Destined to Destruct

by Ciara Graves

  Destined to Destruct

  Darkness Prevails

  Ciara Graves

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Afterword

  Destined to Destruct

  Darkness Prevails Book One

  A black-eyed, white-haired dark fae with a short fuse.

  Her resume: Dark Fae. Assassin. Badass. Now she’s added exile to it.

  She’s hellbent on redemption. Maybe even a little bit of vengeance. Okay, maybe a whole lot of vengeance.

  Chapter 1

  Iona

  The muttering of disgruntled voices settled as King Jeric entered the room. I was right behind him, my eyes taking in every face seated at the long, rectangular table in the council chamber. I knew them all. It was my job to know every fae who interacted with King Jeric. As his head bodyguard, his life was always in my hands no matter what he might believe.

  King Jeric, dressed in black leather pants, knee-high black boots, red shirt with a black, red embroidered vest over it, drew back the tall-backed chair at the head of the table. The soft glow from the four small lamps running down the length of the table lit his face, showcasing his dark red beard.

  I squared my shoulders as I stood at the wall behind Jeric, and watched, hands clasped behind my back. Henson, my second, stood on Jeric’s other side, also with his back to the wall. He, at least, wasn’t as ridiculed as I was for protecting the king’s life. He was full fae.

  I wasn’t, and the advisors, as well as the king’s sister, Princess Mariana, made certain to remind me of that fact whenever they could. Even now, the spoiled woman with shimmering red hair glared at me pointedly, her long, manicured nails tapping on the table. My face remained carefully blank. Jeric cleared his throat, and Mariana finally looked away.

  “I would like to call to order this meeting on the Fifth of October,” Jeric spoke in a deep voice. “All are present, and as such, I find it’s high time we discuss the proposals I sent out to all of you over two months ago.” He leaned back in his chair. I didn’t have to look to know he had one brow arched as he gave his advisors an annoyed look. They would never have dared to keep his parents waiting for answers. Then again, Jeric was unlike any king Charus had seen in several hundred years. “Well?”

  “Your majesty,” Crane started, and my fingers twitched. His thinning white hair was brushed back, as if that would help hide the fact it was falling out. Of course, he’d be the first to open his mouth. The others probably told him he had to. “We have read through the proposals, but I must be the first to say I think you’re being rash.”

  “Rash,” Jeric repeated quietly. “Explain.”

  “The Dark Fae Kingdoms have been doing things this way for centuries. Jolian still has policies in place that your parents abolished decades ago. That was hard enough for the people to accept. To change the rest of our laws in one fell swoop won’t make you very popular with your subjects.”

  “Not much I do these days seems to, according to you,” Jeric replied.

  I heard the smirk in his words. If we were alone, I would’ve smacked him upside the head. All his mocking would get him in trouble one day, but did he ever listen to me? Nope, never.

  “What do you expect when you force these changes on our people?” Mariana snapped as she flipped a lock of hair over her shoulder. She shot me another intense look until Jeric coughed loudly. “Already there are rumors you are not a suitable king.”

  “And you know who’s spreading these rumors?”

  She clenched her jaw. “No, but they are out there, Jeric, and that’s the reality. Brother, see reason. There is nothing wrong with how we currently rule. The humans will remain oblivious, as long as we keep bribing the right officials. There’s no reason to change anything. If you ask me—”

  “Which I haven’t,” Jeric cut her off.

  She scoffed. “You should be focusing on more important matters, like forming a more secure alliance with the other Dark Fae Kingdom.”

  “For what purpose? You complain to me about focusing on the wrong issue and change, but we have always stood on our own. Not like we’re about to go to war, Mariana. Iona,” Jeric called me loudly. I stepped forward. “Do you have any reports of an enemy marching through our territory?”

  “No, Your Grace.”

  “Any hint of an enemy on our borders?”

  “None, Your Grace,” I replied.

  “Any chance at all in the next seventy-two hours we’re going to be at war?”

  “Unless Princess Mariana has the gift of foresight all of a sudden and knows something I don’t, no, Your Grace. None.”

  She glowered at me, flattening her hands on the table as if she was fighting the urge to jump over it and strangle me. Wouldn’t be the first time.

  “You see?” Jeric lifted his hand, and I returned to my place against the wall. “It’s 2019, Mariana. For too damned long, we’ve treated all those under our care unequally. The goblins are fae, at the end of the day, and it’s about damned time we treat them as such.”

  “You sure this has nothing to do with your head bodyguard?” Devon, another advisor, spoke out. He was so old, no one could remember his age.

  I kept waiting for the day he keeled over during one of these meetings. The old man clung to life somehow. It was obnoxious.

  I stiffened slightly at Devon’s words, but otherwise made no indication they bothered me. I was used to it, after all this time.

  “It has to do with her and every other half-goblin and full-blooded goblin in all reaches of my kingdom. Others have made changes across the pond. I think it’s our turn. The Light Fae Kingdoms made changes eons ago, and they couldn’t be happier.”

  I mentally rolled my eyes. I was pretty certain nothing could dampen the light fae spirits. They were always a bit giddy.

  No matter what Jeric’s damned sister and his advisors might think, he’d been fighting for goblins’ rights since before I ever entered his life. It might be the twenty-first century, but goblins were treated as second-class citizens. They had been, since the uprising over one hundred and fifty years ago. Goblins grew tired of being pushed around by the dark fae, so they rebelled. The battle was bloody but only lasted three days. Goblin numbers were decimated, and the dark fae ensured they… we… would never have the strength to rise again.

  I was one of many half-bloods that were seen as a freak of nature. The fact that I was the king’s head bodyguard was a cause for concern among the advisors. I couldn’t count the number of times Jeric had to remind them I saved his life while nearly losing my own. Not that it mattered. I could be the perfect guard, and they’d still only see the goblin bits of me. Instinctively, I curled my tiny, black claws tighter into my hands to tuck them completely out of sight.

  “Since it appears you have not taken my proposals seriously, I’m moving forward with several of them in the coming month. With or without your support,” Jeric went on, and there was an immediate uproar.

  I tensed, making ready to grab Jeric and drag him out of the line of fire. He held up his hand, and the displeased voices quieted. My hand stayed on the hilt of my dagger, all the same, eyeing every single person in that room, daring them to make a move.

  “I urge you all to step into the future with me before we’re the ones left behind.”

  “We will do so,” Lillian, another advisor, said as she bowed. She was usually more level-headed, but her dark violet eyes always made me believe she was up to some
thing. She was too perfect, some days. “But there is another important matter we wish to discuss with you again, King Jeric.”

  He waved for her to go on though I sensed I already knew what that matter was.

  “You are nearing the age of thirty in fae years and are currently without a wife and therefore without an heir. This is, I’m afraid to say, unacceptable. Now, there is Princess Cara from the Light Fae Kingdom of Honeysuckle or Princess Willow from the Light Fae Kingdom of Briar.”

  Beside me, Henson smirked until I subtly nudged him with the toe of my boot. The dark fae were more down to earth. The light fae tended to be very peace-loving and over the top in their joy. Not that there was anything wrong with being happy, all the time, but it got on my nerves after a while. I hated when Jeric visited those kingdoms. They were too bright and cheery. I quickly looked to Jeric, and though he wasn’t smiling, there was a hint of amusement in his dark, green eyes.

  “With all due respect, Lillian, I’ve taken the matter very seriously and have the perfect woman in mind to become my queen,” Jeric told her.

  “Who?” Lillian pressed on. “I mean, who is it you wish to make your bride, Highness? Such a woman is normally presented to the council before this magnitude of an important decision is made.”

  Jeric tilted his head at her “And I will when the time comes, but there is no question of this woman’s undying loyalty to the kingdom. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about. Now, shall we deal with these other matters so we can all get on with our day?”

  Jeric shuffled through the official documents for trade, finances, and incidents involving fae and humans. Those were pretty rare. We were good at keeping our existence a secret. Jeric’s kingdom spread from the heart of Montana up through Canada, all the way to the west coast and south to Colorado. Thankfully, California was not in his territory. That was ruled by one of the Light Fae Kingdoms. We had several towns that were solely fae. If humans came too close, our magic kicked in, and they were sent on their way, forgetting why they’d been headed that direction.

  The capital of Charus, Jeric’s kingdom, was set on a massive one-thousand-acre property. The closest town was all fae. Most of the farms were run by goblins, used for various magical ingredients the fae needed in their day to day lives. Goblins were the real heartbeat of this kingdom, and only Jeric was willing to admit it and do something to make their lives better.

  I took another glance around the room as the various heads of branches gave their reports to Jeric. When I reached Mariana, I held the glare she was giving me. Unlike her brother, she was selfish, hateful, and she despised goblins. She was damned cunning, too, and had a network of spies that rivaled my own. I didn’t back down and internally I smirked when she finally looked away.

  I’d told Jeric before that his sister was going to be a problem. He said we’d deal with her when the time came. If he made the announcement he intended to make, she would be the one to act, and then it might be too late.

  I escorted Jeric to his private study down the hall from the council chamber on the second floor. His bedroom was at the opposite end of this corridor. Henson stayed outside the door in the hall as I followed Jeric in and closed the door. He walked around the ornate, hand-carved wooden desk, and dropped the stack of papers in his arms.

  “Alright, let’s hear it,” he said as he sat down. He unbuttoned his black vest and draped it over the back of the chair.

  I stood in the center of the room, hands still clasped behind my back. “I’m afraid I don’t understand, Your Grace.”

  “Iona, your lip’s been twitching since we exited the council chamber,” he pointed out with a smirk. “Something’s on your mind and drop the title shit. We’re alone, remember?”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Especially now, Your Grace.”

  He sighed heavily and pushed back from his desk. “There’s no one else in this room but us. Henson is the only guard outside the door.” He spread his arms wide to encompass the windows. “No one can see or get to me from outside unless they can fly. Will you relax, please? Unless someone appears out of thin air, my life is not currently in danger.”

  My shoulders sagged as I let my hands relax. “You’re an idiot.”

  He laughed as he reached me. “Wow, why not just tell me how you really feel?”

  “I plan to. Do you have any idea what you’re doing to yourself? Ever since you started this campaign for the goblins, we’ve been dealing with an increase in threats against your life and the rise of even more extremists. I don’t exactly enjoy taking down assassins trying to kill you in broad daylight.”

  “That was one time.”

  “Three times,” I corrected hotly.

  He tilted his head back and forth then finally shook it as he went to the side table and poured two glasses full of dark, red wine. “And?”

  I sputtered as he walked back, giving me his most charming grin. I hated to admit it was working. “Stop that.”

  “Why? You know how much you love it.” He offered me one of the glasses, but I didn’t take it.

  “I’m not off duty, Jeric.”

  “That’s something that will change once it’s all official.”

  “You can’t,” I argued, and he threw his head back on a grunt. “You know you can’t, not until you settle all this crap with the goblin rights.”

  “Which is something I think you should be more excited about.”

  “Oh, I am. I’m thrilled,” I muttered sarcastically as he plopped down on the black loveseat by the stone and wooden hearth. “I love hearing about how many people want to kill you for your throne. Jeric,” I pleaded, “if you tell them about your future wife, I’m not sure I’ll be able to protect you.”

  “Ah, but you see, once you are my future wife, you won’t have to. That’ll fall to Henson, poor guy.”

  As I blew out an aggravated breath, I rubbed my forehead and turned away from him. “They’ll never accept me as your wife. You and I both know that,” I whispered. “You need to find someone else or no one. Yeah, I like that option. I’d prefer not to have to guard some stupid light fae bimbo.”

  His deep-throated laughter sent a familiar warmth rushing through me. I heard the clink of glass and sensed him behind me even before he rested his hands on my shoulders and turned me around. Jeric stood a good ten inches over me, but it never seemed like he was looking down on me, like so many other fae. His fingers ran through my hair I hadn’t pulled into a bun today.

  “You really think I could be with someone else?” he asked quietly.

  “I know you are a good king and a good king does what’s best for his people. If that means marrying someone else, someone better than—”

  He cut me off with a kiss, running his thumb over the pale scar that ran along my jaw. His eyes lightened as they always did when he remembered that day. I’d only been a bodyguard then, not the head bodyguard. His motorcade had been attacked by extremists. The two front cars had been blown up. The SUV he’d been in barely missed the third bomb. I’d been in the last car. As we’d run out to protect Jeric, we’d been picked off by gunfire. I’d saved his life, kept him alive until backup arrived. It was a damned miracle we survived that day.

  “You are who I want, Iona, and you are going to be my wife… unless you’ve changed your mind about your feelings for me.”

  I shook my head as I tugged at his beard. “Never.”

  “Good, then it’s settled.”

  I bit my lower lip.

  “Stop worrying so much. Going to give yourself wrinkles.”

  “I already have grey hairs because of you.”

  His smile faltered. “How bad have the threats been? Honest.”

  “How about you worry about your advisors, and I’ll worry about keeping you alive until these changes are made. It’s my duty, after all.”

  He traced his fingers over the tattoos on my forearms. The right was marked with a sword entwined with fire to show I belonged to the Fighters Guild, along with wh
ich element I’d chosen. My left bore the markings of my rank as assassin and bodyguard. There were five skulls in a long line, each bearing a small crescent moon on its forehead. He ran his thumb across the light-green tattoo on my forehead. A circled, five-point star flanked by three dots on each side.

  “You must be one of the youngest to have the highest rank,” he mused. “I’m honored you’re choosing me to be your husband.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “Yeah, as long as I don’t piss you off, we’ll live happily ever after,” he said as he grinned. “Gods, you’re beautiful.”

  He leaned in for another kiss, and I gave in. Henson was outside the door. He was the only one who officially knew about Jeric and me. He swore loyalty to us both, so I never worried about him giving us away.

  Mariana had her suspicions, as did a few others, but there was no proof. We’d been careful over the last year, very careful. The others might not take me seriously because of my goblin blood, but they should. I might be short, but I was stronger than most because of my mixed blood. When Jeric had first invited me to dine with him after the accident, I never expected we’d be where we were now. No other fae had found me attractive, with my strange, ivory-grey complexion, or my ears that were far more pointed than a normal fae’s. My pitch-black eyes. Or my long, straight, white-blond hair. Many feared the tiny claws that I had in place of fingernails. Not Jeric.

  From that night on, we found a friendship that grew into something more. Something damned dangerous. He might be able to relax, but I’d never be able to. Not until his sister was put in her place and the last of the extremists were dead in the ground. Until then, Jeric’s life would always be under threat. And I’d do everything I could to keep him alive.