must lament his inability to summon his concubine. For the next thirty days, Taliyah was his only outlet. Therefore, she shouldn’t fight him on this. What the Commander wanted from her, he would not get.

Smirking at him, she spooned a bite of something creamy. Oh, ew. Had masticating always been this revolting? She much preferred her diet of souls. They went down nice and smooth. At least she didn’t have to steal or earn food in order to enjoy it, like other harpies. Her phantom half overrode the necessity.