The royal city of Port Cressida has a new King.
Casper Ashe.
After spending years chained to the floor of a dungeon, haunted by visions of a beautiful woman, Casper is finally free. As Port Cressida's new King, he has two priorities: restore peace t...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Sophie Ashe
The Royal Hunting Lodge
Was it over?
The portal was still open, and there had to be a few demons lurking about in the forest. I tried to get up. I needed to hunt them down, but Casper stopped me. He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me into his lap. Holding me tight, he whispered into my hair, "No, my love. That's enough."
I leaned back against his chest, my body still tense from the fight. Should I stop? Should I let go? My heart told me yes. This was the place it wanted to be, in his arms. However, my head yelled at me to pick up my sword and hunt down the remaining demons.
Gwendolyn was out there, carrying the monstrosity she had conceived to end the world. I needed to kill her, but more importantly, I needed to kill it. I reached for my sword, and Rayne appeared in front of me.
Immaculate and neatly groomed, he took a few steps through the bloody snow and smiled.
"This is a fine slaughter. You make an excellent killer," he tells me with great approval.
A killer?
I take in the blood and death around me and recoil. This wasn't me. I wasn't a killer.
I reach up and grab onto Casper's arm, wishing we could leave this place and never return.
Casper senses my unease, and his arms tighten around me like steel bands.
"This is her last slaughter. Her debt is paid. She is no longer your pawn," Casper growls at Rayne.
Rayne ignores him and continues to take in the destruction. He picks up a dismembered arm and tosses it aside with a chuckle.
Casper shifts me in his arms so that I'm looking directly at him. There were so many terrible images racing through my mind. I feel like I'm drowning.
So much blood.
So much death.
Casper caresses his fingers over my back in calming circles. Finally, he whispers, "Look at me, Sophie. Don't look anywhere else. You're safe. It's over."
I shake my head. It wasn't over. Gwendolyn was still alive, and the stupid portal was still wide open.
"She's still alive," I reply, feeling numb. "And so is her baby. It will kill everyone, Casper. We have to kill it."
Casper shakes his head, "You've done enough, baby. You're not a killer."
Suddenly, from inside the woods ahead of us, there is a loud commotion. A rat-like demon bursts through the trees whilst being pursued by five zombies. The rat demon sees us and bares its teeth.
I move for my sword, but Rayne gestures for me not to bother. "It's okay," he said nonchalantly. "I've got this."
Rayne raises his hand in the air and snaps his fingers. Thick vines covered in thorns erupt from the ground, flinging snow and soil into the air. They reach for the rat demon. They wrap themselves around the back legs, causing the monster to nosedive hard into the snow.
