ENTANGLED (#2 The Valkyries)

Chapter 27 - Ruthless

"Thank you, my lord. Thank you," he wept and continued to weep, then scream as I ate him in two bites.

"Bring in the next traitor, Fisk."

Fisk and Bernat bowed, then left, only to return with Melac. Like Nigel, Melac prostrated himself when he saw my form, weeping his repentance.

"You knew, you traitor. You knew the oil was bad and accepted a bribe to spread that foul mixture into my guards' meat," I roared, chomping off a leg.

He shrieked and tried to crawl away, but I bit off his other leg, letting him bleed on the unforgiving stone. With a claw, I racked him from throat to groin, spilling his innards in an ungainly pile as his cries rang through the palace. A retching sound came from behind me, but I didn't take my eyes off the traitor in front of me. When he finally died of blood loss, I ate the rest of him in a single gulp, swiping my tongue along the floor. No reason to waste meat, after all.

"Bring in the last lion demon, Fisk," I growled. I was looking forward to killing this slack-brained idiot. Not only had he dared to plot and betray me, but he'd had the audacity to put his seed in Mist, to attempt to breed her, and think he wouldn't pay for it.

When he arrived with Fisk and Bernat, Leto didn't grovel or beg. As Mist had told me, this braggart was arrogant. Instead, he lifted his chin and met my eyes.

"What do you have to say for yourself, traitor?"

He sneered. "I'm no traitor to you. I'm under contract to another Lord."

I snorted at his delusion. "Then you think this lord will save you?" With lightning precision, I snapped my jaws and took his left arm to the elbow.

As he started to scream, I chuckled. "Huh. You definitely aren't as useful now. I doubt this lord wants you now." I racked him with my claws, opening his torso and letting his guts fall out in a loud splat of thick ropey strands. "Oops. Guess you didn't have the guts for it."

Behind me, Mist snorted a laugh and I turned my maw to grin at her.

Leto continued to scream and I flicked a talon, slicing off his cock and balls. "Well, you definitely don't need that anymore." His screams turned into shrieks and I punctured his lungs, then stuffed his cock and balls into his mouth, turning the sounds into wet sucking rasps. "Yeah, that's better. I knew you were a dickless cocksucker."

It was a slow way to die, but I sat patiently over the next minutes as he expired from a combination of suffocation and blood loss. I left Leto's body there, trying to decide if I wanted to eat the traitor or not. As I continued to ponder the question, Fisk cleared his throat.

"Something I need to know, Fisk?" I asked.

"Yes, my prince. Lord Nabu is here."

I wave a claw. "Send him in."

Fisk inclined his head, left, then returned a scant minute later with Nabu.

"Doing a little cleaning in the ranks, my prince?" Nabu asked with a smirk and flick of his finger toward Leto's body.

"Getting rid of traitors in my midst. Are you hungry? I've had my fill of betrayal."

Nabu grinned and grey seidhr surrounded him with his silver dragon form appearing out of the smoke a moment later. "Don't mind if I do," he said, then gulped the body in one bite and licked the floor clean of blood.

"Now that I've fed your lazy ass, what do you have for me?" I asked as I eyed him.

He dipped his chin. "And I do appreciate the meal. I passed on your message and offer of a deal. There were no takers, but the one we spoke of, he asked me to remind you that you owe him."