Of Darkness and Crowns

by Trisha Wolfe

  I close my eyes, trying to block out the conflicting emotions swirling within me. This isn’t Caben. This isn’t Caben.

  His stubbled cheek scratches at the side of my face as he leans in…his lips caressing my neck… This isn’t Caben. I chant louder in my head. Refusing to accept that this is the man I love. If Caben is inside, buried beneath the evil, Bale has stripped him of everything I once admired.

  I can’t allow my emotions, my feelings for the man who is lost, to factor into my duty.

  This is not Caben.

  His warm breath rolls over my skin as his lips trail the column of my neck. My stomach tightens with anticipation and need. It’s painful and pleasurable, and the mix of fire and nausea war within me. I swallow as he thrusts harder, his fingers digging into my flesh, gripping me closer as his arousal hardens.

  Against my will, my body responds, heat igniting between my thighs. I open my eyes; see Caben. Feel him.

  Curse the goddesses. Curse everything and everyone. My fingers close around his, and my leg pulls his body seamless along mine. No air between us to breathe, to allow oxygen to my brain to think and rationalize.

  Caben flicks his tongue out against my skin, and I close my eyes. “Let me in, Kal.” His hand moves along my leg to caress the back of my thigh as he tightens his hold. The heat from his palm creates a pleasing friction, and I suddenly wish there was nothing between us—no barrier of clothing keeping his skin from touching mine.

  As his lips track a path higher, my body continues to betray me. A moan escapes my lips, and as he brushes his against mine, I feel him smile. Just a second before his mouth is crushing mine.

  All thoughts are lost. Cast into the deepest part of the sea. So many times I’ve imagined the moment when Caben would kiss me again. When he was back. A tear trickles from the corner of my eye. I feel it slip down my cheek.

  But this kiss…it’s not the kiss of Caben returning to me. It’s hungry and violent and demanding. His lips work hard against mine as his tongue darts inside my mouth, consuming and controlling. Trying to own me. Possess me.

  As my lids slowly open, I see a faint red glow in his pupils, and I’m here. Yanked out of my desire and back into reality. The sadistic, wrong reality that is now the truth of us. Guilt and hurt replace the lust fueling our moment, and I wrench my mouth free.

  “No,” I bite out, jerking my head sideways.

  He groans and then grips my jaw, forcing me to look at him. “No?” A wicked smile tilts his lips. “That’s not what your body says, Kal.” He releases his grasp on my chin, and his hand roams the length of my leg until his fingers find the top of my uniform pants. Then, with a sudden motion, he dips his fingers beneath the band. The feel of his skin finally connecting with mine sends a current through my body.

  Fighting the want pulling me under, my legs buckling, my will being rendered helpless, I shake my head. “Not like this,” I whisper.

  I hear his deep chuckle, and as he works the button on my pants, his body thrusting more demandingly against mine—I know it’s wrong, but I only wish to be lost for one moment more. Just forget the world of goddesses and dark magics and fall into Caben.

  But the possessive gleam in his eyes releases me from that craving. And I realize with a sobering clarity that it’s not fully Caben’s allure enticing me. The power radiating off him in waves has to be affecting me, and I need to get far away from him. From it.

  The zipper gives, and he’s yanking my hips forward. “Spread your legs,” he whispers near my ear. “I want inside. Now.”

  I lick my lips, earning an appreciative look from Caben, and then I kiss him. Slowly. Tenderly. Then pulling back, I say, “Never like this.” Pushing my back off the wall, I ram my forehead into his and then drive my knee into his crotch.

  His hold on my wrists releases as he grabs himself and bends over. Not giving him time to recover, I haul back and punch him hard. My knuckles explode with pain, but I land another blow with my elbow to his nose.

  “Bitch!” he shouts.

  My chest aches like I’ve been punched. I hate that such a simple word uttered by this man can wound me so deeply. But I don’t retaliate with my own venomous words. Getting free of his power is my only thought.

  Quickly buttoning my pants, I force my legs to run, only stopping long enough to retrieve my discarded sword. When the sounds of the battle hit my ears, the fog lifts from my brain, and I’m disgusted that I’d forgotten about everyone and everything while under Caben’s spell.

  But that thought is short-lived as Caben’s angered shout follows me down the corridor.

  “You will submit, Kal. Or you will die.”

  My feet stumble as I round the last corner toward the chapel. Before I’m through the secret door and on my way to my companions and empress, his words reach me one last time, filling me with dread. And with shame—I admit—hope.

  “I swear it. You will be mine.”

  “The army is forcing them out,” Lilly says as she clips her transmitter to her harness. “It’s almost over.”

  I nod, my eyes absently scanning the inner-court grounds of the palace as the last of the Otherworlders flee. Her words should be comforting. Instead, a hollowness settles in my chest that I don’t want to understand.

  Glancing at the black sky through the council room window, I say, “It’s almost over. For now.” This last part I whisper, hoping she doesn’t respond. I’m not ready to face the questions she has for me about Caben.

  He allowed me to escape. I’m not so vain to believe that I bested him. Hell, I wasn’t even fighting. Not really. This is a game. A sadistic one. And I don’t know the rules. I don’t know this dark, evil Caben, so how can I?

  A shuffling of feet, chairs scraping the floor, and my mind is jogged from its deep refuge. Crossing my wrists behind my back, I turn to see Empress Iana enter the large room, followed by the Nactue. I lift my chin to them in greeting, and then as if the goddesses haven’t punished me enough, Julian Paynebridge breezes in right past the three stuffy council members already seated at the table.

  I recognize the searing in my chest instantly. Annoyance.

  Julian Paynebridge, eldest cousin to Prince Caben and sole heir to the Perinyian kingdom—in the event of Prince Caben’s demise—is the epitome of everything wrong with this kingdom. With any kingdom, really. It’s true I’ve learned a lot about the differences between men and women, and the roles they lead and share. My time down in the belly of the earth taught me things about life that I wouldn’t be able to learn in my own queendom, at least. But there are still times when I can’t fathom what the hell is wrong with some men.

  Like Julian Paynebridge.

  I wish Caben would have warned me when he was handing over the reigns to his country. But I suppose, during a life and death situation, the little details don’t seem so important. Like, oh yes, my cousin is a power-monger who despises women and will make your stay in my country most heinous. Who will fight to turn my whole country against you, even though I believed you worthy of making crucial decisions in my place.

  Julian is a power-hungry pain in my ass, bent on making himself king. Despite his so called affections for his cousin, the prince.

  As Julian’s gray eyes meet mine, he smiles. His full, smug smile that almost reminds me of Caben’s when we first met—but there is nothing in his cold eyes to contrast it. The way Caben’s were so steel blue and yet so friendly, you couldn’t help staring a moment too long into them, needing to know his secrets.

  “Members of the Council, Empress,” Julian begins, ticking his head to each person around the room. “Please, be seated and we’ll begin.” He flaps his cape back and seats himself at the large oblong table.

  There are still Otherworlders on Perinyian soil, and he’s calling a meeting. He’s impatient to point the finger at me, and try again to claim his right to the throne.

  Lilly nudges me with her shoulder as we walk toward the table, her way of saying, “Calm down, Kal.” Or, “This
isn’t Cavan—you can’t just run him through…”

  Despite the happenings of late, a slow smile crawls onto my face. Just the image of Julian’s face, all horror, as I prod him with my sword makes things seem less dire. But he does have a right to Caben’s throne, and if the Council decides the late King Marcus’ pact with Empress Iana is no longer relevant, then things could become much more dismal.

  If only I could’ve kept my feelings for Caben in check—could have captured him and then found a way to expel Bale…

  I void my mind of the consuming thoughts. There’s plenty of time later to scold and punish myself, to think and reason and pretend that what happened between Caben and I was just my being caught off-guard.

  Right now, as I’m seated across from Councilor Herna and the three members of the Perinyian Council, my empress beside me, my Nactue lined up against the wall—I can’t allow any emotions to show on my face.

  For one more meeting, I have to keep strong. For Caben.

  Even if the true king of Perinya has vowed to kill me.

  ♦ 7 ♦

  Caben

  WEAKLING!

  “Shut up!”

  Lake cocks his chin. “My Liege…?”

  Gripping my head, both hands tearing at my hair, I bang the back of my head against the Crusher’s metal hull. Nothing will end her nagging. If I thought grinding my brains out with the Crusher would rid me of Bale’s endless rant, I’d order Lake to run me over right now.

  The dark goddess is furious.

  My detour with Kal wasn’t how she planned our invasion of the palace to go…obviously. But I’m my own man, still. At least that’s what I’m determined to prove.

  She’s your ruin, Prince.

  And with that last statement, I bound from my seat and hover over Lake in the driver’s compartment. “To the den.”

  Lake only hesitates for a fraction of a second before shifting into a lower gear; the Crusher picks up speed. Any one of my generals in Perinya would have advised differently. Would have—calmly and respectfully—warned not to unwittingly lead our enemies right to our hideaway. But again, the Otherworlders do as told.

  And I’m not a fool. I suspect we’re being trailed. My people and army would be the fools not to—and I still have the highest regard for my people.

  However, my desire for revenge overrules logic.

  I want Kal to pursue me. I want her in my court. Playing by my rules. I can almost see her there, so close to the ocean, the breeze blowing her dark hair around her face as she wields her sword. Beautiful.

  Dangerous. Bale’s voice echoes in my head like a warning.

  I scoff at the moon goddess. Of course my lovely Nactue is dangerous. She wouldn’t be nearly as fun if she didn’t pose a threat. But I’m getting off track. I had a precise plan. A near month of planning now for nothing all because I let my excitement over seeing Kal get out of control.

  Now I’m stuck that much longer with Bale.

  But oh, how it was almost worth it—the taste of her lips. The feel of her body…becoming hot under my touch. It wasn’t damn near enough. My blood boils with the overwhelming need to have her now more than ever.

  As the Crusher gains ground over the open terrain, I ease back into my seat, confident that soon this will all end. One way or another, I’ll be freed of Bale’s insistent, pressing voice in my head. Because I can’t take it much longer. Either the goddess will get her damned relic, or I’ll slit my own throat.

  Careful, Prince. Those are hazardous thoughts.

  I laugh. “What’s wrong?” I tease. “Scared of losing your whipping boy?”

  Lake’s hiked, corkscrew eyebrow is his only acknowledgement to my outburst.

  What will happen once their goddess is no longer cocooned inside me? I wonder how far their respect goes for the man who brought forth their goddess. Just how far their loyalties stretch. From what I’ve seen of the Otherworlders, I suspect not too far.

  Hell.

  Rubbing the back of my neck, feeling the constant headache that torments my brain, I ponder just how to get what I need while ensuring what I want.

  Kal simply bringing me the relic and shard would remedy everything. I almost laugh, the thought of the Nactue leader just handing it over—no fuss.

  I raise my eyebrows as Bale’s voice turns alluring.

  Force her…set a trap. You know where her heart lies.

  Yes, I do. Sinking my hand into my pocket, I palm my token.

  I love my country.

  The sound of waves crashing against the limestone washes over me, and I feel at home. The tangy scent of salt in the air settles on my tongue, its moisture slicks my skin, wrapping me in a balmy blanket of comfort.

  There was nothing more intolerable than my time in the Otherworld…other than possibly my short stay in the goddess forsaken, sweltering land of Cavan. The first moment I stepped back into Perinya, I swore never to leave it again.

  And I won’t have to, as long as I can keep my wits and finish what I started.

  As I peer out over the rocky shoreline, my Otherworlder detail makes quick work of covering our tracks and hiding the Crushers, securing our hideaway. The rest of the army—what’s left of our numbers—is stationed near the tree line of the Great Woods, just miles away. I only bring my select unit to the den. Although now I’m wondering if that was a wise decision, trusting any of them with the knowledge of my secret home.

  I suppose it doesn’t matter. Once this task is complete, I’ll kill them. Simple enough.

  With my thoughts resigned, I kick a jagged limestone rock from my path and head toward my fortress—my home away from home in the trees.

  From a distance you’d never know a treehouse soars among the giant sequoia trees. I smile to myself; treehouse is such a poor word. Each sequoia, with its massive trunk, supports a room, and the branches connect in the middle to form the foundation for which holds three glass-encased levels. In simple, it’s brilliant.

  I never brought either parent here. This was my place. Tonight would’ve been the first. Anger lodges in my throat with a hollow ache. I’m again furious with Kal, myself, the dark goddess—because I faltered, and my mother is still with them instead of here, where she should be.

  Kal had to have known that was, initially, why I tried to sack the palace. Other than to steal her empress’s relic, of course. After my father’s untimely death, there was nobody to tell me what I could and couldn’t do about my sanity-challenged mother. Once I know she’s safe, my mind will be free to plot more nefariously for Bale’s rebirth and Kal’s demise.

  Human weakness…

  Bale’s taunt rings in my ears. I’m completely aware that my feelings for my mother—just like the lingering affections I have for Kal—ultimately weaken me. It’s why I need my mother safe, and Kal eliminated.

  I stop at the ladder of my fortress and shake my head, then knead my temples. My brain is so full of endless thoughts and plans and women it feels as if it’s bursting through my skull.

  Grabbing a wooden rung, I hike myself up and begin the climb. As I clear the first level, the wind sends my hair sideways across my forehead, prickling my skin with tiny grains of sand. I love the sensation of being so close to the ocean. If I only allow my thoughts to center on that, for now at least, I might be able to sleep.

  I haven’t had a good night since I slept beside Kal in our Otherworlder cell.

  “Curses,” I mutter as I move through the entryway and past the open windows overlooking the shore. My mind will never stop. Never. Not until…

  Kill her. Then you’ll have your peace.

  I halt at the narrow stairway leading to my loft.

  And why does the moon goddess desire Kal’s death so badly? Of course I thought I had the answer—that it was obvious. Kal could ruin things for Bale. But how? Truly, other than killing me and Bale having to find a new vessel, why else would the Nactue leader be such a threat?

  After tonight, the goddess should see for herself that Ka
l has no intention of ending me. Kal’s too love sick, too tormented over her lost prince. Although, Kal’s good nature didn’t spare any opponent she came up against in the Cage. She tried, but the liquid fire burning in her veins demanded destruction.

  I stop. And notice the goddess is curiously quiet for once.

  A slow smile curls my lips as the answer dawns, and I’m surprised at my own idiocy. I lean against the bark of the sequoia running through the middle of my den and chuckle. Though I should be doing anything else, the knowledge of what I’ve just stumbled upon lightens my mood.

  “You have much to fear from the sly Nactue leader, don’t you?” I chide the dark goddess. “It’s not my death you worry over, is it? Well, you do worry about finding another vessel, but that would hardly burden you, would it?” I shake my head. “No. Kal has something of yours…something you must, yourself, destroy. To know the threat is vanquished.”

  When she doesn’t respond, I have my answer. I know the truth.

  I pondered this angle while trapped in the Otherworld. It’s something Kal feared…and would barely admit that fear to me. I don’t understand all the details, but it’s the only thing now that makes sense.

  Kal’s “accident” at her father’s hands all those years ago was anything but. No, the goddesses, their realm, their world, their rules…it’s all prearranged. Calculated. Designed.

  I wish I would’ve paid closer attention to my lessons about the goddesses. Truthfully, Perinya was moving past the old ways even when I was a kid, and I’d planned to further her progression to a new order when I took the throne. That is, or was, before I met Kal.

  Grabbing ahold of the first rung, I make a mental note to have Lake gather books and documents in the morning. Anything he can find around here about the history of the goddesses. I need to study up. Because if they banned one of their sisters, they had to have planned for her attempted rise to power again.

  Hell, they should’ve seen it before they tossed Bale out. They’re all-powerful, right? I enter the loft feeling lighter, calmer than I have since I left the Otherworld.