The Burden of Trust

by Nikki Frank

  Table of Contents

  THE BURDEN OF TRUST

  Acknowledgments

  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

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  THE BURDEN OF TRUST

  Borderland Legacy Book Two

  NIKKI FRANK

  SOUL MATE PUBLISHING

  New York

  THE BURDEN OF TRUST

  Copyright©2019

  NIKKI FRANK

  Cover Design by Fiona Jayde

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

  Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Published in the United States of America by

  Soul Mate Publishing

  P.O. Box 24

  Macedon, New York, 14502

  ISBN: 978-1-64716-024-1

  www.SoulMatePublishing.com

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Acknowledgments

  First, I’d like to thank all my readers. Without you, the book is still a dream. Thank you for taking my words and making my world come to life with your imagination.

  Behind any writer is a host of people paving the way for the book to end up in the hands of a reader. In many ways, movie credits have it easy. A scrolling list of names and titles doesn’t do justice to the people who toil behind the scenes. So, I’m going to illustrate yet another reason the books are better than movies.

  Beta readers and critique partners:

  Joan, Richard, Gray, Robert, Gregory, my friends at the Writer’s Co-op of the Pacific Northwest. Some of you read this book specifically. To you, thank you for your dedication following me into a series. The commitment is no small thing to you and even bigger to me. Without you, this book would be flat.

  The rest of you were my support network. For each one of you who gave a hug, listened to me prattle with the patience of a true friend, helped me unsnarl the tangle of storytelling, or offered advice on how to keep moving forward, thank you. People say writing is a solitary art, but it’s not, and I’m truly grateful you never left me alone.

  My friends and family also get a shout out. While you may not have had your hands directly on the process, you’re invaluable to me. I appreciate every smile of support, every offer to watch the kids so I can work, and each time you ordered takeout so I could finish a piece. You all have so much patience with me, and without your assistance, I’d probably still be writing my first book.

  I want to thank my editor, Theresa. You dove in with genuine enthusiasm for my work, which warms my heart more than I can express. You’ve dug deep in the world of the Borderlands to help make sure the details come out right. Thank you so much for your dedication to me and this series.

  Thank you to my cover artist, Fiona Jayde. She did a wonderful job of keeping the feeling of the series going. I’m so pleased with the result.

  To everyone else at Soul Mate Publishing, thank you for all the work you put in making this world come to life.

  Chapter 1

  A fresh starburst of black ash marred the beauty of the stained-glass floors. Nibbling at my fingernail, I paced my throne room, sidestepping the newest scorch-mark for the umpteenth time. Guilt and anger warred in my head. I flopped down in the throne, forgetting about my tail and squashing it, causing me to bite through my lip. I’d reached the point of needing help.

  “Ferika,” I called out.

  Claws ticked down the hall. The dark-purple dragoness entered my throne room with a bow. “Yes, Lord Olivia?”

  “Please, call me Olivia.” I pointed to the char, shame prickling my chest. “I burned another one.”

  Ferika gave a short nod and used magic to clean the spot off the floor.

  Fingering my scalp, I shuddered. “Do they feel any bigger to you?”

  Without so much as severing a hair, Ferika ran the pad of her forefoot across my scalp. “The horns are definitely getting bigger.”

  “It’s true then. I’m turning into a demon.” Anger rose instead of tears, and I shoved it back down. I’m an imp. I’m not supposed to have horns.

  “I guess that’s what’s happening.” Ferika coiled her body near my throne, making herself comfortable.

  “We have to do something about this before Talon and his father get back. I can’t let any of them know what’s happening.”

  For a few more months, until my nineteenth birthday, Talon’s father, Dagger, would continue to act as my regent. Talon’s role was more complicated: partner, friend . . . boyfriend. They’d been gone almost four months on a diplomatic mission, and I missed them terribly. Though, at least they hadn’t been witness to my downhill slide. My loss of control bothered me enough without disappointing them.

  Ferika hunched down to my eye level. The yellow of my skin reflected in her mirror-like black eyes. I repressed the urge to shudder. Even for a demon lord, the direct stare of a dragon is unnerving.

  “Send Velor to Hakushi,” she suggested. “Akuma are keepers of demonic powers after all. There’s a lord named Iya who’s supposed to be a good healer. Velor can bring him back to you for a consultation, and maybe we can stop this.”

  Restlessness spurred my body into pacing again. I stepped over her tail as I crossed the room. “We have to fix my magic. I’m an imp and happy being an imp. I don’t want to turn into a demon. We just freed this district from an evil ruler.”

  “What was his offense? The one you burned this time.”

  “Velor caught him with a shipment of humans. He planned on opening a petting zoo with an exotic game restaurant.” I shuddered. “That’s completely vile, and I couldn’t stop myself.”

  “At least you’re using the demon power for a good cause,” Ferika said hesitantly.

  “What if I go further?”

  She coiled her body around me to stop my pacing. “We’ll find a way to heal you. Many different types of magic exist. Someone has to have something which counteracts yours.”

&
nbsp; “Thanks.” I gave her great scaly body a pat. “I’m really glad you’re here with me.”

  I’d sent my own dragoness guard, Vixaria, with Talon and Dagger. In her absence, the Fairy ruler of our country, Lord Feéroi, had gifted me Ferika’s services. He needed me well-protected. Assassins vying for my throne would jump at the opportunity to off a young, lightly guarded target ruling such a newly prosperous district.

  Ferika let out a rumble like a giant purr. “Talon would help.”

  “I don’t want Talon’s help. He’s my partner, not my nurse. He shouldn’t have to keep an imp growing a demon temper in check.” I gave a sob and rubbed at my newly forming horns. “I want to be Olivia. He likes Olivia. If I change, his feelings might change, too.”

  Again, Ferika purred. “Talon loves you. He would help you through this.” She rested her head on her own coil. “Why haven’t you two formed a pair bond? We were sure you would.”

  “We’re too young,” I said.

  “But you’re partners.”

  “That’s only a technicality. Since neither of us needs to work as an assassin anymore, we don’t really have to be.”

  Ferika narrowed her eyes. “That’s phrasing your relationship rather casually, given everything you’ve been through. Does he know you’re blowing him off like this?”

  A blush crept up my cheeks. In truth, Talon would be pissed. He’d asked me to form a pair bond with him four months ago. He was gone before I’d given him an answer.

  Imps form very few bonds, and those we do form are incredibly strong. I’d been devastated when my parents died ten months ago. What if something happened to Talon, and I felt such pain again? Or worse, with this new demon-me emerging, what if I hurt him? Or my friends? I had to remain on my throne and in control of myself. The possibility of becoming a monster and hurting my loved ones made me sick to my stomach.

  “Hmm . . .” Ferika untwisted herself. “If you are afraid of losing him, then you ought to act on your feelings before you drive him away.”

  “Are my feelings so obvious?”

  She nodded.

  Free of Ferika’s coils, I paced again. “Let’s go to Hakushi now. You and I. We don’t have to tell anyone else this is happening. We’ll go fix the transformation before I’m caught, and we’ll all live happily ever after.”

  “If you leave, someone is going to shut themselves up in here and take your place.”

  “The previous demon lord wasn’t stuck here, right?”

  Ferika barred her teeth. She’d been forced to serve the former demon lord, and it was still a sore subject for most of us. “Not strictly speaking. Though he took pleasure in ordering us to do his dirty work, so I doubt staying here bothered him. If you wanted to wait until Talon and Dagger return―”

  “We can’t. They’d find out, and then there’d be no point.”

  The door creaked, and Velor’s dark-green head twisted around the edge, peering at me. He looked damn guilty for a dragon.

  Unadulterated rage bubbled up inside me. “How much did you overhear?”

  “Enough to say that if you want to go now, why don’t you have Elita and Emmett watch your throne for you? They can come and act from behind the scenes. No one will have to know you’re gone. I’ll get them and be back in less than an hour.”

  My mood completely flipped. “You’re awesome, Velor. Don’t tell them the real reason. Only that it’s a mission critical to my continued reign. I don’t want to see anyone until my magic is under control. We’ll meet you on my personal terrace in one hour.”

  He bowed his head and disappeared.

  “Problem solved.”

  Ferika shook her head. “I’m sorry, Lord Olivia. I can’t go with you.”

  My heart sank. “Why not?”

  She nuzzled me with her snout. “Omri and I are taking a vacation to Earth. I’m ready to lay eggs, so Omri and I need the chance to be in human form to mate.”

  My mouth dropped open. “Wow. You’re going to be parents?”

  “I hope.”

  I shook my head. “But you’re younger than me. I don’t think I could be a parent.”

  Ferika gave a rumbling dragon laugh. “Remember, dragons mature really fast. I was the equivalent of your age at four. And you could handle a kid. With everything you’ve done, a kid would have a hard time getting anything past you.”

  “Maybe. But to get one, I’d have to . . .” I couldn’t finish the statement. A child would come after pair bonding and intimacy. Fear tingled in my chest, followed by anxiety. Would Talon hate me if he knew how scared those things made me?

  She sighed, sending up a trail of smoke. “I’m sorry. I’m only going to be gone a week. If you wait for me, I’ll come.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to risk getting any worse. I’ll be all right with Velor. You go and . . . is good luck the right thing to say?”

  I wasn’t sure I’d be okay, but I shoved those feelings deep. Ferika was one of my best friends. I’d feel her absence, but I wouldn’t make her feel guilty.

  “You’re the one who needs the luck.” She gave me a gentle squeeze with her coils. “We don’t leave until tomorrow, so I’ll help get Elita and Emmett settled. You go meet Velor and get better fast.”

  “Thanks. Tell Emmett and Elita thank you, too. I don’t want to see them. They might ask questions or worse, notice . . .” I rubbed my hand across the nub of my new horns. “I’m going to go pack.”

  I hurried from the room before she could catch my mood. The thought of going with only Velor as company brought tears to my eyes. Velor had made huge progress in taming his brutal nature, an order I’d given him my first day as demon lord. But we had a business relationship. I needed my best female friend right now.

  My personal terrace was about the size my backyard had been on Earth. Grey tiles in fanning patterns graced the floors. Rain poured down, flooding the surface. Each drop sent shivering ripples across the smooth tile. I ran for the sun umbrella a dozen yards from the door. Standing under it, a shiver jolted me.

  Omri once told me the Borderlands were exactly like Earth with a few differences. At times like this, such differences still stuck out to me. The rain came down pale purple here, reflecting the deep purple of the night sky. The rain was also sweet if you drank it, but it left you with a raging headache. Water had to be treated for consumption.

  The doors to the patio opened as Velor’s dark-green form came out onto the balcony. “Where’s Ferika?” he asked.

  “She can’t come, so you’ll be taking me.”

  He stretched out great, green wings. “Are you ready, Lord Olivia?”

  “I suppose. Do you know this Iya we’re going to see?”

  “Not personally. But Hakushi is similar to the Central Borderlands. Four akuma lords form the government there.”

  “I’ve spent all my time in the Central Borderlands. Does Hakushi look the same?”

  “Business for my previous master took me there a couple times. The culture is strange yet pleasant. The landscape’s much the same. Beyond Hakushi lies the Goblin Kingdom, which I wouldn’t recommend visiting with your affinity for humans.”

  “I know what goes on in the Goblin Kingdom. Imps send children to them, remember? But you’re probably right, no need to see the carnage in person. Hopefully, Iya lives closer to our side.”

  I climbed on Velor’s back. Not long ago, riding a dragon had been a difficult and terrifying thing. Now I went most places on the back of a dragon.

  At first, all the familiar sights of my district dominated the view. As we passed over Setmyth forest and into the mountain region, the territory became new. Setmyth seemed wilder here.

  We flew in silence for the most part. Velor and I never really chatted socially. The lack of conversation made for a lo
ng flight. The red sun had begun setting when he descended toward a palace full of twisting towers rising like gleaming needles. The spires rose from a cube of polished steel. The strange city gave me an odd feeling.

  “Where are we?” I asked. His dragon hearing would pick up my question even over the wind of our descent.

  “Byakuso.” The volume to be heard required no effort for a dragon, but his voice did oscillate with his wing beats. “This is one of Hakushi’s four palace cities and a short thirty-minute walk outside our own border. Lord Tomi rules from this city. We’ll call upon his hospitality for the night. Lord Iya’s palace is much closer to your own, but last I heard he was out. Don’t worry. You’re a demon lord. Lord Tomi will host without question, and hopefully help us find Iya.”

  “Are you sure dropping in on any of Hakushi’s akuma lords is all right?” New doubts wormed their way in, wriggling in my chest. “The borders are closed, after all. Besides, the day Lord Feéroi presented me to the Fairy Synod, a couple of akuma showed up. Both sides seemed . . . stiff. I can’t imagine the akuma welcoming visitors from the Central Borderlands.”

  “The akuma were interacting with fairies―two breeds who rarely get along. But right now, you are a demon lord. They ought to treat you well enough.”

  What Velor said made sense. The last few months had been a crash course on Borderland politics. Having grown up on Earth, I took on my demon throne at a distinct disadvantage. The Central Borderlands consisted of four consolidated districts―three ruled by demon lords, one ruled by the fae, and the fairy council mediating between them. Similarly, Hakushi had four provinces, each ruled by an akuma lord, who together formed a joint council over Hakushi at large.

  Lord Feéroi originally banded with three demon lords because the fae didn’t have the numbers to carve out their own country. Neither did the other types of demons allied with Lord Feéroi. The alliance was born in order to maintain autonomy against the akuma and goblins.