Chapter 37: Revenge

ZELTARIA

Zeltaria watched as Iro slipped through the metal grate, disappearing into the darkness. He let out a tiny sigh of relief just as the heavy metal door swung open with a loud bang.

Two muscular extra-species men entered, leading a petite woman with snow-white hair.

The woman scanned the room, her eyes widening as she realized that Iro, who had been hanging from the ceiling by his wrists, nearly naked and seemingly trapped, was now gone.

The men lit torches, illuminating the woman’s features. She was an enkeli, an angel-like being known for their large wings and pale skin. But this one had her wings tucked tightly behind her.

Without wasting a moment, the enkeli marched up to Zeltaria and slapped her across the face. The impact stunned Zeltaria, but she refused to give the enkeli the satisfaction of hearing her cry out.

“Where is he?” the enkeli demanded, slapping Zeltaria again. She grabbed Zeltaria’s chin, forcing her to look up.

Zeltaria was bound in a kneeling position, her arms pulled back and her chest exposed.

“He should be ~right there~, so where is he?”

Zeltaria broke her silence with a chuckle. “Guess you didn’t tie the ropes tight enough.”

The enkeli slapped Zeltaria again, pacing in frustration.

One of the men was a large bull man, and the other a towering shark man, similar to Skalla, but with a missing left eye and a wicked scar in its place.

The shark man shrugged. “What does it matter? It was just a tiny dog.”

The enkeli snapped at him. “And if that ~dog~ leads someone back here? If he escaped and isn’t just hiding out somewhere? What then?

“Then ~decades~ of planning are gone. Go. Find him. And bring him here in however many pieces are left. Go!” she screeched, her anger escalating until both men left the room, grumbling.

The enkeli took a moment to catch her breath before Zeltaria’s smug laughter caught her attention.

“What’s so funny, whore?” the enkeli barked, grabbing Zel’s left horn and forcing her to meet her gaze.

Despite being bound, naked, and captive, Zeltaria held the enkeli’s gaze.

“Just ~you~. I don’t even know who you are, but all this? It’s pathetic.

“Kidnapping a high-value target, an ambassador that people will notice being absent, while on their way to a meeting? Good luck avoiding notice.” Zel chuckled again, but the enkeli just smiled back.

“Oh, don’t you worry. We handled your absence. Your ~friends~ on the council, the ones who want you removed, gone, or dead? They made sure to waste plenty of time in session today to let us get you here.”

The enkeli leaned in, whispering in Zeltaria’s ear. “And as for who ~I~ am, you recall Ordonnia, don’t you? I’m her new ruler.” She pulled back, grinning from ear to ear.

Zeltaria, who had spent many decades of her earlier life as a low-ranking Succubus serving in the halls of the wealthy, remembered Ordonnia, her ~former~ homeland.

Back then, Succubi and enkeli were polar opposites. The enkeli were the ruling class and, on paper, they stood for justice and purity while the Succubi were seen as depraved and debauched.

But what outsiders didn’t know was that the enkeli were just as likely to partake of Succubi and their “debaucheries” as any Succubus.

Over time, Succubi began to demand more. Things like equality, independence, and self-determination. Zeltaria had been involved in that power struggle. And Zeltaria had made sure there ~wasn’t~ a ruler in Ordonnia anymore.

Zeltaria snapped back to the present, meeting the enkeli’s gaze from the corner of her eye.

Without warning, Zeltaria jerked her head to the side, smashing her skull into the enkeli’s nose. It wasn’t hard enough to break it—she didn’t have the space to generate that kind of force—but it was enough to hurt.

The enkeli yelped and fell back, clutching her nose. She glared at Zeltaria through teary eyes. “You demon ~bitch!~”

She jumped to her feet and grabbed both of Zeltaria’s horns, blood dripping from her nose. “Generations of prosperity, and then ~you~ come along and ruin it. And now you’re going to pay…”

Zeltaria grunted as the enkeli began to pull her hands apart, slowly prying Zeltaria’s horns outwards painfully.

The enkeli seemed more interested in causing pain than extracting information.

All Zeltaria could do, disempowered as she was, was hope the enkeli would stop before causing permanent damage.

“But not yet,” the enkeli said, releasing Zeltaria’s horns and letting her head fall limp. Zeltaria refused to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.

“You’ll be transported home. You’ll ~love~ what we’ve done with the place after ~you ~left.”

Zeltaria shuddered in pain, her head still throbbing from the force on her horns, but managed to look up at the enkeli.

“What’s keeping you? You’ve got me. Clearly, you’re going to kill me or at least ~punish~ me. What are you waiting for?”

The woman grinned, her eyes filled with malice. “Because I’ve got one more way to hurt you. An old friend who sold you out.”

Zeltaria heard the muffled sound of hooves on stone through the metal door, and as it opened, she caught a whiff of a familiar scent.

“~Ilia~,” Zeltaria spat out the name of the bound Succubus. She was taken aback, not only because she thought Ilia was still in prison, but also because of the collar around Ilia’s neck. It made her suspicious.

Ilia, a younger Succubus with purple skin, in contrast to Zeltaria’s red, sauntered in and rested her chin on the enkeli’s shoulder. “Hey there, Zellie. How’s the room? You seem comfortable, all bare-chested and all.”

The enkeli traced her thumb over Ilia’s cheek. “Ilia has been a great help in figuring out your routine. Thanks for letting her get ~so close~ to you without checking her. You didn’t think she ~wanted~ to be caught, did you?”

Zeltaria cursed inwardly. When Iro had been kidnapped by this same Succubus, she hadn’t thought anything else might be happening, at least not to her personally.

She knew Ilia was part of a larger group, but nothing like ~this~.

“No, I didn’t think such a fool could be of any use. What does she do? Clean your shoes, hold the door for you, or is she just a doormat like she’s always been?”

Ilia growled, but the enkeli held out an arm to stop her from attacking.

“Something like that. Unlike the old days when Succubi could earn some respect or position, some of your kind have decided they prefer to be ~owned~.

“Ilia is one of them. And she’s ~mine~. She chose this, and she’s my tool for revenge. You, Zeltaria, the ~king’s mistress~, caused us to lose so much.

“I’m going to take it ~all~ back with ~you~ as my key. You knew every secret of every powerful enkeli in your time. Now all those secrets will be ~mine~ or I’ll make your life a living nightmare.”

Zeltaria scoffed. “Being around you is a nightmare. I’ll take the quick way out. Go ahead, sic your ~pet~ on me.”

Ilia growled again and turned to the enkeli. “Siuei! Let me at her, she’s defenseless. She—”

Siuei slapped Ilia, catching the younger Succubus off guard.

Her white angelic wings sprang free from behind her, expanding her silhouette. “That’s ~Queen~ Siuei to you! I’ve told you, I ~will~ become royalty, and you ~will~ acknowledge that!”

Zeltaria gave Ilia a scornful look as the purple Succubus backed away, nursing her cheek and glancing nervously between Zel and Siuei.

Siuei, the enkeli woman, turned back to Zeltaria and sighed, folding her wings back.

“Ordonnia isn’t what it used to be, mistress. In your time, enkeli nobles hoarded power and took Succubi as status symbols. Now, everything is broken and scattered.

“Power struggles among the remaining noble clans mean nothing gets done. The few enkeli that fled here are mere shadows of what they ~should~ be.

“Once I’m crowned queen, I’ll call them all home, and then I’ll make sure we never let some ~lowly beings~ ruin our kingdom again.

“Starting with separating from those ~lowly humans~. Pathetic creatures. They see us as exotic and desirable. We will ~not~ be ruled over.”

Zeltaria scoffed and chuckled softly, shifting on her knees to relieve some pressure from kneeling for so long.

“I happen to like a human or two. And some of my best friends believe that, despite our differences, we should welcome humans. And all species of all shapes and sizes, even your ~diminished~ enkeli.”

Siuei burst out laughing, clutching her stomach as she cackled.

“Listen to ~you~, so righteous and noble. And if those ~humans~ you like knew you were just a sex toy, a creature used to collect secrets and hold power over others? Would they still like you?”

Zeltaria fell silent, whispering, “No…and that’s why I’m not that person anymore.”

Siuei crouched down, getting eye-level but out of range of another headbutt. “We’ll see about that. Until that dog comes back, I’ve got you ~all to myself~. Ilia? Get the toys. It’s time to play with our little captive here.”

Zeltaria kept a straight face, but watched with disdain as Ilia slinked out, returning shortly with a large case and setting it on the floor nearby as Siuei lit a few more lights in the room.

As Ilia opened the case, Zeltaria scowled.

Siuei stepped over and picked out a black leather riding crop from among the collection of sex toys and flexed it as she approached Zeltaria.

“Why don’t you show little Ilia here how you used to ~moan~ for the nobles, just to make them think they were special?”

Zeltaria stared at Siuei, repeating, “I’m not ~that~ anymore.”

Siuei smiled wickedly. “You will be. ~Soon~.”

The enkeli lashed out with the riding crop, and all Zeltaria could do was hope Iro would return with reinforcements soon.