Chapter 70 THE GATES OF HEAVEN ARE LOCKED
As the train "Inferno" glided through the depths of the earth, the atmosphere inside the carriage had shifted.
The babies were in a deep sleep on a makeshift bed made of Kael's jacket on one of the seats. Kael and Lukas were in the locomotive section, struggling with the noise of the engine. Valeria was keeping watch in the rear carriage.
Dorian and Serra were in the small, dim bathroom of the middle carriage.
Dorian peeled off his bloody, sooty shirt and threw it onto the edge of the sink. His body was like a map; healing burn marks, old scars, and fresh cuts left by Valerius's glass.
He turned on the water. Heated by magma energy, the water turned into steam, filling the small bathroom.
"Lock the door," Serra said, coming up behind him. Her voice wasn't an order; it was an invitation.
Dorian locked the door and turned around. Serra was leaning against the wall, watching him. There was no look of a tired mother in her eyes; there was the hunger of a she-wolf.
"You're still shaking," Dorian said, placing his hand on Serra's cheek. "Are you cold?"
"No," Serra said, taking Dorian's hand and bringing it to her lips. She kissed his palm, the calloused skin. "It's just... we almost lost, Dorian. The children. You. Us."
"But we didn't," Dorian said, grabbing Serra by the waist and pulling her close. "We won."
"Prove it," Serra whispered. "Prove that we aren't dead."
(STEAM AND BLOOD)
This wasn't romantic lovemaking. This was repair.
Dorian lifted Serra onto the marble counter of the sink. As hot water flowed from the open shower, turning the bathroom into a sauna, they washed the ash and fear off each other.
When their lips met, what they tasted was salt, iron, and smoke.
Dorian's hands were rough as they roamed Serra's body; as if checking for any broken pieces. Serra dug her nails into Dorian's shoulders, holding on like he was the only anchor keeping her in the world.
"Your fire," Serra said breathlessly as Dorian kissed her neck. "When you were saving Atlas... I thought it consumed you."
"You are my fuel," Dorian growled, wrapping Serra's legs around his waist. "As long as you are with me, I won't burn out."
In the steam, they moved in rhythm with the train's shaking. Every touch was to erase the cold, dead feeling Valerius had left in their minds. Skin to skin, breath to breath, they reconsecrated life in that narrow space.
When they reached the peak, Dorian rested his forehead against Serra's. Both were exhausted, but the dark shadow in their eyes was gone.
"I love you," Dorian said. He rarely used those words. "Without the mask. Without the King title. Just as Dorian."
Serra smiled and ran her fingers through Dorian's wet hair. "I know, Broken King. I know."
(THE WELCOME AT THE STATION)
Thirty minutes later.
The train began to slow down. The "sunlight" at the end of the tunnel was getting brighter.
Dorian and Serra returned to the carriage, composed and cleaned up (at least having wiped the ash from their faces). The babies were awake. Kael and Lukas had come to the main carriage too.
"Arriving at Volcan Central Station," Lukas announced upon hearing the signal. "Finally. A soft bed and a hot meal."
Dorian picked up Atlas. "First, we take the kids to the infirmary. Then we convene the Council and close Valerius's file."
The train entered the station. The brakes screeched.
But something was wrong.
The station was too quiet.
Normally, a victory return would have applause, horns, maybe anxious crowds. But the platform was empty.
"Why is no one here?" Serra asked, looking out the window.
Dorian's Alpha instincts flared. "Kael, keep your weapon up."
The train came to a complete stop. The doors hissed open.
Dorian stepped out with Atlas in his arms, Serra beside him holding Lyra.
And in that moment, they realized what the "sunlight" was.
It wasn't the sun. It was tactical floodlights.
Every corner of the station, the roofs, behind the pillars... was filled with fully equipped soldiers. Hundreds of barrels were pointed directly at the train, at Dorian and his family.
But these weren't enemy soldiers.
They wore the Volcan Crest on their uniforms. This was Dorian's own army.
(THE TWIST: THE PROTOCOL OF BETRAYAL)
"Don't shoot!" Kael shouted, stepping forward. "This is Alpha Dorian! Your King!"
The soldiers didn't move.
From the crowd, an old man walked out, leaning on a cane. It was Lord Marcus, the most senior member of the Council and Dorian's father's former advisor.
"Lord Marcus?" Dorian said, confused. "What is the meaning of this? Why are your weapons pointed at us?"
Marcus had a sorrowful but determined look on his face.
"I'm sorry, Dorian," Marcus said. His voice echoed over the speakers. "But we detected the energy waves from the North. Your son... he turned into a bomb. And your daughter... she started an ice age."
"We have them under control!" Serra said. "We defeated Valerius!"
"Valerius was just a symptom," Marcus said. "The disease is those children. World governments, other packs... they are all threatening to destroy Volcan. If we don't hand those children over, Volcan will be wiped off the map."
Dorian took a step forward. His eyes turned red. "Are you betraying me, Marcus? Your own Alpha?"
"I am loyal to the Pack, Dorian," Marcus said. "And for the survival of the Pack... the Alpha is expendable."
Marcus raised his hand.
"Protocol Omega," Marcus said. "Neutralize the targets. Take the babies alive. The parents... shoot if necessary."
The soldiers clicked off their safeties.
CLACK.
Hundreds of gunshots rang out at once.
Dorian threw himself in front of Serra and the children. He flared his seal, but he was so exhausted that his shield was weak.
"LUKAS! BACK IT UP!" Dorian roared.
Lukas panic-slammed the train's control panel. "Reverse! Reverse!"
As bullets rained onto the train's hull, the "Inferno" shuddered with a painful metallic sound and began to speed backward, retreating into the dark tunnel.
The victory celebration was over.
In their own home, by their own people, they had been declared traitors.
Dorian locked eyes with Marcus as the train entered the tunnel.
This war wasn't about Valerius anymore. This was a civil war.