Free Ties That Bind: The Bellum Sisters 3 (paranormal erotic romance) by T. A. Grey

his people would be allowed, as they always have, to travel on the earthen-realm freely; and the extra protection offered by the newly formed Atal Warriors would help to keep the idummi and deadly jaheera demons at bay. Or so he thought. Never could he have guessed his decision would lead his people into a hundred-year long war.
    He didn't learn until the last minute when the Atal Warriors charged through the rift's barrier, that that wasn't what the Commander had planned at all. He was going to lock all of them under the rift. He could still remember the smirk on the bastard's face as he'd turned to him and said, “Don't worry; you're safe for all the help you've given us.”
    He could have stayed below in that suffocated realm without a chance of leaving lest he meet his fate from one of the Atal Warriors, but he’d seen his chance at freedom. His decision was purely selfish but years later he realized he had made the right one, because if he hadn't left when he did then there would be no one to champion for his people's right to those who hold the power over them.
    The day Tobius en Kulev and his mate were murdered by rogue demons was a day he'd celebrated. In traditional demon fashion, he'd ordered the finest alcohol in the city, invited all of his friends, though they were really mere acquaintances, and drank, danced, and fucked for a solid week. It happened ages ago but it still felt like yesterday.
    Kearnyn and Telal poured over maps and ideas until they chose the ideal location. A part of the rift some ten miles away from the main rift city of Harumina . He remembered playing in the fields outside the city as a child with his brother Alrik. Trees of dark brown branches with fluffy pink and white flowers filled the grassy field with bright colors until it almost looked like a painting. At the time he'd taken it for granted, had never really appreciated the beauty of it. Yeah, he didn't do that until after he was gone and couldn't look at it again. Life was cruel like that.
    He'd hike, hopefully uninterrupted, to the castle. His father's guards used to keep watch, so he'd have to get past them first and into the throne room. He'd wait and see what kind of welcoming he'd receive. Hell, he didn't even know if his father, mother, or brother were alive. If they were, then they hated him. That much he knew for certain. His father always had a cruel streak, quick to punish, quick to hurt and, as he got older, he stopped seeing his mother protest his treatments until, eventually, she joined in.
    When he was young, he'd taken it upon himself to watch over his little brother. Telal never wanted to be king, but Alrik would be perfect for it. When his father died, Telal would be put in charge, so he saw to it to teach his younger brother so that he could hand the kingdom over to him. Alrik had a fair heart and a sight for justice, but even Telal had seen the effects of his father's 'grooming' over him. His opinions had started to change, to mimic his father's. Secretly, Telal would take him through the prisons or outside the castle’s walls to show him the non-royals—the prolitare .
    The class injustice had always rubbed him raw. Even after he left the rift, he continued to see the same pattern in humans for hundreds of years. For a long time he thought it was just the way life worked. Though today he didn't believe it; he believed it could be changed.
    As they finished mapping out and planning his course of action he went through the pros and cons of this trip. The pros—to see the kingdom and another true demon for the first time in a thousand years. The cons—seeing his family, if they were alive. If his father still carried the throne then he might toss him into a prison to rot for a thousand years while rats ate his flesh. Or worse, his brother was dead. His heart constricted at the thought like a fist squeezing it. He'd never loved anyone like he loved his brother. With any luck, his brother had heeded his advice and