Jason got his wish.

An hour later, they drove out of the pack grounds without looking back. Jason never wanted to step another foot in that accursed place. Countless snow-covered trees zipped past them as the driver sped down the winding road toward the airport. Jason couldn't wait. All he wanted to do was curl up into a ball on his mate's heavenly bed and sleep until Thanatos came for him. Although it seemed his mate had other ideas.

Once the convoy hit the open road, Killian yanked Jason onto his lap and started kissing his neck, reducing Jason to a muttering mess. Killian's calloused hands quickly slipped under his t-shirt and started rubbing Jason's back. Pleasurable ripples ran down Jason's back, causing his sleeping friend downstairs to awaken. Jason couldn't contain a moan from slipping from his captured mouth. While his mate explored his mouth with heated fervor, Jason's fingers glided through Killian's wavy locks. He gasped when Killian's monster downstairs pressed against his erection.

Too soon for Jason's liking, their make-out session reached a point where they would star in the making of a porn film. Begrudgingly, Jason pulled away from Killian's seductive lips. His swollen lips grazed Killian's stubbled jaw before his lips met his mate's ear. Jason nibbled Killian's ear, earning a growl accompanied by two powerful hands pressing their bulges together.

Before the temptation became too much, Jason whispered into Killian's ear. "As much as I love your eagerness"—he kissed Killian's neck—"we have to stop this before the driver plows into a tree."

Killian grumbled under his breath. "Fine." He slapped Jason's ass. "But when we get home, you won't walk straight for a week." Killian then pecked Jason on the lips before placing him back in his seat.

"Is that a threat?"

Killian grinned and then replied, "You bet."

Six exhausting hours later, they drove away from another airport. The flight to Maine was quiet except for Darren, who flirted with the male flight attendant. Bless his soul, the young man never stood a chance. They disappeared during the flight and resurfaced when the plane landed. Astrid, during the flight, sat in her chair, watching Mallory and Henry coo at each other. The love birds, however, ignored the rest of them.

As they neared the walls of Laios, several guards rushed up to their SUV. Killian opened the window. A blast of cold air drove the heat away.

"My Lord," the guard yelled out. "We're glad you've returned, but we have a problem."

Killian's eyes hardened on the guard. "What happened?"

The guard nervously glanced over at his fellow companions before stuttering, "There was an attack on the castle."

Jason's shoulders tensed. His eyes shot over to his mate, watching as Killian's eyes glossed over. He was conversing with his royal guard. Jason didn't know what to think about the situation. Alaric was dead. So why was the castle attacked? Before Jason's mind could run amok, Killian nodded to the driver. The SUV picked up speed and raced through the empty streets of the city.

A warm hand squeezed his. "Don't worry, Jason. We have the situation contained. It seems there was a jailbreak."

"Who escaped?" Jason asked, dreading the answer he already suspected.

Killian growled and replied, "The former queen."

"Oh, fuck...," Jason hissed out, digging his nails into the leather armrest. "Kill one ass, and another bitch takes his place."

The convoy sped into the vacant and dark courtyard. Several royal guards were already busy processing the crime scene, but there were still a couple of bodies strewn across the yard. The SUV came to a screeching halt, jerking Jason forward. He quickly jumped out of the car before Killian could hold him back. There was no way he was staying in the car. He was a fool to think that the nightmare had ended. A new enemy had risen, and they had only a small reprieve of time before the former queen would strike. And why wouldn't she?

A chilly breeze bit into Jason's face as he approached a body of a guard. The escapees had burned the unfortunate soul to a crisp. The stale smell of burned flesh rose from the corpse, hitting him in the face. Magic. The former queen must have had allies skulking in the halls of the keep, waiting for an opportunity to strike. And them being away gave the bitch an opening.

"Jason!" Killian rushed up to him. "Don't stand here out in the open. We don't know if there are any spies lingering in the shadows, waiting to attack us."

Jason scoffed as he glared up at the catwalks lining the courtyard. "They'll die a brutal death if they're stupid enough."

Killian pulled him along, away from the corpse and toward the staircase leading to the foyer. "Even so, we have to be careful."

Several sets of steps later, they entered the foyer. Lights flickered from the last remaining chandelier overhead. The others weren't so lucky and lay shattered on the marble floor. The tattered remains of the golden curtains swayed lazily about while moonlight flickered through the broken windows. There was no inch of the foyer left untouched by the battle that ensued before they stepped through the door.

Silence. A word never associated with the castle. The last time Jason graced the keep with his presence, the castle was always a humdrum of activity. From the guards stalking the halls, to the idle chatter of the servants who cleaned the keep. The place was never quiet. Jason didn't like it one bit. It felt like he was walking into a mausoleum.

Slowly, they made their way through the keep, occasionally coming across a dead servant or guard who was unfortunate to cross the path of the fleeing bitch. Jason wanted to kick his own ass for letting the former queen live; he should have ripped her heart out the moment he had the chance. Now look at what had happened. All the deaths, and for what? Did she want to send a message? Or did she just want to punish those who were beneath her? Jason shook his head. No matter what the reason, no one needed to die.

A pull from Killian jolted Jason out of his thoughts. They made their way toward the throne room. The pungent but sweet scent of death lingered the most there. Jason dreaded what they were going to find. The former queen had taken her time exacting her revenge before escaping. But who aided her?

"Well, it had to be someone who had magic," Cyron said. "Most of the fallen had magical damage to their bodies."

"There aren't many witches and warlocks walking around the keep..." Jason muttered internally while they walked through the trashed hallways of the castle. Almost all the paintings were destroyed. The former queen wanted to erase them from the planet. "The only witch I know of—"

"Where's Ms. Bell?" Jason asked, stopping Killian in his tracks. "Shouldn't she be here?"

Killian's eyes furrowed before the realization of her betrayal crossed his face. "That bitch!" His roar shook the keep.

"Do you really think she would have betrayed Killian?" Mallory asked from behind Jason. She held onto Henry's hand as they made their way toward the throne room.

Jason scoffed. "I wouldn't be surprised. She's never hidden her hatred for me, and when Killian humiliated her in front of the pack, it seems it was the last straw for her."

"And Christopher? Where's he and the former king?"

Jason watched as Killian yanked open the throne room doors. "Away on a diplomatic mission, if I'm not mistaken."

Mallory breathed in a sigh of relief but gagged and coughed when the smell of rotten corpses permeated the air. A horror show lay beyond the opened doors. Jason gulped, steeling his guts for the grisly sight he was about to see. As Jason hesitantly took each step, he saw the former queen's true depravity. With a wave of his hand, a black shawl wrapped around his mouth and nose. The odor of dead corpses, piled into six heaps along the walls of the throne room, became too much for Jason to stomach.

"Oh, Goddess... I can't!" Mallory cried as she faced the same horror. She turned around and ran out of the room with her mate close on her heels.

Meanwhile, Astrid stood silently behind him, drinking in the devastation left by the deranged woman. For a moment, Jason was jealous of her not needing to breathe in the foul air. Even though the scene would have made anyone vomit their guts out, Astrid remained stoic as hell. Not even a hint of emotion flashed across her flawless face.

Astrid walked up to Jason and ran her nails through his hair. "Don't look so disturbed, Jason. I've seen a lot worse than this. If you have lived long as I have, you get used to this sort of thing. Not that I condone such a barbaric act, but this is the price one pays for living in such a cruel world."

Astrid strode past Jason, sidestepping fallen debris and pools of coagulated blood. The once beautiful mural overhead was destroyed, while the suits of armor were melted into deformed statues. But what made Jason's stomach churn most were the bloated bodies dangling from the ceiling. Where the hell did the bitch get the chains?

Jason followed Astrid through the putrid mess of blood and severed body parts. The irritating buzzing of flies became overwhelming. He had to swat away hundreds of the buggers as they buzzed around the room.

Trying to save his mind from further nightmares, Jason kept his eyes fixed on the ground. His mate soon appeared next to him. Jason grabbed onto Killian's hand for support; he needed his mate to ground him before his mind fractured to pieces. Never in his life had Jason seen such a revolting scene. Jason had not seen such carnage even on the battlefield they had left behind.

Slowly but surely, Jason raised his head. The vengeful bitch had reduced his and Killian's thrones to two piles of wooden pieces, only suitable for burning in a fire. His gaze then shifted to a message written in the blood of the former queen's victims.

We'll meet again, my King...

*** The End ***