The magic she had been building in her body over the last several months glowed beneath her skin, stronger even than the power she had given to the men who protected and loved her. The fury in her unlocked the last barrier to Damara’s true power.
Within moments, she radiated light like a sun. Wind kicked up around her as she released the energy in her blood, the gusts whipping her hair against her cheeks. An overwhelming hum built in her chest, pulling her toward the ceiling and as her feet lifted off the ground. The blinding radiance concentrated, exploding into a shining column of power that blasted into the floor and up into the sky, cutting through the remnants of her temple ceiling, a beacon to everyone outside that a goddess had been awoken.
“YOU WILL STOP,” she commanded, her voice booming with an ethereal quality, as if she were singing and yelling all at once. The walls trembled with the sheer volume of her command, and the window behind her throne shattered.
Below her, the king of the demigods and the king of the cats paused mid-battle. They stared up at her in wonder and awe at her wrath.
Tina briefly closed her eyes, losing herself entirely to the power rumbling in her chest. Courage flooded every vein as she finally and completely accepted herself as a goddess who walked the Earth.
Her body continued to rise toward the sky as the energy within her grew ever stronger, ascending until she could finally see over the shattered remnants of what was once her roof. Though she didn’t spot Draven or Killian, a massive black dragon and a sleek golden eagle, their fathers, appeared in the sky.
Before she could say a word, the black dragon was foolish enough to charge her. He sped for her, jaws open. Time slowed as he attacked, but Tina wasn’t scared. She couldn’t be, not now that she truly felt Damara’s raw power. She focused her attention on his body, connecting to his heart, and his pulse thundered in her ear. She slowed it down, controlling him, and he plummeted to the earth, ripping up her gardens as his wings dug trenches into the earth.
His pulse still thudded dully in her ears, and for now, she would allow it to continue beating. He pushed himself to his feet and took to the air once more, this time hovering as he stared at her with awe.
She lowered her chin, scowling at both shifter kings with the full force of her wrath. “YOU WILL LEAVE. SHOULD YOU RETURN, YOU WILL DIE.”
It was a threat she would see to the end, should the need arise.
Draven, in his full draconic glory, soared into the air from the gardens. He circled her and landed on one of the few patches of her roof that had survived the battle. His wings opened fully, fire burning in his throat as he snarled to back her up. Seconds later, Killian joined them with a few of his feathers ruffled but otherwise unfazed. He perched on another scrap of roof and lifted one razor-sharp claw in warning.
Below her, Anthony shifted into his human form and limped to the platform, one hand nursing his chest. Flynn put his arm around the wolf shifter’s torso and guided him to the higher ground. Zane prowled behind them, tail twitching as he prepared for another fight.
Tina hovered in the sky, waiting for the kings to answer her ultimatum. She didn’t hold her breath in fear or wring her hands with anxiety. She simply waited, hoping they wouldn’t do anything stupid. If they dared to test her, it would be the last thing they did.
With a huff of smoke through his nose, the mighty black dragon bolted into the air, retreating. Moments later, the trees around the temple shook as more dragons took into the sky after him.
The eagle departed next, racing off in another direction alone. Beneath her floating feet, both the demigod and cat kings backed into the hallway, no doubt returning to their own congregations to lick their wounds.
They would all be back. Half of them wanted her dead, and the other half wanted her power. Her struggle for freedom was far from over, but she and her princes had won the day.
62
Tina
Only when the last car rumbled away from the ruins of Epara did Tina lower herself to her throne room floor. Flynn, Anthony, and Zane waited for her on the decimated platform, reaching for her as her feet finally touched the floor. She threw her arms around them all, pulling them to her as she cried with happiness. “I’m so glad you’re all okay!”
Out of the corner of her eye, Draven and Killian landed and shifted into their human forms. Seconds later, they joined her, surrounding her with warm bodies and a sense of safety.
“We did it,” Flynn said, breathless.
“Tina did it,” Anthony corrected. He took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. Sparks flew through her lips at his touch, and she wanted him to take her right there on her destroyed throne. In fact, she wanted them all to take her. A flicker of feral lust shot through her at the notion.
“Hey, now, make sure you share, wolf.” As Draven’s cock hardened against her, Tina realized four naked men were surrounding her, the shifters’ clothes destroyed by their change.
Killian interrupted her thoughts by pulling her toward him and holding her tightly against his chest. He sighed with joy, chest heaving. “I’m so glad you’re okay. What you did, that power…it was extraordinary, Tina.”
“Absolutely incredible,” Zane added, smiling broadly. Deep gouges covered his face and arms, each slowly healing. She felt for him, her heart twisting as she gently ran a finger along the edge of one of his wounds. Concern reined in her burning lust. Her men needed to rest and heal before they would be ready to play with her again.
Flynn gestured to Anthony. “Speaking of incredible, this man took a blade to the chest and didn’t die. I panicked when I saw you fall, buddy. We nearly lost you.”
“You can’t get rid of me that easily.” The wolf chuckled, winking even though he still held a hand over the gash above his heart. Tina drew him close and kissed him on the cheek.
Nearby, Killian shook his head, a relieved grin still plastered on his face. “Flynn, if not for you, this place would have come down on top of us. I noticed you keeping your father at bay. Well done.”
Flynn nodded his head in thanks as Tina surveyed the faces of her stunning princes. Killian had put his father in his place and shut down the old man’s bloodlust. Always one step ahead, Zane had outmaneuvered even his own father. Draven had fearlessly taken on an undefeated dragon king. All five princes had risked life and limb. Not just for her, either, but for each other as well.
“Every single one of you was amazing.” Tina pulled them in close, her chest warming with love as she clung to them with every ounce of strength left in her body. Her five princes surrounded her, hugging her tightly.
With her men at her side, Tina would always be safe. Anthony, her lethal guardian. Zane, her clever spymaster. Flynn, her vigilant demigod. Draven, her carefree charmer. Killian, her gallant champion. The six of them were an unbeatable team.
As her men held her close, Tina peeked over Draven’s muscled arm at the shattered window that had once served as the backdrop for her throne. The kings may have ravaged Epara, but she would never bow to them.