“One of the countless reasons I love you.” He gave his lovely wife a swift kiss, then sprinted from the barracks as if his feet were on fire.

A warrior stepped into his path, but he easily dodged. With forty-nine seconds to spare, he flew into the throne room and stopped beneath the dais, where he jutted his chin, squared his shoulders and braced his legs apart.

The beast went quiet.

The scent of candle wax and honeysuckle filled his nostrils. Honeysuckle—a scent exuded by every Adwaewethian queen and princess.

Hate honeysuckle!

Light glowed from a chandelier as big as his bedchamber, reflecting off a solid gold floor. On the walls hung portraits of past queens. Seated upon a throne of amethyst and crystal, Aveline raked her amber gaze over him before unveiling a cold smile.

“As delicious as I remember,” she purred. “I approve.”

Just a piece of meat to her. Once, she’d looked at him with love and affection, even adoration. She’d held his hand, and kissed his knuckles, and rested her head on his shoulder, content to just be with him.

Like all royals, she possessed a deceptively delicate appearance, with flawless golden skin, hair as pale as moonbeams, and irises the shade of a sunrise his too-sensitive eyes had only ever seen in pictures. Faint golden runes etched her flesh in swirling designs. A sheer pink gown molded to her every perfect curve: full breasts, cinched waist and flared hips. Peekaboo slits in the skirt provided a glimpse of thigh when she shifted.

For those who preferred their women to look as fragile as glass, Aveline was a vison of loveliness—on the outside. On the inside, however, she was rotten to the core, greedy and corrupt, and Bane despised her with every fiber of his being. To be fair, he despised all Adwaewethian royals so vehemently.

When Aveline made no effort to start the conversation she’d insisted on having, he cut off a curse. “You summoned?”

“Leaving your new wife was...hard, I see.”

Quite. White-hot lust still flowed through his veins. “Why am I here, Aveline?”

She waved a dainty hand, dismissing the guards who stood behind her. Mount and Micah, brothers known for their vicious natures.

Micah blew him a kiss. Mount winked.

The moment the doors closed behind the males, Aveline said, “You’re here because you have something my other elite warriors do not. A reason to win quickly.”

Suspicions danced through his thoughts, and his fingers curled, desperate to hold a weapon. “Do not say—”

“The All War Alliance has discovered another realm,” she interjected. “A vast world known as Terra, with climates and terrains for every preference. There are oceans, mountains, flatlands, forests, deserts and so much more.”