The desert behind me was bare. Not a single human had survived. Even their weapons and vehicles were gone. This wasn't how I'd intended to win. What had come over me?
“That was exhilarating,” Viper said from his emerald mount on my right. “But over rather quickly. Next time, we should draw it out so we can relish the terror of our enemies.”
He smiled ferociously at me and something inside me shrank away.
“Now you know what the Dark Star and the Star Gods can do!” I shouted at my army, ignoring Viper. “Face the next battle with absolute confidence, knowing that we are with you. If you falter, we will fortify you. But from here forward, we do this together. I won't deny you blood again.”
The Dragons roared, the Gods applauded, and General Sin bowed his head to me in acknowledgment of my greatness, but when I looked back at Viper, he was staring at me with a hint of confused irritation.
“What is it, my viper?” I curved my long neck over to him so that my snout grazed his leg.
Viper laid his gloved hand on my face and stroked me lovingly. “That was a victory, not a mistake. Word will spread across the Sahara to all of Africa, and we will find less and less opposition the further we go.”
“I know that,” I rumbled.
Viper smiled at me as if he knew that I lied. “When you falter, I shall fortify you. I will hold you high so your light may reach the entire world.”
I nuzzled his chest but said nothing. Instead, I turned back to my celebrating army. Once, I would have said that the best battles are the ones you win without fighting but now, I knew better. Soldiers aren't satisfied without blood, especially not dragon soldiers.
“For taking the battle from you, I offer you the Sahara,” I announced. “Run wild, my friends. Enjoy the bounty of the desert for it now belongs to us!”
The Dragons roared as they took to the air, and the Gods shouted as they rode forward on the vehicles I'd fashioned for them from magic. They would have their blood after all. Blood and flesh and treasure; those were a conqueror's rewards.
Beneath my feet, the Sahara trembled.
Chapter Forty-Two
We took Libya, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Algeria, and Tunisia. All was going as planned. I didn't attend the battles anymore unless I were needed, and I hadn't been needed. Most of the humans surrendered before the battle began. No gods showed up to oppose us either; it looked as if they had retreated to lick their wounds. Which was wonderful, I suppose. Except I was getting bored. Restless. I needed something more to focus on than the reports my commanders brought me and the social media presence Star insisted upon. Does a goddess really need Instagram?
Viper helped. I drowned in pleasure with him every night, and our love continued to grow stronger every day, nearly as strong as our hatred for our enemies. There were moments when I became starkly aware of the changes in him—in all of my star gods and myself since we'd fused our magic—and I'd feel a smug satisfaction followed by a frisson of fear. Viper would look at me in a certain way or touch me too aggressively, and I'd just know that he was a completely different man than the one I'd first brought to life. I had changed him. I had made him more like me. I should be rejoicing in that, and I did, but I also felt an inexplicable sadness.
Slowly, ever so slowly, my motivation had changed. Somewhere along the way, I had shifted. Taken a step to the side. I began to see how pathetic humans were. Spending their short lives battling each other, bleeding over stupid causes in their stupid wars. I would save them from themselves, that mission hadn't changed, but I wasn't doing it for them anymore. I had lost respect for humanity. Now, I fought for myself. To give myself a world without the constant bickering of humans. Free of their poisonous actions that hurt not only themselves but the other life on this planet. It was time for someone to stand up for those who couldn't speak for themselves; the animals, the sea life, the plants. Hell, even the insects were suffering. Humans obviously needed to be led. Managed. They couldn't be left in charge of themselves. They had wrecked the world with their pettiness and greed and plain stupidity. I would heal it, fix their mistakes, and make sure it never happened again.
I would clean the poison from the world; the toxins and trash humans had been poisoning the planet with. Animals would never go extinct again. Food would never be contaminated with toxins. I would make the Earth a better place for everyone, and I'd graciously allow the humans to continue to live on it. But I was done sympathizing with them. I couldn't even pity them anymore. How can you pity someone who gleefully takes part in their own destruction? I was taking this planet for myself, and they had better bow down and thank me for allowing them to stay. For allowing them to breathe my clean air and eat my clean food. They had fucking better worship me!
I took a deep, shaky breath and straightened my shoulders. There was nothing to get upset over. I was correcting humanity's mistake. It would be all right. Still, something trembled inside me. It needed an out. I needed a release that wasn't sexual. Viper couldn't help me with this ache.
I strode out of the castle and up to the waiting horde of dragon soldiers. It was time for another reward. Another hunt. And this time, I'd be joining them. This was what I
