Heir of Shadows (The Shadowborne Legacy Book 1)

by Emma Harley

  “What are you wearing?” he asked curiously. Raina grinned.

  “These are my clothes from the human world, I only wear dresses to important events,” she shrugged, helping herself to juice and toast. She could feel the stares around her but she pointedly ignored them as she ate. Her eyes caught her squad staring at her across the room as she turned to Kade.

  “What are your plans for today?” she asked sweetly. He nodded his head towards his father at the other table.

  “My father is returning home today and I am to join him. Are you coming with me?” he asked quietly. Raina smiled and nodded.

  “Yes I already told my parents I would be leaving with you. Unfortunately they have insisted that my visit be a short one, they aren’t too comfortable with the thought of me being so far away if that wall breaks,” she lied, sighing softly. Kade shrugged.

  “Well this can be a short visit, but you would be more than welcome to return for a longer one once this mess is all fixed,” he offered with a smile, “How long will you be staying?”

  “Probably only a day or two. I’ll get a visit to the Halls of Ogma and then I will return here. Hopefully with good news,” she winked at him slyly and he chuckled, a little piece of egg falling from his lips as he did so. A servant passed a note to her, bowing gently as he carried on.

  Sword-training after breakfast. You better eat properly – Malakhai.

  “Who is Mal… Oh the general,” Raina clapped her forehead. She had solely referred to him as Taranis for the length of time she had known him, saying his forename sounded foreign. Kade peeked over and smirked.

  “You’re learning how to use a sword?”

  Raina bobbed her head with a groan.

  “If we’re going to war, I better learn how to fight properly or I won’t be a very good queen,” she sighed. Her pride was wounded every time she had to pretend like she couldn’t wipe out half of the room in a fight, but she swallowed it down and shoved the note into her pocket.

  “I have to go get changed, but I am already packed and ready to go, when will you be leaving?” she asked softly. Kade flicked his eyes to a strange gold pocketwatch.

  “I must travel separate from my father, he’s leaving at midday, I can wait until the afternoon for you,” he offered. Raina grinned and nodded.

  “I will meet you in the entrance hall when you’re ready then.” He stood with her and kissed her hand in farewell before she ran off to change into her training gear and down another bottle of the pink potion.

  The courtyard was full of sweaty guards grunting and smacking swords in the heat of the morning sun. Several of the royals had also joined in, seemingly for a bout of stress relief after the summit yesterday. Raina clamped her lips together as she took in the sights, her stomach tightening. Damn hormones. She swore under her breath and strode over to where Taranis stood, shouting orders at two young men sparring.

  “Right let’s get on with it,” she insisted, picking up a wooden sword from the pile. Taranis eyed her carefully and guided her off. She copied his footwork and began following his instructions carefully.

  Your boyfriend has come to watch you.

  Raina jumped at his voice in her head, hissing as the distraction earning her a sharp rap across the knuckles.

  I have to talk this way, he’s the one believes you’re an idiot right?

  Yeah, that’s Prince Kade. Why are you calling him my boyfriend?

  We saw you two all over each other last night.

  Raina paused. We?

  Calviere and Kalen were at the party before you left.

  She winced at yet another slap on her knuckles and continued sparring, trying to keep her thoughts on her footwork and blocking his attacks.

  I’m going to Mordoire with Kade today. I was going to ask you and the others to accompany me as my guards.

  Do you need guarded from your boyfriend? Raina scowled and launched an attack on him, managing to slap his knuckles in return. I don’t need guarded from him. It’s just a ruse so we can search the halls for clues about the weapon. And since I’m acting like royalty, I’ll need guards with me while visiting another kingdom.

  You haven’t denied that he is your boyfriend.

  She tried to ignore his jibes, the cocky smirk on his face only infuriating her. But since Kade was watching, she couldn’t fight him properly. Thankfully though, it gave her a chance to focus on her footwork instead of trying to land an attack. Kade is going to propose to me for an alliance. I’m going to accept so we aren’t at a disadvantage during this war.

  Taranis was stunned for a second, allowing her to swipe his feet from under him and whack his head with the sword. She grinned down at him.

  “Be prepared for anything general. You lost your focus for a second,” she jeered, extending her hand to help him up. He sprang back into position and readied himself for another bout.

  Surprisingly, he said nothing. Her head was silent as they continued sparring until he loudly called for a break. Raina was slicked with sweat as she spied her squad collapsed in a panting heap beside Kalen’s biting cold breeze. Logan wouldn’t even look at her, instead walking off to pummel a striking dummy.

  “You all know that is cheating,” she scolded, pointing at Kalen, “You need to recover quickly without aid from others. I can’t believe I have to go over basics with you lot.”

  Kade can hear you General Phoenix. Act like a dumbass, it shouldn’t be too difficult with your experience.

  Raina sent a stream of swear words and insults through the connection until she felt it break as Prince Kade came to join her.

  “You’re quite impressive for a beginner,” he grinned. Raina shrugged.

  “I learned a little bit in the human world, but General Taranis has been putting me through the ringer since I arrived here. I just picked it up easily I guess,” she fibbed smoothly, gulping down a bottle of water. The prince’s gaze fell on her tattoos and his mouth fell into an ‘o’.

  “Your parents allowed you to be marked?” he asked in shock. Raina glanced at the artwork on her body and laughed.

  “I had this done when I was human,” she chuckled, “Although being a princess will not stop me from getting more if I feel like it.” Kade lifted a towel and patted her forehead gently.

  “I have to go and see my father off, but I will be waiting for you in the foyer mid-afternoon. I will send word with a servant when I am ready,” he mumbled quietly, trying not to be overheard by the others. Raina knew damn well they were listening in anyway, the males probably repeating whatever the squad couldn’t hear.

  “I’ll grab a quick shower after training and then I must see my parents before I leave. I won’t be late,” she smiled, pointedly ignoring the stares from the squad as he kissed her hand goodbye.

  “Can I be a bridesmaid?” Izak jeered, his grin broadening under her glare.

  “You’ll be lucky if you get invited,” she snorted, picking up a sword once again.

  The rest of the morning flew in quickly, and Raina rushed to her room for a shower and a change of clothes before she packed for the trip. She dug in her jeans for the paper she had written on and tucked it safely under the drawer in her dresser for later. She balled up a light yellow gown and a matching tiara banded with yellow and pink sapphires and tucked them into her suitcase. It felt so strange to be going without a case full of weapons, but that was why she was bringing the squad with her. As her guards, they would be equipped with extra weapons just for her in case things went south.

  She slipped into a lilac dress, thankful that Aija had requested new attire for her. She had specified no puff, no frills and no unnecessary layers. And now she had a knee-length summer dress with a thin layer of iridescent fabric and tiny flowers embroidered along the hem. It wasn’t the first thing she would have chosen, but it was miles better than the monstrosities she had been offered before. Raina donned some amethyst earrings and twisted some purple gems into her hair. After this visit, she wouldn’t have to wear any of thi
s anymore and she was very grateful for that.

  “You look lovely.” Raina started as Aija smiled at her from the doorway, Alexei at her side.

  “Don’t you people knock?” she scowled, tossing her boots into her suitcase.

  “We heard about Kade,” Alexei mumbled. Raina paused her packing.

  “I don’t want to get forced into a marriage with this war coming up. So Kade and I agreed on an alliance on our own terms,” she explained, avoiding looking at them.

  “Raina, we were never going to force you into a marriage because of this,” Aija insisted, “there are other ways around this.” Raina peeked her head into the hallway and closed the door quietly.

  “It’s not a real marriage,” she whispered, pulling the window closed before explaining her and Kade’s plan.

  “So you’re doing this solely for the alliance? He’s not looking for an heir or a claim to our throne?” Alexei shook his head in disbelief, “Raina how can you be sure he isn’t taking advantage of you?”

  “He has a mate. One he can’t tell his father about. So I made him a deal, we make an alliance for our countries, with specific addendums in our marriage contract that don’t allow for the throne to pass to the other if we die. We will name our heirs separately and once he is king, we’ll annul the wedding. He won’t expect an heir, I don’t even have to live with him, and he gets to stay with his mate. Meanwhile, we have access to Mordoire’s armies for this battle, including their roc armies. I’ve looked at our airborne units and we are woefully unprepared. Most of those demons can fly, and with the roc armies we might be able to swing the tide in our favour.” Aija just stared at her hands, silently twisting her wedding band around her finger. Alexei began pacing through the room.

  “If Albior finds out you and Kade have lied, he might not pass the crown to his son. He could name another heir,” he pointed out, running his hands through his hair.

  “If he names another heir, he disrupts the line of succession and opens the throne to every illegitimate child and anyone lower in the succession ranks. Their laws are very clear. As soon as the heir apparent is married, the current monarch must begin the Passing to ensure the next heir has no contest to the throne. Should the current monarch refuse, they are obligated to fight the heir apparent in a battle to the death. And it turns out King Albior has so many illegitimate children he could fill a legion.” Alexei stopped pacing to stare at her.

  “How do you know all of this?” he gaped. Raina rolled her eyes.

  “I’m not really an idiot princess. I didn’t walk into a marriage alliance blindfolded. I did my research.” She zipped up her suitcase and pushed herself to her feet, her muscles still aching from training.

  “Kade is fully on board with the plan. We’ll be married on paper only, and we’ll have armies for when that barrier falls. He’s a prince, and I’m a general, it’s quite literally our job to keep our countries safe.”

  She ignored the glances between them and dragged her suitcase into the hallway, stopping abruptly as she spotted Logan in the entrance hall. His scent hit her immediately and she scrunched up her nose. His usual rainy scent was tainted by stale alcohol and smoke, as well as a strange floral wisp she couldn’t recognise.

  “Why is he here and why does he have a bag?” she hissed at Alexei.

  “You need guards,” he said dumbly, “I thought it prudent to send the ones you were already acquainted with.” Raina forced a smile as Kade spotted her and rushed to grab her luggage.

  “Ready to go, Your Highness?” he asked breathlessly. She smiled broadly and bobbed her head.

  “I can’t wait,” she grinned, taking his arm as he led her down the stairs and out to a large white limousine. His driver began putting the luggage in the boot as she turned back to Alicia and the monarchs.

  “Don’t fuss so much,” she insisted, “I’ll be back in two days as promised.” She hugged Alicia tightly as the latter whispered quietly in her ear. Ryver gave his father a swift hug and promised to keep a careful eye on Raina as she dashed off to get into the limo.

  The ride to the airport was almost uncomfortable. Logan’s stony silence and glares made everyone feel uncomfortable, broken only by Raina and Kade endlessly comparing things from the human world to this one. Once they were on the plane and in the air, Kade leaned over to whisper in her ear.

  “I don’t think your friends like me very much,” he muttered quietly. Raina glanced at Logan’s sour expression and Davin’s gloomy face.

  “They’re always like this. I’d be more worried if you saw them crack a smile,” she teased. Izak lumbered down to sit opposite them and pulled out his sword. Kade looked ready to pounce before Raina placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “Relax, I had this commissioned specially for my friends,” she soothed. The blade was shining brightly in the sun, but it seemed to suck the oxygen from the air around them.

  “Meticium blade, tested and tried. Perfect for those demons trying to make their way through the barrier,” he grinned. Raina absent-mindedly twisted the cuffs on her wrist as she pored over the sword, a motion that didn’t go unnoticed by Kade.

  “Why do you have to wear meticium cuffs?” he asked curiously. Raina glanced at him in confusion.

  “Didn’t your father ever tell you why I had to be sent away?” He shook his head slowly as Izak dashed back to his seat.

  “My mother is part shadow-walker. And I got all of my father’s powers. So without these to keep me in check, my powers run wild and destroy everything around me. It’s the joys of having cursed blood,” she sighed, running a finger along the chunky cuffs.

  “I know about the shadow-walker curse. The god who cursed them is imprisoned behind the gate in their territory isn’t he?” he asked. Raina nodded and took a sip of sparkling wine.

  “Yes. And the only way to break the curse is to defeat him. But it has to be a Shadow-walker in binding that defeats him. But since the binding stops them from using magic, we can’t defeat him,” she huffed. A cramp ran through her abdomen, making her double over in pain. Kade panicked slightly, calling her guards as she tried to dig through her bag for the potions.

  “Are you okay?” Taranis asked gently, putting a hand to her forehead, “Shit. Kalen, get your icy ass over here.”

  Kalen trudged over, grumbling unappreciatively at the summons. He focused a steady stream of hoarfrost along her skin as she downed one of the bottles with a shudder. Davin leaned over the chair with a concerned expression as a fresh wave of pain crashed through her. Kade turned to them all.

  “Are you all unmated?” he frowned as they glanced between each other.

  “None of us are mated prince,” Kalen muttered, focusing heavily on bringing Raina’s temperature down as Kade glared at them all.

  “Just keep your distance from her until she is better,” he ordered, earning a growl from Logan.

  “She is our princess, and we are not so uncivilised that we would try anything untoward with her,” he snarled, almost squaring off against the prince. Taranis roughly shoved the captain down with a warning glare as JJ sighed an apology to the prince.

  “I wish I could say he was acting out of character, but this is quite normal. You may get used to it if you’re planning to marry our princess,” he blurted out. Kalen’s icy breeze disappeared as he stared at Raina and Kade.

  “You’re getting married?” he asked quietly. Logan was frozen, staring at her as she looked to Kade for support.

  “We haven’t made anything official yet, but since a war is looming ahead of us, we are getting married for an alliance between our countries,” Kade explained.

  “Kalen, icy wind, please,” Raina begged, clutching her stomach.

  “Sorry,” he muttered, “When did you decide this?” Raina breathed heavily and took a sip of wine.

  “Last night. His father has been pushing for a marriage alliance since I was born, and he was going to try and push for it again with this visit. So Kade and I agreed to do this on our own ter
ms, securing an alliance so we aren’t married off to anyone else,” she explained, moaning slightly in relief as the cold air began cooling her down. Taranis almost shoved Kalen into the plane window as he plopped down beside him.

  “So tell me prince. How does your mate factor into this?” he asked with a smirk. Raina’s eyes widened as Kade whipped his head to her.

  “I can’t believe you told him,” he snapped angrily. Raina frowned at his tone.

  “I didn’t tell him, you just did,” she huffed. Taranis smiled and leaned across the table.

  “I know for a fact that the other males and myself are restraining ourselves with Raina’s scent, but you are sitting beside her unfazed. You are already a mated male,” he divulged, eyeing the prince with a look that dared him to prove him wrong. Kade gritted his teeth and clenched Raina’s hand under the little table.

  “This does not leave this plane. No one can know I have a mate, especially not my father,” he demanded. Taranis tilted his head to Raina.

  “So if the prince has a mate, why are you agreeing to marry him?” Raina scowled at the crowded men and glanced quickly at Kade.

  “We need an alliance. And other countries will be lining up for me with this war coming. Kade and I are only marrying for that purpose. I have no interest in giving him an heir or anything else. After the marriage, he will become King, and he can safely live with his mate. I could end up married to someone who will expect an heir or even the Avellian crown. Kade and I have an agreement. The marriage is just for the armies and security for our countries. No children, no consummating, no messy divorce after. King Albior won’t provide armies unless he gets a marriage alliance, so that’s what we’re doing.”

  “You couldn’t have told us that earlier?” JJ snapped, “We thought you had lost your damn mind, we’ve been worried sick thinking someone was mind-controlling you or something!” Raina gave him an apologetic smile as he rolled his eyes and slumped into his seat.