The Devil's Son and His Fated Bride
Chapter 100: Bloodshed.

Chapter 100: Bloodshed.

Her human side was cunning and unapologetic. It had surged forward to shield her. This wasn’t a battle for purity or pride. This was war. And war demanded guile. The Fae blood in her pulsed with dignity and restraint, but her humanity? That part of her knew how to lie, how to scheme, how to win. They saw her as her mother’s mirror, graceful, light-touched, noble. Let them keep believing that. She was different and they all hurt her in every possible way.

"You have my word," He promised.

The Demon God didn’t hesitate. He summoned Kai. And in the blink of an eye, everything shifted. His voice turned cold again, clipped. "I’ve made a deal with your wife. I’ll break your curse. In return, you will bring me the book, and Lutherieth. You’ll hunt down all twelve of his Lords and deliver them to my court."

Kai stood still, stunned. The softness he’d worn moments ago vanished. What kind of deal was this? His throat tightened as he swallowed hard. She had made this arrangement? For him?

His father never made fair trades. He was a god who twisted terms like threads in a snare. And yet... this sounded almost just. Too just. Kai’s heart raced. Did he approve of Ren, as his son’s bride? Would he let the power of Shadow slip his hand?

The Demon God raised his palm to Kai’s chest. A red ribbon of light burst forth, spiraling into the air before scattering like ash on the wind.

"You are allowed to leave. Keep your word," he warned.

Ren nodded. "I appreciate your mercy."

She didn’t add that she had no intention of repaying it because she wouldn’t. She would do it for the sake of her people and Kai, not this god of the underworld.

Today, she realized Aunt Eve had been right all along; humans could be far more demonic when they chose to be. And she’d just received a demon god’s grace simply because he couldn’t read her twisted thoughts. That alone had been telling enough, he had paused and was uncertain, weighing what to do. That was enough for her to find him struggling.

She couldn’t read his mind, and he couldn’t read hers. That made them even.

Ren’s gaze drifted to Azrael, who stood in the distance, grinning at her. Why couldn’t she convince herself this was the last time she’d see him? The bastard looked positively entertained by their family’s crisis.

Then the demon god snapped his fingers, and the world crumbled into darkness.

~*~

Ren’s finger twitched a faint movement that Agra caught as he worked to cool her fevered skin. She was stirring, leaving that once-could-be endless slumber and returning to the waking world.

"Can you hear me?" Agra’s voice reached her through a hazy veil. As her senses slowly realigned, her eyelashes fluttered. She opened her eyes to see him, and Arkilla, hovering nearby. Her exhaustion was gone.

"Kai?!"

She felt the warmth of his arm wrapped around her waist and exhaled, a shaky breath of relief, and then listened. Her senses had gotten stronger, that of a Fae. She could hear the cries from a distance... Her hearing was sharp, time before.

"What happened? Why isn’t she speaking?" Arkilla asked, worried about bleeding into her tone.

"Water..."

Ren’s voice was cracked, barely a whisper. A burning thirst clawed at her throat, her tongue heavy and dry. Her mind still reeled, caught between what had been and what was.

Arkilla rushed off to get her some water, just as Siamon barged into the room.

"Sunkiath arrived, and Luther escaped before I could dev..." He cut himself off, eyes widening as he spotted Kai’s arm shift. Kai was waking up.

"King Benkin was here?" Kai rasped, taking a deep breath as he sat upright. His gaze found Ren instantly, scanning her for any signs of harm, looking frenzy.

Arkilla returned, handing him a cup. Kai helped Ren drink, steadying the cup as she finished every drop.

"Yes," Agara answered. "But after incinerating the enemy, he vanished."

Kai didn’t need to guess why Benkin had left so quickly, he hadn’t wanted to face Ren. But how had he known Luther would strike Thegara?

Kai’s eyes shifted to Agra, who gave a sheepish shrug. "I had to summon him."

"What is going on here?" Ren’s voice broke through the tension, her eyes wide with shock. "Why did he come? Why would Luther attack Thegara?"

Kai couldn’t lie to her anymore. He couldn’t hide behind half-truths or omissions.

"I’ll tell you everything," he said gently. "But first, you need to regain your strength." He turned to Arkilla. "Bring her some food..."

"No. I’m not hungry," Ren cut in, her voice firm. "I need to know why people are screaming."

She was to push the blanket aside and then froze, realizing she was naked beneath it. A flush of heat raced to her face.

"Everyone except my husband, get out!" she shouted, her voice cracking with mortified urgency.

Gods, Agara, her uncle, had seen her like this! He was a healer, yes, but she wasn’t used to anyone seeing her bare, not without even a single veil.

As the others quickly filed out, a hush fell over the room. Ren glanced at Kai, her embarrassment simmering under the silence.

Her gaze drifted to the dragon tattoo that coiled and moved along his skin. It was alive, writhing and slithering across his body. She didn’t ask. She knew. That was Shadow.

"Can you bring me a dress? We need to check on the people."

Kai studied her for a moment, then silently nodded and stepped away to fetch her clothes.

Ren turned to the window. The clouds drifted lazily across the sky, and the last rays of sunlight pierced through their gaps, warm beams spilling into the room, brushing her face like a fragile blessing.

Kai returned and helped her dress, his movements were so gentle, and careful. But the silence between them felt like a weight pressing down on his chest.

She wasn’t asking questions, not like she usually did. Her expression remained calm, too calm, and her eyes were dulled by sorrow and grief. That quiet ache in her gaze made his pulse stutter with unease. He couldn’t explain it, but it unsettled him more than any wound ever had.

"Should we talk about it?" he asked at last, his voice serene.

His patience, tightly wound, was beginning to fray.

"Not now," she whispered. "I feel grief. I feel... all the bloodshed, and it’s because of me."

Kai’s fists clenched so tightly that his nails broke the skin. Warm blood welled in his palms, seeping. She had changed.

Five years in the Dreamland, equal to only five hours in the real world, had reshaped her. Her soul had endured too much, evolved and hardened, and matured beyond its time; her Fae senses had become stronger for living her mother’s life. And now, she remembered everything she’d learned there.

"Please," she said softly, "make a shadow portal for us, take me outside the castle, near the bridge."

She made her request as they stepped forward, determined.

Kai hesitated. Part of him wanted to stop her, to shield her from whatever horrors awaited beyond the walls. But he couldn’t, not when she had made a deal with his father, not when she was bound to witness the aftermath of King Benkin’s deal herself.

Without a word, he summoned the portal and gently lifted her into his arms.

"I should carry you," he murmured.

She gave a small nod. Her last trip through the shadow path had been far from gentle, her body still remembered.

"Follow us," Kai ordered Arkilla and Siamon, his tone sheared. He knew that Agra was already gone to heal people.

And beyond that portal, he could feel it, just as they all could. The bloodshed awaited, and its scent coated the air.

~*~

My dear readers, unfortunately, my mother is ill and I’ve been taking her to clinics, please be patient. This week the updates will be slow.

This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦