CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Leigh left her akh's death with a feeling of accomplishment. It took some work, but she finally had both of them out of the way. Her only regret was she didn't think of this 300 years ago. They both had been so easily played, easily manipulated. She looked over at the mansion where her bent amty lived, family she’d never met and didn't care for. They’d stolen from her parents what was rightfully theirs. That alone meant they deserved to die. She had heard about Zayn, his dark hair and yellow eyes. Should she care that their people loved him? No. Why would she? She was going to be a more powerful leader, wouldn’t let her people live as second class citizens, hiding in the shadows. She would lead them out against the humans. Leigh knew the risks, but who the fuck cared if some stupid humans came after her? She could wipe them out in a matter of seconds. Who did they think taught them about the military technology? She supplied the humans with a vast wealth of knowledge, and she sure as fuck didn't need them dictating where and how she would live. Humans were like cattle, hers for the feasting. They bred like rabbits, not like taking a million or two out would really make any kind of impact.
"Dominic, we need to talk. Do you know what Derrik has been doing?"
Dominic looked at his okht with hesitation. "What do you mean? What has he been doing?
“He is useless." Leigh walked around her akh circling him like prey. "He is going to try and sabotage the mission that abb sent you on. He knows how important this is and that one more fuck up and Abb will kill you. Why do you think he is so obsessed with Nikole? He wants her for himself. You cannot let him win. You have to prove to him you are the better ebn’. How many beatings did you take because of him? How many times did you cry and bleed because of his useless life?"
Dominic listened carefully to his okht. What she said made sense; Derrik WAS a prick and was acting strange. "How do I know you are not lying?"
She wrapped her arms around him pulling him into her embrace, a hug she had never shown anyone. Leaning down to his ear she whispered, "Because on our omm’s death bed she made me swear to take care of you and let you rule our people. I am just living up to her dying request." Placing a kiss on his cheek she released him and turned to leave. "But don't believe me. See if he doesn't come after you in the end. You never know who you can trust."
She couldn’t help but laugh at how easy it had been. Pity they were gone. Not. Now she was going to have to find new minions to toy with. Leigh pulled into the airstrip just as his plane landed. She watched it taxi to the end of the runway, coasting to a stop. She pulled the car next to the plane and parked it. Releasing the trunk, she stepped out and onto the tarmac. She could smell the jet fuel in the air; the scent always excited her for some reason. Leigh heard the hatch open and watched as the stairs from the plane fell to the ground. Haydar stepped out, his tall and muscular build taking up the entire opening of the plane. She smiled up to her abb as she walked towards the stairs, his presence always overpowering. She greeted him at the bottom of the stairs; Haydar embraced her in a tight hug. “Bent, aren’t you looking just splendid? Who did you kill to get that glow?”
She smiled up at her abb. “Well, only a few humans, but that was for breakfast. Really only thing they are good for is draining.”
Haydar laughed at his bent’s words. She never liked the filthy creatures, just like her parents. They walked to the car, watching Haydar’s guard put his bags in the trunk. He settled in the car observing Leigh’s behavior, looking over at his bent. The only pride he had ever felt was for her. His other children gave him nothing but strife, but Leigh, she was a true warrior, one he could be proud of. “Did he suffer?”
She looked over at her abb and let a slow grin appear on her face. “Yes, it looks like he was alive as the dogs tore him apart; the blood splatter was very wide.” She let herself smile thinking back on the memory, her worthless akh, dead. She loved him, but love wasn’t everything when you were weak and pathetic. The weak always needed to be killed off. It was only because she was Dominic and Derrik’s okht that she didn’t kill them herself, but now, now she was free of both of their useless resource draining bodies.
“Shall I take you to the mansion first, or do you want to meet up with our people gathering in the foothills?” Leigh asked as she pulled out onto the highway.
“Foothills, I want to see what kind of mess my idiot ebn’s made, then, my dear bent, we will extract our revenge.” Haydar pulled out an envelope from his breast pocket, showing it to his bent. “One of your akhs sent this to me before they died. I haven’t opened it yet as I wanted to share this honor with you. The man who delivered this letter to me said that your akh had been begging forgiveness to someone. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
Leigh looked at her abb, the approving smirk on his face telling her he already knew. “Derrik wanted to let the bitch go. I told him no. He begged like a little coward. I simply told him if he begged again, I would take his balls, nothing unreasonable. He was acting like a female, so I was going to make him one.”
Haydar rolled the window down crumpling the letter up and tossing it out onto the pavement. “Have I told you how proud I am of you? I still do not know how those two akhs of yours were my ebn’s with the horrible success rate they had in combat and torture, but you, my dear,” he said, reaching over and clasping her hand, squeezing it and smiling at her, “you make an abb proud.”
Leigh took them down Interstate 24, and then pulled off onto a dirt road leading to the base of the mountains. Passing through three checkpoints, she finally entered a small compound and pulled up to the cabin house.
“I like the security; good job on that, Leigh. You were always my most paranoid General,” Haydar said while getting out of the car and walking toward the steps.
“You know, Abb, Zayn and his men are everywhere, and I’m careful and keep everyone questionable out. I want to maintain the element of surprise. Besides, they don’t even know about me. Unlike the other two idiots I never let my presence be known. We will be able to come in and attack swiftly and efficiently.” She climbed the steps two by two then opened the cabin door. Silence filled the air as she entered, her men always too scared to speak right away.
“Attention!” she called out as her men jumped to their feet, the sound of hands falling to their sides echoing around. She looked out across the room, fifty men lined up for her disposal. She loved the smell of the testosterone filling the air. The power, desire, and hunger to kill always caused her to lust for battle. Leigh watched her abb walk in between the men, inspecting each as he walked by. Her men always wore properly pressed uniforms, clean shaven and hair styled properly. She refused to have anyone serve under her who didn’t tend to themselves accordingly. All her men were single, childless, no strings attached. The moment they fell for a woman she kicked them out of her ranks. She turned to her abb and motioned for him to start, taking her place at the front of the lines.
“Men, we will be taking the throne back! We will be killing the last of that traitorous family. They do not deserve to rule, and they are ruining our people.” The men started to cheer as Haydar spoke of overthrowing them. “Remember, this is not going to be an easy battle. We will have challenges, and some of our akhs in arms have died, but we will avenge their deaths. My two ebn’s gave their lives to the cause and now it’s time to show Zayn who the true King is!” The room echoed with applause and hollering as the men cheered for victory. Haydar looked at Leigh and extended his hand to her. Walking up to him and grabbing it, he presented her to the men. “My bent and I will take our people into the future. We will wipe out the humans and rule this world.” Her men cheered for her and her abb. She knew their loyalty, their dedication to the cause. No one would be able to take this away from them. No one.