Possession

by Samantha Britt

  Possession

  Curse of the Draekon Book Two

  Samantha Britt

  Possession: Curse of the Draekon Book Two

  Copyright © 2018 by Samantha Britt

  Cover Design by Covers by Combs

  ASIN: B07DVNFX1R

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction.

  Any resemblance between actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental or used fictitiously.

  Contents

  The Draekon Kingdom

  I. Possession

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  II. Allies

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Samantha Britt

  I

  Possession

  1

  The smell of parchment and well-worn leather permeated the castle’s library. The wide room was oddly noisy, despite the fact no one was speaking. Numerous hands turned pages, quills scratched against paper, and the squeaky wheels of the librarian’s cart rolled through the rows of scrolls and volumes. I sat at a small table in the back, trying to go unnoticed.

  I’d been recruited to work in the capital from my home in Caldiri, the poorest region in the Draekon Kingdom. While we were not the richest of people, I’d received an education, thanks to the insistence of our region’s leader, Lord Stanley; the draekon male hadn’t wanted to send illiterate or useless recruits to serve in the capital.

  Despite my education, the number of books I’d seen was inconsequential compared to the vast volumes lining the shelves around me. In any other circumstance, I would not hesitate to explore the collection, admiring both old and new pieces of literature. But from the moment I first stepped into the library with its cathedral-shaped ceiling, I felt the probing stares of multiple sets of eyes.

  For the tenth time that day, I cursed Prince Brion for forcing me to do his bidding in the cavernous library. The last thing I wanted to do was be in such a populated place, but the prince gave me no choice. I had to do what he asked—for my family’s sake.

  I sighed, and my life’s recent events plagued my mind.

  My older brother, Lin, and his band of rebels had invaded the draekon castle a little over a week ago. The attack had been a surprise. Many members of the draekon court and the castle’s servants had been preoccupied with my friend’s companion ceremony. I’d been out on the balcony for fresh air when the first enemy bolt shot down from the sky. I would have been hit if it weren’t for Prince Brion. He’d managed to tackle me to the ground and save me. But despite the evidence before me, I initially struggled to believe the rebellion was behind the attack.

  I’d learned of my brother’s involvement with the ill-fated organization, and I was sure he would have warned me of an impending attack. I’d assumed he would have wanted to ensure my safety. I was wrong.

  I’d been seeking shelter in the princes’ private apartments when four elven rebels busted through the door, armed and ready with arrows aimed at me. If Lin hadn’t arrived and told them to stop, I would probably be dead.

  Lin tried to claim the rebel attack was orchestrated so my sister and I, Lorie, could escape the capital amidst the chaos, but it didn’t take me long to realize why the rebels would have infiltrated the royal princes’ rooms. Lin and his colleagues had been sent to harm the draekon royal family. Rescuing Lorie and I had been an afterthought.

  I still harbored resentment about that fact.

  I turned the page of the volume in front of me, staring at the draekonian language with tired eyes. I was only able to decipher about one tenth of the words, but Prince Brion demanded I spend my morning reading through the historical text. So that was what I did.

  After Lin had saved me from his hostile companions, we went to search for Lorie. The four elves had hurried ahead of us in the halls, making sure the path was clear as we made our way to the bedroom adjacent to Master Errol’s, the castle’s lead healer. I couldn’t think of any other place Lorie would have gone, and I’d been overcome with relief when we found her hiding in my room. My siblings and I had been reunited. If only for a brief moment, I’d been content, and I’d thought everything was going to end well.

  But neither I nor the rebels had anticipated Prince Brion’s arrival. The battle-infused draekon made swift work of eliminating all of the elves in the hall outside of my room, and he’d been determined to subject Lin to the same fate.

  Terror still seized my chest when I remembered how the prince wrapped his strong hand around my brother’s neck.

  After several pleas from me, Prince Brion had released my brother, but his muscular forearm wrapped around my waist as he’d taken me hostage. I’d been used as a bargaining chip. Lin promised the rebellion would cease hostilities in Draek, the kingdom’s capital, as long as Lorie and I were freed from service.

  It was a risky ploy—one I’d resented. The brother I knew would’ve never risked my safety in such a way, and I struggled to believe he was really gambling with my life.

  Fortunately for my fate, the prince agreed to the terms, but not without presenting a compromise of his own.

  To ensure my brother and the rebels kept their end of the bargain, Prince Brion proposed I stay behind as collateral. Given the fact my parents were rumored to be the leaders of the rebellion, I was the perfect motivator to ensure they kept their word and stopped attacking the populated city.

  The terms had not been ideal, but I knew there was no other way my siblings would be able to walk out of the castle unharmed.

  So, I’d agreed.

  After pitiful attempts to sway the prince against the idea, my brother had no choice but to accept the terms as well. Prince Brion and Lin struck their deal, and I’d been a prisoner of war for exactly one week.

  I looked up from the book, rolling my eyes at the thought.

  Sure, I wasn’t allowed to leave the castle without the prince’s permission, but that hardly made me a prisoner. After all, it wasn’t like I was forced to spend my days and nights in the dungeon.

  No. Instead, I was forced to live in the draekon princes’ royal apartments. It was hardly a difficult life, or so you’d think.

  As I’d imagined when Prince Brion first told me of my new lodgings, draekon and humans alike were stunned to see me—Lissa Allaway, the lowly castle healer—living among two of the most powerful draekon on the continent. I gained recognition after saving Prince Finn’s life during the first rebel attack, and I continued to strengthen my reputation as a skilled healer.

  Yet, none of those accolades would explain why I suddenly lived among the two noble princes.

  I remembered arguing with Prince Brion about the matter shortly after he shared the news.

  “You cannot truly intend for me to live within your personal residence,” I sta
red up at the prince with wide eyes. We’d just entered the rooms, and already I’d heard several gasps and excited whispers from Court nobles who’d seen me enter the royal suite.

  “I can, and I do,” Prince Brion replied, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Why are you opposed to the arrangement?”

  I gawked at him, unable to believe he truly didn’t understand my reservations. “Because of what people will think!”

  “Oh?” A hint of a smirk tugged at his lips. “And what would they say?”

  My cheeks heated, but I refused to look away. I needed him to take me seriously. “People might thing something… inappropriate is happening between us.”

  Prince Brion tipped his head back and laughed—loudly.

  That was when I realized Prince Brion couldn’t care less what rumors sprang up about us as a result of his decision to keep me close. Though, my anxieties were slightly relieved when he offered a public explanation for my proximity.

  The prince had announced I was given the role of the princes’ personal secretary. With the rebellion looming overhead, Prince Brion asserted he and his brother needed me to help complete their day to day duties and responsibilities, document research on their rebel enemies, and provide insight on the human populations in Caldiri and other regions on the continent.

  How I became qualified for such a position? I didn’t know, which was exactly what others thought, too.

  Hence, the lingering stares and gossip-filled whispers following me everywhere I went. No one believed Prince Brion’s announcement. Draekon nobles, their human companions, and human servants were inclined to create their own stories regarding my closeness with the princes. And there wasn’t a single one which painted me in a favorable light.

  Not. One.

  Realizing I’d read the same sentence three times and had yet to comprehend a single word, I shut the volume and let my head fall into my hands. I closed my eyes and breathed, willing myself to regain control. Familiar anger and embarrassment threatened to consume me. I didn’t want to give curious eyes something to gossip about, but I was nearing my breaking point.

  Why the prince wanted me to research the history of the draekon people escaped me. Surely, he knew everything there was to know about his people. I imagined Prince Brion found some sick enjoyment by making me perform the meaningless task, struggling to decipher the unfamiliar language. But even though frustration threatened to unravel me, I knew that if anything, Prince Brion was probably trying to bolster the image of me as his secretary. That morning, he’d practically shoved the pieces of blank parchment into my hands and pushed me out of the door, demanding I take thorough notes of the history book in front of me. He wanted me to be seen doing work for him, unmoved by the fact I dreaded leaving the safety of the private apartments.

  Not for the first time since my daily life began to include living among the princes, I longed for the simplicity of working for Master Errol.

  That was where my true calling lied–helping injured and sick citizens as a healer. I was not meant to scribble meaningless notes to appease the curiosity of those watching me.

  I shook my head and rose to my feet, gathering the thick book and my senseless pages. Taking care to make as little noise as possible, I pushed the chair under the table and made my way to the exit as my thoughts traveled to the more agreeable draekon prince.

  Prince Finn knew why I stayed there in his apartments. His twin brother, Prince Brion, hadn’t lied to him. The dark, brooding prince had told Prince Finn the truth. He told him my brother and parents were rebel leaders, and I was their hostage.

  I had stood with my back pressed against their sitting room’s wall, silent and disbelieving, as the brothers had the discussion. I loathed the idea of Prince Finn judging me for my family’s involvement with the rebellion. He’d always treated me with kindness, but I’d feared that would change once he started seeing me as the enemy. I didn’t support the violence enacted by the rebel organization, and I didn’t want to be seen as a sympathizer.

  Imagine my surprise when the benevolent prince had turned his sympathetic eyes on me and simply said, “All right.”

  That was it. “All right.”

  My mouth had fallen open. I’d hoped Prince Finn would argue against my relocation. Surely, he could see how inappropriate it was. But I supposed my comfort and reputation meant very little when compared to the safety of those within the capital.

  Keeping my head down, I stared at my freshly polished black boots as I walked, seeing the reflection of the library’s candlelight in their sleek surface.

  I knew it was silly, but I missed the familiar brown boots of my healer uniform. They’d been broken in, unlike the new pair currently pinching my toes. I’d wanted to continue wearing the comfortable healer uniform, but Prince Brion wouldn’t hear of it. We needed people to believe I worked for the princes. I’d received the official royal uniform the next day.

  The knee length black boots, skinny, forest green pants, and loose, white blouse were not uncomfortable, but the attention they garnered was.

  It was hard to fathom there was once a time when I worked as a kitchen server that I’d been almost beyond notice. Things had changed after becoming Master Errol’s apprentice.

  My skills as a healer had earned me a reputation, and that was not even considering my friendship with Princess Cienna. I’d dined with the royal draekon on several occasions, and I was becoming recognizable to many, but not everyone.

  But now that people thought I mattered to one, or both, of the princes, there wasn’t a soul in the castle who did not know my name.

  I longed for my previous anonymity.

  A cool breeze from the empty hall rolled into the library, kissing my cheeks. I breathed a sigh of relief, eager to escape the room’s heavy scrutiny.

  Keeping my head low and focused on my salvation, I did not see the two female draekon stride around the bookshelf to my left. My shoulder bumped painfully into one of the taller females. I winced and stumbled, tripping over the plush carpet. Taking several clumsy steps, I finally regained my balance.

  “I’m sorry,” I blurted, cursing myself for not paying better attention.

  Twin looks of disdain landed on me, but the female I collided with definitely despised me the most. Her face darkened with anger, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. I readjusted the book and papers in my arms, unsure if I should walk away or wait for the draekon to address me.

  The seconds dragged on. My gaze flitted between them and the ground, and I shifted my feet. At last, the draekon stepped forward and walked away.

  I exhaled, relieved to be free of their disapproving stares, but before the draekon took two steps, I heard one whisper, “Whore.”

  I gasped; I couldn’t help it. It was the first time the insult had been delivered in my presence.

  Of course, I’d heard rumors floating around the castle. I knew what everyone thought of me living within the princes’ apartments. But no one had been so bold, or cruel, to openly insult me to my face.

  I suspected fear of Prince Brion deterred such behavior. He wasn’t someone you wanted to anger. Face burning, I tucked my chin to my chest and hurried out of the library. Cruel laughter trailed after me.

  You will not cry.

  I blinked away hot tears, refusing to break down in the hall where any one could see. They couldn’t see my weakness. It would only make things worse.

  I didn’t know how many people I passed as I wound through the north wing’s halls. I kept my eyes down, letting my hair cover my face, as I walked to the royal rooms on the fifth floor.

  Arriving at the highest level in the castle, I picked up my pace and rushed to the familiar dark doors. Using my shoulder, I pushed against the heavy wood. It opened just wide enough for me to slip in.

  Once safely inside, I shut the door. With a shaky breath, I fell against the wood, closing my eyes as I rested my head against the firm surface. I willed my heartbeat to slow, struggling to regain control of
my emotions.

  I knew people believed inappropriate things about me, but it was an entirely different thing to hear those things spoken aloud.

  And in public.

  Gods. The tears gathered again.

  I knew I shouldn’t cry, but I couldn’t help it. I’d never been so humiliated. Wetness seeped out of the corner of my eyes, rolling down my cheeks.

  How would I find the strength to venture out into the castle again?

  Should I tell Prince Brion, or would that only serve to make matters worse?

  I didn’t know what to think. My humiliation threatened to overwhelm me. I was feeling too much.

  “Is something wrong?”

  My eyes flew open, and I pushed myself off the door.

  Prince Finn sat at his desk, positioned against the western wall by a large window. The sun streamed in behind him, making his bluish-black highlights shine.

  The prince leaned back in the sturdy, redwood chair, observing me with concern. “Amelissa? Are you all right?”

  Tearful words stuck in my throat. I coughed to clear them. “I’m fine.”

  He didn’t believe me, but he was too gentlemanly to call me out on my lie. The prince stood and crossed the room. “Here. Let me help you.” He reached out and took the large history book from me. My pitiful arms cherished the relief. I wasn’t weak, but my distress had made me a quivering mess.