by Reid, Stacy
Eternal Phoenyx
A Novel of the Amagarians
Stacy Reid
Contents
Eternal Phoenyx
Other books by Stacy
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Glossary
Acknowledgments
About Stacy
Eternal Phoenyx
Stacy Reid
a novella of the Amagarians
ETERNAL Phoenyx is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without written permission.
ETERNAL PHOENYX
First Edition April 2019
Edited by AuthorsDesigns
Cover design and formatted by AuthorsDesigns
Copyright © 2019 by Stacy Reid
QUALITY CONTROL: If you encounter any typos or errors, please contact [email protected] so they may be corrected. Thank you!
Created with Vellum
Other books by Stacy
The Amagarians
Eternal Darkness
Eternal Flames
Eternal Damnation
Eternal Phoenyx
Eternal Promise
Forever Yours series
The Marquess and I
The Duke and I
The Viscount and I
Misadventures with the Duke
When the Earl was Wicked
A Prince of my Own
Sophia and the Duke
The Kincaids
Taming Elijah
Tempting Bethany
Lawless: Noah Kincaid
Rebellious Desires series
Duchess by Day, Mistress by Night
The Earl in my Bed
Wedded by Scandal Series
Accidentally Compromising the Duke
Wicked in His Arms
Kidnapping the Marquess
Scandalous House of Calydon Series
The Duke’s Shotgun Wedding
The Irresistible Miss Peppiwell
Sins of a Duke
The Royal Conquest
Chapter 1
102 after the second Great War
Nuria—The Kingdom of Eternal Flames
Adara—The City of Fire
Princess Xian Rein Haddin stood atop the high balcony of the grand ballroom of castle Shelah staring down at the mass of people gliding around the room in a sensual and provocative dance—the itsu. Hundreds of lords and ladies danced below, men and women lounged idly on cushioned chaises, eating fruits, and drinking mulled wine, while others were locked in intimate embraces. Her brother, King Ajali Haddin, ruler of Nuria, and his Consort, Tehdra El Kyn of the realm of the shadow demons, commanded the attention of the royal court as they twirled to the beat of the drums, and the haunting melodies of the pipes. Every glide, every jerk of their hips, every passionate clasp of their shoulders, every way their bodies press together was an echo of the raw beat of carnality infused in each decadent step of the itsu.
Hundreds of high lords and ladies observed as their king, and his lover lost themselves in the haze of sensuality which pulsated on the air. It was not admiration for the striking couple why citizens of Nuria watched with such rabid fascination. Nor was it because of Ajali’s handsomeness, or his consort’s pale, mesmerizing black-haired beauty. The citizens of Nuria—kingdom of eternal fire—watched because of their king’s unchecked daring and perilous audacity. Only a few days ago he had been betrayed by two of his blades, men of the houses of Assia, and Wylliam.
Ajali’s blade were of the highest house of aristocracy in Nuria, and they had sworn allegiance to his ruling family by blood. If his bloodline right to rule were ever threatened, he had ten of the most powerful houses in his kingdom supporting him. They had been men he loved and would have died for, but they had plotted with betrayers of the realm to remove Ajali from rulership, or better, take his head. The house of Assia believe they had the right to the throne of Nuria, and the Emperor of Mevia had promised the Assias he would help them to overthrow the house of Haddin.
Yet here Ajali stood—arrogant, proud, an aura of menace vibrating in the very air around him, hosting a grand ball and defiantly flaunting her to the realm. Xian’s brother’s lover was a morbid fascination for their people, and a worrying threat to other kingdoms, for Tehdra was a Darkan. A creature from the shadow world, where all its citizens possessed the chakras of demons, for which they were reviled. Not only was Tehdra’s kind hated by all six other kingdoms of Amagarie, but Xian had also personally despised the dark ones with every emotion in her soul for many years.
Those vicious beasts had ruthlessly murdered her mother, splitting her open and ripping her babes from her belly without remorse. Xian had been one of those babes, and the memory still lurked in her nightmares, tormenting her with the pain and fear her mother had felt as she had fought the dark ones to save the lives of her children.
Darkans had taken so much from her and her two brothers, yet Ajali had announced before their kingdom, that this ruthless creature was his heart and soul. And there was nothing Xian could do about his declaration. Not that she wanted to interfere. Spies lingered still within their kingdom, and news of his boldness would travel to the other kingdoms with surety.
But her brother deserved to be happy. For so long he had lived with the burden of being the tyrant of Amagarie after unleashing his powers and slaughtering thousands to save Xian, her twin Uriah, and their people during the second Great War. For so long Ajali had been alone, with no true companionship or comfort of a trusting lover as he worked with cunning and secretiveness to protect his realm from those who wish to conquer Nuria’s greatness for themselves.
She owed him for his sacrifice, for never had he required her or Uriah to assume a similar level of burden, responsibility, and risk to their lives in the protection of their realm. Xian owed it to her kalija—big brother—to accept the woman he claimed. For she loved him, and she also believed in repaying her debts. Ajali would never dare think saving his sister's life was an obligation to be repaid, but Xian would not discredit his honor and sacrifice.
The drum beats echoed louder, and a wash of energy swirled in the room. The massive fireplaces roared, and the engraved crystals on the wall blazed, highlighting the sigil of the house—the Phoenyx, an enormous form with ten feet wing span where its only substance was a burning flame. Fire danced around Ajali as his energy leaked, and black chakra burst from his lover to twine around them. The king dragged in his consort even closer and claimed her lips in a raw, provocative kiss.
Xian trembled at the emotional intensity and connection between the pair as Tehdra sank into his embrace. Xian sensed the palpable need Ajali and Tehdra had for each other, and an inexplicable ache swelled in her heart.
“One day,” she whispered to the power inside of her. “One day I’ll conquer my fear of you…and maybe I’ll have a passion and love like my brother.”
The flames inside her stirred, dark, and sinuous as the Phoenyx purred a warning she did not understand. Her heart be
ating, she tried to close the door on it as how her brother, and the elders of the conclave, had tried to teach her while she’d learned about the power inside her. She bit back a groan of frustration for she was unable to understand why she could not perceive this door they often urged her to find in meditation.
All she sensed was the fire in her, lurking like a specter, waiting…and most frustratingly she had no notion of why it hovered. Why it did not bond with her as it did Ajali? How she resented the unstable Phoenyx force buried inside of her—a raw, unchecked presence with heat that rivaled the suns of Amagarie, a primordial force of nature little in her kingdom understood.
“The king shows off his pet,” Lady Shae, murmured, her tone tinged with venom and envy.
Lady Shae was a close friend of Xian and the wife of her twin Uriah. She had also been a very close ally to the countess Sascha, of the house of Assia, a woman who had plotted to kill their king and claim the throne for herself. Many in the royal court had considered Lady Shae with suspicion since, and even Ajali had been notably cooler.
“Be careful with your tongue, Lady Shae,” Xian said lightly. “Kalija will not take kindly to any insult dealt to his consort.” Xian leaned against the railing edge of the balcony; the golden bar cool against the flesh of her bare skin.
Lady Shae was influential with the other ladies of the high court, one of the great beauties of the realm with her golden blonde hair, willowy figure, and violet eyes.
“And is my brother Uriah not visiting your bed enough? I do not understand the jealousy I detect in your tone.”
Shae scoffed, a flush mounting on her cheek. Her eyes searched the crowded floor and settled on her husband. “Uriah only cares about protecting his king,” she said with surprising bitterness, resting her hand on her stomach. “I told him last evening I carry his heir…and he does not seem to care. I am tired of hearing he is busy planning the protection of his brother and his realm.”
Xian touched her shoulders softly. “You talk nonsense, Shae, you do matter, and I know my brother loves you dearly, and it is you and the little one that is in his mind why he works so hard.”
Shae’s lips curled in a sneer. “And does that explain why he has become so close with that?” she spat, lifting her chin toward Tehdra.
“You know Uriah respected Tehdra long before he knew her bloodline.”
Shae faced forward, her violet eyes flashing with anger. “That woman infiltrated this kingdom as a spy. She pretended to be someone she is not, and then we learned she is a dark one. Yet your brother has accepted her deception and claimed her as his consort. What next? Will that thing eventually be the Queen of Nuria? He will force us to accept her, and if we do not, what then? Tell me, Princess, what then?"
Many people in their kingdom accepted their king's choice of consort. Yet thousands were also unsettled, and whispers of dissension were whispered carefully in the streets of the city. Xian understood their fears and uncertainty. She should hate all Darkans, and for as long as she lived, they would be her enemy for taking a woman for whom she hungered from her life. Every day, the aching loss of her mother was a living entity within her soul. Yet Tehdra El Kyn was a different creature altogether. A fierce warrior, a beautiful woman, Xian liked her and welcomed her into the court with open arms, simply because it was evident for the world to see, that Tehdra loved Ajali with every emotion in her soul.
Peering at them on the ballroom floor, the look on their faces was one of fierce passion and love. It was humble to witness. Perplexing to believe that a creature as brutal as Tehdra could feel such love for another. “Ajali loves her, Shae. And Tehdra…she would give her life for him. Nothing else should matter.”
A painful longing to know such a love for herself clawed through her and Xian's heart ached, endlessly. What would it be like to love so deeply…and to be adored with a similar intensity?
“You sound as if you have accepted her position here,” Shae murmured.
Xian walked away without answering. Her brother must know the people of their kingdom would not so easily welcome his consort, and her very life might be in danger from those who would never forgive the Darkans for killing their Queen in the last great war.
A kiss of heat drifted along her bare shoulder blades, as the gaze of someone traced every dip and hollow of her naked back. She could sense a presence lurking just behind her, dangerous and feral. A secret smile curved her lips, and she allowed her hips to roll with greater carnality as she sauntered.
She felt his approach, smelled his wild flavor, tasted it—a bewildering yet thrilling mix of menace and fire—atop her tongue, and her belly flipped alarmingly. Gavyn Westk’arr—a high Duke of the realm, one of her brother’s most loyal friend and supporter, and the man who’d been occupying Xian most lustful dreams for the past several years.
Heat stirred in her veins, hot, powerful, and so terribly frightening her breath caught in her throat in an audible gasp. Working to restore her equilibrium, she sauntered along the balcony, making her way down the intricate winding staircase to the thick of the crowd.
That touch of eyes followed her, and before she took the last step to the ballroom floor, a fleeting caress against her hips halted her. Fiery tingles of sensation coursed over her body and she fought the wicked ripple of response between her thighs from such a simple touch. Xian completed that last step then turned to face him. Icy darkness, yet also fire, and rage. The impression she’d always gotten of Gavyn Westk’arr. She had never understood the duality of the power which leaked from him, and he'd never allowed her close enough to explore his many complexities.
His face wasn’t so much handsome as it was utterly arresting, with the power to compel her gaze, and the fearsome scar that ran across his cheekbones did not detract from his masculine appeal. Though impeccably dressed in black trousers and jacket, with a white shirt and waistcoat, and his midnight black hair caught neatly in a queue at his nape, there was a vaguely uncivilized quality about him. Perhaps it was the slashing scar or the swirling silver of his eyes.
“Your Grace, you made it,” she murmured, lightly fingering the lapel of his jacket.
“What do you wear?” he growled, a welcoming possessiveness leaping in the depths of his mercurial silver eyes with rings of blue and green at its center. Something wicked pulsed through her at his slow perusal. He possessed a rough aura grace and danger in one package, and it was frightfully appealing to Xian.
Her heart skipped into an uneven cadence. “A gown,” she drawled with provocative amusement, running her hand down the side of the golden chains that crisscrossed her body. The entire material was constructed from precious gems. Several loops of gold lay on her skin like the touch of a possessive lover—unshaken and immovable.
“Has Ajali seen this, Xian? You are barely covered.”
Xian allowed an arrogant smile to curve her lips. "I am a woman, not a child to be monitored by my kalija. And if it had escaped your notice, your king is quite busy with his consort to be concerned with my dress or lack thereof.”
Gavyn’s eyes cut to the dancing couple entwined around each other, swaying to the erotic thumps of the drums, before swinging back to her. His gaze took in her form hungrily, and her throat closed. This lust and friendship which existed between them was a torture of its own. Gavyn would never move to take her, and he would not give in to the connection between them. The few times the flames of hunger had fanned out of control, they had only kissed, nothing more. Xian did not understand why, and he had never stated his reason for not taking what they both desperately needed. What she offered shamelessly.
Over the years she had gotten many offers for her hand. Xian had rejected them all. It would be far better to remain single than to marry a man for whom she felt nothing more than a mild liking. Nor could she marry another when her heart was hopelessly ensnared by the man before her. She was a princess, but he was a high duke, a favored friend to her brother. Surely, Ajali would have approved a match between them. Yet Gavyn wi
thheld asking for her hand in marriage, and she had too much pride to demand a reason.
“You will return to your chambers and change into something…more appropriate,” he said gruffly. “There is nothing on your body but chains of gold!”
Xian laughed and stepped closer to him. Heat flamed in his eyes before his expression shuttered. A few dukes and high lords close by arched their brows, but she was uncaring of their speculations. “Dance with me, Gavyn.”
His jaw clenched. His intent stare seared her, and her body pulsed in answering arousal. “I cannot.”
"Coward," she whispered, tipping on her toes, so her lips almost brushed his. "I believe I shall find another partner for dancing…and so much more later.”
Before she could move away, he dragged her into his arms and flushed her against his body.
“Unless you wish to cause the death of this partner you seek, I suggest you only dance tonight,” he clipped icily.
“Oh? So after I am to return to my palace alone?”
“Yes.”
“How curious,” she drawled mockingly. “Do you believe I have been keeping my pussy pure while I wait for you to claim it, hmm?”
Shock flared in his eyes before it was replaced by something cold and menacing. For one heart-stopping moment fear jerked in her heart before she suppressed the insidious emotion.
“Any man who has touched you...” he gritted his teeth with a grunt.
