Bride of War (18+)

40

Monika

Slade spends weeks training us relentlessly. He doesn't allow for mistakes, correcting my form with smacks.

His red eye glows down at me with scrutiny.

I huff, as his eyes glow brighter. He disappears from in front of me.

I collapse for a moment before getting up. He's been training me on tracking his energy. I follow it to the entrance, pausing at a now-familiar entity.

Slade stands unimpressed, corpses impaled on the trees surrounding the temple. I fall back, Fallon helping me up.

Orion smirks at Slade who stares at him.

"Do you like my gift?" Orion asks.

Slade raises a brow. "You call this a gift? Looks like Tuesday. You're not welcome here, Orion. Leave."

Orion glances up at me. I look away.

"Don't look at her," Slade growls, opening his hand. Fallon forces my head down as the sword whizzes past our heads.

He slams it down, the forces shaking the corpses from their trees.

Orion's slick smile doesn't fade. Slade walks toward him his broad shoulder shifting as he approaches his menacing form, his cape billowing behind him.

"Ah, brother. Are you upset I sent you back to void?"

Slade lets a deep chuckle rumble from his chest. The hair on the back of my neck raises. Maybe I've never seen him like this.

"It was a welcome vacation. I think I told you to leave," Slade pushes his blade against Orion's neck.

"So testy. Did you have a bad dream?" Orion teases.

Slade leans down, cupping Orion's face. "Gods don't dream, Orion. But if I did, I think I'd dream of ripping your spirit from this empty shell you call a body."

He twists Orion's neck. "I suppose, this will have to satisfy me for now. Don't make me rip your head off."

Orion sighs, spinning his neck back to its original place, cracking his neck.

"Really. You're so brutish, Slade. It makes sense you're the younger brother."

Slade rolls his shoulders back, pushing his sword into Orion's chest, he lifts his sword, pushing a branch through Orion's chest as he winces.

"Now this is a gift," Slade smirks. "Don't come back, Orion."

"Will you lend me that woman?" Orion asked.

Slade paused.

Orion smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's just, she's so beautiful. Come on. Brother to brother?"

Slade turns around, narrowing his eyes. His lips turn up.

"Trying to gauge my weakness by the childish prodding is just like you Orion. You claim to love humans but you really love is yourself. You love that they worship you."

Slade calmly pulls him off the tree. "But you know that you'll never be them. And that's what you really want isn't it?"

Slade sighs, waving his hand, sending a branch into his chest once more.

"You don't have to beat around the bush. You know what I want to protect. You know that woman is mine. You know I won't give her to you." Slade waves his fingers once more.

"You can smell my scent on her. In her. As a god, you should show more intelligence."

Slade steps back. "I don't want you to mistake my disdain for fear, Orion. I just have better things to do, than to stroke your ego, and your dick, so that you can feel as if you've triumphed evil."

Slade heaves a sigh. "I don't see you as a rival. I don't even see you as an equal. The only people you pose a threat to are humans." Slade walks away.

"Trying to send me back to the void in a time of peace. As if I didn't gift you that peace," Slade smirks shaking his head. "And what a disappointment."

Orion's cocky smile has dropped. He's agitated, his eyes now on me.

Slade doesn't look at him, doesn't turn his back.

"Look at you. You can't even direct your hate at me. You're too weak to even hate me. You have to try to vent your ire on a human. Because they're only beings you're a god too."

Slade clicks his tongue. "But this is not a human you should mess with. Soon she won't even be human. My children, my wife, my temple, these things are out of reach for you."

Slade calls his sword.

"And if you ever can sneak down and kill my children. My wife. You do know it will be the last thing you'll ever do." Slade smiles, before glancing back.

"Because unlike you, Orion, I am not a god of humans. I am a god of war. Who the war is between...now rests in your hands. But I warn you,"

Slade tosses me over his shoulder, Fallon, and Dion standing.

"I haven't lost one yet."