Dark Crown: A Fae Shifter Romance (Guardians of the Fae Realms Book 8)

by JL Madore

  The elevator car arrives and the doors whisper open. Creed steps into the back of the space. We follow him inside. Doc punches a thumb against the button for ground and the doors shut us in.

  Slecking hell.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Keyla

  Rhylan hails a car for us and it’s a bit awkward figuring out who will sit where. Creed slides into the back seat and rests Bloom’s body on the seat next to him. Since he’s having a hard time looking at me, I take the front seat with Rhy and let Doc take the back.

  When we arrive back at the Clarinta Portal hub, we exit the gate for Dornte as a group, and then Creed stops outside one of the doors leading to a local portal. “Rhylan, take Keyla and Dillan back to the castle. I need to handle this alone.”

  “No,” I say, emotions thick in my throat. “The entire point of being mated is you don’t have to handle things alone. We are here for you. Let us share your burden.”

  Creed doesn’t look at me. He keeps his gaze locked on Rhy. “Please. Get them home safely.”

  My heartache burns hot but not as hot as my rising temper. Lifting my chin I push back my shoulders. “You don’t get to ignore me while at the same time tell me what to do. We’re supposed to be equal partners. That’s not what you want right now so fine, consider me stepping back. Rhylan, I would feel better if you escort Creed and ensure his safety. Doc and I are capable of making it back to the castle on our own.”

  Rhylan looks from me to Doc and back again. “If you’re sure.”

  “I don’t need a babysitter,” Creed snaps. His voice carries and a couple of people walking by turn to see what’s got the king worked up.

  I open up a mental channel and meet his gaze. You’re the fucking King of Dornte. Only days ago you remained a captive of Laryssa. I don’t give a flying fuck how badly you want to get away from me. You’re indispensable. Take Bloom to her people. Work through whatever you need to work through, and when you’re done, we’ll be here for you.

  I turn on my heel and strike off toward the exit. Before I get twenty feet, I feel Creed’s mental energy brushing my mind. He’s angry and twisted up and hurting. I’m sorry, Little Wolf.

  Yeah. So am I.

  I don’t stop. I don’t turn around. I don’t look back.

  I can’t.

  My heart is cleaved in two and the regret in Creed’s gaze is enough to do me in.

  Queen’s don’t cry in public.

  Creed

  As Keyla’s anguish grows more distant, everything in me wants to call her back to apologize. She’s been so good to me. I told her about Bloom and she was wonderful. I showed her my memories drawer and she supported me. But having her support me through Bloom’s death and delivering her to her family…it’s too much.

  “You hurt her.” Rhylan is staring at me, his disapproval plain. “You could’ve asked her to step back or explained what you needed but you chose to hurt her.”

  I start walking for the portal that leads to Llewayin. “I didn’t choose to hurt her. I didn’t choose any of this.”

  Rhy says nothing more on the matter until we leave the Dornte hub and are standing in the lush tropics of the earth guardian’s domain. “I didn’t know. You might not believe me after what happened with your mother, but I honestly didn’t know about Bloom.”

  The truth of his words is obvious even without using my abilities. Since he drank from me and claimed me as his mate, his mental energy has been wide open to me. I didn’t think he’d be involved in something so vile, but it’s good to hear.

  “I believe you. Please wait for me out here.”

  Leaving Rhylan at the gate of the earth fae nature preserve, I drop my chin as I approach the sentry. The guard looks at me and then Bloom in my arms and seems to be at a loss. “Majesty?”

  “Please lead the way to Lily and Terran of the Great Oak. I return to them their beloved daughter, Bloom.”

  The sentry looks at Bloom’s frail body in my arms and frowns. “Of course. Please, follow me.”

  When Bloom and I were dating, we were forced to keep our relationship a secret. The crowned prince and a member of the castle staff, even if she was a member of the upper court, was nothing that held any future.

  Still, she brought me here once to share her world and her parents with me. Being back here, under these circumstances, is devastating.

  “King Creed?” Terran of the Great Oak is a tall, willowy man who wears a laurel of branches, as is the custom for an elder of the Sacred Grove. “What is this?”

  I swallow past the obstruction in my throat and force myself to be the man Bloom needs me to be. “Terran, my friend. Today, when I sought out the Blood Witch who aided Laryssa these past years, I found that she had been keeping Bloom prisoner to steal her vitality.”

  “Bloom?” The man looks at the woman in my arms and is wholly confused. “You believe this waif is my daughter?”

  “I am bereft to tell you she is. Before she passed, we shared a few words. Her parting wish was for me to bring her home to her grove.”

  Running footsteps approach from deeper in the forest and Lily, Bloom’s mother, joins us. The woman’s beauty, so similar to her daughter’s, shatters my already broken heart. “Lily. It is my pleasure to see you again, as well as my deepest regret.”

  Before I say anything more, Terran steps forward and takes Bloom’s body from my arms. “If you don’t mind, Majesty. I’d like to be alone with my wife.”

  I lower my gaze and step back. “Of course. If you ever need anything of me, please do not hesitate to seek me out.”

  I turn to leave when I remember the pendant around my neck. Stopping, I reach under my shirt and pull it out. It takes me a moment to get the clasp undone and the pendant off, but then I offer it to Lily. “In my years of capture, my memories of your daughter kept me sane. Bloom will always hold a significant place in my heart.”

  Before I say too much or upset them more, I set the pendant in Lily’s hand and take my leave. “Blessed be.”

  Rhylan is standing, as stoic as ever on the other side of the gate. When I exit, he falls into step with me and frowns. “I truly am sorry for your loss.”

  I nod, not wanting to think about that right now. “Me too.”

  “Are we headed back to the castle?”

  I consider that for a moment. I need to face Keyla and apologize. I need to start taking control of my castle and my quadrant. I’m in no frame of mind to do either.

  “No. I need a drink.”

  Doc

  Keyla and I soon realize we don’t have the access credentials to call a private car, so we hop on a public shuttle bus. “Does this bus go to Thornebane Castle?” I ask the navigation screen.

  “Thornebane Castle is stop twelve on the current route,” the automated voice replies.

  “Good enough. Thanks.” I scan the rows of seats and head toward two open spots near the back. They aren’t together, but they’re one in front of the other, so that’s okay.

  When I get closer, I assess the passengers already seated. I’m about to slide in beside the hairy dude with fifty little spikes sticking out of his cheeks when the woman next to the other vacant seat behind him gasps. “Queen Thornebane. Prince Baskins. Please, allow me to move so the two of you may sit together.”

  She jumps out of her seat like her ass is on fire and backs up in the aisle to give us space to slide in.

  “Thank you,” Keyla says. “That’s very kind of you.”

  “Of course, Milady.” She drops her gaze, a peach blush warming her pale yellow skin.

  There’s a general buzz on the bus now and people are turning and starting to gawk. “Sorry to disturb you, folks,” I say, raising a hand. “Don’t mind us. We’re just heading back to the castle and realized we don’t have one of those ID chips you use for transit.”

  Someone at the front taps the nav screen and frowns. “Shall I reprogram the route to make the castle a priority stop?”

  “Oh, no.” Keyla lifts her hand t
o pause the rerouteing. “All of you have your schedules to keep. We’re in no rush. We’re happy to take in the sights until we arrive back home. Thank you, though. We appreciate your thoughtfulness.”

  I wait until she slides into the window seat and then assess the passengers behind us before sitting down. Funny. I’ve always been protective of Keyla, knowing she’s the princess of our realm, but Queen of Dornte Quadrant puts an even bigger target on her head. It has my bear pacing and a bit growly.

  Not that it takes much to make my bear growly.

  After a moment though, everyone’s curiosity seems to fade enough that we’re simply two people on the bus. That helps calm my protective instincts. I want to talk to her, but not with people listening to our mate business. “Will you open a channel for me? I’d like to speak privately with you.”

  Keyla smiles and takes my hand.

  I feel the mental connection open up between us and smile. You’re an absolute marvel. Do you know that?

  And you’re a hopeless flirt and much too deeply in love to be objective.

  I chuckle. You can’t fault a guy for loving his mate too much.

  Keyla’s gaze clouds over with a sad shadow. No, you can’t.

  Her rich, chocolate brown eyes have always been expressive. They project her mood without error: her joy, her confusion, or like now… her heartache. What was that about with Creed? I feel like a jackass asking but I’m also the only one who doesn’t seem to know what’s going on. Who was that woman?

  That was Bloom, the earth fae he was in love with when Laryssa seized the castle. He saw her struck down in the battle before he was dragged off by Laryssa’s men. He thought her to be dead and mourned her murder for the past two years.

  Shit. And he had no idea she’d been captured and tortured for all this time?

  Not until he recognized her in the witch’s condo.

  My bear reels at the thought. If that were me and Keyla was lying a hair’s breadth away from death when I found her, I’d lose my mind too. The guilt of not protecting her… of moving on while she suffered… of her being targeted because of me in the first place…

  Well, that explains a lot. His guilt and fury are understandable. He must be tangled up in his head and heart so badly he can’t even think.

  I know, but what hurts is that he wouldn’t even look at me. What does that mean?

  I lace my fingers with hers and squeeze. It means he’s wrecked that he failed her and moved on to fall in love with you. It’ll take him time to process that. He’s a proud male and an alpha. The situation is messed up enough that it’s shaking his foundation.

  She nods and leans against my chest. I know. I just wish he could’ve let me help him through it.

  I shake my head. Not this time, beautiful. To turn to you would only compound his guilt. Give him time.

  She blinks her tears away, refusing to let them fall. Luckily, mated for life means we have lots of time.

  True enough.

  Keyla

  My heart is breaking for Creed and Bloom. To have their lives invaded so brutally. To be tortured and lied to for nothing but power—political and physical. The damage Laryssa and the Blood Witch have inflicted on the realm is terrible.

  I make a mental note to speak with Shadow when we return to the palace to face Raven. The realm empathic counselor offered me and countless others comfort and sage advice when my father was declining.

  Maybe he could help Creed.

  He is a talent for not only leading individuals toward finding peace but communities as well.

  Dornte could use a man like him to begin the healing process.

  I’m still thinking about that when the bus slows for its next stop. We’re in a downtown area similar to where Creed and I slept our first night in the realm. The ache in my chest eases a little as I remember the warmth and kindness shown to us by Coal and the underground clan of faery outcasts and unwanteds.

  They had so little yet never hesitated to share their food and hospitality with us. I must reach out and ensure they have what they need to thrive now that the quadrant is once again under Thornebane rule.

  The bus hasn’t start off again and I straighten in my seat to see what’s holding things up.

  “Street bandits,” a woman at the front shouts.

  Dillan grabs the seat ahead of us and stands at the same moment four men enter the bus. Two come in from the front door and two from the back door on our right.

  They look like homeless hoodlums wearing worn, grungy rags. I recognize the colorful smears marking their cheekbones, brows, and bald heads almost immediately. Creed and I ran into a group like this on the train when we first arrived.

  They eyed us up to cause trouble, but Creed forced them back with the threat of his blaster.

  Only we don’t have a blaster now.

  Do you still have the gun Lukas gave you?

  Doc frowns. I do, but with this many people in an enclosed space, it’s too dangerous. Innocent civilians are liable to get hurt.

  Good point. Okay, what do we do?

  He seems to consider that for a moment and then inhales. Coordinated attack. Do you see that burly guy on the aisle in the fourth row and the tall elf on the opposite side a few rows back?

  I scan the people quickly and find the two he mentioned. I see them.

  You can tell by the way they’re readying to launch that they’ve got fight in them. Open a connection and tell them to take the man closest to them on my mark.

  I’m not sure I have that much control. I don’t even know them.

  You’re stronger than you think and knowing them doesn’t matter. You can do this. I have no doubt.

  Well, that makes one of us.

  Focusing forward, I sift through the mental energies of the people on the bus and try to hone in on the two men Doc pointed out. Then, I open up a pathway between us, bringing in Dillan.

  To the burly man in the fourth row and the elf in the sixth, this is Queen Keyla in the back. Please nod once to confirm you’re hearing this.

  My heart skips a beat for the moment it takes before each of them drops their chin to their chest.

  I’m hearing you, the big man says.

  Me too, says the elf.

  You’re amazing. Doc says, winking at me. Okay, boys, are you game to fight back?

  Can’t wait.

  Yes. Definitely.

  Excellent. Is there anything about these fae and their powers we need to worry about?

  No. They’re hoodlums. Street bandits are fae who don’t have enough magic or skills to make a life here without breaking the laws and using force.

  Okay, on my mark, Keyla and I will take the back two and you will each take the man closest to you. The two of us have the advantage of seeing all four at once, so we’ll call the start, understood?

  When they agree, I focus on the two at the back of the bus. They have almost finished looting the people behind us and are moving up the aisle to rob us next. The ones at the front are making their way back, as well.

  Almost there, Dillan says. Hold. Hold. Go!

  Dillan launches out of his seat and tackles his guy down the steps and out the back door. I use the moment of surprise to shift to wolf and lunge at the second man. Biting and clawing, I disarm him and topple him to the aisle. Once he’s on the ground, I grab a mouthful of clothing and drag him off the bus as well.

  The moment we hit the asphalt, I shift back to fight. My strongest offense is my ability to kick effectively. I wasn’t able to do that on the bus, but out here on the concrete pad of the bus stop, it takes me no time before I’ve delivered a devastating roundhouse to my opponent’s head and knocked him out cold.

  Dillan has his guy finished too and jumps back on the bus.

  A moment later, he steps off with the burly guy and the elf, dragging the last two street bandits with them.

  “Taking out the trash,” I say, jazzed after the fight. Raising my palm to the air, I knuckle-bump Doc and then move toward the
other two. They don’t seem to understand at first, so I lift their hands and show them. “That’s how it’s done, boys. Thanks for your help.”

  Bending down, I scoop the cloth sack full of cardholders, tablets, and other personal effects and hold it out to the elf. “Would you mind taking that back onto the bus and helping everyone recover their belongings?”

  “Of course, Majesty.”

  Watching him climb back up the steps into the bus, I realize there are dozens of people with their datapads raised, recording us. I wink to the cameras and smile. “Nothing a little Dornte teamwork can’t handle. To all the rebels, thieves, and corrupt citizens who thrived during Laryssa’s brief stay, your days are over. Pack your bags or change your ways because Dornte isn’t your playground any longer.”

  When I turn back to our captives, I’m pleased to see two duty officers in uniforms securing the hands of the men and shoving them into the back of a police van.

  “It seems our job here is done,” I say to Doc and the burly guy. “I guess we should get back on the bus. We’re delaying everyone’s day.”

  The burly man chuckles. “I think it’s safe to say you two have made everyone’s day, Majesty.”

  I grin. “That’s sweet. The truth of the matter is that everyone should feel safe in their home. We won’t stop fighting until that’s Dornte’s reality once again.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Rhylan

  I’ve seen Creed angry before. I’ve seen him wrecked and self-destructive. I’ve never seen him like this. As we sit in the shadows of the back of this bar, he’s crashing into an abyss of anger and self-loathing. I understand completely but how do I help him when I’m not sure how to navigate it myself?.

  “We’re quite a pair,” I say, raising my glass to toast us. “The mulch and mash of men left in the wake of Laryssa’s treachery.”

  Creed tips his drink back and I watch his throat flex as he guzzles the burgundy haze down like it’s water. When the glass is empty, he slams it down on the pitted wood table and pushes off the bench seat. “Another. I’ve gotta piss.”