In Malice (The Stolen Queen Book 1)

by A. M. Hodges

  Well I'll be damned.

  "Aurora," I gasp and excitedly turn to stand in front of everyone, "Before the continent divided, it was called Aurora!

  That's how the phenomenon of the northern lights got their name!

  We've explained it away through science, but it's been right in front of our faces the entire time and we never knew because our world doesn't know that your world exists!"

  Jeb beams at me with pride.

  The clamor of falling rocks draws my attention back to the portal. A shirtless Fae male with long, salt and pepper hair pokes his head out from behind one of the rocks. The first things I notice are his bright yellow, reptilian eyes and snake-like tongue flicking out from behind his lips.

  When he spots the dead doe lying on the ground, he moves from behind the rock and reveals the large body of a snake that begins just under his rib cage. Green, black, and purple shimmer across his dark scales as he slithers up to his offering. He leans down to smell the doe before completely unhinging his jaw, showing large venomous fangs, and goes to swallow the doe whole.

  Jeb clears his throat and the snake-like male pauses, "You retrieve your payment after you have granted us passage, Gatekeeper."

  The Gatekeeper hisses but slithers to the side to allow us passage to the portal. As we walk past, I look up at him to find that he already has his eyes set on me. When I make eye contact, I swear he gives me a slight bow before returning his focus to the doe.

  Bramble, Lucah, and Miles go through the portal first, disappearing with a flare of light and a zap. Jeb grasps my hand and leads me through next. When we enter the portal, every hair on my body stands up and I feel all tingly. The light is too bright to really see anything, but with two steps and another zap we exit the other side into a new world.

  We enter Malatia in a field of lavender that smells heavenly. There are small tree groves baring exotic looking fruits and flower gardens bursting with color. The grass looks so soft and green that it doesn't seem real. To our left is a forest filled with trees bigger than any oak or pine I have ever seen. I can see signs of a village off in the distance and hear the quiet bustling of resident Fae.

  I was so enamored with the nature around me that I didn't even notice the three Fae that were already waiting for us when we exited the portal. Looking at the male, I can already guess who they are.

  Josiah is almost an exact replica of his brother. The only differences he has are in his royal blue eyes and hair, free of the traditional braids that Jeb wears, and a long-jagged scar that runs from the top center of his right eyebrow to bottom of his right cheek bone. Josephine has the bone structure of her brothers but the petit softness of her mother.

  She stands only about an inch taller than me and has teal hair, with eyes to match, curled into long ringlets down her back. They are both simply dressed, Josephine in a loose ivory silk dress that pools at her feet and Josiah in loose brown leather pants and a light blue cotton button up.

  Jeb's mother wanders up to me, violet hair flowing in the wind, and takes my hands in hers, "You must be Reyna! My name is Julianna. I'd be lying if I said I haven't been dying to meet you," she winks at Jeb, "but someone has decided to keep all details about you to himself. You must tell me everything!"

  "There will be time for that later, Mother," Josiah pulls her away from me before taking my hand, "Welcome home, my Queen," he bows and kisses my hand.

  "Uhhh," I laugh awkwardly, "I take it Jeb didn't pass along the no bowing rule?"

  The poor thing looks completely confused as Jeb rolls his eyes and laughs from his spot where he is talking to his mother. Josephine is dancing impatiently behind Josiah and jabbing him in the shoulder with her finger to get him to move.

  "Is there a no hugging rule?" she wrings her hands as if it is taking all her self-control to stay still.

  "No, there isn't a no hugging rule," I smile at her.

  "Oh good!" she launches herself at me and yanks me into a hug, "I'm Josephine! I have been so excited to meet you and I'm positive that we are going to be best friends! I want all of the details on how you melted my brother’s ice-cold heart" she giggles and grins devilishly at Jeb.

  "Enough Josie," Jeb pulls me into his chest, "I'm sure Reyna would enjoy a bath and a proper bed. It's been a long journey. The three of you can gossip over dinner."

  She pouts but relents and walks off with everyone else, heading towards the village. I move to follow them, but Jeb grabs my arm and pulls me back to him.

  "Aren't we going to follow them?"

  He smiles at me and I see mischief dance in his eyes.

  "I told you, I have a surprise waiting."

  He pulls me the opposite way of the village, towards the tree groves. We walk in silence and he lets me take in my new home. Fruits of all shapes and colors hang from the trees as we walk through the groves. Little beds of flowers grow at the base of their trunks and various birds sing beautiful songs. At the center of the groves, we come upon a two-story brick cottage.

  It has white trim around the roof and windows with a sage green door. Planters overflowing with yellow, white, and pink flowers adorn every window and there is a garden spread out front with tulips, lilies, orchids and shrubbery. A stone path lined with small lanterns leads from where we are standing to the front door.

  "That is the most gorgeous cottage I have ever seen," I gasped up at Jeb, "is this yours?"

  "Well, kind of," he chewed nervously on his lip, "I know it's no Georgia mansion, but I was hoping that it could be ours. Which leads me to the second part of your surprise."

  He drops down on one knee in front of me. I feel tears pool in my eyes and my chin trembles.

  "Reyna, you are mine in every way possible to the Fae. You are my mate, my Tiarkye, and you are my equal. You are my strength in times of weakness, my peace in times of war. You managed to melt my heart that had long ago turned cold," he inhales deeply and takes my hands before gazing into my eyes, "I do not wish to be King; I only wish to be yours. Reyna Sorialla Valdikye,

  will you marry me?"

  Chapter 28

  Jebediah

  I have been in two wars and won hundreds of battles. I have mastered every weapon and won countless tournaments. I have started at the very bottom and became General of all Malatian armies. There are centuries worth of victories under my belt but, no victory comes close to what it felt like to hear her say the word "yes".

  My heart had turned to ice long ago. Centuries of war and blood shed will do that. After Myria, I didn’t want to feel anything ever again. I drowned my sorrows in wine and women and lost myself in battle after battle. Females meant nothing more to me than physical pleasure, a way to satiate my needs. Everything changed the day that Reyna ran her delicate fingers down the center of my wing.

  I tried to fight my feelings in the beginning. When I saw how close she was getting to Lucah, I was relieved at first. I pushed her hard during training, attempting to keep her at a distance. The more I tried, the stronger my pull to her got. Then, I fell in love with her and the Gods granted me a gift. She became my mate.

  Weddings are a big thing in the human realm, a major milestone in life. I didn't understand the meaning or purpose behind them until I swallowed my pride and asked Miles. Having grown up in the human realm, I figured he knew the most about it.

  The night I watched her walk down the stairs in a prom dress was the night I knew that I wanted to marry her.

  I already knew that she was my mate and that our souls were bonded for eternity, but I wanted her to have what a marriage stood for. I wanted vows made in front of our closest loved ones, to love each other unconditionally for the rest of our lives. I wanted the finality of being so certain that we wanted to spend eternity together that we would swear it in the name of an all-powerful being. I wanted the world to know that my heart, body, and soul lies with her.

  I am in complete bliss as we lay naked under the fruit trees. She's been ogling her ring for a while now. There is a content smil
e on her face, but I can also see the storm brewing behind her eyes as she contemplates the future and the war that we are facing. Every so often, I can see the thoughts getting to her, so I say something to try and catch her attention. I usually have to repeat myself, but I don't mind.

  Seeing her so enamored with something that I gave her fills me with pride and makes me the happiest man alive, in both realms.

  Reyna

  "You know this needs to stay between us for now, right?" I say half-heartedly as I admire the exquisite piece of jewelry that now adorns my left ring finger.

  The ring is a true work of art. It is dainty, elegant and bold all at the same time. The slim, gold band is encrusted with tiny diamonds. In place of the usual rock on top, there is a large emerald in a teardrop cut. Tiny diamonds are also encrusted around the border of the emerald. Needless to say, I have been admiring it for the last thirty minutes and completely ignoring Jeb. He isn't taking it to heart though. Every time he has to repeat himself or I respond with "huh?" his smile beams with pride and he waits patiently until he has my full attention.

  I haven't only been admiring the ring if I'm being honest. The future that we will have is playing on a loop in my head. So is the future that we won't have if all of this doesn't end well. We are still walking into a war. Blood is still going to be shed. The people that we love still might die.

  My chest constricts at the thought of losing our loved ones.

  "I know. Lucah and Miles were already aware of my plans to ask for your hand," he kisses my head as we lay beneath the fruit trees, "They have been sworn to secrecy. We all know the risks that come with Rune discovering our mating bond, and how it can be used against us."

  "Does this mean I have to take my ring off?" I say in mock despair.

  "Luckily for you, the Fae don't know the significance of a ring on that finger. They will merely think that is a present. So no, my love, you do not have to take your ring off."

  I kiss him deeply before rolling to my side and grabbing his shirt.

  "We need to get going," I throw his shirt at his chest as I stand and begin collecting my things, "wouldn't want your mother to come looking for us."

  He lets out a long groan in response and pretends to smother himself with his shirt. I chuckle as I walk to the cottage to find something besides my armor to wear.

  I make my way through the cottage until I find what I assume is the master bedroom. The cottage in perfect. It is decorated exactly the way I'd always imagined a fairy cottage would look like and I could swear he plucked the image right out of my head and brought it to life. The walls have been painted in neutral shades and the floors are all hardwood. Sheer, white curtains billow in the breeze in front of the open windows and flowers adorn almost every surface.

  Downstairs is a large kitchen, a dining room, a living room with a TV and DVD player that he had sent from the human realm, and a parlor room that he had converted into a library for me. When I walk through the door, I am greeted by a wooden, spiral staircase that leads to the open upstairs foyer. To my left is the dining room and the living room is on my right. The back of the cottage houses the kitchen and library.

  The living room has a large, stone fireplace that takes up most of the back wall and a Victorian beige chaise with a matching sofa and a mahogany coffee table. The coffee table's base looks like the trunk of a tree. He has also bought all my favorite movies and shows on DVD. I quickly scanned the library and saw that he had bought every book that was on my list and then some. If I don't leave now, Jeb is going to have to physically pry me from this room. I'll have more time to explore later.

  Upstairs has three bedrooms, each with their own bathroom. I have my own closet in our master bedroom. Jeb wasn't lying when he said I would have everything I needed. One side of the closet is full of dresses in different styles and colors. The other side is full of tank tops and shirts.

  Lined neatly beneath the cloths are different styles of boots and sandals. There are even some heels there that I force myself not to drool over. Two manakins are lined up on the back wall with two more sets of armor. I know that if I look in the dresser, I will find pants and undergarments neatly folded and waiting.

  I decide on a simple black dress with spaghetti straps. The chiffon layers fall lightly to my knees and the open back stops just above my hips. Most of my clothes seem cut to accommodate my wings. I pair the dress with gold sandals that lace up my calves and some gold bangle bracelets before heading downstairs to meet Jeb.

  I find him waiting for me in front of the cottage with fresh braids in his hair, loose brown leather pants, and a cream-colored tunic. I've never seen him like this before. Standing there with the scales on his wings shimmering in the sun and his hair braided away from his ears, he looks like a ten-ton weight has been lifted from his chest. The stress is absent from his face and his posture is relaxed as he leans against a tree with his hands in his pockets. In the human realm, he was always so cautious and stiff as if he were suffocating trying to hide who he is. Now that he is home, he's been set free.

  "All ready to go gorgeous?" he takes my hand and leads the way.

  We walk in a peaceful silence towards the village. Even living in a small country town wasn't this quiet. There was always the hum of a car engine somewhere, the whirring of powerlines or a neighbor's TV being played too loud. As we walk through the trees the only things I hear are the birds singing, tree leaves rustling in the breeze, and our soft footsteps in the grass.

  The sun is setting as we approach the village. It looks suspiciously abandoned which sets all my senses on edge. As I reach to draw my daggers Jeb lightly grabs ahold on my arm, stopping me.

  "Listen," he lightly instructs as a small smirk appears on his face.

  Just as I begin to scrunch my brows in confusion, I hear it. I can hear a steady thrum of a beat traveling out from within the village. Jeb's smirk has turned into a beaming smile and his happiness is infectious.

  "Your family threw us a party?" I surmise.

  "My family definitely threw us a party," he grabs my hand and takes off towards the music, dragging me behind him.

  When we get there, the entire village is gathered in what I would call a "town square". There are Fae with food and drink tables set up, dancing on the dance floor, and lounging around at various tables spread throughout the square. In front of the dance floor is a stage with a DJ and a band set up on top of it. Twinkle lights have been strung between buildings and trees to light the space.

  I see Miles first and drag Jeb towards him.

  "Pretty crazy right?" Miles slurs as he throws his arm over my shoulders, "They sure know how to party here."

  Jeb chuckles next to me and plants a kiss on my forehead before going off to find his family.

  "Are you drunk little brother?" I tease as he sways awkwardly next to me.

  "Um, one," he puts his finger obnoxiously in my face, "I am bigger than you so you can't call me little," he sways again, "Two, Fae wine is way different than human alcohol. I feel tingly!" he giggles.

  Laughing and now supporting his full body weight, I spot Josie and Lucah hanging out by an empty table on the corner of the dance floor. Josie sees me first and laughs before smacking Lucah's arm and pointing for him to come help me. Lucah comes over and throws my brother's other arm over his shoulders, taking on half of the weight.

  "Let's sit you down light-weight."

  Miles attempts to argue but a slurred grumble is all that comes out. We sit him down at the table and a pink-haired Pixie comes over with some water and food. She sets it in front of Miles and gives us a wink before spinning back to the dance floor.

  Lucah goes off to find Josie as I sit, trying to force feed my drunk brother. I catch the two huddled together in a corner near the stage looking suspiciously flirty.

  "Are Lucah and Josie a thing?" I ask down the bond.

  "What kind of thing?" He whips back immediately.

  Sensing that the topic is dangerous territory, I immed
iately block him out. He will pester me about it later but for now, I'll keep my suspicions to myself. Lucah and Josie disappear into the crowd just as everyone starts cheering. I turn to look at the stage and see Jeb and Josiah are already up there, guitars strapped across their chests. The other two jumped up shortly after, Josie taking her place behind the drums and Lucah standing off to the side of Jeb with a bass guitar.

  Jeb steps up to the microphone as Josie counts down with her drumsticks. Josiah comes in first on the electric guitar and Josie shortly follows on the drums. My entire body breaks out into goosebumps as Lucah chimes in on the bass, setting the rhythm. Finally, my man joins in on the guitar and belts out the melody causing a huge grin to take over my face.

  Everyone is jumping and dancing in front of the stage. Even though I recognize his language, I still don’t know the lyrics, but it doesn't matter, I want to jump up and dance anyways. The music revives Miles and he gets up to head bang and dance with me before putting me on his shoulders so I can get a better look at the stage. It doesn't matter that I have wings and can get a better view myself, this is what we always do at concerts.

  The song ends and I am still on Miles's shoulders clapping and screaming like a maniac. Jeb sees me above everyone else and winks at me before transitioning to the next song. As soon as he plays the intro, I know what song is coming and a wicked grin spreads across Jeb's face. His siblings join in flawlessly as Escape the Fate's "Gorgeous Nightmare" booms through the village.