Soul Ties

Chapter 47: An Underwater Dream Turned Nightmare

"Honestly, I'd forgotten he ruled over Xoven." I tell Scorpius. I pull my knees to my chest and rest my chin on them.

"There's nothing wrong with that. I'm sure the people of Xoven would like to do the same. I was talking to the captain earlier about Demien and heard some awful stories."

"The captain that brought me to Uthoria told me some terrible things about him too." I picture the anger on Barlow's face and mentally kick myself for not remembering something like that.

"There's a rumor going around that he killed his sister to gain the throne."

I whip my head around so fast my head starts to spin. I recall Barlow telling me that he took over the throne when his mother died, but I didn't know he had a sister who was next in line for the throne.

"He what?" I screech out. Scorpius leans his head back, his chin almost all the way up to the sky. His hair falls back around his horns as he closes his eyes for a second, letting the sun shine on his face. When he opens them again to look at me, his eyes are burning. I've seen that look enough times to recognize it immediately. Pure unfiltered rage.

"I don't know if it's completely true or not, but the stories that have been told about him don't make me doubt it." He pulls a knee up and rests his forearm on it, staring off into the distant field.

"Apparently his family has been in power for years, but only the females, seeing as they're the strongest. So when his mother died it was obvious Demien's sister would take over. Clearly that didn't sit well with him. She mysteriously died a few days before she was crowned and convientenly Demien took the throne since he was the only other heir."

"But I thought only women could be in power."

"True, but there was no one else in the Crypt family to take over that was female. Demien was the only option. The Sidin's would rather have a male on the throne than someone who isn't of royal blood." Scorpius rips a flower from the ground and flings it. "Pretty sure they're regretting that decision right about now."

My vision starts to blur. Black dots dance on the corners of my sight and I place my forehead on my knees to get myself together, but it does nothing to stop the spinning in my head. Between the humidity suffocating me and the talk about Demien, I can't seem to get my heart to calm down.

Before I even realize he's standing, Scorpius lifts me off the ground and pulls me onto his back. He wraps my arms around his neck and cups my legs.

"Time to get you hydrated, angelfish."

I nuzzle my face into his shoulder blade, my head still a whirlwind as Scorpius walks with me on his back.

"Do you think we'll ever meet him?" I ask.

"It seems doubtful. What would a guy like that want with us? Plus, I'm sure he's busy burning the planet to the ground over his hair not being exactly the way he wants it. He's way too preoccupied for us. Don't worry."

I know he means it as a joke but the thought makes me shiver uncomfortably. Scorpius gives my thighs a little squeeze. "Sorry." he says over his shoulder.

I shake my head against his back, trying to get the horrible images of Demien out of my mind. But while I stare out at the field of blue flowers, I can't help feeling an ache inside me.

"Do you think he really killed his sister? I mean, how could someone do that to their own family just for power? It makes me nauseous just thinking about hurting my mother."

Scorpius tenses underneath me. I'm sure he's thinking the same thing about Atmis. "People do monstrous things for power, so I wouldn't be surprised. We've never had to experience someone ruling over our planets. Xoven is the only place in the galaxy that follows the laws of a ruler and has others recognized as royalty."