Broken Fae

by Caroline Peckham

  “No – wait!” Felix yelled in fear, panic written into his weathered features as he moved up onto his knees.

  The Wolves were howling as Felix yelled for help, begging them to come to his aid. But none of them came any closer, caught in their own battles with the Lunars, fleeing, or simply cowering away from the fate befalling their so-called king.

  "A morte!" Dante roared like a beast as he swung the sword in a deadly arc.

  “No! Ple-” Felix’s screams were cut short as his nephew decapitated him in a single, furious blow that sent blood flying out in a crescent all around him.

  Felix's head thumped solidly to the ground, his lifeless eyes full of shock and refusal of his fate.

  The stars appeared to shine brighter in that moment, beaming down on my back like the sun, the heat of them seeming to reach inside me and feed my soul.

  Felix’s treacherous Wolves scattered like ants as Dante brought a lightning storm down on the whole hillside. Many of them were incinerated on the spot, while others were chased down by a hungry Lion bounding after them into the dark.

  I pulled the ice shards from my flesh, feasting on the pain until I had enough magic to heal the wounds they left behind. And when I looked up, Dante was before me, placing a hand on my shoulder and nodding to me in thanks for what I'd done. The stars whispered words in my ears which I didn’t understand. But I was sure he heard them too. And whatever they meant, I was certain it meant everything had changed.

  I said nothing and neither did Dante, but the whole world had shifted. The heavens were watching. But the stars weren’t the only ones looking this way. Members of the Brotherhood were gazing up the hill at me and my sworn enemy and my throat tightened as I looked back at them.

  They'd seen me work with Dante Oscura. And they would make me answer for it.

  I raced across campus with Rosalie thrown over my shoulder, the sound of the fight behind me making my heart lurch with panic and my flesh ache with the desire to head back to my kings and help them. But I needed to get her away. She wasn't Awakened so she had no magic and she was too headstrong for her own good. I just knew that if I didn't get her somewhere safe, she'd be running back out to join the fight before I could stop her.

  "Put me down, stronzo!" Rosalie cried, slamming her fists against my back as she kicked and thrashed and tried to make me release her.

  We shot through the doors of Altair Halls and I gritted my teeth against the savagery of her blows. Why the fuck could a fourteen year old hit that hard?

  I sped around a corner, meaning to find a classroom to lock her in safely, but as I shot into the empty corridor, I collided with a solid wall of air which sent pain splintering through my body and knocked me on my ass.

  Rosalie hissed in agony as she hit the ground and rolled away from me, the fall jarring the wounds Felix had given her. But I couldn't spare her a look because fear had paralysed me and my gaze was locked on the cloaked figure standing before us.

  "You look surprised to see me, Elise," King spoke in the deep and rumbling tones of a man but the face within their hood was shrouded in shadow so that I couldn't make them out at all. "But what did you expect to happen when you stole from me?"

  I leapt to my feet with a burst of speed, my eyes wild as I backed up a step and gathered as much magic as I could into my hands.

  "What did I steal?" I hissed, noticing Rosa rip the vine from her ankles and getting to her feet in my peripheral. But I still couldn't tear my gaze away from the monster who had haunted my dreams for so long.

  "I have been lenient with you because I believe that you want the same thing that I do. A better world. A fairer world. Where gangs don't rule and death isn't taken lightly. Where those who are weaker magically but stronger of heart and soul aren't cast aside like they're nothing."

  "And how is killing innocent Fae and stealing their magic helping to build a fairer world?" I asked, backing up a step and waving Rosa behind me as a growl escaped her lips.

  King didn't even spare her a glance.

  "The sacrifices are willing and their deaths are rewarded with the knowledge that I will use their magic to build a world where their kind won't have to suffer anymore. Where there is a price for violence and blood debts will be paid in full."

  "I'm not looking for a sale's pitch on your cult of brainwashed psychos," I snarled. "And you still haven't told me what I stole."

  "There was a man in my keeping whose blood was very important for my work. A man whose identity has been discovered by the staff at the hospital you so kindly dumped him at and now will be impossible to retrieve."

  "What are you talking about?" I asked as I built up the power in my hands until it felt like they were burning. But I was only going to get one shot at this because I knew King was too powerful to take on alone with all of their stolen magic.

  "Don't insult my intelligence. I know it was you. But luckily for you, all I need is a powerful Vampire. And you really are your father's daughter...”

  “What?” I hissed, my mind whirling at his words. I didn’t even know my father’s name. Only that he’d disappeared before I was born and it had been the final straw to break my Mom’s spirit.

  “I just wish it hadn't had to come to this,” King went on, ignoring my question. “But I will give you the option to join me willingly instead of being caged. I'm a Fae of my word and I believe you have many attributes which we cherish in the Black Card."

  I parted my lips like I had something else to say, but I flipped around in a flash of speed instead, aiming my power like an arrow from a crossbow as I slammed it all into a strike against one small area of the shield that had been constructed around us at my back.

  The moment I felt that patch of magic shatter, I shot towards Rosalie, picked her up and threw her with all of my enhanced strength at the hole.

  She yelled out in surprise as she tumbled through it, my air magic propelling her to the end of the corridor and I shot after her with a burst of speed.

  King managed to close the gap in the shield a second before I collided with it and a loud crack ripped right through my skull as my nose shattered and I was knocked back onto my ass by the force of the collision.

  "Run!" I screamed at Rosa and I caught sight of her wild eyes for a moment before she turned and raced away.

  "I'm getting help!" she called back just as a deep shadow fell over me and I found myself looking up into the darkness beneath King's hood.

  "This disappoints me, Elise," King said, shaking their head as they looked down at me and vines curled around my wrists, binding them before my chest while I still lay on the floor at their mercy.

  I'd used every drop of magic in my body to attempt my escape and I was left vulnerable as I scowled up at them.

  "I don't give a fuck about disappointing you," I spat, my own blood colouring my tongue from my broken nose. But the pain of it was nothing. Nothing compared to the rage and the hate and violence which was building up inside my flesh, just aching for the chance to destroy this vile monster before me.

  "Well there's still time to change your mind about that."

  I kicked and thrashed as the vines that bound my wrists yanked me upright and I was forced to look deep into the hood which veiled King's eyes.

  For a moment, amid the horror and the terror of being this close to a Fae I could only think of as a demon, I could have sworn I recognised the eyes that peered deep into mine like they could see every inch of my tattered soul. Like they knew me too.

  "I'm sorry," King breathed and with a pinch of pain in my upper arm, darkness enveloped me, and I was lost.

  W hen I'd hunted down and killed every Oscura traitor I could find, I padded back to Devil's Hill and hunted for my Lionesses. My heart was burning with the need to reunite and see that all four of them were okay. I hadn't seen Elise since she'd taken Rosa to safety and I couldn’t wait to hold her in my arms again.

  I found my sweatpants in the woods, shifting and pulling them on before hurrying back onto t
he bloodied hill. Gabriel landed ahead of me, watching Dante up on the hill, surrounded by his pack as they rubbed their hands over his flesh and nuzzled into him. It filled my heart with joy to see him finally free himself of the nightmare that was Felix. His uncle had deserved nothing less than a brutal end, and any treacherous survivors wouldn’t dare challenge the true king after they’d seen the power he wielded on this hillside. But Dante couldn’t have done it alone. To see Ryder come to his aid had made me want to fucking weep. I'd known all along that they could find common ground. Alright, maybe not all along. But I'd been in both of their fucking corners for a long ass time and my inklings were clearly as good as Gabriel's star visions thank you very much.

  I dove on Gabriel, hugging him tight and was surprised when he gripped me back just as firmly, sighing in relief. I spotted Ryder walking down from Devil's Hill towards the Lunars and my heart clenched at the ripple of uncertainty passing between their ranks.

  "Felix was our target! There will be no more fighting tonight, heal our injured and return to your beds. The war is done today," Ryder called to them with a booming authority in his tone.

  Ethan barked at his Wolves as he remained in his Order form and they turned heel and ran. But I'd seen the hesitation in some of them and the rest of the Lunars followed suit with murmurs passing between them. Bryce lingered the longest before following his gang back towards the dorms with a dark expression on his face.

  Ryder's shoulders dropped ever-so-slightly and I feared him having to answer for tonight. But for now, all I could feel was happy that we’d all made it through alive.

  I released Gabriel and bounded over to Ryder, holding out my arms for a hug, but before I made it there, a desperate howling made me wheel around. Fear pulled at my gut as Rosalie appeared from the direction of Altair Halls, clutching her side in pain and howling desperately to Dante up on the hill.

  "Where's Elise?" I growled immediately, my heart lurching as I ran forward to intercept her. "Rosa! What's wrong?"

  Rosa collided with me, gripping my arms as Dante came running down the hill behind me. Gabriel hurried up beside me and Ryder appeared beyond him.

  "There was someone in a cloak, I couldn't see their face and every time they spoke, their voice changed. They took Elise - I couldn't stop them," Rosa half sobbed, lurching into Dante's arms as panic warred in my chest.

  “But the stars didn’t warn me,” Gabriel gasped, clawing at his hair.

  Rosa looked to him as Dante fought to hold her still and try to heal her. “They couldn’t have known we’d run into them. It was random. But who are they?”

  "King," I gasped in answer as terror spilled into every part of my being and I looked to the three men who owned Elise’s heart as keenly as I did. Who would fight the demons of hell to return her to safety even if it cost them their blood, flesh and souls to do it. "He's taken our girl.”

  ______________________________

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  __Author Note__

  Heyyy, so how’s it going? That got a bit full on at the end there, didn’t it? Did you enjoy that little Gabriel vision where Ryder was hacked to bits? That was alllll Caroline so don’t blame me – I tried to talk her out of it. Or come to think of it, maybe I was egging her on…

  Either way, it all worked out okay, right? I mean, not for Elise so much, and I guess Leon is pretty gutted about the whole thing. Gabriel is probably blaming himself for not seeing that coming (what good is having The Sight if you can’t even foresee the only person you love getting kidnapped by a psychopath??) And I’d guess that Dante’s win over Felix has left a bitter taste in his mouth now that Rosa is scarred for life and Elise is gone. But at least Ryder is used to hating life, right? So for him it’s really just more of the same. I mean, I guess there might have been hope that these guys could be moving forward towards happier times by this point in the series and it could be argued that a certain pair of authors are heartless monsters for continually ripping your hearts out and tossing you head long over the cliff.

  Then again, it could also be argued that you’re a glutton for punishment if you’re sticking with us for this long and that being the case, I salute you. And I promise you this – there will be a HEA! (For whichever characters survive, assuming any do) Aaaaand we will write you a nice chunky epilogue to soothe your aching soul at the end of the next book, because guess what – the next one is the last one in this series!!! So it won’t be a cliffhanger and many questions will be answered, like will Eugene ever grow a pair of big old rat balls and stand up for himself? Will Cindy Lou be heading to The Black Hole for the Dragon D special from Lionel Afucks? Will the Kiplings be hosting a tea party and inviting everyone over for cake? (Sorry about that by the way, I dunno what I was thinking writing that and I’m still horrified at myself and unsure if I’ll ever look at a Victoria Sponge the same way again). There will also be answers to some other burning questions no doubt like who is that King fucker, what the hell happened to Gareth and will Elise do the four D dance with no pants?

  So if you wanna know the answers to that first then go ahead and pre-order Warrior Fae now (we are planning to bring that date forward ASAP). Also, if my ramblings here haven’t put you off and you’d like to come and chat with me and Caroline one on one and join our amazing reader group then DO IT – we want you to stalk us more than we want to drink your tears and plot the downfall of humanity and our group is hella fun. We have giveaways and ARC drops and teasers and all kinds of fun shit and we wanna see your face there.

  Lots of love and all the best wishes for surviving this Covid bullshit, Susanne and Caroline xxx

  Want to read Rosa, Roary and Ethan’s reverse harem series? (it’s set 10 years in the future so if you’re thinking WTF she’s 14 then you can relax because she’s 24 in her book ;) )

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  Also by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti

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  (Set in the world of Solaria)

  Dark Fae

  Savage Fae

  Vicious Fae

  Broken Fae

  Supernatural Bullies and Beasts

  (Set in the world of Solaria five years after Dark Fae)

  Zodiac Academy: The Awakening

  Zodiac Academy: Ruthless Fae

  Zodiac Academy: The Reckoning

  Zodiac Academy: Shadow Princess

  Zodiac Academy: Cursed Fates

  Zodiac Academy Novellas

  Origins of an Academy Bully

  The Big A.S.S. Party

  Supernatural Prison for Dark Fae Series

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  Darkmore Penitentiary

  Darkmore Penitentiary: Captive Fae

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  Kings of Lockdown

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  The Boys of Sinners Bay

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  Beautiful Savage

  The Age of Vampires

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  Eternal Curse

  Eternal Vow

  Eternal Night

  Eternal Love

  Forbidden Fairytales

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  Kingdom of Thieves

  Kingdom of Wishes

  Kingdom of Shadows

  Cage of Lies

  Rebel Rising

  Tainted Earth

  Afflicted

  Altered

  Adapted

  Advanced

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  V Games

  V Games: Fresh From The Grave

  V Games: Dead Before Dawn

  The Vampire Games: Season Two

  (Complete Trilogy)

  Wolf Games

  Wolf Games: Island of Shade

  Wolf Games: Severed Fates

  The Vampire Games: Season Three

  Hunter Trials

  The Vampire Games Novellas

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  The Rise of Isaac

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  Bleeding Snow

  Turning Tide

  Weeping Sky

  Failing Light