by Meg Xuemei X
Table of 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
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
A Message from the Author
THE EMPRESS
OF MYSTH
book four
angel’s storm magic
plus
a complimentary romance novel
THE GIRL NEXT DOOR
MEG XUEMEI X
The Empress of Mysth Copyright © 2016 by Meg Xuemei X
The Girl Next Door Copyright © 2014 by Meg Xuemei X
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the author. Requests for permission should be sent to [email protected].
Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
First Edition
Meg Xuemei X
Cover art by Lou Harper
Edited by John Briggs & Jay Howard
The novel is a work of fiction. Any and all characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or events or places is merely coincidence. Novel intended for adults only. Must be 18 years or older to read.
ABOUT THE EMPRESS OF MYSTH
Forbidden. Sworn Enemy. Wicked Seduction.
Savage angels have turned Earth into their hunting ground. To save all earthborns, the fey princess Rose cedes to the marriage demands of the King of Angels, knowing she won't survive the wedding night. When she comes to Atlantis to find a secret weapon to banish angels from our planet, she awakens the darkest lust in the king's lethal brother.
The most formidable angel comes across the universe and finds her. He will stop at nothing to possess her, even if he must fall.
The High Prince offers Rose an indecent proposal: sleep with him once and he'll keep her safe. Rose will turn his urge against him and destroy the angels' house. While unbridled lust burns the prince, it also torments her.
This sizzling mythological romance series centers on war and lust between an immortal race and fallen angels, before humans walked the earth.
Table of Contents
Angel's Storm Magic
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
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
A Message from the Author
Complimentary Novel: The Girl Next Door (Love's Prey)
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
Also by Author
About the Author
EMPRESS ROSE FAYLINN
I was torn from Seth’s arms.
I left him behind, surrounded by fire and raining glass and a brutal army. Lethal beams fell on his wings, and his golden feathers burned and dropped.
I tried to break free of Ephraim’s grip to reach for my mate but failed.
I was weak and injured. I was a magic dud.
My eyes flashed open, telling me this hadn’t been a dream.
I’d left him behind for real.
And now I was home in the Silver Palace of Mysth.
My room smelled of the first blossom of spring in the mist. As the fading light of twilight fell on my face, I turned my head to the side. Outside the window, the landscape of green, violet, and blue sprawled far to the red forest.
Sounds of a flute vibrated the air, bearing joy and heartache all at once. Only fey could make such music.
My time in Atlantis had changed me in a way that words could not possibly describe. I was no longer the same immortal fey princess I had been before meeting the High Prince of All Angels. I had thought of him as my immortal enemy whilst he was actually my mate.
Healers rushed to me, hovering over me as soon as they saw that I was awake.
I tried to sit up, my lady-in-waiting assisting me.
“How long have I been in bed?” I asked.
“Three days, Princess,” Souline said.
“You lost too much blood, Your Highness,” said the head healer. “It took all of our combined magic to heal you, and still we thought we had lost you.” Her violet eyes sparked hope. “You’re the strongest fey the realm has ever had.”
My people were desperate. The angels would be at our doors any day now, and so they pinned their last hope on me, on the great Earth magic they believed was in me. But they had yet to realize that if I had really had that offensive magic, I would never have left my mate behind.
Hector entered the room and went down on one knee, his fist on his forehead.
I searched his eyes. “Did he survive?”
“He was captured,” Hector said, his face tight. “The angels sealed Atlantis, and their king declared war on us.”
“Have you talked to my generals?” I asked.
“They’re yours to command,” Hector said, “but their soldiers aren’t ready.”
“They’ll have to be when the angels come,” I said. “The Dragonian army?”
“Camping outside our walls,” Hector said.
“How did the emperor take all this?” I asked.
My captain of the guards had no need to answer as Emperor Oberon stormed into my chamber, his stunning blue eyes fixed on me.
Lightheaded, I didn’t allow my knees to bend. I met my father’s hard gaze.
“Leave us,” he said, dismissing everyone else.
Hector looked at me, and I gave him a light nod. Understanding what I needed him to do, he retreated with the rest.
“You should sit,” my father permitted.
So I did.
He sat across from me. “You brought war right back to the realm.”
“I hoped you would say, ‘I’m glad you made it back alive, Daughter.’”
My father’s eyes flickered in annoyance. “Our doom is coming. There’s no deliverance, even if we surrender now.”
“Surrender?” I asked with open scorn.
“You failed me, Daughter. You failed the realm.”
“No, Father, you failed your people,” I said. “You should never have assumed that Mysth would be safe forever. You should have prepared, but you didn’t lift a finger. You chose to hide behind wine, fine art, and s
hapely bosoms rather than caring for your people. When the angels breached the walls, did you find an effective defense? No, you took the easy way out by selling your own daughter to their king. You and your useless court—a court that knows only petty intrigue—”
“Rose Faylinn!” the emperor exploded. “I’m exiling you. Leave my realm at first light tomorrow.”
“You aren’t banishing me, Oberon,” I said. “I’m taking your throne.”
My father let out a dark, mocking laugh. “You—what?”
“When you packed me as a gift to the monsters,” I said, “I vowed to take back my birthright when I returned.”
“Your birthright?” he scoffed.
“You aren’t fit to rule.”
He sneered. “You think you can do better?”
“I won’t reject this new era of science and technology,” I said. “I won’t hold on to false security. We’re the only immortals on Earth, and the mortals have outnumbered us for centuries. I’ll adapt, as will my people. The strongest, most intelligent species will not inherit the Earth, but the ones who know how to adapt and absorb the best traits of the predators. I’ll build cities using the latest science and technology. I’ll promote capable commoner fey, and—”
“You talk like a pagan,” my father cut in. “I can have you executed for that alone.”
“Really, Father?” I tilted my head. “You should be careful from now on when talking to me.”
“You think you can dethrone me by words?”
“I could have invoked my birthright to rule Mysth when I reached sixteen, but I didn’t. I wanted to give you a chance to rule wisely, and because I was selfish and didn’t want the responsibilities, but I can no longer stand on the sideline and watch you lead Mysth to slavery.
“I expect your full cooperation, Father,” I continued. “You’ll announce your abdication tonight.”
Shock and anger distorted his fair face. “Guards!” the emperor shouted.
A dozen of my father’s imperial guards charged in, weapons drawn. From the entrance nearest me, Hector led a small cadre of my guards.
“Arrest the princess for the highest treason!” the emperor barked.
My guards drew their swords, forming a ring around me.
My father slashed a hand in the air. “Kill all of her guards.”
“Father,” I asked coolly, “do you really want to do this the hard way?”
“Carry on!” he shouted at Bhaltair, the head of the imperial guards.
Bhaltair hesitated. “What if we hurt the princess in the process?”
“Then it’s most unfortunate,” my father said.
“Then we can’t do that, Consort,” Bhaltair said. “Before Empress Jasmine Faylinn gave birth to Princess Rose, we swore an oath to Her Majesty to defend her daughter from anyone, including you, with our last drop of blood. Empress Jasmine expected this day to come.”
My father waved his sword. “I’ll have all of your heads for this! I’m the emperor!”
I was at his side the next second, my hand on the hilt of his sword as I disarmed him. I was a trained fighter; he wasn’t. “Consort Oberon,” I said, handing his weapon to his former captain of guards, “as of this moment, I’m invoking my birthright to rule and protect Mysth.”
My father hissed, “You have no right.”
Just then, my three generals strode in.
“It was always Empress Rose’s right to rule,” said General Goodwin. “You aren’t of the true royal bloodline, so the ancient law has never been revealed to you. It was deemed prudent to protect the true heir that way.”
My father turned to face me. “Then you could have invoked the ancient law and overruled my decision to send you to Atlantis, but you wanted to have fun in the angels’ city. You even brought one of them back to our sacred realm.”
“I begged you not to send me to be their sadist king’s bride,” I said softly, “but in the end, I went willingly. I knew I must go to the heart of the enemy’s territory to discover their most vulnerable spots. That was my duty as the future empress: protect my people before ruling them.”
“Have you found the angels’ weakest spot?” my father asked viciously.
“They have none,” I said.
The image of Seth standing alone facing a brutal army flashed before me. I had once mistaken Seth as their weakest link, so I’d struck him. I’d used him to divide the angels’ houses, and it had finally cost him.
My mate. He was mine all along. That was why we had been drawn to each other at first sight. I hadn’t known that until it was too late. Until I had lost him.
“So while I kept the realm safe,” my father drawled, “you brought it right back. And now you’re trying to lead my people to extinction. You’ve never been a blessing, but a curse, even before you were born. You killed your own empress mother!”
I controlled my inner shudder at my father’s hurtful words and vicious intention to turn every fey against me.
He wheeled around to the generals. “There won’t be war if you follow my lead. I’ll negotiate new terms with the angels. It can be done.”
And this time he would deliver my head to the angel king.
“Would you rather my people be slaves, Oberon?” I asked him.
“At least fey will not be wiped out!” my father said.
“Tell me,” I asked the room, “who else wants to be the angels’ bitches?”
“Never!” Hector roared. “I’ll die free than live in chains!”
My elite guards howled with him.
My father glared at them. “Silence, you barbarians!”
“I won’t kneel,” General Goodwin said.
“Mysthians don’t kneel!” the rest of the generals shouted, until Bhaltair and the imperial guards echoed their cry.
“You’re a bloodthirsty lot,” my father said with contempt. “Let's hear my people’s voices. Let's see if they want the rule of the princess of war or the emperor of peace.”
He never cared about my people's opinions. He knew the whole realm had stood with me since I was born. He was stalling so he could gather an army and strike back.
Hector gestured. “In fact, they’re all here.”
Captain Bhaltair rushed to pull the curtains covering the glass door that faced the grand courtyard.
My people, tens of thousands, had gathered outside and chanted. “Empress Rose Faylinn.” They knelt as one at the sight of me. “The Morning Star of Mysth!”
I returned to my realm without my mate. And I claimed my throne.
PRINCE SETH
I hurled my lightning toward the broken ceiling, where the king’s sentinels dove like vultures. My bolts turned on my kind, breaking their wings and scorching their flesh.
I did not care about their furious screams. Not when they came after my female.
They kept coming. Angels are a warrior breed. Fear and death don’t stop them.
Alone, I charged ahead. My long sword flashed, seeking the blood of my mate’s enemies.
Blood spilled. Hundreds of my kind fell under my blade. I’d become what my father called the Fallen. I’d turned traitor. But nothing else mattered except protecting my mate.
And so I became the avenging angel.
“The High Prince has gone mad!” several soldiers cried.
“The king’s coming!” yelled another.
It was about time that coward faced me on the battlefield. I would end him this day.
A lead warrior shouted, “Put down your sword, High Prince!”
I fried him with my lightning. I then shouted for my team to follow me into the opening. I planned to topple my library and bury the secret door.
We would escape through the air.
I intended to have Rose in my arms again. I wanted to sleep with her more than I wanted this battle. Just picturing my cock buried deep inside her every night gave me enough motivation to stay alive and reclaim her. I was also extremely anxious to hurry back to tend her. My female was wounded.
My fleet would arrive soon, and we could quickly leave after I picked her up. I would make sure my father and his minions never found us. Or perhaps I would join High Commander Camael’s Fallen to squash him after I hid my female in the safest place.
My warriors and the Mysthian guard followed me closely. A couple of them fought beside me, their blades leaving a heap of discarded bodies behind.
As I stepped out of my library, arrows rained down upon us. My lightning instinctively shot out, forming a membrane above us. The arrows plunged short of my shield. The archers, their quivers nearly spent, finally stopped shooting.
“Agro!” I shouted. “Fight me. For the first time in your fucking, pathetic life, stop being a pussy!”
I was goading him to duel me. After I killed the head of the snake, I would rapidly subdue his army. They wouldn’t join me, for fear of my lord father, but they would stop fighting me. That would buy me time to get away with my team and find my mate. Then we would lay low and wait for my army to cross the galaxies to join us.
“You’re dead, Seth! You’re dead!” Agro screamed from the rear of his army, using them as angel shields.
My black lightning impaled angels in front of my brother and shot toward him, but then it hit a null shield.
I cursed. My heart sank.
No wonder Agro came to challenge me. He had called our father.
The Lord of All Angels materialized in his astral form. Even so, his unfathomable power whipped the air. For eons he had honed his dark art of infusing his power into avatars that could move across the expanse of the universe.
The army felt his terrifying power and gasped as they knelt as one before him. My team and I were the only ones still standing, though my warriors clenched their teeth to resist his power, their knuckles white on the hilt of their swords.
In a flash, my father’s avatar stood before me, his gaze hard.
I met his eyes. “Father.”
“Kneel, Son,” my father commanded.
He was the ultimate angel alpha. No one could refuse his command, except for the few most ancient, powerful angels. And now only one still lived: High Commander Camael, who led the angel rebels, the so-called Fallen, against my father.
