Their war the female boo.., p.1
Their War (The Female Book 3), page 1
Their War
INVI WRIGHT
Copyright © 2023 Invi Wright
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
ISBN-13: 9781234567890
ISBN-10: 1477123456
Cover design by: Art Painter
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309
Printed in the United States of America
Completed Works
by Invi Wright
***
STANDALONE
The Professor
Aine
Lord of Dread
THE FEMALE SERIES
The Female
Her Males
Their War
Chev’s Mate
Rock’s Bully
PLEASE SEE TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR ALL BOOKS ON THE AUTHOR WEBSITE: linktr.ee/inviwright
Thank You
***
The largest thank you possible to my husband.
Also, to my Patreon subscribers. Your support is the sole reason I'm able to do this, and I can't even put into words just how much you mean to me!
Inesha Thompso
Ashleigh Drew
Bhavini
Emily Anne
Leilani S.
Melissa Childs
Marlo Burton
Jack Lewis Landsmen
Dakota Lane
Gigielle
Lone Hornbech Bünger
Maria Anderson
Artemis Howl Landsmen
Lora Beth Farmer
Vanessa Turpin
Contents
Their War
Copyright
Completed Works
Thank You
1
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3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
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33
Epilogue
Books In This Series
Stay Connected
1
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CHARLOTTE
A STRAND OF Aziel’s black hair falls into his eye as I step into his office, and he mindlessly pushes it away before rubbing at the stubble covering his jaw. He didn’t shave this morning as he usually does, and he took just enough time to yank on a black shirt and pants before heading downstairs to meet with the Wrath war generals.
Aziel’s black eyes flash to me before he turns to the general standing on his left.
There are three in total surrounding Aziel’s desk, two with their backs to me. I eye their matching brown uniforms and dark, cropped hair as they lean forward and peer at the large map covering the majority of Aziel’s desk.
The war generals are intimidating to be around, and I wrinkle my nose as a wave of their power hits me. It doesn’t affect me as it once did—thanks to Aziel’s bond—but I can still sense it.
I’ve been around these men before, but this is the first time they’ve ever been inside our home. Aziel summoned them after Rock’s announcement, and they’ve been working on a plan to dismantle Mammon for hours now.
As the Queen of Greed, Mammon holds a lot of power, and Aziel believes that if she steps back, Valentine and the ogres will follow.
“These mountains are too wide for most demons to teleport across. Mammon’s soldiers will have to climb or go around, and it should slow their journey,” the Wrath general on Aziel’s left says. I think his name is Raum, but I’m not positive. All Aziel’s generals have traditional demonic names, and I struggle to remember them.
Raum’s arms are covered in black tattoos, and they shift on his skin as he leans forward and taps on an area on the map. I can’t see it from here, but I assume he’s pointing to the mountains he just spoke about.
The other generals bend their necks to get a better look, the men tall even for demons. It makes sense that Aziel would have large men as his generals, the Wraths placing significant value on physical strength.
The general directly across from Aziel shakes his head.
“Unless they cut through the lava fields,” he says.
I raise a brow at the mention of the lava fields. Silas took me there on a date once, and I couldn’t imagine anybody, let alone an army, trying to navigate them. The area Silas took me to stretched as far as the eye could see, and the heat was unbearable. We were a good distance from any of the actual lava, too.
Aziel purses his lips, his eyes darting along the map before he picks up a red marker and circles two spots.
“This is where I want your units stationed,” he says, capping his marker.
I take a second step inside the room.
Another wave of thick power fills my lungs, the scent intense. Aziel and his generals exert more than necessary, which I assume is a response to stress.
It would’ve brought me to my knees before, and I’m glad for the immunity Aziel’s bond provides.
“That leaves the valley unprotected,” Raum points out.
I shift my weight from foot to foot, waiting for Aziel’s inevitable anger over having a weakness in his plan so publicly acknowledged. Instead, to my complete surprise, Aziel uncaps his marker and redraws the second circle.
“This better?” he asks.
Raum grunts, and I take that as a yes.
I didn’t realize Aziel could be so collaborative. He was always so commanding in his meetings with Levia, the King of Envy.
Aziel runs a hand through his hair before waving over Rock. The shadow enters the room and slides past me, his dark robes swishing around his hazy form, before slotting himself between the two Wrath generals standing across from Aziel.
“Remind me what areas you overheard Valentine discussing,” Aziel says.
Rock clears his throat and takes the red marker from Aziel’s hand, and I lean forward to try and peek at what he’s doing. I want to know what’s going on.
My movement seems to draw Aziel’s attention, and I freeze as he frowns and turns in my direction.
“Charlie, why don’t you go see if Silas needs help?” he suggests.
The hidden meaning behind his question isn’t hard to discern. He wants me to leave. A small part of me wants to argue and insist I be allowed to listen, but instead, I give a slight nod and exit the room.
I can feel Aziel’s stress through the bond, and I’m sure my lingering is distracting.
Silas’s office door is cracked open, and I peek inside to see him sitting behind his desk on his laptop. He looks stressed, and he pushes the sleeves of his brown sweater up his forearms as his black eyes dart over his computer screen.
I’m sure he’s aware I’m here, but he doesn’t look up as I push open the door the rest of the way and take a few steps into the room. We haven’t discussed where things stand between us after our night together, but I know now’s not the time to approach that conversation.
My palms feel clammy as I reach his desk and tap on the surface, quietly asking for his attention. Silas purses his lips and finishes typing something on his laptop before turning to me. His gaze is intense, and the muscles under his sweater shift as he waits for me to speak up.
“Yes?” he eventually asks.
I square my shoulders in an attempt to look larger. Confidence is key. That’s what the shifters always say.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I ask.
Silas sinks his teeth into his full bottom lip, the man probably thinking hard about how best to shut me down. After a moment of tense silence, he shakes his head. His computer pings, and immediately, his attention on me is lost.
“One second,” he says, his eyes darting over the screen.
I know my males are frantic to prepare before Mammon strikes, the unknown putting them on high alert, and I don’t take offense when he turns away from me entirely and begins to type out a response.
“Fuck,” he mumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose when another message comes through.
Silas looks borderline panicked, and I peer around the computer to try to peek at whom he’s messaging. The demons typically prefer to conduct business in person, finding it easiest to teleport to whomever they need to speak to and get the conversation over with quickly, but I think everybody’s hesitant to leave me here alone.
Especially after everything that happened with Shay.
“What’s going on?” Gray asks, stepping into the room.
He’s dressed casually in a white, boxy T-shirt and loose-fitting jeans, and he tucks a strand of his wavy, black hair behind his ear before wedging his phone between his shoulder and cheek so he can use both his hands.
Gray exudes sex, even when he’s not trying to, and blood rushes to my cheeks as he ducks and kisses my temple. He quickly straightens back
Why didn’t I do that?
Silas leans to the side so Gray can better see, and I hope I look like I know what I’m doing as I follow Gray’s actions and walk around Silas’s desk.
Gray moves to the side as I come up behind him, and he lifts his arm so I can squeeze underneath and fit between him and the back of Silas’s chair. My pulse races, and a sense of accomplishment flows through me until I look at the screen and realize everything is in the demonic language I still can’t read.
Gray’s jaw clenches as his eyes dart over the words. He’s visibly pissed, and he pulls his phone away from his ear and hangs up on whoever’s on the other end of the line.
“Is Valentine still refusing to meet with us?” Gray asks, wrapping his arm around my waist and resting his hand on my belly. “Should I pay her a visit?”
Silas shakes his head, rejecting the idea without consideration.
“Valentine wouldn’t take sides in a war without protection,” Silas says, shutting his laptop lid. “I’m sure Mammon’s got soldiers stationed throughout Lust. We’re not getting in without a fight, and we don’t have the Wraths to spare right now.”
I clear my throat, drawing their attention.
“Why is Valentine’s involvement such a problem? Aren’t the sex demons notoriously weak?” I grimace and glance up at Gray. “No offense.”
He only shrugs, his lips twitching before he bends and presses another kiss to my cheek. The affection is making me flush, as I’m unused to it after so long of Gray ignoring and avoiding me.
I’m not sure where his sudden change in attitude is coming from, but I hope it’s here to stay.
“Weak, yes, but also filthy rich,” Silas explains. “Mammon doesn’t need Wrath to support her plan if she has the kingdom of Lust on her side, and this provides her the perfect opportunity to take ownership of the females and take down Wrath at the same time.”
Silas’s computer pings again, and he opens it up before sighing and slamming it shut. He’s going to break it if he keeps doing that.
“Why does she hate Aziel so much?” I ask, struggling to wrap my brain around this. “And why is Mammon fighting so hard to lead the female project?”
I’m glad so many people want to help, but Mammon’s desire to start a war over the females seems extreme. Especially when she and Aziel are working toward the same goal. All they’re doing is prolonging getting help to the females, which directly contradicts her claims of wanting to do something as quickly as possible.
“Fuck.” Silas groans, the word a favorite of his today. “Whoever takes control of the Seekers and oversees the rehabilitation facilities will have eyes in every realm. With the blessed breeds backing it, there’s not much anybody can do. It’s an advantage, and Mammon would rather risk everything than let Aziel have it. He killed her oldest son a while back, and she’s been harboring a grudge ever since.”
Gray begins to pace the room, his long legs carrying him smoothly from the door to the desk before spinning and repeating the action. I shove my knotty, brown hair behind my ears and glance between the two men, unsure where I fit.
I want to help, but I don’t know where to start.
“What about the shifters?” I ask. “They might help.”
Gray shakes his head, shutting down my idea, before grabbing his phone to make another call.
“They’ve made it clear our alliance is for the females only,” Silas says. “Shifters aren’t ones for politics. They have a goal and will support whoever will get it done with the least hiccups.”
“It doesn’t hurt to try to talk to Kato, though,” I argue. The shifter alpha has proved helpful many times already. “He might be willing to supply some men to help us take over Lust.”
Silas shakes his head, copying Gray’s earlier rejection.
I clench my fists, struggling to remain calm.
It doesn’t hurt to ask, and Kato values loyalty more than they give him credit for. He’s obviously going to put his people and the females first, but he knows we’re in it for the right reasons.
Or I am, at least.
I’m sure Aziel’s excited with the possibility of getting eyes in the other realms, the man always a good three steps ahead of me, but at least he’s ensuring things are getting done the right way.
Mammon was doing the bare minimum, but Aziel is spending his own money and resources on this. That’s got to count for something in the eyes of the shifters.
I jolt, alarmed as Aziel comes storming into the room, his generals in tow. Gray hangs up his phone as he waits to see what Aziel has to say, and I take a step closer to Silas to put some space between me and the intimidating Wraths.
Aziel turns to me, his eyes cold as he approaches. I know it’s not me he’s angry at, and I wipe my sweaty palms against my pants as I step forward and meet him halfway. He gently grabs my cheeks with a quiet sigh, holding them in his large palms before kissing me.
The kiss is full of urgency, and it’s over with sooner than I’d like.
“We need to leave,” Aziel says, cutting straight to the point. “Rock is staying behind to look after you. Do not leave this house,” he adds, giving me another kiss before turning to Silas and Gray.
Both men scramble to collect their things.
“What do you mean, you’re leaving?” I ask.
Why can’t they work from here? My males have never had to leave at once like this before, and the sudden change has a sense of panic rising within me. I grab Aziel’s hand before he vanishes, wanting more explanation.
How long are they going to be gone? Are they leaving Wrath? What if the ogres get them? Or Mammon? My breaths turn shallow, and I squeeze Aziel’s hand to keep him here. I just got all three of them back. What if they get killed?
Questions swirl in my mind as I stare wide-eyed between my three males.
The generals along the far wall are watching, but I don’t care. I know they already think lowly of me.
Aziel crouches to my level, and our bond squeezes. The heightened emotions between us make it feel like a stress ball.
“We won’t be gone long—a few hours at most,” Aziel explains, curling his fingers around mine and removing my hand from his wrist. “We don’t know where Mammon’s planning to strike, and we need to be alert. My generals and their troops are splitting up to protect some of our weaker points, and Gray, Silas, and I need to ensure the other units are secure.”
His breath tickles my ear as he leans in closer, and he pushes my hair out of my face with a gentle smile.
“Do you feel that tightness in your chest? Our bond?” Aziel waits for me to give a jerky nod before continuing. “As long as that’s there, I’m alive and healthy. And if I’m okay, so are Gray and Silas.”
Gray and Silas come up alongside me, caging me between them. I can practically see their hesitation as they shift their weight between their feet, exchanging looks over my head before Gray bends his knees and joins Aziel at my level.
“I love you, Charlie, and I’ll be back soon,” Gray promises.
I choke back a gasp. I didn’t think I’d ever hear him say those words again.
“I love you, too,” I hurry to say.
Gray beams, his eyes darting toward Silas. The fate remains silent, but he smooths his hand down my spine in a comforting gesture.
Aziel steps back and grabs Gray and Silas. He waits for them to release me before teleporting, and the generals disappear the moment my males are gone.
“They’ll be fine. They’ve prepared for this,” Rock says, stepping into the room.
He’s still covered in blood, the red splattered all over his dark robes. I eye him as he approaches, trying and failing to see through the haze that covers his tall frame. I hope it’s not his blood I’m looking at.
There’s a lot of it.
I still haven’t determined if it’s his or not when he pulls me into a tight hug. My face is pressed against a surprisingly muscular chest, and I don’t hesitate to wrap my arms around Rock’s midsection and squeeze.
I missed him.
“I’m sorry you’re stuck being my babysitter again,” I mumble into his robes.
