Of Blood and Sacrifice
Royal Fae Guardians, Book Two
Heather Renee
Of Blood and Sacrifice © Copyright 2020 by Heather Renee
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No parts 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 written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, alive or dead, is purely coincidental.
For more information on reproducing sections of this book or sales of this book, email [email protected].
ISBN: 979-8654728241
Editing: Jamie from Holmes Edits
Cover: Parker Premades
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
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Stay in Touch
Also by Heather Renee
About the Author
Dedication
To anyone who has ever lost someone so precious and irreplaceable, yet managed to continued on.
May your fortitude keep growing with every passing day.
Chapter One
Lightning struck all around me as my hair flew across my face and tears flowed down my cheeks. The anguish came and went, some moments better than others, but most of them worse. Today was not a better day. After just laying my parents to rest, my grief was in full force.
It wasn’t right, nor was it fair, but there would be retribution. Alaryk would get what he had coming to him. I wouldn’t stop until he paid for taking the two most important people in all the worlds away from me—he and the two men who had done the dark fae’s dirty work.
“Kali!” Jordan’s voice sounded like a whisper through the thunder that followed the fit I was throwing, and I pretended not to hear her.
Kaliah, you need to stop before you hurt someone, Stryx sounded in my head.
That was the only thing that could give me pause.
Enough innocent blood had been spilled and I refused to be the cause of any more.
Fine, but I don’t want to talk. Make her go away, I replied, not caring if I seemed unreasonable.
Jordan had done her best to be there for me, but no amount of consoling could heal the hurt in my heart. My parents were gone, and they were never coming back. Alaryk had taken them from me when I refused to go with him and be by his side in some asinine quest for control.
Ryland is here, too. Shall I send him away as well? The disappointment in Stryx’s voice wasn’t missed.
As the thunder quieted and the lightning began to dissipate, my shoulders hunched. I don’t know.
Ryland hadn’t been hurt by my lightning before, but he’d yet to force himself on me since the moments after the fight. I’d asked for space and he’d given it, but not easily.
You can’t be afraid to care about people anymore. Your parents’ deaths were not your fault, and they would be devastated to know you were doing everything you could to push away those who care for you most.
Stryx was the only person I couldn’t make disappear. The feathered annoyance was always there in my head, reminding me of things I’d much rather forget.
“I’m not leaving, Kaliah Grace. Neither is Ryland. You had your time, and now you’ve forced our hand.” Jordan glared from across the training field as the storm around me died down.
I’d at least had the forethought to go outside of town before I let the power rip from my core and through the sky. Power that had been unleashed just moments too late. Useless then, but I’d make sure the next shot I had at Alaryk wasn’t wasted.
Ryland was next to Jordan with Stryx on his shoulder. They both stared at me, but with more patience than my best friend.
Deciding I’d let enough of the rage out for the afternoon, I caved and went to them. I didn’t have the energy to deal with Jordan if I refused to speak with them once again. Her level of annoyance with me was only increasing as the days passed, and I knew deep down she didn’t deserve the treatment I’d been giving her. None of them did.
She opened her mouth, but Ryland covered it with his hand. “You yell at her one more time and I’ll deal with you myself.”
She bit his hand, and he pulled away. “She’s my best friend. I’ll do whatever I want.”
Stryx snapped his beak. “Enough. Both of you. Kali, how are you feeling after utilizing that much power?”
What I appreciated most about that question was that he had specified it to my abilities, not my actual feelings. It was possible Stryx knew me even better than Jordan did, but I’d never tell her that. She’d probably murder the owl.
She could certainly try. It would be fun, Stryx replied to my thoughts.
Jordan caught my grin and crossed her arms. “Hey, no mind speak. It’s rude in front of other people.”
“I’m doing fine with the power,” I said, answering Stryx’s question. “The crown helps more than I realized before. Though, if I take it off for even a second, my body begins to shake, and breathing becomes hard. Will that last forever?”
I hoped not, because I didn’t want the crown to be a permanent fixture on my head, but I’d deal with it over my magic taking control any day.
“Do you remember us mentioning something about you being an Arelia when you first arrived?” Stryx asked instead of answering me.
I recalled when Jordan had mentioned it during my first meeting with Oliver. Stryx had said that would come later in my training, and I’d been perfectly okay with that, considering all the changes I’d been going through at the time.
“Is that what this is?” I gestured toward the sky where the last few flashes of lightning were fading away.
Right after the fight ended with Alaryk, something in me had snapped and I’d been struck by my own power. So had Ryland, but he’d absorbed the lightning nearly as well as I had, which I still didn’t quite understand.
The power I’d somehow summoned had turned my water affinity into something more, something nobody around me had ever seen. While it seemed to make most people afraid of me, I was basking in the charge of the storms I created.
“Yes, your emotions broke the last of my blocks on your abilities, and we need to get them under control. The longer we wait, the harder it will be,” Stryx answered.
“What do I need to do?” I asked eagerly. Anything that needed to be done in order to beat Alaryk, I’d do without a second thought. Plus, it was a welcome distraction from the grief.
“You need to formally bond with Ryland like we planned before. He will level out your power and take on whatever you can’t handle, like he did when you first created the lightning.”
Well, I’d do everything but that. Or, at least, I didn’t want to.
Ryland was my Meraki. My soulmate. I’d promised him I would accept our bond officially, but we’d never made it that far and I’d pushed him away ever since.
I was a hot mess and didn’t want to take him down with me
.
“Alaryk mentioned time for her to grieve. We don’t need to do it now,” Ryland said when I didn’t answer right away. The hurt in his voice broke my heart.
I wanted everything the bond promised. I wanted it more than he knew. More than all of that, though, I wanted to keep everyone else safe. The closer they got to me, the more I had to lose, and I couldn’t handle any more hurt.
“If you continue on this path, it will only result in your failure,” Stryx said before flying away. I knew exactly what he meant—if I kept pushing people away and chose the darkness—but the others didn’t, and they never would if I had anything to do with it.
“What does Mr. Know-It-All mean?” Jordan snapped, clearly past offering me her sympathy.
“Nothing. I’m sorry I’ve ignored you all, but I appreciate you being there today.”
The burial for my parents had been rough, harder than I’d attempted to prepare myself for, but Jordan and Ryland had each held one of my hands as I’d stood above their graves and watched the dirt be filled in.
Instead of a headstone, trees had been planted over their graves as the only marker for where their bodies laid, and I’d vowed to visit often to make sure the trees grew tall and strong.
“We wouldn’t have missed it for anything,” Ryland responded. “We thought after everything this morning that you might like some company back at the house.”
My head shook, but before I could speak, Stryx was back inside my mind.
I mean it, Kaliah. Push those who wish to help you away and you will fail.
Stupid, intrusive owl. I’m going to figure out how to block you and it will be the best day in the world.
I hope you do, he replied smugly.
“Sure, you can come back with me,” I answered, then ported home without another word.
By the time I took the first step on the porch, they were right behind me. I turned around to find them silently yelling at each other, mouths moving and hands flailing.
“Uh, what’s wrong?” I asked.
“Oh, nothing. Ryland just needs to run an errand, so it will just be the two of us for a little while,” Jordan replied with a forced smile.
“Actually, I don’t have anywhere I’d rather be,” he snarled.
I moved toward them, placing a hand on each of their chests. My eyes went to Ryland’s as warmth flowed from me to him, our incomplete bond flaring to life, reminding me of the peace he provided to my soul. Which made my next words even harder. “Give us an hour, then I’ll kick her out.”
She jerked away from me. “Like hell you—”
“It’s either that or I continue to ignore you both,” I cut her off with a raised brow.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
Ryland reached for my hand that was still resting on his chest. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
Emotion I wasn’t prepared for rushed through me. It was the first intentional contact I’d had with anyone in five days. Sure, I’d received hugs and handshakes from others, but I’d felt nothing then. I’d refused to allow their sympathies to have any impact on the rage I clung to, but welcoming Ryland’s touch showed me Stryx was right.
I’d had my time to be isolated and guarded, but it was time to let others back in.
Ryland kissed the back of my hand and then disappeared from sight.
“Just because he’s your Meraki, doesn’t mean I’m going to let him monopolize all of your time,” Jordan huffed.
“I know, and I love you for that. Now, let’s go inside, but if you comment on the chaos, I will kick you out.”
I’d been staying in the main house while Jordan and Ryland stayed in the guest house. I hadn’t let either of them in, and I’d made quite the mess during my isolation.
As I opened the back door, even I cringed at the disaster. Broken glass crunched beneath my shoes, and dying flowers were scattered around the room from when I’d thrown a vase someone had left on the porch. I’d never even glanced at the card to see who they were from.
Boxes and bags of food had been left on the counter. When I’d bothered to eat, I had only chosen food I didn’t need dishes for, afraid I’d break more things.
Jordan walked toward the hall closet and pulled out a broom and dustpan. “Why don’t we therapy clean?”
Instead of answering, I threw my arms around her and held on tight as new tears leaked from my eyes.
Her hand held the back of my head as I shook against her. “It’s going to be okay, Kali. Not today, tomorrow, or even next week, but you’re going to get through this. I’ll make sure of it.”
I nodded but didn’t reply. My throat was thick with emotion, and words refused to come.
A few minutes later, I managed to mostly pull myself back together. “Thank you.”
Tears of her own fell freely, and I felt like a jerk for not thinking about her pain. Jordan had been close with my parents, like another daughter to them. Yet, I’d only thought of myself after their deaths.
“I’m sorry, Jordan. We both lost them, and I left you by yourself because that’s what I needed, but I didn’t think about what you needed as well.”
She wiped away the tears. “I had Ryland and Oliver. Before you came along, they were my only friends. They let me beat the hell out of them while I wished for nothing more than to be able to offer you the same relief from the heartache.”
I let a smile tug at my lips. “I bet you made them regret allowing you to do so.”
“That I did, but they never said one word. They’re good men, Kali.”
I understood the double meaning to her words. “I won’t push any of you away anymore. Stryx wouldn’t let me if I tried anyway, but I don’t know that it’s a good idea to bond with Ryland now.”
Jordan began sweeping, remaining calmer than I expected. “Why is that?”
“He’s already had to experience the loss of one Meraki—even if it was fake. I don’t want to put him through that again.” I grabbed a garbage bag from the kitchen to pick up the bigger pieces of glass, followed by all of the trash.
“Who says he would lose you? Do you plan on dying?” Jordan countered.
“No. I don’t know. It could happen, though. I don’t want to have to worry about risks and hurting others when I’m so dead set on making sure Alaryk pays for what he did. I can’t be the person Ryland deserves when the hate and darkness are so strong.”
The prophecy that I would turn dark and work alongside Alaryk was never far from my thoughts. Every time I contemplated killing him, the darkness became more profound, and I wondered just how true the foretelling might become.
“That’s not darkness, Kali. That’s grief and rage. You lost your parents just five days ago. You’re not supposed to be whole right now, and we all understand that. Ryland more than anyone. He lost his parents, too, you know.”
I let her words sink in and wondered if they could be true—if I could overcome the ugliness growing within me. I was a shattered version of a past me that I no longer recognized or understood. I used to think I could put everything back together, but I wasn’t so sure anymore.
And taking anyone else down with me besides Alaryk wasn’t on my agenda.
Chapter Two
After we finished cleaning up and the house didn’t smell like a garbage can, I sat with Jordan on the couch, simply enjoying her company. She could be crass at the best of times, which I loved about her, but she also knew when I just needed her presence.
“It’s going to be okay,” she said, not for the first time, while leaning her head down onto mine.
My finger touched my temple. “I know that here, but it’s hard to convince my heart of the same thing.”
“Just don’t push us away anymore. We only want to help, and you need to remember you can’t do this on your own. Don’t let vengeance consume you or Alaryk will win, even if you beat him. He wanted to break you and turn you into something you’re not. Don’t give that to him.”
I knew she was right. Deep down, I had
already acknowledged why the dark fae had done what he did, but still, the rage that wasn’t leaving anytime soon was so much louder than anything else around me.
The lines between right and wrong were being blurred as I thought of all the things I wanted to do to Alaryk. No, not wanted, I needed to do.
Before I could get worked up again, a knock sounded at the back door, and Jordan stood to answer it. Glancing back, I could see Ryland through the glass with Stryx on his shoulder, making me wonder how close those two were getting.
Even though I’d told Ryland we could talk, I still wanted to run away. He wanted more from me than I was able to give, and I wasn’t sure how to explain that to him. As much as I didn’t want to hurt him, I didn’t know what else to do. He didn’t deserve half of a person as a Meraki.
Stryx sighed in my head, but I ignored him. I wasn’t in the mood for one of his lectures, and apparently, he knew it, because he kept the verbal opinions to himself.
Jordan glanced at the non-existent watch on her wrist. “Punctual as ever, Ry. Couldn’t even give me an extra five minutes?”
“I gave you an hour. Now, go,” he grumbled, and I cracked a smile.
Ryland and I hadn’t really gotten anywhere with whatever relationship we were trying to establish, but when he’d held on to me during the lightning strike, the action had shown me I could count on him, even if I didn’t want to. It made my current predicament really frustrating when he reminded me of what I was trying to give up.
Jordan hugged me goodbye, holding on just a minute longer than usual. “Be kind to him. He’s not handling this well, either,” she whispered in my ear, and I nodded.
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