Viktor: Heart of Her King by Julia Mills

lead them to success. Their returning salute was confirmation of their shared belief.
    It took less than an hour by foot using their preternatural speed to reach the old manor nestled deep within the Folio Oak Forest. Viktor remembered the bedtime stories his mother had told of the centaurs and dryads, also known as tree nymphs, who inhabited the mysteriously beautiful woods. It was said the dryads stored power in the trees for the centaurs who protected their land from invaders.
    Offering a prayer to Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, the Kings surrounded the structure housing their oldest enemy. Viktor marched up the walk, stopping just before the steps leading to the huge double doors, drew his sword but kept it to his side, and spoke with authority.
    “Bjorn Markis, as the Unum of the Kings of the Blood and with the authority of the Father of the Gods, I charge you with untold and innumerable atrocities against humanity, including but not limited to the abduction of my custos animae .”
    Viktor paused. He spoke again when he was sure his comrades had moved into their second position. “You have been sentenced to death. Come out into the light and face justice for your crimes.”
    “Ha! Death is not much incentive to come out of the safety of my home, Viktoras. If you come with the authority of Zeus then what stops you from simply entering of your own volition and delivering your justice, as you call it? Cowardice has never been your trademark. Is it something new? Or is it that you fear for the safety of your mate?”
    Viktor knew it was a bluff. Bjorn thought to manipulate the King. Viktor’s rage surged but he used it to fuel his need for vengeance instead of force his actions. Katarina’s wellbeing was the only thing stopping him from tearing the door from its hinges, slaying everyone in his path, and burning the building to the ground.
    Bjorn had been granted his immortality by Eris. The goddess of strife and discord had chosen her compatriot well. She’d also given the bastard magic most did not possess. Viktor was well aware of the power of words and Bjorn’s ability to manipulate them for his own ill gains. Looking at the sword given to him by Zeus, Viktor prayed it would be enough to combat whatever, both physical and mystical, the bastard threw at him.
    “I believe it you who are afraid. Were you not known as the Bastard of Achaea in your human life? Is that not why you chose to slander and disparage my name? Did you not believe that my blood would somehow erase your past? That you could rise among the elite if you eliminated me? Did your goddess not want me dead because of my service to Zeus? What does your goddess think of you now that I still walk the earth? Have you lost your ill-begotten favor with a petty deity who is not even important enough to breathe the air on Mount Olympus?”
    Viktor felt the other Kings move closer to the house. They were ready to strike. Dealing the final blow to Bjorn’s ego, the one Viktor knew would bring the bastard out of hiding, he bellowed, “Let it be known to all who hear my words that Bjorn Markis, the Bastard of Achaea, is a coward. He refuses to face me now just as he did three thousand years ago. He instead uses deception and lies, kidnaps women and harms children. He has no honor. He is as the eunuch in the temples—impotent and unimportant!”
    The crack of wood and shattering of glass immediately followed by a war cry of pure fury cut through the morning air as Bjorn flew at Viktor with his dagger pointed directly at the King’s heart. In the back of his mind, the Unum heard the other Kings burst into the manor from every available egress while avoiding his opponent’s poorly aimed attack.
    Viktor easily blocked every ill-placed jab from Bjorn’s dagger while delivering expertly placed strikes of his own. Blood seeped through the bastard’s sweater from the strategically placed slices of Viktor’s blade. He was purposely avoiding any major veins or