Crown of Betrayal (Wicked Kingdoms Book 2)

by Graceley Knox

  Axel points ahead and I move up next to him to see what he’s seeing. A cabin that looks like it was plopped in the middle of the woods is a few hundred feet from the edge of the tree line. Silently I issue commands and my crew spreads out so we will surround the cabin completely on all sides. The goblins follow suit and together we work until one by one my crew’s mics crackle.

  “Ready.”

  “Set.”

  “Good to go.”

  “Here.”

  I send up a prayer to whoever is listening up there and give the command. “Go.”

  As one, we all converge on the cabin. Silent as a sliver of moonlight I ascend the steps leading up to the deck and position myself at the door. A click sounds in my ear and I nod to Dagan on the other side of the door frame. He nods and then the door blasts open and we all file in, weapons raised and ready for an attack. The door to the back flies open as we search the front room of the cabin. The rest of our team files in and starts their own searches. The other team passes us and heads up the stairs to search. My team heads to the door in the kitchen. Dagan blasts it open and we descend the stairs leading into the basement. My foot drops from the final step. My stomach is in my throat as I take in the scene in front of me.

  Blood paints the walls and Arela is strung up by her arms, a circle of iron around her neck. I look around quickly for any immediate danger and run to her. She’s covered in cuts and bruises and blood drips from a fresh cut on her shoulder. She doesn’t move as I approach and silent tears stream from my eyes. I press two fingers to her neck with a shaking hand and feel the faint flutter of her pulse under my touch. I choke on a relieved breath. I push down my horror at her treatment and focus my attentions on freeing her and removing her from this hell.

  “Dare. Help me. Get her down.” I struggle with the locks on the shackles and another sob escapes me. “Gods, get her down.”

  “Dagan. Over here.” Dare touches my shoulder and pulls me back a step. Dagan rushes over and the locks on her shackles drop and she slumps into his arms.

  “Get her out of here. Get her to a healer. Now. Go. Take Amren with you.” Dagan disappears as he sifts out with Arela in his arms and I wipe my wet cheeks and force myself to stop crying. She’s safe. She’ll be taken care of. We’ll heal her. Whatever it takes, we’ll heal her. Now I just need to find Cashel and make him pay for this barbarity.

  “Status.” I bark the word into my mic.

  “Nothing, Ev.” Doyle responds.

  “Nothing upstairs but some clothes and a makeshift bed.” Kirin reports.

  “He left in a hurry, Ev. There’s hot tea up here in the kitchen. He might be in the woods.” Axel chimes in.

  “He was here. We just missed him.” I speak to Dare and Dax as I turn and leave this room of evil behind me. I meet Axel at the top of the stairs. “Show me.”

  He leads me over to the still steaming cup of tea and I take a second to think.

  “Cashel is obsessed with me, right? It’s me he wants?” I pace.

  “Yes… he’s fixated on you. Why?” Dare asks the question.

  “I’d bet he’s still here. He didn’t go far. I can draw him out.”

  “Absolutely not!” Dare roars the words and I lose my composure.

  I swipe at the hot glass of tea and ceramic shatters and the water drips down the dirty walls. “We don’t have any other options! I’m done playing cat and mouse with him.” I’m in Dare’s face as I yell the words. “Who’s next? Who will he hurt next? I won’t let anyone else be harmed because of his fascination with me. I won’t.”

  Dare lowers his voice. “This is insane. Once he has you, we don’t know what he’ll do with you. I won’t lose you.”

  “I have a plan and I think it will work.” I grip his hands in mine and squeeze them. “Trust me, Dare. Please. Trust me.”

  Pain shadows his features as he thinks over my words. My chest is tight as I wait for his response. Either way I’ll find a way to draw Cashel out, but I can’t pass up the opportunity to draw him out while he’s so close.

  Dare caresses my face and pulls me tight to his chest. He breathes deep as he crushes me against him. “I trust you, Ever. What’s the plan?”

  “We fight and you take the goblins and everyone else with you. Leave Axel with me. He’s got a sniper’s eye and he can take Cashel out as soon as I draw him out. But we need to make it believable. Once we fight, he’ll think he’s won. He’ll think that he drove you away from me and that I’m left alone. Without MECA, without my crew, without the support of the Goblin Kingdom.”

  Dare releases his grip on me and meets my gaze. “Remember that nothing I’m about to say is in any way true. I do not mean any of it, but I have to say it in a way that it doesn’t seem staged.” He nods his head, seemingly resigned to this crazy plan of mine.

  I nod and relay our plan over the mic. Everyone congregates as Dare and I start to fight.

  “It’s your fault that Arela was taken. I trusted you, like a fool, and she was taken from within your kingdom!” I scream the words at him and he flinches.

  “My fault? You are the one who brought this upon us in the first place. Refusing the hand of a crazy man and dragging others into your business!” His words hit me hard because they aren’t anything I haven’t thought myself, but I grit my teeth and fight back.

  “I’ve done nothing but try to protect everyone from this! You seduced me with your ideas and your body while you betrayed me behind my back. Get out! Get the fuck out! Leave me alone! I won’t be a part of your games anymore. Take your goblins and go!”

  “Queen Odaine said it right. You are an ungrateful mongrel.”

  In a flash, everyone disappears and I’m left alone in the cabin, our shouts ringing in my ears. I push down the guilt flowing through me and remind myself that it was a fake fight. That he didn’t mean that. That we got Arela back and now all we have left to do is find Cashel. I walk through the house and back out of the door we crashed through. I walk down the steps and toward the boulder in the yard. I climb it and sit and wait.

  Here Cashel-Cashel.

  Come and get me creeper.

  I don’t have to wait long until I hear a rustle in the brush to my left. I pretend that I didn’t hear it and I put my head in my hands. My hair fans around me from my pony-tail and I peak through it. A flash of clothing through the brush and another crunch of branches brings him closer to me. I wait. I keep my body from tensing and huff out a breath like I’m saddened by my fight with Dare. I keep my head down and with more noise than a heard of gargoyles, Cashel approaches me.

  “My dearest, Ever. I have you to myself at last.” He whispers the words and I snap my head up like I’m surprised.

  “W-What are you doing here? We thought you took off.” I take in his appearance and try not to wince. He’s lost a lot of weight and looks bedraggled and malnourished. His clothes have rips in them and his hair is matted and little twigs are stuck in it.

  “I couldn’t leave when I knew you’d be here. I don’t know how you found me, but you did. I knew you’d find me, my Ever.” He steps to the right and I try not to curse. Now I’m blocking Axel from a clear shot at him. “I knew you’d want to be with me eventually. I just had to be patient.” Cashel continues before giggling manically. “That scum goblin left you alone and now we can be together.” He reaches one of his dirty hands out and runs his fingers down my arm.

  I try to control my gag reflex and not barf on him, but I need to get rid of him. Once and for all, I need to know that he’s dealt with and no longer a threat to those dear to me.

  “Of course I came to find you. You left me that pretty crown. What’s it called again?” I tilt my head to the side and play stupid for him.

  “The Crown of Unity. I wanted you to know that our union is meant to be. Together we will unite and rule the kingdoms.”

  “Unity? I thought it stood for betrayal? The Crown of Betrayal? That’s what someone told me. I thought you were mad at me, Cashel.” I giv
e him my best pout and hope that it comes across as cute rather than deranged.

  “Of course not, my Ever. I was not pleased that that goblin had swayed you from me for so long, but we are together now and he is gone. We will be united in the old ways and the treaties will be reinstated.”

  “Where will we go, Cashel? You are exiled from the Light Elven Kingdom and I’m leath cine. I’m not allowed there even if we could go there. Who will unite us?” Gods, what else does this little worm have up his sleeve. Amren was right. Cashel is up to something, but I don’t know what. He giggles again and leans closer to me. He smells like he hasn’t bathed in weeks. I try to breathe through my mouth.

  “I’ll let you in on a secret, my Ever. There are those within the Light Elven Kingdom who would see me on the throne still. You see… there are rumors that uncle Caddox plans to remove the declaration. And there are those that are against it. They do not want humans soiling our bloodlines. They don’t mind a few mixed breeds so long as they are more elven than whatever else they are. They will ensure that we sit atop the throne and fulfill the prophecy.”

  Repeal the declaration? Allow leath cine to live in the Light Elven Kingdom? Allow mixed marriages and cross breedings amongst the different kingdoms again? I refrain from fist pumping at the thought of hundreds of years of prejudice and persecution disappearing with one little scrap of paper. But who could help Cashel stop that?

  “Who, Cashel? Who will help us?” I lean forward and try to bat my eye lashes at him.

  “Do not fret, my Ever. You will meet them shortly. For now, we must get away from here in case the goblins come back and try to take you from me again. We must complete our union. Our friends will be arriving in moments and we must get to the rendezvous point.”

  I lean forward and grip Cashel’s hand in mine. I smile sweetly at him before I slap a cold iron cuff around his wrist. “We’re not going anywhere. And your delusion is over, Cashel. I’d rather die than mate with you.” I jump from the rock and yank on his arm until he twists and I can catch his other hand in mine. I cuff his wrists together and turn him to face me.

  “Progress within ancient races isn’t something that should be stopped, Cashel. Traditions are broken, and old laws are removed to ensure the survival of our people.”

  Cashel laughs and pulls his arm from my grip. “You still do not see, my Ever. But you will.”

  A shout rings out from above before the crack of a bullet follows it and I turn to look up just as something slams into my face and my world tilts. I fall to the ground and the last thing I remember seeing before my eyes fall shut is Cashel running away with a group of elves in cloaks of the deepest blue with crescent moons with the tips pointed upwards and tangled branches below them.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-THREE

  I startle awake and take stock of my surroundings. I’m comfortable and warm. Something’s holding me down at my waist but I can move my hands and my feet. I reach up and rub at my temple. It’s tender and dried blood crusts at the surface of where I was hit. I blink my eyes open and I stare up at a familiar ceiling of brick with shadows flickering over it from a crackling fire. Goblin, I think?

  I look down at what’s around my waist. It’s an arm covered in runes. Dare. I heave a sigh of relief. I’m in the Goblin Kingdom and I’m safe. Memories flood through me and I remember what happened.

  We found Cashel and we got Arela to safety.

  I talked with Cashel and tried to take him with me.

  Someone hit me in the head from behind and they had the same symbols as the elves from the vision Queen Nicnivin shared with me.

  More mysteries and issues to deal with.

  I circle back to Arela. She’s safe. I look over at Dare. He’s curled around me and looks relaxed. His face isn’t as harsh when he’s sleeping. The scar that spans from his eyebrow to his cheekbone still gives him a dangerous air though. I trace it with the tip of my finger.

  “Dare.” I lightly shake his arm so he won’t wake up worried about danger. “Dare, wake up.”

  His arm constricts around me and his eyes open slowly. “Ever. You scared me.” He squeezes me close before wincing as he gets a look at the gash on the side of my face.

  “It probably looks worse than it feels.” It feels like I got hit in the head with a brick, but I don’t want to upset him further by telling him that.

  He traces around the wound and his jaw twitches. “I should never have left you alone with him.”

  “It’s not your fault. He had help. Did you speak with Axel?” I cuddle up to his warm body and let myself enjoy a few quiet moments with him before I have to talk to anyone else or figure out who is helping Cashel.

  “He wouldn’t say anything until a healer saw you. And then he would only speak with your crew. I’ve been with you the whole time, but your crew has banded together and won’t talk to me.” He growls the last of the words and I snicker.

  “We’re a loyal bunch.” I shrug and push back from his warmth and stretch. “I need to see Arela. She’s okay, right?”

  “She’s fine. A healer saw to her and the Druids gave her some sort of sleep mixture so she will sleep soundly as she heals for the night.”

  “I need to go see her. To see her with my own eyes.” I drop down from the high bed and look around for my clothes. “Where are my boots?”

  “By the door.” Dare watches me like a lion watches its prey. His stare stalks me as I walk around the room until I’m self-conscious of every move I make.

  I pull on my boots and lace them up. I grab a few knives because the gods know that the one time I forget them is the time I’ll need them most. “You coming?” My tone sounds needy to my ears but I brush it off. I’ve been through the ringer the past few days and sometimes that girly part of me just wants a big bad goblin who’s watching my back. If he’s ready to lay me flat against any available surface at any time, even better.

  Dare gets up from the bed and walks over to me. He traces the gash at my head again and he grits his teeth. “I should have found a way to stay with you.”

  I press his hand to my cheek. “It’s over and done with. I’m fine. We know now that he’s got friends and we won’t let them get the drop on us again.”

  He nods and we head out of my room and toward Arela’s chambers. I turn right, but Dare redirects me to the left toward the end of the hall my crew and I have been occupying. “Arela is over here now. Your crew didn’t want her further than a few feet from them.”

  I smile and follow him. My crew and I would probably become just as overbearing when it comes to Arela’s safety and protection now as Dare has been with me. I’d feel sorry for her, but none of us will forget anytime soon what it was like to not have her with us. We stop in front of her door and I knock before I remember that she’s asleep and won’t hear me. I reach for the door handle and step back when the door opens.

  Eryn smiles at me and pulls me in for a tight hug. “We’ve got her safe and secure. You both gave us quite the fright today.”

  I tighten my arms around her. “I’m okay. And she’s home now. We’ll both heal.”

  Eryn pulls back and looks me over thoroughly. I don’t know what she sees in my energy, but she smiles. “I’ll go take a break then while you’re with her. Dagan was supposed to bring me food, but he didn’t.” She rolls her eyes and walks away.

  I stand at the entrance of Arela’s room, afraid to step through and disturb her. She’s been through more than enough and I don’t want to add to it. Doubts fill me until I’m overflowing with them. Will she want to find a new family other than ours now? I couldn’t protect her, so I can’t blame her if she does. Will she be the same happy girl that she once was before she was taken? Will she ever trust anyone again? Will she bare scars? Physically she may heal, but emotional wounds are invisible and take the longest to recover from. They say time can heal everything, but sometimes there isn’t enough time in the world to mend the deepest of cuts. I take a deep breath and step forward. Da
re stays at the door and nods at me when I look back at him over my shoulder.

  I approach and twin chitters sound. Anarchy and Chaos are sleeping on the pillow next to Arela. They both blink sleepy eyes up at me and I smile down at them before I run a finger down each of their snouts. They’d stayed with her while I was gone trying to catch Cashel. They settle down and I look down at Arela. Her hair is no longer matted and stained with blood. Her chest rises and falls steadily and the knot in my chest loosens at the sight.

  I sit down in the chair by her bed and rest my hand on hers. She seems so fragile compared to me. She’s not that much smaller in stature, but her spirit is more kind and accepting than mine. She’s already been through so much before she came to us and not even six months later she was abducted and brutally abused at the hands of one of my enemies. It’s not fair of me to hope that she’ll stay with us. That she’ll let me try and prove that I can keep my promise of safety and happiness.

  “I’m so sorry, Arela. I’m so, so, sorry for everything.” My eyes sting with unshed tears and I keep talking to her. I have to get it out. “I promised to keep you safe. And to give you a family where you’re wanted and loved. I failed in my first promise. And I will never forget that I failed you.”

  Her finger twitches under mine and I look up to see if she’s awake. Her eyes are closed and her breathing is still steady.

  “I know I don’t deserve a second chance to prove to you that I’ll never let any harm come to you again, but I pray to whoever is listening that you’ll give me that chance.” I wipe a tear as it falls and take a deep breath. “I love you so much, Arela. We all do. And we’ll make sure that you’re okay. We’ll make sure this becomes a distant memory for you.” I rest my forehead on her hand and I let a few more tears fall. I let them remove the residual panic and worry about not finding her alive. I let them wash away my desperation to find her, and then I force it out of my mind. I push back the waves of self-loathing and shut them out. I have to be strong for her. It’s about her now, not me. She’s the one that will need me at my strongest, and if I’m drowning in self-loathing and regrets I’ll fail her again.