Hello!
Welcome to the 7th instalment in the Queen Among series line-up, the first half of the God's Saga.
Before diving in, it is important to know that understanding terms, character names, and events in this book is dependent on having read books one to six before this, beginning with A Queen Among Alphas. Each book in the God's Saga series (even the spin-offs) meticulously ties into the other books.
While I welcome all readers to join these characters on their journeys and even encourage them to continue on with the next generation series releasing in 2025, I want readers to be able to have the reading experience they deserve, and reading this book before the others will impede that from happening.
Now, I can't make you do anything, but I hope you take this into consideration before you begin. For a list of the books in the series and the ideal order to read them, please return to the book's summary page where you will find said list below the synopsis. Any further questions, reach out to adb_stories online or leave a comment, which i will reply to as soon as possible.
With that being said, on with the story!
xo
ADB_Stories
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Stepping out of the restaurant, a cold chill rattles my bones. I wrap my arms tightly around myself to keep myself warm. Of all the nights to forget my jacket. Thank God the restaurant was heated.
“If you’re up for it, there’s one final place I want to show you,” announces my date. I smile over at him, taking in the excitement on his face. This date has been so wonderful that I’m not in a hurry for it to end.
“Are you going to tell me, or is it a surprise?”
“Definitely a surprise,” he grins.
He takes my hand and begins leading me down the street. Suddenly he gives me a playful smile and starts picking up the pace, pulling me along with him. Feeding off his enthusiasm I let out a chuckle and start jogging along with him. These are not the shoes for this kind of activity, so hopefully, we don’t have to go much further.
Anthony pulls me down one of the side, cobbled streets and I immediately think he’s leading me towards some trendy, underground establishment. Some of the best places in Melbourne are hidden down various side streets you’d never think to check out because frankly, most side streets in the city look like dodgy alleys.
We make it about halfway down when Anthony suddenly presses me up against the brick wall and leans in to kiss me. I quickly turn my face away and raise my arms to put space between us.
“What the hell are you doing?” I snap in shock.
He smiles confidently, pressing himself against me, “Giving you what we both know you want.”
He leans in to kiss me again but this time I shove him as hard as I can, adrenaline giving me strength I couldn’t be more grateful for in this moment. The surprise is enough to get him off balance and put more space between us.
“You think I want to be dragged down some city side street so you can make out with me against a wall? What the fuck is wrong with you?” I spit incredulously.
“Don’t act like you don’t want it, Effie. Besides, I paid a lot for this date, so you owe me,” he says, his tone becoming harsh and his expression setting off alarm bells. Not once all night did this guy give off any red flags! He was sweet, conversational, a good listener, considerate and now it’s like a switch flipped. Was all evening just a performance? All of that just to get in my pants.
“I owe you? I don’t owe you shit! If you expect sexual favours because you spent some money, then go visit the Daily Planet and find a nice woman there to finish you off because it sure as shit isn’t me,” I seethe in disgust.
I start to walk off when I suddenly feel him grab me from behind. He clamps his hand over my mouth, and I immediately begin to struggle as panic sets in.
“I’m getting what I fucking want whether you like it or not, bitch,” he hisses against my ear.
I start to struggle and attempt to scream for help as he begins to pull me further down this side street. All of a sudden he freezes, and I think maybe I have a chance to escape and call the cops, but that plan goes out the window when suddenly the limited streetlamps ahead start to go out…well, not go out so much as become covered in darkness. The air around us has suddenly gotten even colder and is starting to feel suffocating. As I focus my eyes, I feel my stomach drop when I see dark figures moving towards us. I can barely make out the silhouettes in the darkness, but a new level of terror engulfs me when I see multiple sets of glowing purple eye-like orbs in front of us.
The shadows seem to move closer but neither of us can seem to move at all. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. I don’t even know what I’m seeing. I’m trying to will my feet to run, but they won’t. It’s as if they’re glued to the spot.
“This would be a good time to run,” a voice suddenly announces.
It’s like the voice has pulled me out of a trance, enough to allow me to look back and see a six-foot tall native-looking woman with long, flowing dark brown hair and…rainbow eyes!
“Who the fuck are you?” Anthony snaps and I take the chance to wiggle out of his arms.
The woman casually walks over to us, her unbelievable eyes fixed on the shadows as she comes to stand in front of us. “I’m the woman about to save your undeserving ass.” She gives Anthony a glance, her rainbow eyes filled with disgust as she turns her attention back to the shadows. Quickly the shadows – as if sentient – charge forward, fear drowning me from the inside as my heart breaks into a spring. But just as the shadows get close to this mystery woman, she raises her hand, pointing her wrist in their direction. A bracelet on her wrist begins to glow with this opalescent light and suddenly the street is filled with an indescribable high-pitched screeching sound. Anthony and I cover our ears to block out the sound, both watching in disbelief as the shadows disappear as if in a puff of smoke, and light returns to the street.
“What…what was that?” I ask, my heart still pounding in my chest as I slowly lower my hands from my ears.
The woman lowers her arm and turns to face us, “Those were shadow demons known as eyti. They’re drawn to malice.” She directs her menacing gaze towards Anthony and something about it tells me she’s not someone you want to mess with. “Maybe reacquaint yourself with the word ‘no’ and demons won’t want to swallow you whole,” she says acerbically.
“This some kind of sick prank? Some little stunt for TikTok?” Anthony scoffs. “Don’t you have anything better to do or are you just that pathetic?”
She rolls her eyes, not bothering to answer him and I can’t say I blame her. I have no idea what just happened, but I’m pretty sure she just saved our lives, and this sick bastard is immediately insulting her. How the fuck did I end up on a date with an asshole predator?
“I’m fucking talking to you!” Anthony shouts. He lunges at her, and I gasp when I see him raising his fist to hit her.
She gives him a bored expression, raises her hand and to my astonishment, a spark of something like electricity flies out of her hand and shoots him right in the chest. His body convulses and then drops like a bag of hay. I stare down at him wide-eyed then look back at the woman in front of me who looks down at Anthony like he’s nothing more than trash littering the street, which he is.
“You really should vet your dates better. If I were you, I’d take this opportunity to get the hell out of here, and maybe consider reporting him to the police,” she suggests with a compassionate look on her face.
I gulp and nod furiously, “I…I don’t know what the hell just happened but thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she says with a warm smile.
I turn on my heel and begin running down to the main street. As I’m running I feel a strong gust of wind from behind me and can swear I hear the sound of large wings. I turn to look back from where I came, immediately becoming uneasy when that woman is nowhere to be seen. The only person left in the street is an unconscious Anthony, and for my sake, I hope he stays that way. I look all around but that woman is gone.
I shake off the unease and sprint out of the side street, grabbing my phone out of my purse and calling 000 while I think of how I can explain to the police what happened without sounding like I’m completely insane. I figure I’ll just stick to telling them about how my date tried to assault me and leave out the rest because at this point, not even I believe what just happened, but whoever that woman was, I hope she knows how grateful I am.
Eighteen years laterThe trees and plants of the forest hide my position, where I watch and listen from a distance to the bustling sounds of Longsang. Pain lances my heart, and anger holds my body in a vice as I observe the nagata going about their day, smiling and laughing, completely unincumbered. The sounds of their joy pierce my soul, taunting me as the haunting words of my father’s rejection echo through my mind.“You are nothing but an abomination. Your mother should have disposed of you when she had the chance.”Even now, I hear those words as if they were spoken just moments ago. He didn’t look at me and see a daughter, he saw a plight on his bloodline; a stain against his name. He thought I was weak…but he couldn’t have been more wrong. He robbed me of a family and sense of community just as much as my mother did. I was a child born of two species yet welcomed by none.For years I tried to find acceptance among the nagata who escaped Longsang during its seclusion, but just li
I watch Orenda sleep, her beautiful 7-foot-long body curled up beside me. I listen to the sounds of her steady heartbeat and soft breathing, each one feeling like a song written just for me. Looking down at her, I can’t believe how much has changed. It wasn’t all that long ago that I couldn’t have fathomed giving control to Orenda. If I could go back in time and beat sense into myself and spare us all the resulting heartache of my ignorance, I would.There is something mind-blowingly erotic in surrendering to your other half. I used to feel a need to dominate her, but hearing her willingly tell me her exact wants and desires is quickly becoming my new favourite seduction. Hearing her sweet voice tell me just how she likes it and what she wants me to do to her had me harder than the cage that once bound me. Surrendering to her made me feel invigorated in a way I never have and gave me the power to make her scream my name. She never screamed my name before. Now that I’ve heard how my na
After putting Xiema to sleep, I quietly step out of her room. As I carefully close the door behind me, I catch the wonderful aroma of morning glory. I glance down in awe at the trail of Heavenly Blue morning glories scattered across the hallway floor. Their azure-blue trumpet-shaped petals are open, showcasing their white and yellow throats as their fragrance perfumes the air and brings a smile to my face.Inquisitively, I follow the trail down the hall and around the corner until I’m standing in front of Azadou’s bedroom. With my curiosity growing, I gently rap my knuckles against the door. I sense Azadou inside and can hear his heart rate increase, growing louder as he walks towards the door. When the door opens, my mouth begins to salivate as his intoxicating scent hits me with the force of a cyclone. I almost start drooling when I take in the sight of his defined, bronzed, muscular physique standing in front of me. It takes all of my willpower to draw my eyes up and away from his
I thought I was done walking into unfamiliar terrain; that I no longer had to face the trepidation that comes with confronting the unknown, yet here I am, still feeling like a newborn suckling at the teat of unclaimed knowledge with a desperate thirst for guidance and understanding.Steeling myself, I knock on Ayawamat’s door. I hear his sigh on the other side of the door, followed by the sounds of him getting up and padding over to the door. He opens it, his arm outstretched against the frame as his rainbow eyes gaze at me with disinterest.“Yes?” he prompts lazily.Glancing over his shoulder, I notice the mountains of books open on his bed and scattered across the floor. “Am I interrupting?” I question curiously, suspecting his research pertains to the hunt for his unwanted animai.“You are, so make it snappy,” he answers brusquely.I breathe deep into my lungs and speak, “I need your help.”His eyebrow raises in intrigue. “I’ve been alive a long time, and you’re the first God to as
I have never been happier than I am right now. Every sound that comes out of Xiema is aimed directly at my heart, and I can’t get enough of it. When my bond with Azadou clicked the first time we met, it brought out an intense and unhealthy addiction in me. I think my addiction to my daughter has surpassed even that, but the jury is still out on how healthy it is or isn’t. All I want to do is hold her, love her, make her smile and take in every precious moment I have with her. I didn’t know I could love someone this much, but what I do know is that for as long as I live, I will do everything in my power to protect her, no matter what, and I’m not the only one.I thought Azadou was attentive of me during my pregnancy, but holy crap! Azadou is Super Dad. The moment she makes so much as a tiny murmur, he’s right there. It’s almost to the point that we’re both fighting – playfully – over who gets to hold our daughter, and doting Uncle Aya just loves acting as the tiebreaker. One of Azadou
“What was that noise?” Azadou asks, looking at me with worried eyes.“I…I think my water just broke,” I answer, my voice quivering.Looking down, I see clear liquid running down my legs past the hem of my dress. I take a breath to keep calm, but that plan dissolves, and I pale when a heavy stream of blood follows the path of liquid down my thighs. Panic sets in, and suddenly all I can hear is the furious pounding of my own heart.Too fast for me to comprehend, I feel weightless, then I feel something soft against my body. In a disoriented state, I realise I’m looking up at some kind of circular, gothic canopy, but I don’t have time to contemplate it when a wave of pain accompanied by an intense tightening sensation radiates through my abdomen, right around to my back. It comes on so fast and so suddenly that I can’t hold back my scream.I feel large hands on my face, and a set of piercing purple eyes locking me in their gaze as I try to breathe through the pain. “It’s going to be alri