Chapter 105 Secrets & Artifacts

Chapter 105 Secrets & Artifacts
Katria POV

Nethrys reached around and pinched my clit again and I came a second time, harder, as my vision whited out.

My scream echoed off the glass ceiling. Nethrys snarled, his pace faltering. “That’s it..milk me, little one. Fuck..” He slammed in deep and stayed there, his cock pulsing as he spilled inside me, hot and endless. At the same moment his fangs sank into my shoulder right over the first mark, and he drank deeply. The bond detonated. Silver light detonated between us like a star going supernova. Magic surged through every vein, every nerve, and every inch of my body. I felt him..his hunger, his devotion, the ancient shadows that lived inside him…all of it crashing into my soul and locking into place. The thread between us became a blazing rope, unbreakable, and eternal. I came again around him, screaming, while he drank and growled and filled me until it dripped down my thighs.

When he finally pulled his fangs free and licked the new mark closed, we were both shaking. He gathered me up against his chest, still buried inside me, and pressed reverent kisses to my sweat-damp hair, my temple, and the curve of my ear. “Katria,” he whispered, his voice raw. “My mate. My queen. My everything.” I turned my face into his neck, breathing him in, feeling the new bond pulse warm and steady between our hearts. My body ached in the best way..used, claimed, and worshipped. My heavy breasts pressed against his chest, my nipples still sensitive. I smiled against his skin, utterly wrecked and utterly his. “I’m not scared anymore,” I murmured.

He laughed softly, the sound vibrating through me. “Good. Because I’m never letting you go.” The greenhouse glowed around us, flowers still blooming in wild celebration. Vines curled gently around our legs like they were hugging us.

The bond sang between us…bright and unbreakable, forever.…and I had never felt more alive.
~

Aeloria POV

The first trial was finally over.

Thank every god, goddess, beast, sea spirit, and magical fish in existence. Sixteen contestants remained. Sixteen. The number should have terrified me. Instead, I could only think about one thing. The trunks. The caves. The treasure. The secrets the island had practically shoved into my lap. Nyra had absolutely dominated the trial. Arren had too. The giant had fought like an avalanche with anger issues. It had been ridiculously attractive. Not that I was thinking about that. Much. Maybe a little. Okay, a lot.

I hurried down the winding paths toward the ancient library hidden deep within the island. The farther I walked, the stronger the pull became. Something was waiting for me. I knew it. The island knew it. The sea knew it. A crunch of footsteps behind me made me glance over my shoulder. Arren. The enormous frost giant walked several paces behind me, with his hands tucked casually into his pockets. His silver hair gleamed beneath the afternoon sun, and those ridiculous ice-blue eyes met mine. One eyebrow lifted. "You walk very fast."

I snorted. "You're stalking me."

"I prefer escorting."

"Sounds suspiciously like stalking."

A grin tugged at his mouth. "Maybe." Gods. The man was unfairly attractive. I continued walking and he matched my pace easily. "So," he said. "The island apparently spoke to you?"

I groaned. Word traveled fast. "It wasn't talking."

"It literally spoke."

"It communicated."

"That's talking."

I rolled my eyes. "The caves showed me things." His expression sobered. "What things?" I explained everything. The whispers. The visions.The warnings. My Leviathan ancestry. The feeling that something far worse than Varos was moving behind the scenes. By the time I finished, Arren looked significantly less amused. "The shadow god?" I shook my head. "No."

That single word hung heavily between us.

"No?"

"No."

I swallowed. "The island was scared." That got his attention. The giant stopped walking. "The island was what?"

"Scared." Even saying it sounded insane. "The island knows something." I stared toward the mountain. "And whatever it is..." A chill ran through me. "...it frightens an island powerful enough to hide itself from the world." Arren's jaw tightened. "Then let's find out what it knows." I smiled. Gods, I hoped he won. The giant might be grumpy, stubborn, and ridiculously overprotective, but he was also brave, and that mattered. A lot. Together we entered the ancient library. Immediately the building brightened. Soft golden lights flickered to life. Ancient shelves shifted. Books rearranged themselves. The library practically hummed with excitement. "Welcome home, Child of the Sea." I smiled. "Hi."

Arren looked around. "That is still creepy."

"You're creepy." I snapped.

"Fair."

The library seemed to approve of that answer. We headed directly toward the enormous collection of trunks. Hundreds of them. Ancient treasures filled every corner. Books. Artifacts. Weapons. Jewelry. Maps. Relics. Entire forgotten histories. I opened the nearest trunk. Dust exploded upward. Arren sneezed violently. I laughed so hard I nearly fell over. The giant glared. "You think that's funny."

"It was adorable."

His glare deepened. I laughed harder. Hours passed. The deeper we dug, the more horrifying things became. Ancient records detailed the Leviathans. We were the first Guardians. The oldest magic ever created. My hands shook as I turned pages. Leviathan magic wasn't limited. Not really. The ancient texts described abilities that bordered on godhood. Reality shaping. Dimensional travel. Sea creation. Weather manipulation. Life magic. Death magic. Protective barriers capable of shielding entire kingdoms. I sat back slowly. "Well."

Arren looked up from his own book. "Well?"

"I can apparently do almost anything." He blinked. "What?" I shoved the tome toward him. His eyes widened as he read. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Exactly." The deeper I read, the more another truth emerged. The three new mates. Not tradition or coincidence. Necessity. Ancient Leviathan Queens had required multiple bonded partners. Different powers. Different strengths. Different magical anchors. Together they formed something called a Leviathan Court. A force capable of challenging gods. My stomach dropped. "Well that's terrifying."

Arren frowned. "What now?" I flipped several pages. "The dark god isn't alone." His face darkened immediately. "What do you mean?" I slid another ancient tome across the table. The pages were so old they practically crumbled. The title had long since faded, but the contents remained. My blood turned cold. Chaos. Ancient chaos. A force older than kingdoms. Older than gods. Older than recorded history. The texts spoke of a Chaos God. No name. Only titles. The Devourer. The Endless Storm. The Final Hunger. Beside him stood his queen. Anatria. The Dark Queen. Together they had nearly destroyed existence itself.

Eventually they were sealed outside the realm. Locked away. Forgotten. Buried beneath history. Until now. My stomach sank. "Nethrys." Arren frowned. "What about him?"

"The books say chaos follows shadows." The giant went silent. I briefly thought of Katria. Of the Shadow King. Of everything happening beyond this island. Worry twisted in my chest. Then I shoved it away. Katria could handle herself. She'd proven that repeatedly. Right now I had bigger problems. Like potential world-ending chaos gods. I continued searching. The treasures became stranger. Custom Leviathan armor. Ancient family trees. Protective amulets. Weapons humming with dangerous magic. Books filled with forbidden spells. One entire trunk contained warding artifacts. Ancient defenses. Ancient protections. Ancient warnings. The same message appeared over and over. Fortify the island. Hide. Protect the bloodline. Prepare.

I slammed one book shut. "Oh, absolutely not."

Arren blinked. "What?"

"Hide?" I threw my hands up. "Seriously?" The library remained silent. I pointed accusingly at the shelves. "You expect me to hide?" Silence. "Like a coward?" Silence. "That's stupid."

Arren rubbed his face. "The books might have a point." I pointed at him. "Don't start." The giant actually laughed. A deep rumbling sound. Then his smile faded. "My family." I looked over. His expression had grown serious. "If this is true..." He swallowed. "They're in danger." A knot formed in my chest. "Then bring them here."

His eyes widened. "What?"

"Bring them here." I stood. "Everyone who wants peace is welcome." The giant stared at me. Something vulnerable flickered across his face. Something that made my heart squeeze. "You'd do that?"

"Obviously." A smile slowly appeared on his handsome face. Dangerously attractive. Gods. I was in trouble. Again. I quickly returned to the trunks before I did something stupid. I wasn't even a third of the way through them when I found it. A ring. Simple silver. Dark crystal. Ancient runes. The moment I touched it, power surged through me. The ring wanted me. Needed me. Called to me. Without thinking, I slid it onto my finger, and the world vanished. Arren shot to his feet.

"AELORIA!"

His voice sounded distant. Confused, I looked around. The library remained exactly where it had been. The trunks. The shelves. The tables. Everything. Except...Everything was gray. Shadowed. Distorted. Like reality reflected through dark water. My eyes widened. "Oh my gods." This looked exactly like the Shadow Realm. I ripped the ring off. The world snapped back. Arren nearly collapsed. He grabbed both my shoulders. "What happened?!"

I bounced excitedly. "I disappeared!"

"YES!"

"I was in the Shadow Realm!"

"What?!"

I shoved the ring toward him. "This thing lets me access the Shadow Realm!" Arren looked horrified. I looked thrilled. Two very different reactions. "We need historians."

"What?"

"We need researchers." I waved at the mountains of treasure. "We've barely scratched the surface."

Immediately I summoned the librarian. The elderly woman appeared moments later. I pointed dramatically at the trunks. "I need five assistants." She blinked rapidly behind her glasses. "For what?"

"Catalog everything." I pointed again. "Sort it."
Another point. "Identify it." Another point. "Name it." The librarian looked around the room. Then at the thousands of artifacts. Then back at me. "I'll need more than five."

"Perfect hire whoever the hell you need, but we must do this immediately. The fate of our world could depend upon it.”

She sighed. I grinned. Then I turned toward Arren. The giant still looked completely overwhelmed. Before I could think better of it, I grabbed his face. His eyes widened. Then I kissed him. Quick. Impulsive. Completely reckless. His entire body froze. When I pulled away, he was still staring. Speechless. I pointed at him. "Don't die." Then I sprinted toward the exit. "I HAVE MORE TREASURE TO FIND!"

Behind me, Arren remained standing in the middle of the library….…smiling like an absolute idiot. I practically sprinted across the island. The moment I left the library, my brain felt like it might explode. Ancient Leviathan magic. Chaos gods. Shadow realms. Forbidden artifacts. Protective relics. The island itself was practically screaming warnings. And somehow I'd only made it through maybe a third of the damn trunks. A third. There were still hundreds of mysteries waiting underground. The house sensed me coming before I reached it. The front door swung open. The lanterns brightened. The flowers growing along the walls bloomed in waves. "Oh don't start," I muttered. The house absolutely started. The moment I stepped inside, six heads turned. Dorian. Calren. Rhyven. Zorath. Tavren. And Riven.

Every single one of them immediately looked concerned. Apparently I had a specific expression now. A "world-changing nonsense just happened" expression. Dorian stood first. "What happened?"

"Oh gods," Calren groaned. "That's the face."

"The face?" I asked.

"That's absolutely the face."

Rhyven closed the map he'd been studying. "What did you find?" I grinned. Tavren immediately sat up straighter. "She found something."

"She definitely found something."

"I found many things." That somehow made everyone look more worried. Even Riven. The other Leviathan sat quietly near the windows, but his attention sharpened instantly. I dropped into a chair. Then immediately jumped back up. "No. I can't sit. There's too much."

"Aeloria."

"Dorian, no."

"You need to breathe."

"I AM breathing."

"You are yelling."

"I'M EXCITED."

Zorath grinned. "I like excited."