General Sterling

Five

Armadian

  "Bringing a woman to sit on the council next to our esteemed General is preposterous. What the hell is Millianne thinking?" 

    "It's Queen Millianne, Viceroy. I am aware of how different this must be for you, however, I can assure you that this woman has earned her place at the table. She's smart and more than capable of taking care of herself," 

    "Of course, you believe that," he scoffed. "She must be a hell of f**k," 

    "You can repeat that to her when you meet her tomorrow," I laughed. I'm hoping she rips his f*****g lower jaw right out of his f*****g skull. "You may not like it, Viceroy. Times are changing. There is a female on the throne and she's pushing us out of the old ways. It's not going to change. The next heir is also a woman," 

    "These f*****g Duke bitches are f*****g useless," he spat. I growled taking a stand. I might just rip him apart myself. His disgusted expression changed. His angry demeanor softened. "You think too much of these women, Armad. You are a soldier. You like taking your orders as long as they end in your victory. You don't care who gives them. Millianne might have the right idea now, but what happens when it all falls apart. Without a rightful king, the Queen will fall. Do you think the Incubus King gives a s**t about us? All he wants is his fill of her. That's all those harpies want. Our souls. Those half-breed abominations are going to be the same," 

    "We don't know that. The Incubus King has shown his ability to care for the Queen since the first heirs were announced. Regardless of the situation, you answer to the Queen and will continue to do so in the next generation to come," 

    "You are very young, Sterling," the sub-viceroy interjected. "I applaud your conviction and loyalty to the Queen. However, we need to take care of the people. If this woman doesn't prove her ability to stand her ground here, she won't be able to in any part of Darkness. Aleksander is not like the other territories. She can't just come here and give orders. We fight to the death here. You should know. It was my son's life that granted you you're position," 

    "Exactly. Adaliegh Darius isn't going to roll over for anyone. She was raised the same way the rest of us were. She cut her time in the camps in half. She killed the Siberian with ease and would have killed the Bridigar General had I not gotten him out there," 

    "You saw her do this?" the viceroy asked. 

    "I did. Also watched her kill four hundred undead with a single sweep of that infamous Dragon Throne power. The sound it made left us deaf until it was over," I laughed. "My flame falls short compared to hers. After all, mine is intended to bend metal. Not scorch life to nothing," 

    "I've heard of the bloodhound's heir. She's coming in from the Heart of Darkness but they originate from Excalibur," the sub-viceroy nodded. "When will she be ready for council?" 

    "Alexander wants to speak with her first. He will decide when. He is the Prince of the region," I stood up. "He sent me here to prepare you for her arrival. She is to be treated by her title. The Queen has cleared her for immediate execution in question of her position," 

    "What does that mean?" the viceroy asked. 

    "It means if you discriminate her in any way and she feels disrespected, she's cleared to kill whoever she pleases," the sub-viceroy scoffed. "Millianne hasn't changed. If lady Marianne and Dermaious were still alive, they'd still have their tiny beast on a leash," 

    "Well, they're not here anymore and the Queen has her reasons for being who she is now," my eyes landed on the sub-viceroy. "Those who took her parents from her, they didn't really think things through did they?" 

    "I guess not," his eyes stayed on mine. 

    "All they did was unleash the beast her parents were protecting all of us from. This change came from their death. Maybe the territories don't really know what the f**k it is they're talking about," 

    With that, I walked out of the council. Nothing was ever verified but I'm completely sure that the hit on the Dukes came from the Amiri Clan that was established here after the Great Arab war King Demarious started when Lady Marianne was nearly kidnapped while she was pregnant with Lady Millie. My dad swore it was them. I'm sure they killed him to keep the truth from coming out. We have our work cut out for us, Ada. 

    "Are you ready?" I asked knocking at Ada's quarters. 

    She walked out of the room, clean. Good. She's dressed in formal female attire. It's not constricting which is good. She might have to defend herself against Alexander. He's a bigger piece of s**t than those other two. He's also favored by the Queen. Her only former and they hate one another. She hated him so much she couldn't give him the satisfaction of dying. Instead, she gave him the kiss of death and took everything from him. His throne, his home, his heirs. She burned it all down and tossed him into the shadows of what was left. These Duke women. Brutality is in their soul. The men are nothing compared to the rage inside of these tiny Queens. 

    "I am," she nodded. I motioned her to follow me. 

    My blood is rushing with that small confrontation back there. I hate when anyone speaks ill of Lady Millianne. My blood boils to hear them refer to the Princess the way they do. We don't know if they'll be like him. I don't know that she'll be like him. As a pureblood myself, I was raised to keep my bloodline as pure as possible. My mother has a female lined up for me to give the Sterling bloodline a pure heir. She's been calling for me. 

    "Armad," the Prince's voice is lazy. "What does that b***h want now?" 

    "Lord Alexander," I greeted him formally. Ada bowed just the same. The Queen granted him the honor of Prince to remind him that he would never be able to ascend the throne ever again. Whatever he did to her, she took it personally. "Her majesty sends her regards. She'd be here herself-" 

    "If she wasn't popping out another monster," he waved my comment off. "Present yourself, b***h," 

    Ada didn't move a muscle. She didn't acknowledge him in the slightest. I laughed knowing she'd never let anyone call her that. She's waiting for him to rethink the way he addressed her. If he pushes the insult, that Darius charm is going to wake the entire castle up. Alexander is an amazing swordsman and has incredible strength but he's no match for her. 

    "Surely, he's not speaking to me like that," she looked at me. "I didn't know you let anyone talk to you like that, General. You should have a little more self-respect, sir," 

    "He wasn't talking me," I laughed. 

    "Oh," she looked around. The servants are gone. 

    "This is what she sent?" Alexander scoffed. "This she-man of a w***e?" 

    "You can't kill this one. That's Alexander Duke. The cursed prince. Lady Millianne wants him where he is. Hold back," I walked over to his throne as he got up to look her over. I took a seat to watch the show from up here. He always has the best wine. 

    "You're talking to me like that?" she asked as he approached her. "I'll give you the chance to maul over your choices. You're a big man and if the rumors about the Cursed Prince are true, I'd like to spare what little dignity you have left,"

    "You hear her. Armad?" his laugh boomed in the high ceilings. 

    "Loud and clear, my lord," I grinned. I'm going to have to stop her from killing him. 

    "You think you're special because the Queen chose you to keep the General's c**k properly taken care of? She could have at the very least chosen a woman with more curves. A bit petite. You look-" 

    Her fist sent him flying across the room. The sound of her fist smacking against his face echoed in the high ceilings. It shook the wine in my goblet. Ada reached for the hem of her skirt and removed it revealing two black scimitars strapped to her lower back. She pulled them out and inspected them, waiting for him to get up. She's going to play with him. She doesn't disappoint. 

    "Where did you get those?" I asked. 

    "The armory downstairs. Do you like them?" she asked. She tossed me one. I caught it.

    "I do. These are beautiful. Are they all black?"

    "No, I changed the color. You can keep that one. I'll get another later," she took the leather sheath off and tossed it towards me. 

    "f**k," Alexander groaned. He pushed off the floor and sat up. "I forget you vampire bitches do that. That was a cheap shot," 

    "She was standing right in front of you, my lord. I think you need to lay off the wine," I took another drink from his cup. This one is sweeter than his usual wines. 

    "You're enjoying this?" he glanced over at me. "You are your father's son," he got up and turned to face Ada. "You haven't introduced yourself," 

    "I'll be glad to do so when asked properly," she shrugged. Alexander scoffed. His face is turning black where she hit him with her left hand. She smirked motioning him to her. 

    Adaliegh is a tall woman. I wouldn't say she's boyish in the slightest. Sure vampire females are generally small in size. Queen Millianne is four feet eleven inches tall. Her mother was five feet tall. Ada is about five feet eight or nine inches tall. Her body is voluptuous due to all the training she's undergone. That and like the rest of the woman in her family, breasts are a gift of the gods. 

    She may take after her father in pride and honor but she's a spitting image of her mother. She's not my type. A distraction from the reality of what awaits me back home. Something pretty to keep my mind sane. To keep the monster in me from taking what's mine with no regard to the laws. With no regard to what that tiny being might feel or want. My years in all of the s**t holes Darkness has to offer have made me a monster and I repay for all the lives I've taken with this curse, with the connection I can't ever be freed from. 

    "Hrrrg," Alexander cried out. 

    He took a spear off the wall and charged Ada. She laughed as she easily dodged his attacks. She smacked him with the sword making him angry. He's had enough. He stopped. The decorations around the room began to shake as he stood up straight. Ada glanced at me surprised. I raised the goblet to her. 

    She jumped up when the stone under her feet reached for her. Alexander doesn't always show off his earth element. He calls it the thing that b***h gave him. He could potentially be as strong as a Duke should be. However, his hate for the Queen runs deep, and anything that comes from her is taboo to him. 

    I was told that when he first turned, he had to be force-fed blood to ensure his survival. The Queen got him hooked on tainted blood so that he became addicted to it and then she locked him up to clean his system from the aphrodisiacs the blood she had given him had. The witches loved him the first couple of centuries after he was turned. It's just recently that he's gotten better. 

    "Sorry, old man. This is just too easy," Ada sighed. 

    She placed her hand on the floor. It began to shake again. She laughed when he tried to lift it up. He roared and pulled with his abilities again. This time a burst of hot melted mud erupted out of the ground. I growled at her as she watched the hot magma go for him. I rushed to his side and knocked him out of the way. The area where he stood began to melt. 

    "Ada, what did I say?" I shouted. 

    "Not to kill him," she shrugged. "Did he die?" 

    "Alright," Alexander laughed. He sat up looking at the lava she made. I released the cold in my body and put out the fire. Cooling the mud is going to take time. Alexander reshaped the floor to what it had been. Ada placed her hands on it and the heat was pulled back into her body. "Who are you?" 

    "Prince Alexander," she bowed. "Major General Adaleigh Darius," 

    "Darius? Relation to the bloodhound?" 

    "His heiress," she nodded. He looked over at me as if I had betrayed him. "You brought a f*****g dragon into my home and didn't say s**t?" he snatched the goblet out of my hand and drank what was left. "Some friend you are, Sterling," 

    "We're not friends, Alex. You know my reasons for keeping you alive," 

    "Ah, yes. Aviera Sterling. My five-year-old ball and chain," he growled. He turned to face me. "How do you look a female in the eyes and f**k her without seeing that princess? You are just as much a bastard as I am," he stumbled into the throne. A side effect from using his affinity. "Why would she do this to me?" 

    "Mates are a gift from our moon," I went over to him and helped him into his seat. How many times did I end up like this after I found out? 

    "Not my moon," he sobbed. "You should have let she-man kill me," 

    "Go back to your quarters, Ada," I ordered. 

    "General," she excused herself formally and left. 

    "Why would you want to die?" I asked him. "You said you'd free yourself from this, remember?" 

    "You know why," he sat up looking me in the eyes. "We are not good men, General. Who or what in their right mind would give us something so pure and innocent for us to f*****g ruin? I ruin everything I f*****g touch. Even you won't be able to save her," 

    "She's going to save you," I placed my hand on his chest. His servants arrived to take him to bed before the sun comes up. I can see the scarring still healing from him sitting here when the sun comes up in the mornings. 

    "You can't task her with that, brother. Your sister deserves better," he cried. The servants reached for him. He growled at them. "I can walk, you mother fuckers," 

    "Lord Alexander," one of the males scolded him. 

    "Shut the f**k up," he growled at him. 

    I nodded letting them know it's fine to used force. He tried to attack. The male held his hand up using his telepathic abilities to put him to sleep. The others caught him and carried him out. I picked up the mess he had made and left the broken vases on the seat for them to clean up. I grabbed my sword and began to make my way towards my room. 

    "General," I stopped and turned back to see one of the females standing there dressed for what I'm sure she was ordered to do. 

    "No, thank you," I waved her off. 

    "Do you have a preference? Smaller, brunette?" images of what is mine flashed in the back of my head. Her little threat to Ada was the cutest s**t I've ever seen. 

    "No, I have someone to feed on. Thank you," I sighed. She let out a sigh of relief and bowed before excusing herself. "You're right. You're f*****g pathetic, but you are right, Alexander,"